Category / EU

Update on UKRO services

Funding opportunities, international

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our Horizon Europe event on 12 February. For those who missed it, the presentation is available on the RDS SharePoint site.

We briefly touched on a question regarding UKRO services, and here are further details on this matter, as recently communicated by UKRO.

UKRO has made changes to its service provision for subscribers in the current financial year. They are in the process of moving towards the UKRO future state and expect to communicate to subscribers in March what we can expect from April 2025 onwards.

The subscriber round-tables held in September 2024 have contributed to these plans, as well as ongoing discussions with the UKRO Steering Group. UKRO is extremely grateful for the feedback received and for the patience and understanding of subscribers during this time.

At present, UKRO is unable to allocate a named European Advisor to all subscribers and is instead focusing resources on responding to enquiries and producing portal content.

For those with more specific questions related to the Pillar II call topics, as mentioned during yesterday’s presentation, I would suggest getting in touch with the UK National Contact Points, who provide support for each specific area.

Just a quick reminder about UKRO: The UK Research Office (UKRO) supports the UK research and innovation community and works with partners across government and stakeholders to maximise UK engagement in the Horizon Europe programme. UKRO provides subscription-based advisory services for research organisations, and BU is one of UKRO’s subscribing organisations.

UKRO also offers free UK National Contact Point services for those interested in Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, the European Research Council, Widening Participation, and COST. However, some sections of the UKRO website are only available to staff at subscribing organisations. Any BU employee can access UKRO services by creating their own profile.

We encourage all BU academic staff to register – it’s a quick and simple process that only requires an institutional email address. Registered users receive tailored news articles on the latest EU funding and policy developments, as well as factsheets on various strands and aspects of EU research, innovation, and higher education activities.

In the meantime, I will continue to keep an eye on the 2025 work programmes and inform you of any updates we receive.

European research project exploring use of ‘virtual twins’ to better manage metabolic associated fatty liver disease

A €10 million research project is exploring how digital duplicates called ‘virtual twins’ could help in managing and treating metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).

MAFLD is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in Europe, surpassing viral hepatitis and alcohol-related causes. It can also play a role in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease.

Bournemouth University is one of the partners on ARTEMIs, a four-year research project funded by the European Union’s Horizon programme.

The project will explore how ‘virtual twins’ – digital duplicates of the liver, heart and other organs – can be used to track the development of the disease, leading to better and more personalised diagnosis and management of the condition.

This could help enable early detection of the disease, better prediction of the disease’s progression and more effective management of MAFLD and associated conditions.

The ARTEMIs project consortium group gathered in front of a buildingThe ARTEMIs project consortium

22 institutions from across Europe and beyond – ranging from hospitals to SMEs, academic partners and a patients’ association – are working together on the project.

Experts in data science and medical imaging at Bournemouth University are developing AI-based digital tools to support the digitisation and personalisation of the virtual twins.

“Through AI, we will investigate various clinical questions such as the progression of liver disease in MASLD patients and cardiovascular complications,” said Professor Hamid Bouchachia, Professor in Data Science and Intelligent Systems, who is the principal investigator for BU

“We will also develop the machine learning and AI tools to recognise and analyse patterns in patients and related factors, using data from various sources – including clinical data, imaging, and biological molecules.

“The outcome of such investigations will be integrated in a multi-scale computational virtual twin to facilitate the diagnosis and management of patients with MALFD. Such research will undoubtedly benefit patients suffering from this prevalent disease.”

To find out more about the project, please visit: www.bournemouth.ac.uk/ARTEMIS

Horizon Europe funding – Weds 12th Feb

Funding opportunities, Training

Looking to secure European funding?

Horizon Europe event – in person, Wednesday 12th Feb, Talbot Campus 13:00-14:30.  Hosted by RDS Horizon expert, Ainar Blaudums and BU’s very own successful Horizon Europe academic, Prof Hamid Bouchachia.

This session will cover:

  • Introduction to Horizon Europe
  • Where and how to find EU funding opportunities
  • Panel discussion – What are the most effective ways of building international partnerships and getting involved with peers across Europe?
  • Q&A session

For further information on this event please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk

Book your place HERE

BU research to explore how artificial intelligence can help detect and investigate crime

A European research project will explore how artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to support crime detection and prevention.

A hooded silhouetted figure on a laptop in front of computer code

The PRESERVE project will look at ways to support law enforcement agencies in tackling crimes including sexual abuse, extremism, and drug trafficking through automating the collection and analysis of large amounts of data from across the internet.

This could include sources such as chat rooms, social media, and the dark web – identifying key communities and users involved in activities such as hate speech, human trafficking or terrorism, and using this information to better allocate police resources.

