Welcome to the EU section of the blog! I take the pain out of finding and applying for EU funding by horizon scanning many sources and placing the most important info on here. I update the blog daily on everything from calls for proposals and partner searches, to networking event opportunities and all the latest on FP7 and Horizon 2020. I also use the blog to disseminate information on how to write a brilliant proposal, how to find partners and other top tips!

Contacts in Brazil? Funding is available but you need to act super fast!

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

The Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) and the British Council are jointly funding a series of workshops to promote research collaboration between Sao Paulo Estate and the UK with a deadline of 14 July 2013 .

The main themes for the workshops are in the areas of Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and Arts & Humanities (Sports Events and their legacy for the local community could be one of interest at the moment). Each workshop must be coordinated by two leading researchers, one from each country, and target up to 20 early career researchers from each country. Detailed information on the call can be found here .

Wondering what Erasmus Mundus, Erasmus Mobility and other schemes will look like in Horizon 2020

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

Well, wonder no more!  You will know from my previous blogposts that the ‘Erasmus for All’ Programme will combine schemes under the Lifelong Learning Programme such as Erasmus and Erasmus Mundus, as well as Youth in Action, Sport and others.

The EC has published updated its webpages on this programme and you can find a very helpful Erasmus for All factsheet  as well FAQs

Researching ICT? This EU conference could be VERY beneficial for you

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson
More than 4000 researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, industry representatives, young people and politicians are expected to attend ICT 2013 in November.The event will focus on Horizon 2020 and includes conference presentations, networking sessions, investment forums. This is a key way to gather more info on what to expect under ICT Horizon 2020 calls and to network and gain a collaborative group. You can register for the event here.

Fantastic British Council funding for international research collaboration – but with a fast approaching deadline!

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

I was really excited to see this week the British Council have launched a new five-year programme to encourage international research collaboration between ambitious young researchers from the UK and eighteen countries around the world. Initially the countries involved are Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Morocco, Egypt, Qatar, South Africa, Nigeria, Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

The call is aimed at ‘leading researchers’ who can propose themes for bilateral workshops to be held in one of these countries which will bring together early career researchers to discuss research and start to build international relationships. The call guidelines and application form can be found here and the deadline is 14 July.

Auditors declare EU English is ‘a vocabulary that differs from that of any recognised form of English’!

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

The EU Auditors recent publication ‘Brief list of misused English terms in EU publications’ it is recognised that the EU uses a rather unique blend of English terms, not actually used by many folks with English as their first language. Indeed it begins by stating the EU and EC uses ‘a vocabulary that differs from that of any recognised form of English. It includes words that do not exist or are relatively unknown to Native English speakers…and often even to standard spellcheckers/ grammar checkers’. So if you ever feel like you need a dictionary when reading an EU paper or call for proposals, then  this list of translated ‘English’ terms may be very useful.

Get extra brownie points in your Marie Curie application with 6 little words…

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

If you are writing a Marie Curie submission ready for the August deadline, don’t forget to include in your application that BU has the EC HR Excellence in Research Badge status. This will win you extra brownie points with the Commission so make sure you pop it in your proposal and do get in touch with me if you would like further details to help with this.

CEMP Research & Innovation Funding Bulletin

Posted in BU research, Creative & Digital Economies, Culture & Society, EU, Funding opportunities, Technology & Design by jmcdougall

Here is the latest CEMP Research & Innovation Funding Bulletin. CEMP Cluster bulletin and agenda 30.5.13

The next R&I cluster meeting – where we will review these opportunities and monitor current projects – is on Thursday 6th June 10-12 in the CEMP office.

All are very welcome – just drop in – and if you can’t make the meeting but would like to discuss any of the funding opportunities here, or another research proposal, please let me know.

For info – the ‘think-tank’ part of the cluster meetings will now take place separately, under the re-brand ‘CEMP conversations’ and the next one will be Thursday 13th June. More information to follow.

‘The help and advice was invaluable’

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

This is a quote from just one of the BU staff who submitted their Marie Curie draft to our specialist RPRS last year. Our successful grant holders will review your application and give you their feedback on how to further strengthen your application. As in my last blogpost on the Marie Curie RPRS for this year, simply send your draft to me by noon on June 3rd.

