Latest research and knowledge exchange news at Bournemouth University
Welcome to the EU section of the blog! Emily Cieciura (BU’s Research Facilitator – EU and International), Jo Garrad (Funding Development Manager) and Dianne Goodman (Funding Development Co-ordinator) together try to take the pain out of finding and applying for EU funding by horizon scanning many sources and placing the most important information on this page.
We blog as often as possible on everything from calls for proposals and partner searches, to networking event opportunities, all the latest on Horizon 2020 and international funding. We also use the blog to disseminate information on EUADS (BU’s EU academic training initiative), how to write brilliant proposals, how to find partners and other top tips!
Horizon 2020 will replace FP7 and is currently under development. Several stakeholder groups have been meeting with EC officials to help influence and shape the Programme.
Feedback is available on UKRO from the informal Security Theme meeting and also the Societal Challenges Theme meeting. I really urge you to read these if you have an interest in either of these areas!
Info days are invaluable for not only finding out more detail on a call but also for networking. Below are some info days open for registration, and links to slides and videos of those which have already occured.
FP7 Energy Booking Open for European Information Day on 2013 Calls: The European Commission is organising an information day in Brussels on 4 July, which will cover most of the final thematic funding opportunities relating to energy research under FP7. It will cover the calls within the 2013 Work Programme for the FP7 Energy theme (which is expected to be published in July 2012), as well as various other FP7 calls related to energy. Booking is now open and if you are unable to attend, then the event will be broadcast online. Videos and slides will be available afterwards too. A brokerage event will also be held on the following day, the 5 July.
FP7 Transport Brokerage Event for Rail Transport Research in Europe: The European Commission and the Polish National Contact Point for Research Programmes of the EU are holding a rail research brokerage event in Warsaw, Poland on 26-27 June 2012. The event will include presentations from the Commission and the European Rail Research Advisory Council (ERRAC); information on the proposal for a new Joint Technology Initiative in the rail transport sector for Horizon 2020 (SHIFT2RAIL JTI); and details on the European Single Rail Area and the Commission’s outlook on rail research in Horizon 2020. The two day event will conclude with a brokerage session, where potential project partners can discuss project ideas with new contacts.
FP7 PPPs Energy Efficient Buildings Online Brokerage and Information Webinar: On Monday 18 June at 9.30am (British Summer Time) a joint online brokerage webinar will take place with the E2B National Liaison Point (NLP) Network and the Modern Built Environment Knowledge Transfer Network (MBE KTN). This online event gives those interested the opportunity to get an early view of the upcoming calls in advance of the PPP information days in July 2012, as well as interacting with potential partners. Marta Fernandez, from the E2B Association (E2BA) and Associate Director of Global Research at Arup, and Olaf Adan, Principal Scientist at TNO (the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research), will introduce the potential 2012 call themes based on the multiannual roadmap. Call topics are currently being finalised and this year will amount to EUR 220 million. Those who would like to present their own project ideas as part of the webinar can fill in the details during the registration process which is mandatory as places will be limited.
MIRA FP7 Funding: This is a free seminar hosted by the Transport KTN, FP7UK and others which ill outline the funding priorities in FP7 for transport. It will be held on July 5th
FP7 Security Information Day on 2013 Call: The FP7 Security Call Information Day will take place on 11 September in Brussels. The exact venue is yet to be confirmed but is likely to be the same as in previous years: the REA Offices, Covent Garden Building, Place Rogier, Brussels. On-line registration will open on 10 July, which is the same day that the Call opens officially.
FP7 Environment Presentations from European Information Day on 2013 Work Programme: The presentations are now available from the recent European Information Day on the FP7 2013 Environment Work Programme. As well as presentations by the European Commission, there were also ‘flash’ presentations by researchers interested in applying to the calls. The participant list and the video-streaming from the event are also available. Researchers interested in the Environment theme should also note that there is a UK event on the 2013 Environment and Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology (FAFB) work programmes on 6 July in London. Presentations and other documentation from the European Information Day. Webstreaming from the event.
FP7 Co-operation Presentations from Ocean of Tomorrow Information Day: The web-stream recording is now available with the presentations from the recent information day on the ‘2013 Ocean of Tomorrow’ Joint Call. This call will be launched in mid July 2012 under the FP7 Co-operation Programme. An ‘Orientation Paper’ is also available with further details of the likely call topics for this call, which is expected to be published in mid-July 2012. Webstream of presentations from the information day on the Ocean of Tomorrow.
