Have your say about funding areas in Horizon 2020

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

So you want a say in how Horizon 2020 will be but not sure how? Well, there are a number of consultations open for you to have your say – participate and start to shape EC funding for the future.

Opening up Education through New Technologies: The objective of the consultation is to explore the need for EU action to promote the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) and of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education. The consultation is carried out in the context of a Commission Communication on “Rethinking Skills” planned for the end of 2012 which will announce a new EU initiative on exploiting the potential contribution of ICTs and OERs to education and skills development. A further Commission Communication on this is expected in mid-2013.

Marine Knowledge 2020: From Seabed Mapping to Ocean Forecasting: The European Commission is proposing to create a digital seabed map of European waters by 2020 by collecting all existing data into one coherent database accessible to everyone. The consultation closes on 15 December 2012.

Fuel Cells and Hydrogen JTI under Horizon 2020: The Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU), a Public Private Partnership (PPP) set up between the European Commission and industry, was established in 2008. The research community also later joined the initiative. Its objective was to significantly accelerate the market introduction of the fuel cell and hydrogen technologies, in order to realise their potential as way to achieve a lower carbon energy system. The consultation aims at collecting the views of the wider public on the fuel cells and hydrogen sector, on research and innovation in this field in Europe, and in particular on the possible continuation of the FCH JU for the implementation of FCH research in Horizon 2020.

EC asks ICT firms why they don’t participate in funding programmes

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

Regular readers of the EU section of this blog will know that I harp on all the time about the importance of company engagement as partners in Horizon 2020. Well, this is becoming more and more apparent as time draws near to the first set of drafts for the new Horizon 2020 programme.

It was announced this month that the EC is funding a survey as part of a drive to increase the participation of companies from the information and communications technologies in future research programmes.

The survey aims to identify and characterise highly innovative ICT companies that do not participate in Framework projects, and assess why. The knowledge gained will be used to improve firms’ participation in Horizon 2020.

Now is the time to start making links with industry as much as you can!

ICT SMEs in Horizon 2020

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

As many of you will know from my previous blogposts, I am always emphasising the importance of enagaging SMEs for Horizon 2020. Last week the EC has funded a survey aimed at increasing the participation of innovative companies from the information and communications technologies (ICT) in future research programmes. The survey aims to identify and characterise highly innovative ICT companies that do not participate in Framework projects, and assess their reasons for non-involvement. This is expected to feed into recommendations to improve the participation of SMEs in Horizon 2020, in a final report due in February 2013.

This is further evidence that enagaging SMEs in your Horizon 2020 proposals will be essential, so start networking now :)

 

Get involved in an ICT consultation

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

The EC is exploring future developments for 2 of its Joint Technology Initiatives on electronic components and embedded computer systems under Horizon 2020 (Artemis and Eniac). There is a consultation currently open which will end in October; it has been suggested that the two initiatives should be merged as they cover similar elements. Have your say on what should happen by joining in the consultation.

FP7 ICT Internet of Things and Digital Enterprise UK Info Day

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson
An free to attend infoday on funding opportunities under ICT Call  in the areas of the Internet of Things and digital enterprise will be held in London on 12 September 10am-4pm. It will  offer attendees the opportunity to network and share ideas as well as providing an overview of funding available in ICT Call 10 and future calls, including ongoing research, road mapping activities and collaborative groupings in Europe. While the event is free, you have to register in advance on the  the event webpage.

ICT Infoday on Collective Awareness Platforms for Social Innovation and Sustainable Social Changes

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson
The info day on Collective Awareness Platforms is jointly organised by Queen Mary, University of London, and the European Commission. The event will launch the work programme for ‘Collective Awareness Platforms’ within the next ICT call.  Collective Awareness Platforms for Social Innovation and Sustainable Social Changes (CAPS) are ICT systems leveraging the emerging ‘network effect’ by combining open online social media, distributed knowledge creation and data from real environments (Internet of Things), in order to create new forms of social innovation.

The day will be made up of a brief presentation of the work programme for the next ICT Call 10 by the European Commission, followed by question and answers and an ideas workshop in the afternoon.

FP7 ICT UK Information Event

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson
This is a reminder that an information event for those planning to participate in the final round of calls under the Information Communication Technologies (ICT) theme in FP7 is being held in London on 18 July. The event, called ‘ICT – The Future of EU Collaborative R&D’ is being jointly hosted by the ICT Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). With speakers from the European Commission, BIS and the TSB, the sessions will provide an overview of opportunities both in the final round of ICT calls under FP7 and give insight into ICT research under Horizon 2020. The event runs from 10am until 4pm and will be held at the Royal Academy of Engineering. It is free to attend but delegates must register. Info days are a fantastic way to not only hear more detail about a call and its requirements but are a fantastic way to network!

Info day reminders!

