Category / EU

EU Green Week Conference 2012 – a great opportunity to network for Partners

The 12th annual Green Week (the biggest annual conference on European environment policy) will take place from 22 to 25 May 2012 in Brussels. Last year’s Green Week conference attracted over three thousand participants from government, business and industry, non-governmental organisations, academia and the media.
This year’s theme is ‘Water’. There will be over 40 sessions overall, including a sessionon the afternoon of the 24 May on European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs), which will focus on the proposed EIPs for Water and for Sustainable Agriculture, both of which are currently under development; and two sessions on “Science in support of evidence-based environmental policy making (Part I)”, which are being held in partnership with the Commission’s Directorate General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD).
If you are looking to network, this is a fantastic place to do so!

OECD Co-operative Research Programme Call for Research Fellowships and Conference Sponsorship

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has launched its 2013 Call for funding international conferences and research fellowship grants in 2013, which provides funding for international conferences (for example workshops, congresses and symposia) and research fellowship grants. The CRP programme supports research on the sustainable use of natural resources in agriculture, fisheries, food production and forestry.

Applications should fit into one of following research themes:

  • The Natural Resources Challenge;
  • Sustainability in Practice; and
  • The Food Chain

The aim of the Research Fellowships scheme is to strengthen the international exchange of ideas and increase international mobility and co-operation between researchers working in these fields; while the aim of the Conference Sponsorship scheme is to inform policy makers, industry and academia of current and future research, scientific developments and opportunities in these fields.

The closing date for applications is 10 September 2012.

 

FP7 Transport Information Day and Networking Event for the 2013 Work Programme Calls

The EC  is holding a two-day info day for universities, research institutions, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and companies who are interested in learning more about participating in the FP7 Work Programme 2013 transport theme. The two-day information event will be held on 18-19 July 2012 in the Charlemagne building, rue de la Loi 170, Brussels. The first day will inform potential researchers about FP7 and the new Transport Calls for Proposals under the 2013 Work Programme AND The second day will give participants the opportunity to network with potential project partners. If you are thinking of making a submission to this programme, then I cannot recommend your attendance at this enough! It will also be a key opportunity to network in general with people in similar research areas, so could well be worth attending even if you don’t intend to submit to this round. You can’t book online yet (see the hyperlink on info day for the page the booking will be released on to), but it’s good to block these dates out early if you want to attend.

Got Central American contacts? Get some funding to go see them!

ENLACE travel grants promote exchange between Central American and European researchers, and encourage contacts between research institutions, to facilitate joint participation in FP7 calls.

These promote exchange between Central American and European researchers, and encourage contacts between research institutions, to facilitate joint participation in FP7 calls.

Full grants cover travel and subsistence costs worth up to €3,000 and co-financed grants provide costs worth up to €1,000. Funding covers a maximum of 30 days.

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

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.  

 

 

Turkish SME seeks Partners for Project on LED Lighting System

Ale Technologies, a Turkish SME, is seeking partners for a research project for the design and development of a smart, integrated, and high-tech LED lighting system. The project seeks to create a concept for indoor lighting applications to create a safer, cleaner and a more energy-efficient environment. If this sounds up your street, don’t be shy and get in touch with the PI; details on the hyperlink above.

Funding available from the MEDIA programme

Support to Video on Demand and Digital Cinema Distribution:The Video on Demand and Digital Cinema Distribution scheme constitutes one of the ways in which the MEDIA 2007 programme ensures that the latest technologies and trends are incorporated into the business practices of beneficiaries of the programme.The main objective of this scheme is to support the creation and exploitation of catalogues of European works to be distributed digitally across borders to a wider audience and/or to cinema exhibitors through advanced distribution services, integrating where necessary digital security systems in order to protect online content. The deadline is June 25th.

Support for the implementation of Pilot Projects: The programme may support Pilot Projects to ensure that it adapts to market developments, with a particular emphasis on the introduction and utilisation of information and communication technologies. The deadline is June 18th.

International partnering event for research and innovation in health and agrofood

An international partnering event for research projects in the FP7 Health and Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnologies (FAFB, also known as Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy or KBBE) themes will take place in Basel, Switzerland, on 26 and 27 June 2012. The partnering event offers an opportunity for UK researchers to meet potential European partners in order to set up projects and build consortia for the final FP7 Health and KBBE calls (which are expected to be published in around mid-July 2012).

Participants can register on the event website and submit a profile describing an offer or request, then all the participants’ profiles will be assessed and published on the site. The online catalogue can then be consulted and meetings booked with other participants. Prior to the event, each participant will receive an individual meeting schedule.