If you can’t make this deadline, don’t worry we still have plenty of resources to help. If you woudl like to have the help of expert bidwriter Martin Pickard, let me know and I will put you in touch with him to help you; he also still has some 1-2-1 appointments available with him on the afternoon of the 30th May. Contact Dianne Goodman for an appointment. We also have the top 10 tips for bid writing here and some generic EU template wording here. We also have previously awarded Marie Curie proposals available for you to look at  as well as training material here.

If you need any other help or advice, get in touch with us

Submitting a Marie Curie application? Then use our special RPRS!

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

Our applicants last year found the specialist Marie Curie internal peer review (RPRS) of their proposals incredibly valuable. This year we are running this service again for all Marie Curie applicants. Your proposal will be reviewed by a successful award holder here at BU and you can then incorporate their suggestions into your final draft.

The deadline for the Marie Curie RPRS is 3rd June at noon; please send your final draft directly to me and you will receive your feedback by the  last week in June. This will give you plenty of time to polish your proposal and make any additions suggested.

Life after FP7… what’s next?

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

All has been rather quiet on the EC front for the last few months as we eagerly await the close down of FP7 and see what changes will be made for EC funding 2014- 2020. I have put together a very brief outline of the changes - EC funding 2014-2020 – which we know for definite will happen so far and what the new programmes will look like; including Horizon 2020, Erasmus, Marie Curie, etc.

More information will be given as it is confirmed by the EC over the next few months so watch this space!

 

 

Marie Curie resources at BU to help with your submission

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

After our recent fantastic Marie Curie training session I know many of you have been interested in applying for a Marie Curie grant for the August 14th deadline and there are plenty of resources to help you.

 

More info on the call

The EC Marie Curie Work Programme has all the information you need including the evaluation criteria. For any specific questions about the scheme, you can contact the Marie Curie National Contact Point who can provide as much information as you need.

 

Training materials

For anyone who couldn’t make the training session, the slides can be found here I:\R&KEO\Public\RDU\European Related\Marie Curie\Marie Curie Training Slides

and you may also find the URKO presentation from last year helpful I:\R&KEO\Public\RDU\European Related\UKRO 2012 Presentation

 

BU experience with Marie Curie

We hold several Marie Curie grants. You can read blog posts from some of our award holders (Rudy Gozlan and Bogdan Gabrys) and view presentations from our EU Showcase Event  here I:\R&KEO\Public\RDU\European Related\EU Showcase Event presentations\2012

We also have a bank of successful Marie Curie Grants which can be accessed here (on the basis that these are for your personal use and NOT shared outside of BU) I:\R&KEO\Public\RDU\European Related\Successful EU proposals\Marie Curie Programme

 

Review of your proposal

We will be hosting a special RPRS internal peer review service for Marie Curie submissions in June (more details to come).

If you are part of the Grants Academy or EUADS you can use Martin Pickard as much as you wish to help shape your proposal. You can also contact Martin Pickard for a review of your final draft if you attended the most recent training session (please get in touch with me directly if you did and would like to access this service).  

 

To make an application

It is essential you inform the R&KEO EU Pod Paul Lynch, Sarah Katon and Emily Cieciura if you wish to make a submission. Remember there is a 4 week minimum internal deadline for all EC submissions, so get in touch as soon as you are even thinking of making a submission. We have a wealth of resources and experience to help you submit a great application.

Yawning in France

Posted in Awarded & submitted bids, BU research, Culture & Society, EU, Funding opportunities, Health, Health, Wellbeing & Ageing, Post-award, Psychology, Research news, Uncategorized, Wellbeing and Ageing by Simon Thompson

My recent visit to Paris via the Erasmus Teaching Mobility scheme has been most useful, not only as it continues to strengthen the links I have made with like-minded researchers and clinicians, but also because it exposes you to raw student talent. This is important to help you keep up to date with current views and research with the assistance of an eager and interrogative French audience! Such visits are quite intellectually challenging, partly because my level of French is constantly under scrutiny! The collaborative research links I have made are invaluable and I hope to submit some reasrch bids in the area of Multiple Sclerosis and yawning soon.