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

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: 

  • first-hand information on the Call content and on future EU Space funding under Horizon 2020;
  • pre-organised as well as spontaneous matchmaking opportunities via face-to-face meetings;
  • short presentations on project ideas and the competencies of potential partners;
  • profile poster session; and
  • spontaneous networking opportunities in a relaxed environment.

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.

LIFE+ 2012 Call now open!

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

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.

 

EPSRC announce call: Working together in ICT

Summary

EPSRC’s ICT Theme intends to commit around £5M of funding for research projects which will directly address its Working Together priority.

Projects submitted in response to this call should comprise two or more ‘streams’ of research which run concurrently and show significant mutual benefit. These streams may include ICT researchers working with researchers in areas outside ICT, as long as the potential benefit to ICT research is the main driver for the project.

Full call document including background, funding available, aims and scope of call, eligibilty, how to apply and assessment can be found here.

Closing date: 16:00 on 10 July 2012

Submitting application

You should prepare and submit your proposal using the Research Councils’ Joint electronic Submission (Je-S) System (https://je-s.rcuk.ac.uk/).

When adding a new proposal, you should select: Council ‘EPSRC’; Document type ‘Standard Proposal’; Scheme ‘Standard Research’; On the Project Details page you should select the ‘Working Together in ICT’ call.

The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.

Lots of Info Days coming up – register now for a fantastic networking opportunity!

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

ICT FP7 Info Day:  The European Commission, 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: 

  • first-hand information on the Call content and on future EU Space funding under Horizon 2020;
  • pre-organised as well as spontaneous matchmaking opportunities via face-to-face meetings;
  • short presentations on project ideas and the competencies of potential partners;
  • profile poster session; and
  • spontaneous networking opportunities in a relaxed environment.

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.

 

Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme: Daily Life Activities of Older Adults at Home funding

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

The Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) Joint Programme has launched its fifth Call for Proposals: “ICT-based Solutions for (Self-) Management of Daily Life Activities of Older Adults at Home”, which encompasses important dimensions of the broad topic of Home Care. The deadline for proposals is 31 May 2012. This call aims to develop ICT-based solutions which enable and sustain older adults to continue managing their daily activities in their home. The call also aims to identfiy ICT-based solutions which support informal carers in their assistance. Successful projects are expected to target systemic solutions addressing the users’ wishes and needs, or to provide a contribution which is meant to be integrated into a systemic solution, including some kind of support service. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is providing up to EUR 1.2 million in funding for UK academic partners, while the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) is also providing up to EUR 1.2 million in funding for UK non-academic partners.  

 

 

Strategies for use of news websites in journalism education

Funding Source: Association for Journalism Education
Chief Investigators: Dr Einar Thorsen and Sue Wallace, The Media SchoolBournemouth University
Research Assistant: Dr Caitlin PatrickThe Media SchoolBournemouth University

 

Project brief

Journalism is among the most rapidly changing industries, affected by both technological advances and shifting consumer habits. This makes it paramount for journalism education to keep pace with trends such as changing journalism practices and the migration of audiences to online journalism. One possible outcome of this imperative is for online news or magazine websites to be developed to a) showcase student reporting, b) serve as an educational tool in professional journalism practices, and c) facilitate research into news and journalism innovation. Journalism courses are increasingly making use of their own websites in one or more of these ways, but development, as in the news industry itself, has tended to be haphazard and quite often on a trial and error basis.

This project seeks to address this problematic by conducting a survey of news and magazine websites used in journalism courses, their history, evolution and integration into education practice. The aim is not to produce a standard model to be applied in every case. Rather, the intention is to collect and share experiences to inform education and curriculum development. The sharing of best practice can also help to maintain high standards in journalism education.

 

International survey

Phase One of the project launched in March 2012 and involves an international survey into the use of news and magazine websites in journalism education.

We would be most grateful if anyone involved in journalism education could assist by completing our survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/websites-in-journalism-education

We are interested in the views of both staff and students, so please circulate as widely as possible.

The survey is completed anonymously. For staff it takes no more than 10-15 minutes to complete, with the student section possible to complete in 5 minutes. All staff and students on undergraduate and postgraduate journalism courses are encouraged to partake and we welcome your participation.

 

Case studies

Phase Two of the project will take place in the second half of 2012 and involve up to five site visits to observe how websites are used in live news days simulating real-life news operations. During these visits we propose to conduct follow-up interviews in conjunction with examination of websites, to scrutinise in finer detail the patterns of application and usage.

 

Project outcomes

This project will investigate both technological and editorial issues associated with use of websites in journalism education.

Findings from this research project will be made available online and as contributions to relevant scholarly journals, including the AJE journal Journalism Education, outlining experiences, advice, and different models of application. The findings may also be of use to accreditation bodies and industry panels.

If you would like further information on the project, you can view the original project brief.