I have recently returned from the World Media Economics & Management Conference in Greece – many thanks to the EUNF.
This event is a biennial meeting of the global community of media business scholars who reflect on contemporary issues in the economics and management of media industries and firms. It aims to provide to a platform for academics who research in this area to meet and network. I was particularly interested in developing relationships and collaborative project ideas with a number of academics from EU universities including Jönköping International Business School, Sweden; Tampere University, Finland; the Berlin Media Business School, and the University of Vienna, Austria.
I met with academics from all of these institutions (and others) and discussed how we could collaborate on the opportunities provided by the Creative Europe fund (2014-20) and any other related media funds that they were aware of. As a result of the EUNF I have established contacts and am now in the process of working up 2 outline projects for the Creative Europe fund. I have also been invited by the University of Vienna to be a Key Note speaker at their European Summer School for media related doctoral research students, and am in the process of assisting an Eramus exchange between BU and the University of Zaragoza.
Many thanks BU EUNF, it’s a great initiative!
The EC has published its Annual Report on the ERC activities and achievements in 2011. The report shows an increase in European Research Council (ERC) budget, but also a steep rise in the number of applications making it increasingly competitive.
The ERC has 2 main types of awards; Starting Grants and Advanced Grants. There are no subject limitations, no budget restrictions or limited durations for grant submissions and this scheme is designed to fund the crème de la crème of European researchers. Examples of UK ERC Grant Holders are below, so you can get a flavour of what the ERC is looking for in applicants and project areas.
Starting Grant: Cathy Craig, Queen’s University Belfast ‘Improving Health and Sports Performance through the Brain’s Control’
Advanced Grant: Peter Jackson, University of Sheffield ‘Impact of Social Anxieties about Food on Policies and Businesses’
I have placed some highlight facts and figures from the 76 page report are below in case you didn’t want to read it yourself…
Starting Grants: The 2011 Call was published in July 2010 with an indicative budget of €661m. In total 4, 080 proposals were received; a 30% increase on the previous year. 485 of these were successfully awarded funding, providing a 12% success rate (slightly lower than the previous year which was 15%). It is reported that the latest Calls for Proposals which closed in January 2012 received even more submissions; an increase of 42% from 2011 so things are set to get even more competitive.
Advanced Grants: The 2011 Call was published in November 2010 with an indicative budget of €661m. In total 2, 284 proposals were received; a 6% increase on the previous year. 294 proposals were successfully awarded funding, providing a 12% success rate (around the same as the previous year).
Over both calls, more than 6, 200 evaluations by 25 different panels (totalling 5650 reviewers) were conducted and around 780 proposals were funded, totalling €1.37b. The report shows the ERC were relatively slow in actually handing out the cash to successful applicants in 2011. They aimed for 75% of proposals to be signed and started within 365 days but the time taken on average was actually 419 days.
So what about the future of ERC grants? Well, it is proposed that the ERC will have a 77% increase in funding under Horizon 2020 so it’s definitely one to start building your career to work towards applying for. It is proposed that because of the increase in applications for the Starting Grants, that this is divided into two separate calls for 2012 ‘Starting Grants’ and ‘Consolidation’ Grants.
Some of the changes that are associated with the ERC under Horizon 2020 are:
Last week I posted about the INORMS conference I attended this month. Another key presentation I saw came from the EC’s Adeline Kroll; ‘Towards Professionalisation of Research in Europe’ outlined how countries in the EU lack comprehensive provisions for professional development in research beyond PhD level.
The presentation highlighted that there is a lack of comparable research career structures within the EU, that there is no EU-wide guidance for researchers on matters such as whether they can take their grants with them when moving to other institutes within the EU and other matters such as pensions.
In response to this, the presenter announced that a taskforce is working on a European Framework for Research Careers, which aims to have research recognised as a separate professional category. This will address issues such as the quality of doctoral training, gender balance in research careers and employment conditions to clarify the rights and obligations of Europe’s researchers.
David Willetts, Minister for Universities and Science, recently submitted a response to a report ‘Recommendations to support UK Outward Student Mobility ‘ produced by a group established last year to review the obstacles and incentives to outward student mobility in the UK.
Support was given for the report which advocates the creation of a national strategy for mobility supported by ‘a body designed to facilitate and promote best practice, effectiveness and professionalism’. In fact Mr Willetts liked it so much he asked the Group’s Chair to explore possible models for a national strategy, including a national body to coordinate this, for a future meeting of the high-level International Education Advisory Forum.