European Science Foundation and Global Changes in the Marine Environment

Posted in BU research, Environmental Change & Biodiversity, Environmental Sciences, EU, Featured, Featured academics, Funding opportunities, R & KE Operations, Research news, Uncategorized by ppalma

I was very proud to have been invited by the Institute of Marine Sciences – National Research Council (ISMAR-CNR) in Venice who developed on the European Science Foundation Platform, the Exploratory Workshop:  Marine woodborers: New Frontiers for European Waters. And I have to say that that was one of the most exciting research opportunities I have taken part of in the recent past.

The European Science Foundation (ESF) was established in 1974 to provide a common platform for its Member Organisations to advance European research collaboration and explore new directions for research. Currently it is an independent organisation, owned by 67 Member Organisations, which are research funding organisations, research performing organisations and academies from 29 countries.

The focus of the Exploratory Workshops scheme is on workshops aiming to explore an emerging and/or innovative field of research or research infrastructure, also of interdisciplinary character. Workshops are expected to open up new directions in research or new domains. It is expected that a workshop shall conclude with plans for follow-up research activities and/or collaborative actions or other specific outputs at international level.

The organisers, namely Davide Tagliapietra, Erica Keppel and Marco Sigovini – all from the ISMAR-CNR- did an amazing job in organising this much needed research group and by planning an excellent working programme.

The topic, centred on Marine woodborers is of utmost important as these organisms are a threat to maritime structure and archaeological heritage. Recently, an increase in attack and a northward spread has been reported. Despite the ecological, economical and cultural importance, research on this subject is carried out by few scientists scattered across Europe. An interdisciplinary approach is needed to reach a synthesis of knowledge and a deeper understanding of the causal factors. The main outcome of the workshop is the establishment of a research network aiming to coordinate scientists with an European perspective and a global view. Through the establishment of such a network, new theoretical and technical developments could be achieved.

The agenda of the workshop was to focus on:

1) bringing together experts in complementary fields that have hitherto not collaborated as a group;

2) identifying additional research competences that are not covered within the group of participants;

3) identifying, exchanging and sharing research interests for future joint leading research projects and developing an application strategies;

4) the establishment of an international network on marine woodborers.

Despite the subject ([wood-]‘boring’ organisms), there wasn’t a single dull moment. It was very exciting to spent a considerable amount of time with international peers coming from as far as Colombia and discussing the problems surrounding these particular organisms.

All sessions were extremely interesting and productive and I totally enjoyed chairing one of them in the Knowledge Café, with my hat of maritime archaeologist whose research interest based also based on marine organisms and global changes, but I am also one of few who combines degradation and protection of the cultural heritage and marine science. The Knowledge Café focussed on Systematics and biogeography, Marine woodborer-microorganism interactions, Protection of shipwrecks and maritime structures. Each group discussed weaknesses: Problems, constrains and bottlenecks, Strengths: Opportunities, synergies, and Perspectives: Solutions, actions and recommendations.

19 international peers attended, which was by invitation only, this amazing opportunity, some of which were old friends and some of which have become reference points for my current and future research on wood borers.

All with the amazing architectural beauties of a tiny Venetian island just in front of one of the world most famous squares: San Marco square!

Paola Palma 

How’s our Slovene?

Posted in BU research, EU, Nursing & Midwifery, Research news by Vanora Hundley

BU’s Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health was well represented at a recent conference run by the Midwifery Association of Slovenia in Čateẑ.  Professor Vanora Hundley and Luisa Cescutti Butler were invited by the President Anita Prelec to speak to midwives, nurses and students at their bi-annual conference: Skrb Za Dravje Žensk In Otrok.

I was asked to speak on the issue of intervention in early labour, something that is causing concern in many European countries, and whether midwives should be encouraging women to stay at home for longer. I started my session with a tentative “Dober dan” (Good morning) – my pronunciation must have been acceptable as I received a round of applause! However, the rest of my presentation was thankfully in English. The presentation was well received and clearly generated a lot of interest with discussion continuing over lunch.

Luisa, a senior lecturer in midwifery, spoke about the examination of the newborn baby and who should be involved – the midwife or the doctor. This was a question that we had discussed the previous day at a round table event with key stakeholders in Slovenia. Her presentation also gave us the opportunity to ask midwives what they thought. Participants were asked to complete a short questionnaire before the presentation and a second brief questionnaire afterwards. We are looking forward to seeing their responses – although we will rely heavily on colleagues from the University of Ljubljana to translate them!