The €6 million project, funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe programme, involves partners from 8 countries across Europe – including researchers, law enforcement agencies from Greece, Spain, Romania and Czechia, and industrial partners with expertise in technology and software development.

As part of the project, researchers from Bournemouth University (BU) will develop the digital tools and AI algorithms to help monitor trends and detect crimes – particularly targeting the prevention and investigation of child sexual abuse, hate speech, extremist activities, and illegal drug trafficking.

The team will also look at ways to make the process fair, ethical and transparent to avoid potential bias.

Professor in Data Science and Intelligent Systems Hamid Bouchachia is leading the project at BU.

He said: “Through PRESERVE we are investigating ways to fight various types of crime that are instigated and amplified in cyberspace. Having the privilege of working with law enforcement authorities across Europe, including Europol, will support this exciting work in having real-world impact, resulting in ethical AI and machine learning-based technology that assists in combating cybercrimes towards the common good of the society.”

The project will run for three years and aims to embed the tools in an information management system to support European law enforcement authorities in collaborating more effectively and securely, without compromising the privacy of citizens.

Find out more about the PRESERVE project on the BU website

International midwifery collaboration on early labour

international

Academics from the Centre for Midwifery and Women’s Health (CMWH) traveled to Winterhur, Switzerland with the Swiss European Mobility Programme.

The education and research programme, organised by the team at Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften (Zurich University of Applied Sciences), involved a workshop with midwives from across Europe ( Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Germany) discussing midwife-led care.

Professor Vanora Hundley and Dr Dominique Mylod were also invited to give a lecture on the latent phase / early labour as part of the final Gebstart conference. They presented recently published research that was included in thespecial issue in Women & Birth at the end of last year.

This meeting and collaboration with colleagues from across Europe builds on the work of the International Early Labour Research Group.

 

Relevant papers:

Mylod DC,  Hundley V, Way S, Clark C (2023) Can a birth ball reduce pain perception for women at low obstetric risk in the latent phase of labour? The Ball Assisted Latent Labour (BALL) randomised controlled trial. Women & Birth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2023.11.008 

Grylka-Baeschlin S, Hundley V, Cheyne H et al (2023) Early labour: an under-recognised opportunity for improving the experiences of women, families and maternity professionals Women & Birth https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2023.09.004  

Update on Horizon Europe Guarantee

The UK government remains in discussion on the UK’s involvement in EU research programmes and hopes that negotiations on Horizon Europe will be successful.

There are good news regarding Horizon Europe guarantee provided by the UK government. The UK government has announced an extension to the support provided to UK Horizon Europe applicants until the end of September 2023.

The UK Horizon Guarantee will now be in place to cover all Horizon Europe calls that close on or before 30 September 2023. Eligible, successful applicants to Horizon Europe will receive the full value of their funding at their UK host institution for the lifetime of their project.

Full details of the scope and terms of the extended Guarantee are available on the dedicated UKRI website (login may be required).

With any further questions related to Horizon Europe, please get in touch with me.

Please note that, as part of RDS funding briefing, there will be a session dedicated to Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 call on 21 June (no briefing this week).

Horizon Europe Update – January 2023

Welcome to the first Horizon Europe news of 2023. This is a summary based on articles published by UKRO and Research Professional early this year.

Horizon Europe association

The EU and New Zealand have concluded the official negotiations on the non-EU country’s association to Horizon Europe; the signing of the Association Agreement is expected to take place in early 2023. This will allow researchers and organisations from New Zealand to participate as beneficiaries receiving EU funding in projects funded under the six thematic Clusters of Horizon Europe’s second Pillar (Societal Challenges).

This is the first time that a highly industrialised country outside of Europe has become associated to the EU framework programme, however for all other parts of the programme, including European Research Council and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, New Zealand will continue to be considered a non-associated third country. Canada is also expected to become associated to Horizon Europe in early 2023, while Japan and South Korea continue to have early exploratory talks on association with the EU.

UK Government’s plan B

According to Research Professional, the UK science minister has said that the UK’s alternative plan for spending money ringfenced for European R&D programmes, the so-called ‘plan B’, is being signed off by prime minister Rishi Sunak. In his speech, Freeman said that ministers “haven’t yet finalised” the alternative package, which is “now with the prime minister, the chancellor, the cabinet and the National Science and Technology Council”.

The science minister said that the government was “still pushing, and I’m still hopeful”, for UK association, but added that access to EU R&D programmes was “caught up in the high politics of the post-Brexit negotiation”.