Student mobility is becoming a more strategic issue for the UK, giving students a competitive advantage in the employment market and institutions an increase in international collaborative research and raising the institutions profile across the world.
The EC released figures on the Erasmus Mundus programme last week; approximately 231,000 students and 43,000 university staff received an EU grant to study or work abroad as part of the Erasmus programme in 2010-11. This represents a 7.2 per cent increase for study grants compared with the previous academic year; a 15 per cent increase in grants for work placements; and a 13.3 per cent increase for staff exchanges.
Erasmus Mundus is a great way for you to get involved with student mobility and to help you build stronger networks abroad for future research collaborations. This programme funded by the EC is designed especially to help you establish partnerships with institutions abroad and also to allow you to study/ research/ teach internationally. You can read more on the Erasmus Mundus scheme on my previous blogpost.
This month the RCUK released their response to the proposals for Horizon 2020. The RCUK response represents the collective views of the seven UK Research Councils in response to the proposed structure and scope of Horizon 2020 as set out in the Commission’s proposals.
You can read the full document here but highlights include praise for emphasis on excellence and capacity, praise for tackling Societal Challenges and a recognition of praise for the retaining of schemes such as Marie Curie. It raises concerns over proposals for ‘Inclusive Innovative and Secure Societies’ challenge as this seems to bring together a large number of disparate activities in a way that may not be the most coherent or effective and calls for the contribution of social sciences and humanities to each of the Societal Challenges to be better articulated.
On May 14th I was lucky enough to attend the International Network of Research Management Societies (INORMS) conference in Copenhagen, thanks to free tickets off the back of our team winning last year’s poster competition at ARMA. There were 444 delegates from around the world (including many from Australia) which reflected the need for Higher Education Institutions to really engage in international collaboration.
I heard some really interesting presentations, and wanted to report some of the highlights over the next few days. Firstly Peter Härtwich, Head of Sector: from the EC’s Directorate-General for Research & Innovation gave a plenary presentation on developments related to FP7s successor entitled ‘ Horizon2020: The big picture, the road ahead and simplification’. The presentation gave insight into 3 key points related to the funding areas, the proposals for simplification and the role of SMEs.
Horizon 2020: Funding Areas
European Commission funding will be divided up into 5 areas. The one most relevant for you will be ‘Smart and Inclusive Growth’ (budget €491bn) as this includes Horizon 2020, Education Youth and Sport, Connecting Europe, Cohesion and Competitive Business SMEs. The presentation revealed that the formation of Horizon 2020 has involved a huge amount of consultation including EU Presidencies, EU Parliament, a public consultation (with more than 2,000 responses), a survey on costs and 25 workshops.
The highlight of the presentation was the announcement of what will be new in Horizon 2020; the merger of FP7, CIP and EIT into a single programme, the coupling of research to innovation, a focus on societal challenges and simplified access for all companies, universities and institutes in and outside of the EU. It is proposed that Horizon 2020 will run between 2014 and 2020 and will have 3 priorities:
1. Excellent Science: this is focused on attracting and retaining research talent in the EU, creating excellent infrastructures and producing world-class science. It is proposed that the funding is as follows:
2. Industrial Leadership: this is focused on strategic investments in key technologies to underpin innovation as it is recognised that the EU needs to attract more private investment in research and innovation and also needs more innovative SMEs to create growth and jobs. It is proposed that the funding is as follows:
3. Societal challenges: this is focused on the concerns of citizens and society and EU policy objectives such as climate, environment, energy and transport. It will support breakthrough solutions from multidisciplinary collaborations (good news for social sciences and humanities). It is proposed that the funding is as follows:
Horizon 2020: Simplification
Many of you will have experienced the confusing rules and regulations of FP7, but Horizon 2020 will look different for the following reasons:
Horizon 2020: SMEs Participation
There is an overwhelming move to integrate SMEs into Horizon 2020 and several initiatives are planned to increase their participation:
So what next…?
Currently the EC are negotiating the proposals for Horizon 2020 and the budget proposed. Over the next few months the final calls under FP7 will be released. Mid-2013 will see the adoption of Horizon 2020 by the EC and the first calls will be launched 01.01.14. So to prepare, keep up to date with developments on this blog and network your socks off so you are part of a consortium who can bid in for Horizon 2020 funds!