Interested in Media or IT? Then these new Calls for Proposals may be of interest…

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

MEDIA 2007: The EC  has launched a call for proposals for the provision of training under the MEDIA 2007 Programme. One of the measures to be implemented under this Decision involves improving the continuous vocational training of professionals in the audiovisual sector, so as to give them the know-how and skills needed to create competitive products on the European and other markets.  The call for proposals EACEA/5/12 is the last continuous training call to be launched under MEDIA 2007 and offers a two-year framework partnership agreement. The deadline is 16 April 2012.

CIP-ICT PSP: The EC has launched the 2012 CIP-ICT PSP call under the Information and Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme (ICT PSP) which is part of the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (2007 to 2013). There are a number of funding opportunities available including pilot work and thematic networks. The deadline is 15.05.12 and the indicative budget is 127m Euros.

FP7 ICT: Ambient Assisted Living Call Pre-Announcement and Info Day

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

The Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) Association has announced that it expects the fifth Call for proposals of the AAL Joint Programme to open at the end of February. The fifth Call for proposals of the AAL Joint Programme: ICT-based Solutions for (Self) Management of Daily Life Activities of Older Adults at Home is expected to open at the end of February with a submission deadline of the end of May. AAL JP Call 5 aims to support development of ICT-based solutions which enable and sustain older adults to continue managing their daily activities in their home, as well as ICT-based solutions which support informal carers in their assistance.

An information day is planned to take place on 13 March 2012 in Brussels. Potential proposers who wish to attend should  register their interest by sending an e-mail to Jacqueline.Teller@aal-europe.eu before 24 February 2012.
The AAL association also offers an online partner search facility for those seeking partners for potential projects.

I’ve got a draft copy of the FP7 ICT Work Programme for you!

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

I’ve managed to obtain a draft version of the FP7 ICT Work Programme which features the calls for proposals to be released in 2012. This is just a draft and therefore subject to change but it gives you a great idea as to what the European Commission are looking to fund. The Work Programme is a tedious read so I’ve summarised the info on funding in there for you; the aim of the call etc. I have bookmarked the document so you can jump straight to the call that interests you from the front page.

As this document is highly confidential I have placed it on our I drive; it is strictly forbidden to circulate this outside of BU! I:\R&KEO\Public\RDU\Draft Work Programmes for 2012-13

There are also the drafts for Environment, Health and Food, Agriculture, Fisheries & Biotechnology in there too which I’ve blogged about previously.
The final official version of the Work Programmes aren’t released until July 2012 so this gives you a fantastic head start to preparing a submission.

I will summarise the other themes as soon as I get the drafts through so keep your eyes peeled on this blog for them!

 

Interested in applying for FP7 ICT? this is a must-attend event!

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

The European Commission will hold an information day on FP7 Information Communication Technologies (ICT) Call 9, specifically focusing on the Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) strand. This will take place on 18 January 2012 in Brussels. This is a critical opportunity to not only get top tips on your application, but is a key networking opportunity

The programme will include detailed sessions on the FET Call 9 objectives, providing up-to-date and first-hand information on the four FET initiatives in FP7 ICT Call 9. Sessions will also cover the contractual, legal and administrative aspects of the application process.

The following FET themes will be addressed:

  • FP7-ICT-2011.9.9: Quantum ICT (QICT) including ERA-NET-Plus
  • FP7-ICT-2011.9.10: Fundamentals of Collective Adaptive Systems (FOCAS)
  • FP7-ICT-2011.9.11: Neuro-Bio-Inspired Systems (NBIS)
  • Co-ordinating Communities, Identifying New Research topics for FET Proactive initiatives and fostering Networking of National and Regional Research Programmes.

The event will also include a brokerage session where participants will be invited to share their research ideas. It is being held in Brussels on January 18th

Participants must register in advance for this free event. Due to limited space and high demand it is strongly recommended that you register as soon as possible.

Green Engineering Camp call for ideas from Early Stage Researchers

Posted in EU by Corrina Dickson

The Green Engineering Camp  (don’t worry there are no tents involved) aims to engage early stage researchers and investigators in real-life applications using green ICT (Information and Communication Technologies). Focusing on green engineering in the forest sector, this initiative is intended to boost knowledge transfer and come up with intelligent and innovative ways to make a wide range of forest-related activities more environmentally friendly by the use of ICT.

The initiative focuses in particular on promoting contributions from early stage researchers, female participation and transdisciplinarity. The full Call for Ideas title is: ‘Intelligent Use and Development of ICT to Increase Environmental Efficiency: the Case of Production and Logistics in the Forest Sector.’

With a two stage assessment process, the initial stage (consisting of a one-page outline) is open for submissions until 31 January 2012. Successful applicants will be invited to present their ideas at the Green Engineering Camp (GEC) taking place in Plitvice National Park, Croatia from 2 to 6 July 2012.

 

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