A glimmer of hope for such negotiations was reached this week when the EU and the UK reached agreement on a specific issue related to trade in Northern Ireland. The UK government has ringfenced £6.8bn for membership of EU programmes.

Pilot of two-stage proposal evaluation

The European Commission will pilot a new mechanism in the Horizon Europe evaluation process called ‘blind evaluation’ in all two-stage calls included in the recently published Work Programme 2023-24. The objective of anonymised proposals in the ‘blind evaluation’ pilot is to tackle some concerns about a potential bias of evaluators towards well-known organisations in countries with better-performing R&I systems.

The ‘blind evaluation’ approach means that at stage one of the evaluation process, the applicants’ identity is not revealed to the experts. At the first stage of proposal submission, applicants may not disclose their identity in Part B of their proposal. The second stage, in which full proposals are submitted, is not anonymised. All first stage applicants should keep in mind that if a proposal includes any identification of the applicant(s) in Part B, the bid will be declared inadmissible and will be rejected.

Expert Evaluators in Horizon Europe

The Commission and its executive agencies that manage Horizon Europe’s calls for proposals are continuously looking for new evaluators who assist the EU services in a personal capacity as experts with the implementation of EU funding and tenders. The Commission is looking for experts with a high level of expertise and professional experience in all EU action and policy fields, particularly those relevant to Horizon Europe’s calls for proposals.

Individuals interested in becoming expert evaluators in Horizon Europe should register in the dedicated ‘Work as an expert’ area of the F&T Portal. The Portal Expert Database is the central database for all expert work in this domain. Registration is a mandatory prerequisite for being contracted by the Commission to work as an evaluator on any EU funding programme. The Commission welcomes experts from any country, as long as they are not subject to EU administrative sanctions.

Becoming an expert evaluator in Horizon Europe is the best way to get to know the evaluation process in the new programme and become successful as an applicant faster. Knowing how the evaluation process works and what the experts are looking for in an excellent proposal will allow you to improve your own applications in the future.

Horizon Europe Resources

Happy New Year everybody!

In December, Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) and the UK’s Horizon Europe National Contact Points (NCPs) hosted a series of webinars presenting funding opportunities of the Horizon Europe 2023-24 work programme parts for the six Clusters under Pillar 2 ‘Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness’.

The video recordings and presentation slides from these events are now available online. Each webinar provides an overview of calls for proposals for the specific Cluster, practical tips for applicants and case studies.

As a reminder, the European Commission’s info days and brokerage events are taking place in in January 2023, follow the link for more information. You can also find more Horizon Europe internal resources on Brightspace.

As a reminder, one of BU Funding Development Briefings in January (scheduled for 25/01/23) will have spotlight on UK government guaranty related Horizon Europe grants.

Research reflections 2022 – Your highlights: The SPEED project

Dr Deniz Cetinkaya, Principal Academic in Computing, writes about the SPEED project, an EU project to use advances in technology and data science to support new port ecosystems, which has just been completed… 

The SPEED project (Smart Ports Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Development) is funded by the EU European Interreg 2 Seas program, run for the European 2 Seas region (Belgium, France, Netherlands and the UK).

The project has been running for over four years now, since 2018, and we have completed it successfully and managed to deliver all expected outputs in our work package. BU has been one of the leading partners together with Antwerp Management School in Belgium.

A port at sunset The SPEED project aimed to develop and support the growth of a connected port solutions ecosystem backed by data science and IoT technologies. It helped to empower a cross-border community of port authorities, port stakeholders, data science and IoT entrepreneurs and knowledge centres to become a leading smart ports innovation ecosystem and hub for smart port application development.

The project was shortlisted for the 2021 IAPH (The International Association of Ports and Harbours) Sustainability Awards by The World Ports Sustainability Program in the category ‘Resilient Digital Infrastructure’. We have published and presented a conference paper in the 20th International Conference in E-Society in March 2022 and another paper in the 24th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction in June 2022.

SPEED Smart Ports Innovation Portal is an open community platform to connect and bridge the worlds of port operations and smart technologies. You can check the SPEED Portal for more information and to register. SPEED Portal is one of the deliverables of the SPEED Project, and is developed and maintained by BU. Major events, outputs and some deliverables are shared on the portal.

We had the dissemination and closure event for the SPEED project as well as a networking opportunity for future collaborations on 25th of November 2022. The one-day event was very successful with several presentations and discussion sessions, and many BU students, colleagues and external guests from different disciplines attended the event.

More information is available on the SPEED website and https://www.smartportsecosystem.com/

You can also contact the project’s PI Dr Deniz Cetinkaya dcetinkaya@bournemouth.ac.uk or Co-I Dr Gernot Liebchen gliebchen@bournemouth.ac.uk if you have any questions.