Funding for our Slovenian trip was through networking grants – an EUNF award for Vanora to discuss research collaboration and an ERASMUS Preparatory Visit award for Luisa to explore the possibility of a staff mobility exchange. We both achieved these aims (more on that in our next blog), but this additional opportunity was too good to miss.

Reminder – Marie Curie morning session 16/04/13 – Need a Fully Funded Research Fellow ??

Posted in EU, Funding opportunities, Grants Academy, Research news, Training by Dianne Goodman

 

The Prize

These schemes provide strong financial support for a Research Fellow in your department for a period of 12 – 24 months on any research topic.

The Catch

The Research Fellow must come from another European Country or International Base worldwide. It is joint application with you and the fellowship candidate – so they must be identified. (If the fellow is already in the UK they must have been working here for less than 1 year in the last 3.)

The Deadline

Deadline for application is August 2013 – but the forms are relatively easy & straight forward – although moderately time consuming. Fellowships will start in early 2014 but this start date could be extended to early 2015.

Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)                  Deadline  Mid August 2013

International Incoming Fellowships (IIF)       Deadline  Mid August 2013

Note: For people already at the University there is a similar outgoing international Fellowship scheme to enable research periods in other , non European, Labs and Research Centres.

These fellowships are prestigious and highly sought after, especially as they pay very well. There is a difference in emphasis between the two schemes but the overriding criteria is candidate, and host, excellence with respect to the justification of the project rationale. This is all derived from the candidates cv and thus please discuss initially with Martin Pickard who can advise on suitability and fit.

These fellowships are an excellent, and often overlooked, way to expand and compliment a research team. Initial advice is imperative as, again, project structure and rationale with respect to the candidate are very important in determining success and need to be argued and justified around the actual science and project.

Requirements.

One University (Host) and one applicant, of any nationality, other than from than the UK. (candidates may already be in the UK but must have spent less than 12 months of the past 36 in the UK)

The higher the quality of the cv, rated against age and experience, the more likelihood of funding success. Each prospective fellow can only apply for one fellowship but any host can have as many fellows as they want applying to work with the same PI.

The Grant

Typical project period – Minimum 12 months — Maximum 24 months

Fellow income: In excess of 80,000 Euro per year.

University Income: Minimum of 18,000 Euro per year.

Help Needed ??

If you have a research Fellow in Mind (or can find one through networking or your colleague links) the application will not take a lot of time – but a clearly defined and specific approach is required. Guidance notes will be available as well as direct one to one support from our proposal writing specialist Dr. Martin Pickard. 

To assist further we have also arranged a series of 2 morning information sessions. The next one and last one is due to be held on the Tuesday 16th of April 2013 - Lansdowne Campus

Information Session 1 –  09:00am – 10:00am

A Brief Introduction to the Marie Curie Fellowship Schemes – for those of general interest.  

In addition to the general European topic specific calls under the cooperation programme there are a number of explicit opportunities arising through other schemes – some of which are far more easily accessible and have the advantage of being open to literally any research idea/topic. Several of these arise through the People programme under the Marie Curie calls and this 40 minute plus Q&A information session seeks to highlight some of these opportunities and identify their pro’s and cons so that a clear strategy can be developed to avoid missing these significant, and relatively easy, opportunities.

Information Session 2 – 10:15am – 12:15pm

How to Approach and Structure your Marie Curie Fellowship Application -  for those possibly intending to submit a bid.

The structure of any bid (partner interactions, methodology synergy etc.) is critical to the success of an application and forward planning is a key element of winning proposals.

If you are thinking of applying this August this session will illustrate the basic approach requirements for success and show how to structure and present your research application in the correct form of “Brusselese”.  A brief, 2 hour, guide to the Marie Curie application process.

Please note: If you are already intending to submit a bid this August then Session 1 will provide very little additional information. Also Grants Academy members who have already attended our Grants Academy 2 Day Bid Writing Workshop will not need to attend Session 1 as this has already been covered in your workshop so we would recommend you book into and attend Session 2 only.

If these are a potential interest to you – don’t miss this exceptional opportunity. Please book in ASAP via Staff Development Booking Link to reserve your space as we anticipate these sessions will be very popular.

EU Networking Fund still open!