The EU section of the blog will be a little quieter over the next couple of weeks as I enjoy some time off on my holidays. I have scheduled some exciting updates on items such as Horizon 2020 for while I am away and RKE Operation’s Paul Lynch will be posting any urgent announcements. If you have any EU related news you want to share with your colleagues, posting is really very easy, my colleague Jo Garrard can provide you with guidance on how to do this.
The EC has published two documents on successfully funded projects you may want to take a look at if you are interested in applying for future rounds of Health calls for proposals.
Health for the EU in 20 success stories is selection of successful projects funded by the EU Health Programmes, covering a wide range of health topics (e.g. nutrition and healthy lifestyles, health inequalities, health information.)
EU Health Programme: working together to improve public health in Europe is an overview on public health projects with an important impact for the EU. It contains examples of good practice and case studies.
The EC has launched an updated version of its online Transport Research and Innovation Portal. The website gathers information about over 7,000 transport research projects carried out in Europe and funded by national governments, the EU or other international bodies. Its aim is to promote the results of this research and to improve the links between transport research and policy. Check it out for yourself on the TRIP Portal.
Just a quick reminder of the excellent Marie Curie related resources we at BU to help you with a submission this August:
I also wanted to remind you that if you are thinking of making a submission, it is imperative to let your R&KEO Senior Officer know as early as possible to enable them to complete the relevant documentation, obtain signed contracts and provide costings etc.
Info days are key opportunities to find out more on calls, ask questions and most importantly… to network! Take a look at some forthcoming ones and see if there are any you could make to help boost your list of potential collaborators.
ICT FP7 Info Days: There are 2 info days coming up. The first is at the University of Wolverhampton on 13.06.12. This event is aimed at the research and business communities who are interested in submitting project proposals to FP7 ICT Call 2013. The aim is to provide information to UK organisations on the FP7 ICT theme calls, i.e. to help participants better understand the work programme and criteria for the evaluation of proposals, to facilitate sharing of ideas and experiences, and to meet potential partners for project consortia. You will need to register on the FP7 ICT Information Event booking site to attend. The second day is organised by the EC in collaboration with the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Polish National Contact Point, is organising the ICT Proposers’ Day 2012, to be held in Warsaw on 26 and 27 September 2012. This two day event will provide networking opportunities for researchers interested in submitting proposals to the 2013 Work Programme calls. The event will also offer the chance to present your project ideas, provide first-hand information from European Commission officials, guidance on how to present a successful proposal and much more. The event will be free of charge, but attendees must register in advance. Online networking and registration will open at the end of June.
Health FP7 Info day: The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) will host the UK Open Info Day for the 2013 Health Call on the 16th of May. The event, organised jointly between the NPL, the Healthtech and Medicines KTN and FP7UK, is open to academic researchers, SMEs, Industry, NHS, charities and public bodies, and anyone interested in finding out about the opportunities in this year’s call.Places are free but on a first come first served basis so register quickly if you want to attend!
Environment FP7 Info Day: booking isn’t yet open but the info day is likely to be 11.06.12 and not 12.06.12 as originally planned.
Social Sciences and Humanities FP7 Infoday: This is a training and information day by the UK’s expert advisors (National Contact Points) on FP7- Social Sciences and Humanities, FP7 – Science in Society and HERA (Humanities in the European Research Area). Each session will include a presentation, case study and Q&A. If you wish to attend the event complete the form below before and return it to Depcoord@soton.ac.uk before 25th May 2012:
| Your Name | |
| Email Address | |
| University | |
| Will you be staying for lunch? | |
| Do you want to arrange a 1:1 with a speaker? If yes please advise details | |
| Do you have any special dietary requirements? |
KBBE (Food, Agriculture, Fisheries & Biotechnology) FP7 Info Day: An open information day and brokerage event will take place on 16 July 2012 in Brussels, Belgium. The programme will consist of plenary sessions and several parallel workshops on participating in FP7 KBBE. Participants will also be able to exchange information and network at a special session where various service providers will be present. The conference will bring together research stakeholders, from both the public and private sectors from the EU and Third Countries, together with the Commission, to provide information and to find partners for projects to be funded under the upcoming FP7-KBBE-2013-7 call.
Space FP7 Info Day: COSMOS, the EU Space National Contact Point (NCP) network, will deliver the International Information event on the 2013 FP7 Space Call. This event will take place on 20 and 21 June at the University of Surrey.Participants will be provided with:
It is expected that potential applicants from all over Europe will attend this event. People interested in attending this event are required to register and submit their ‘co-operation profile’ before 10 June.