Horizon Europe Update – End of 2022

Two weeks ago, I reported that on 6 December 2022 the European Commission adopted and published the final versions of Horizon Europe individual Work Programmes for 2023 and 2024.

One of the last thing to find out in 2022 has been situation regarding UK government guarantee for Horizon Europe calls closing in 2023.

According to the Research Professional, the government has once again extended its “safety net” for UK-based winners of funding from the EU’s Horizon Europe R&D programme, amid continuing uncertainty over long-term UK participation.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy announced on 19 December that it would provide backup funding for successful UK applicants to Horizon Europe calls that close on or before 31 March 2023. BEIS said that eligible, successful applicants to the programme would receive the “full value of their funding at their UK host institution for the lifetime of their grant”.

The announcement builds on a previous extension of the guarantee to cover calls ending on or before 31 December. The UK government now needs to decide whether to walk away from association and launch its ‘plan B’ or enter an arbitration process that could take months to conclude.

The government’s ‘plan B’ includes a new “flagship talent offer” with “high-value, long-term fellowships and a strong international mobility offer”, as well as an “ambitious programme for supporting global collaboration” and an increase in investment for “end-to-end innovation”.

The backup funding is being administered by UK Research and Innovation. According to data published by the national funder on 30 November, at least 1,353 UK-based researchers have requested £678.4 million in backup funding.

This must be my last research blog of 2022. I would like to thank you for being such encouraging colleagues, attending weekly funding briefings throughout 2022 and wish you calm and peaceful winter break!

Horizon Europe Update – December 2022

There is some good news this time; yesterday, on 6 December 2022, the European Commission adopted and published the final versions of Horizon Europe individual Work Programmes for 2023 and 2024. Those are publicly available in the ‘Reference documents’ section of the Funding & Tenders Portal. Some of the 2023 calls for proposals have already been launched.

R&I investments planned under the 2023-24 Work Programme will contribute to the EU reaching its climate goals, increasing energy resilience, and developing core digital technologies. They will also address targeted actions to support Ukraine, boost economic resilience and contribute to a sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are some changes in the new work programme, just a couple to mention here.

Legal entities established in China will no longer be eligible to participate in Horizon Europe Innovation Actions in any capacity.

Participation of Russian and Belarusian organisations as well as those based in non-government-controlled territories of Ukraine are not eligible to participate in any capacity even when they are not subject to specific EU restrictive measures.

The Commission is already holding a series of information days on the 2023 calls for proposals included in the new Work Programme. The already confirmed information days can be found on the Commission’s dedicated website.

Association to Horizon Europe still remains the UK government’s priority, although there already are some plans in place if that is not going to happen. Just to note that UK applicants must apply for funding from the EU as beneficiaries and not as Associated Partners in order to be eligible for the UK government’s Horizon Europe funding guarantee. The change to Associated Partner status must only be made after the project has been assessed at the point of preparing the EU grant agreement.

Funding Development Briefing 30/11/22 Spotlight on: Horizon Europe Societal Challenges

Funding opportunities

What are Funding Development Briefings?

Each session will cover the latest major funding opportunities, followed by a brief Q&A session. Sessions will also include a spotlight on a particular funding opportunity of strategic importance to BU. Sessions will be on Wednesdays, from 12 pm for half-an-hour. The same link can be used each week to join here.
Next Weds 30 November 12:00-12:30, we will cover Horizon Europe Societal Challenges (overview).
Date Spotlight Funding Opportunity Briefing Research Facilitator Lead
14/09/2022 Innovate UK SMART Grants Innovation & Infrastructure
21/09/2022 NERC Pushing the Frontiers Life Sciences
28/09/2022 23/24 Horizon Europe Work Programmes EU & International
05/10/2022 ESRC Humanities & Social Sciences
12/10/2022 EPSRC Innovation & Infrastructure
19/10/2022 Wellcome Trust Life Sciences
26/10/2022 HALF TERM
02/11/2022 MSCA Overview of Actions EU & International
09/11/2022 No spotlight
16/11/2022 UKRI FLF All
23/11/2022 NIHR Overview Life Sciences
30/11/2022 Horizon Europe Societal Challenges EU & International
07/12/2022 Leverhulme Trust Humanities & Social Sciences
14/12/2022 KTPs (Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange Managers) Innovation & Infrastructure

Sessions will be recorded and made available after the session for those who cannot attend.

Horizon Europe 2023-24 Work Programmes – UK NCP Webinars in December

Info Days

About ten days ago I published a blog regarding Horizon Europe info days organised by the European Commision. UKRO have announced the UK National Contact Points’ (NCP) Clusters Webinar Series on the 2023-24 Work Programmes.