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

The EU Networking Fund (EUNF) is open to any BU academics who want to network across Europe with a view to finding collaborators. We have a pot of money to support this scheme, and the fund will end when the pot is empty.
You can apply for support for a range of activities relating directly to networking, such as:
• Travel with the intent of networking
• Conference attendance with the intent of networking
• Attendance at external networking events leading to collaborative research proposals
• Meetings with external organisations to establish collaborations.

You can read more on this scheme in the EUNF Policy Document and make a submission using the EUNF Application Form; there is no deadline but all funds must be spent by the end of July.

Marie Curie Funding Info Sessions Reminder – Need A Fully Funded Research Fellow ?

Posted in EU, Funding opportunities, Grants Academy, Research news, Training by Dianne Goodman

 

The Prize

These schemes provide strong financial support for a Research Fellow in your department for a period of 12 – 24 months on any research topic.

The Catch

The Research Fellow must come from another European Country or International Base worldwide. It is joint application with you and the fellowship candidate – so they must be identified. (If the fellow is already in the UK they must have been working here for less than 1 year in the last 3.)

The Deadline

Deadline for application is August 2013 – but the forms are relatively easy & straight forward – although moderately time consuming. Fellowships will start in early 2014 but this start date could be extended to early 2015.

Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)                  Deadline  Mid August 2013

International Incoming Fellowships (IIF)       Deadline  Mid August 2013

Note: For people already at the University there is a similar outgoing international Fellowship scheme to enable research periods in other , non European, Labs and Research Centres.

These fellowships are prestigious and highly sought after, especially as they pay very well. There is a difference in emphasis between the two schemes but the overriding criteria is candidate, and host, excellence with respect to the justification of the project rationale. This is all derived from the candidates cv and thus please discuss initially with Martin Pickard who can advise on suitability and fit.

These fellowships are an excellent, and often overlooked, way to expand and compliment a research team. Initial advice is imperative as, again, project structure and rationale with respect to the candidate are very important in determining success and need to be argued and justified around the actual science and project.

Requirements.

One University (Host) and one applicant, of any nationality, other than from than the UK. (candidates may already be in the UK but must have spent less than 12 months of the past 36 in the UK)

The higher the quality of the cv, rated against age and experience, the more likelihood of funding success. Each prospective fellow can only apply for one fellowship but any host can have as many fellows as they want applying to work with the same PI.

The Grant

Typical project period – Minimum 12 months — Maximum 24 months

Fellow income: In excess of 80,000 Euro per year.

University Income: Minimum of 18,000 Euro per year.

Help Needed ??

If you have a research Fellow in Mind (or can find one through networking or your colleague links) the application will not take a lot of time – but a clearly defined and specific approach is required. Guidance notes will be available as well as direct one to one support from our proposal writing specialist Dr. Martin Pickard. 

To assist further we have also arranged a series of 2 morning information sessions to be held on the Wednesday 27th of March and repeated again on the Tuesday 16th of April 2013 

Information Session 1 –  09:00am – 10:00am

A Brief Introduction to the Marie Curie Fellowship Schemes – for those of general interest.  

In addition to the general European topic specific calls under the cooperation programme there are a number of explicit opportunities arising through other schemes – some of which are far more easily accessible and have the advantage of being open to literally any research idea/topic. Several of these arise through the People programme under the Marie Curie calls and this 40 minute plus Q&A information session seeks to highlight some of these opportunities and identify their pro’s and cons so that a clear strategy can be developed to avoid missing these significant, and relatively easy, opportunities.

Information Session 2 – 10:15am – 12:15pm

How to Approach and Structure your Marie Curie Fellowship Application -  for those possibly intending to submit a bid.

The structure of any bid (partner interactions, methodology synergy etc.) is critical to the success of an application and forward planning is a key element of winning proposals.

If you are thinking of applying this August this session will illustrate the basic approach requirements for success and show how to structure and present your research application in the correct form of “Brusselese”.  A brief, 2 hour, guide to the Marie Curie application process.

Please note: If you are already intending to submit a bid this August then Session 1 will provide very little additional information. Also Grants Academy members who have already attended our Grants Academy 2 Day Bid Writing Workshop will not need to attend Session 1 as this has already been covered in your workshop so we would recommend you book into and attend Session 2 only.

If these are a potential interest to you – don’t miss this exceptional opportunity. Please book in ASAP via Staff Development Booking Link to reserve your space as we anticipate these sessions will be very popular.

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