The programme includes company visits, a networking dinner plenary session on research and innovation issues in the life sciences, parallel pitch presentation of companies in health and agro-food and pre-arranged partnering meetings. The event is organised by the Euresearch organisation in Switzerland, along with the Fit for Health and BIO-Net networks and the Enterprise Europe Network.

Got Latin American contacts? Then this funding could be for you!

ENLACE Call Funds Networking and Proposal Writing Activities between EU and Latin American Researchers:The third Call for proposals under the ENLACE (Enhancing Scientific Co-operation between the European Union and Central America) travel grant scheme is now open. The Call will close on 10 May 2012. The aim of ENLACE is to promote exchange between Central American and European researchers as well as to encourage contacts between research institutions for joint participation in FP7.  An ENLACE grant enables a group of European and Latin American researchers to organise networking activities or joint proposal writing, which includes proposal preparation for the upcoming FP7 calls. The scheme allows researchers to stay in Central America or the EU for up to 30 days in order to prepare a project proposal together. In addition to networking and proposal writing activities, the grantees are expected to visit, during their stay, additional research institutions of their thematic interest (but within one of the thematic FP7 areas).

EU funding for ‘Youth in the World’

The European Commission has launched a call for proposal for the co-operation with countries other than the neighbouring countries of the European Union, under the Youth in Action Programme. The purpose of this call for proposals is to support projects, which promote co-operation in the youth sector between Youth in Action Programme Countries and Partner Countries other than those which are neighbours of the European Union (countries which have signed with the European Union an agreement relevant to the youth field).
This call provides grants to projects. It is addressed to organisations working in the youth sector that are interested in running projects promoting cooperation in this field, involving youth workers and youth leaders, young people themselves and other actors involved in youth organisations and structures.

Its objectives are as follows:

  • to improve the mobility of young people and youth workers, as well as youth employability;
  • to promote youth empowerment and active participation;
  • to foster capacity-building for youth organisations and structures in order to contribute to civil society development;
  • to promote co-operation and the exchange of experience and good practice in the field of youth and non-formal education;
  • to contribute to the development of youth policies, youth work and the voluntary sector; and
  • to develop sustainable partnerships and networks between youth organisations.　

Projects must start between 1 September 2012 and 31 December 2012, with a minimum duration of six months and a maximum duration of 12 months. The deadline is May 15th and all the documentation you need is on the EACEA website.

Wowsers! COST receives €10m bonus!

As many of you will know from my previous blogpost (which features also features a simple guide) COST is a Brussels-based intergovernmental network for Cooperation in Science and Technology. It was announced last week that it will receive an extra €10 million from the European Commission.

The Commission had so far withheld part of Cost’s funding for Framework 7. In 2010, the FP7 mid-term evaluation made several criticisms about Cost’s complex governance structure. But the evaluators also said the programme fulfilled its mission nevertheless and should receive “the additional €40m reserved in Framework 7 for Cost”.

In April 2011, the Commission decided to release only €30m for Cost to begin with. In June 2011, Cost launched a revamped strategy aiming in particular to increase efficiency and better demonstrate impact (see RE 10 Nov 11 via link below). The €10m top-up now brings Cost’s overall budget to the planned €250m for 2007-13.

URGENT! Your chance to get involved in EC policy (and therefore funding priority) setting!

I have just been made aware that the European Commission has launched a call for expressions of interest for a new initiative, the “Voice of the Researchers”. The aim is to appoint 20 researchers to advise the Commission on a range of issues.  This is a key opportunity to get your views heard in Europe and help shape EU policy which will then influence funding calls for proposals.

The call for expressions of interest is targeted at researchers of all ages, nationalities and disciplines and it is hoped that  20 candidates will be appointed to advise on policy issues such as:

  • Defining the researchers’ role and contribution to global societal challenges;
  • Improving the career prospects and working conditions of researchers in Europe;
  • Strengthening the social prestige and recognition of researchers; and
  • Developing new, interactive communication channels between researchers and the Commission.

Selected candidates will be invited to a brainstorming session on 23 April 2012. This is an excellent opportunity for researchers to provide input into future policy. To apply you have to answer 4 questions with no more than a 150 word answer for each in an online expression of interest , but the deadline is Thursday (15th March)  so be quick!

New EU IPR guidance for SMEs

SMEs can sometimes be  nervous of getting involved in FP7 projects because of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). The European Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Helpdesk has published new guidance intended to give SMEs an overview of how IP should be managed within FP7.  The guide addresses issues faced by participants at the proposal stage, during negotiation and implementation, and upon completion of the project. It also contains a glossary and a list of links to useful resources.  The guide can be used in conjunction with the three more detailed guides addressing IP issues at different stages of FP7 projects which were published at the end of 2011.

Thinking of submitting an Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE) proposal?

The EU Energy Focus team have a wide range of fantastic free services that can help with your submission for May.