European Maritime Day 2012: The 2012 edition will be held in Gothenburg, Västra Götaland, Sweden – for the first time in Scandinavia and in the North Sea area. The theme of this year’s conference is “Sustainable growth from the oceans, seas and the coasts: Blue growth”. The purpose is to highlight the importance of the seas and oceans and the challenges facing maritime regions and sectors.
TurKey Enabling Technologies 2012 International Brokerage Event (Istanbul, 25.05.12): This high-level event – which is organised under the scope of TUBITAK’s Turkey in FP7 project – will bring together 300 researchers and organisations involved in: Biotechnology; Advanced Materials; Advanced Manufacturing & Processing; and Space Technologies; with the desire and capability to help overcome a wide range of challenges.
Public Private Partnerships Info Day on 2013 Calls for Efficient Energy Buildings, Green Cars and Factories of the Future: The European Commission will be holding an information and brokerage event on the next (and final) calls under FP7. The event on these 2013 calls, which are funded through various themes within the FP7 Co-operation Programme, will take place on the 9-10 July 2012 in Brussels. The agenda includes roundtable discussions on future outlook of these three PPPs under the EU’s next research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020. You can register on the Event website.
The industrial partners of the European Technology Platforms (ETPs) are exploring how they can revamp ETPs to create a better fit with Horizon 2020.
There are currently 36 ETPs, which were created in 2003 as industry-led thematic groups that define research agendas for Europe in their respective fields. Joining ETPs in your research area is an important strategic move as you will meet academics and businesses leaders with complimentary research interests, allowing you to form consortiums to bid for EU research funding your ETP has recommended.
We know for Horizon 2020 that industry, academia and users will need to work closely together to speed up innovation. With this in mind t is possible that the ETPs will be broken down into more targeted clusters which address Horizon 2020’s focus on tackling problems and exploiting opportunities.
I would advise joining an ETP so you can keep up to date with how these new clusters may operate. Instructions for joining can be found on this previous blogpost.
The list of FP7 Evaluators who have reviewed applications between 2007 and 2010 is available on the EC webpages. The published lists of evaluators can now be seen for the FP7 calls up to and including the 2010 calls. The lists are organised according to FP7 programme, and the names, institutions, nationality and gender of the individuals are displayed. You too can register to be an evaluator which will give you excellent experience in how the EC works. You can register here.
A new education component of the EU-China “people-to-people dialogue” agreement was recently announced . The agreement aims to make China more attractive for European students by setting up scholarship programmes, increase the mutual recognition of diplomas, and set up joint schools such as the China-Europe Institute of Clean and Renewable Energy. The European Commission will also encourage Chinese researchers to take part in the Marie Curie Programme for researcher exchange.
The sixth LIFE+ call opened recently and closes on the 26th September 2012. LIFE+ funds projects that implement, update and develop Community environmental policy and legislation. There are three strands:
There is a significant change to the application process this year as this must be done using a new eProposal online tool. There are user guides available on the LIFE+ website. In addition applicants submitting a Nature & Biodiversity project or an Information & Communication project related to Forest Fire Prevention will also need to submit an A8 form, signed by the relevant competent authority.
Beta Technology can review your project idea before you start taking time to fill in the application form, simply complete the project concept form and send it to Catherine Holt or Jane Watkins . You can also take a look at the Tips and Advice section of the Beta website for some great hints when completing an application.
There is also an Info Day for this call being held in London on May 29th -povisional plans for the day include presentations from Stefan Welin, Technical Desk Officer at the EU LIFE Unit, Catherine Holt from BETA Technology and previous project funding recipients. Attendance is free but must be registered in advance, places are limited and will initially be allocated at one per organisation on a first come, first served basis; you can register here.
At the Strategic Partnership workshop for the Connected Digital Economy Catapult last month the Technology Strategy Board presented the nature of strategic partnerships and other models of engagement, the process to develop strategic partnerships, guidelines and next steps. The presentations can be found on the _connect webpage
The next step in the process involves interested companies/organisations preparing 2-3 page strategic partnership proposals, which need to be submitted to the Technology Strategy Board by 25th May 2012. You can read more on this, on the _connect website.
Remember, if you aren’t already signed up to _connect, you can read the benefits of creating an account here.
BU staff can login below:
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