The webinar series hosted by Innovate UK Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) and the UK’s Horizon Europe National Contact Points (NCPs) will give you an overview of the Horizon Europe 2023-24 Work Programmes for the six Clusters under Pillar 2: Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness.

The dates of each two-hour webinar are below:

  • 1 December 2022 – Cluster 5: Climate, Energy & Mobility
  • 2 December 2022 – Cluster 1: Health
  • 6 December 2022 – Cluster 6: Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
  • 7 December 2022 – Cluster 2: Culture, Creativity & Inclusive Society
  • 8 December 2022 – Cluster 4: Digital, Industry & Space
  • 15 December 2022 – Cluster 3: Civil Security for Society

Registration is mandatory to attend the webinars.

In a case of further questions related to EU and international funding opportunities please contact Research Facilitator International Ainar Blaudums or any of my RDS Funding Development Team colleagues.

Horizon Europe Information Days – Save dates

Info Days

Cluster 6:  Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

According to UK Research Office (UKRO), the Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation will host Information Days for Horizon Europe Cluster 6 on 13-14 December 2022.

This event will present the research topics proposed under the yet-to-be published 2023 Work Programme of Cluster 6 (Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment). A separate brokerage session will take place on 19 December.

Information is not yet available on the registration method or format of the events; a detailed agenda has not been published either.

BU academics can refer to our UKRO’s dedicated Cluster 6 Factsheet for an overview of the main policies and topic areas involved (login details required).

Cluster 5: Climate, Energy & Mobility

The Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation will host hybrid Information Days for Horizon Europe Cluster 5 on 15-16 December 2022

The event will present the research topics proposed under the yet-to-be published 2023 Work Programme of Cluster 5 (Climate, Energy & Mobility) with focus on twin green and digital transitions to achieve climate neutrality in Europe by 2050.

A separate physical pitching session and brokerage session organised by the Cluster 5 National Contact Points will take place in the afternoon on 15 December.

Limited physical registrations will be possible via the official Info Days registration page. Online participation will be possible without prior registration. The detailed agenda and practical details are available on the event website.

BU academics can refer to our UKRO’s dedicated Cluster 5 Factsheet for an overview of the main policies and topic areas involved (login details required).

Horizon Europe association

As you may know, Government’s policy is to encourage UK researchers to continue to apply for Horizon Europe grants despite uncertainty over association. This time I wanted to tell how other countries are progressing with the association.

According to Research Professional, New Zealand is ready to start formal talks on association to the Horizon Europe programme. On 18 October, New Zealand’s science minister, Ayesha Verrall, “expressed her willingness” to enter formal negotiations.

Earlier this year, New Zealand and Canada concluded exploratory talks on possible association to Horizon Europe, which would give their scientists similar access to the bloc’s member states to the parts of the programme covered by the agreement, in exchange for budget contributions.

Let’s wish New Zealand to have more luck than we have had so far.

In the meantime, Australian official claims EU put limits on Horizon access. An official from a second country has said it was the EU that limited the scope of talks on association to the bloc’s research and innovation programme.

So far, 16 countries have associated across Horizon Europe. Kurt Deketelaere, secretary-general of the League of European Research Universities, warned that it “really is worrying” that research-intensive countries are being “excluded” from parts of Horizon Europe for “unknown reasons”.

Horizon Europe Update – October 2022

Since my last update, there is no significant news and the message from officials remains the same – UK researchers should continue to apply for Horizon Europe grants despite uncertainty over association.

I want personally to thank those BU academics who follow this advice in practice. As a result, 15 EU grant applications have been submitted in September. The fact is that the only way to secure external funding is to apply for it.

There are still calls open on EU Funding & Tenders portal with deadlines in November until early 2023. Work programme parts for 2023 – 2024 still are in development stage, more information regarding those you can find on Brightspace (presentation from yesterday’s funding briefing session is also there).

There was an interesting article published by Research Professional today about EU/UK negotiations related to Horizon Europe association; if interested, you can read full article here.

I only have to add that negotiations are not over; they speak in article about specific working group established in August 2022; unfortunately, their efforts ended up without any results.

We have recently seen some interest in COST Actions from BU academics. Formally, COST is not a part of Horizon Europe and the UK is one of COST member states. You can also read more here.

Once again, I would like to emphasise that regardless of outcome of EU/UK negotiations, international networking generates opportunities to apply for collaborative grants. If you are invited to join COST network, please do remember to submit e-ItB form, so RDS can process and support your application.