Pre-proposal check service – The Commission pre-proposal check service is open until 30th March.  This allows you to submit a summary of your proposal to check that your proposal idea is in principle eligible for Intelligent Energy Europe (IEE)  funding.  Information on how to access the service can be found at the following website. You are encouraged you to submit your proposal ideas to the EU Energy Focus team for initial review so that they can be refined as much as possible to make the most of the Commission service.

Online support – Online support sessions will take place as and when required before the deadline.  The online support sessions will provide you with a comprehensive and interactive presentation on key aspects of the proposal preparation and submission process.   The feedback from those that have taken part in the sessions previously has been very positive and it only takes a small amount of time away from your proposal preparation work and it should save you time in the long run.  The team will be referring to the material from these sessions when they undertake the proposal review process so it is recommended that you take part in the sessions in order to understand the messages fully.  They will notify us of dates soon.

Proposal clinics – The team will be holding proposal clinics (one to one meetings of 1 hour with a member of the EU Energy Focus team to discuss your proposal) on the following dates:

  • Monday 26th March – Manchester
  • Wednesday 28th March – London

Please register your interest in attending a clinic session by sending a proposal summary to energie@enviros.com and indicating which date you would be available to attend a clinic.  IEE will then allocate the sessions and inform you of the time for your meeting. Please let them know if you would like to attend a clinic session but are unable to attend on these dates in these locations as they will try to accommodate you on alternative dates or at other locations if this can be arranged.   

Proposal review – they will be offering a proposal review service between Monday 16th April and the proposal deadline.  Please email the team to let them know if you anticipate that you would like them to review your proposal so that they can keep a note of how many proposals to expect.

EU and China to step up research cooperation

The EU and China have agreed to step up their science cooperation at their 14th bilateral summit, held in Beijing on 14 February. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation under their Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement, and to enhance the exchange of young researchers, leaders wrote in statement. In addition, the EU and China said they will boost their cooperation in energy research, and will continue their collaboration on the satellite navigation system Galileo and space technology.

ESF energy research conference grants up for grabs

The European Science Foundation invites applications for grants to attend the European Forum for Energy Research’s second European energy conference. The conference will be held from 17 to 20 April 2012 in Maastricht, the Netherlands. funding covers the conference fee for doctoral students. This is a fantastic networking opportunity, so if you are eligible then do apply!

FI-WARE Future Internet Research call for partners – this could be a great way to get in to EU research!

FI-WARE is the core platform of the future internet, invites proposals through the Directorate-General for Information Society and Media, for its open call for additional partners.The FI-WARE project has reserved a portion of the project budget to fund specific tasks to be carried out by  new beneficiaries which will join the consortium after start of the project. These later-joining beneficiaries are selected by means of a series of competitive Open Calls.Topics for this call are: middleware for efficient and QoS/security-aware invocation of services and exchange of messages; business models and business elements definition and simulation. The budget for this call is €2 million, of which €1.25m is allocated to middleware proposals and €750,000 to BM and BE proposals. Check out further details on the FI-Ware call webpage. The deadline for submissions is the 25th April 2012.

Two fantastic training sessions for EU submissions in February at BU!

I’m delighted to announce that the brilliant Dr Martin Pickard of the company Grantcraft will be returning to Bournemouth in February. Martin has 25 years of winning EU funding and an excellent track record in helping academics write successful proposals.

EU Funding & Grant Writing:With FP7 drafts being released already, I’ve invited Martin to host a one day workshop on EU funding and grant writing, as it is very different from UK funders. I organised this session last year and the feedback we received from staff who attended was excellent“I must say it’s a great workshop, which provides us a number of important points we should pay attention to while drafting our proposals.”. This will take place in K103 (Kimmeridge House, Talbot Campus) on February 15th and all refreshments and lunch will be included. Attending this session will also enable you to access Martin’s excellent reviewing skills for your submission until September, which is fantastic.

Marie Curie Fellowships:  These grants are absolutely the best way to kick start your EU career; they have a fantastic success rate for applications (40%) and you only need one other EU partner. You can either apply to have an academic come to the university from Europe or you can go to another European country as part of the fellowship scheme. BU has had success with Marie Curie grants before and Martin is an absolute expert in writing these types of grant. This session will be dedicated to selecting the right grant for you and how to write a fantastic proposal. This will take place in EB203(Exec Business Centre, Lansdowne Campus) on February 16th and all refreshments and lunch will be included. Attending this session will also enable you to access Martin’s excellent reviewing skills for your submission until the official deadline in September.

 

Booking for either day is compulsory as numbers are limited and each day will run 9:30-5 and will include lunch and refreshments. Please register for the event here stating which session you would like to attend (you may attend both if you wish), and stating any dietary requirements and any special arrangements you may require for attending.