Skip to main content

Category / EU

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!

UKRO Visit – Slides now available

EU, Events, Funding opportunities, innovation, international, Post-award, Research news, Research Training, RKE development framework

UKRO logoRKEO were pleased to welcome UK Research Office’s BU account manager, Maribel Glogowski for our annual subscriber visit, on Tuesday 25th October. Maribel is based in Brussels, along with the rest of the UKRO team, so is BU’s perfect partner for keeping us up to date with funding developments in the EU.

UKRO is the European office of the UK Research Councils. It delivers a subscription-based advisory service for research organisations (in the main UK HEIs) and provides National Contact Point services on behalf of the UK Government. UKRO’s mission is to maximise UK engagement in EU-funded research, innovation and higher education activities. As a BU member of staff, you can sign up to receive email alerts direct to your inbox.

Maribel covered the following topics:

  • Updates on project management including post-referendum statements
  • Creative Europe
  • Erasmus+
  • Accessing the Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges

All the slides from the day are available in the MyBU Community for the Research & Knowledge Exchange Development Framework. Please select the International Pathway to access these slides – more resources are being added over the coming months.  All staff have been pre-enrolled into this community.

If you have any questions about this event or are considering applying to EU funding schemes, please contact Emily Cieciura (RKEO, Research Facilitator: EU & International)

 

Are you using technology for social good?

EU, Funding opportunities, Impact, innovation, Knowledge Exchange and Impact Team

Technology in the hands

Digital technologies and the internet are providing new opportunities to address social challenges.  This phenomenon is known as digital social innovation (DSI). To explore what DSI is, who is working on it, and how they can be supported, a website has been launched www.digitalsocial.eu in partnership with the Waag Society and SUPSI, with funding from the European Commission DG Connect. The website features stories and case studies of DSI, along with information on funding and events for DSI. It also helps people and projects working on DSI to showcase their work and find new collaborators.

Two years on, DSI has come a long way. New organisations, projects and collaborations are popping up across Europe. Terms like crowdfunding, making, sharing economy and digital democracy are entering the mainstream. The number of incubators, accelerators and investment funds focused on tech for good has grown. Emerging technologies like blockchain and widely accessible 3D-printing have given DSI new potential.

How can you get involved?

  • Sign up: With over 1,000 organisations and 700 projects signed up,  it’s quick and easy to register and is your access point to the world of www.digitalsocial.eu.
  • Submit funding and events: There are two really simple forms which you can fill in  about funding and events. It doesn’t matter if you’re responsible for them, or if you just came across them on Twitter.
  • Talk to each other: The website allows you to see which organisations work with each other and which projects they work on. Please do reach out to organisations you work with and use the site to find new partners who you think might be able to help you. You never know what might result from a serendipitous conversation on  the website.
  • Spread the word: Please tell other digital social innovators about the website and encourage them to sign up. From Meet-ups to conferences and online communities, this  community is huge.
  • Provide  feedback: about the site.

To find out more about the types of projects showcased on this site and the blog post in full  – click here . A great way to start developing collaborations and identfying ways in which your research could influence policy and generate impact in the future.

UKRO Visit TODAY 25th October 2016

EU, Events, RKE development framework

UKRO logoIf you are thinking of applying for EU funding in the coming year, you need to be at this event!

This session will be delivered by the UK Research Office’s BU account manager, Maribel Glogowski.

UKRO is the European office of the UK Research Councils. It delivers a subscription-based advisory service for research organisations (in the main UK HEIs) and provides National Contact Point services on behalf of the UK Government. UKRO’s mission is to maximise UK engagement in EU-funded research, innovation and higher education activities. As a BU member of staff, you can sign up to receive email alerts direct to your inbox.

The annual visit with take place from 12:30 – 15:15 in The Octagon, Sir Michael Cobham Library on Talbot Campus on Tuesday, 25th October. There are still some places free for the afternoon session only  – if you find that you are now free and wish to attend, please come along but seating is prioritised by those who have pre-booked and then first come first served.

This event has been developed with UKRO to include up to date information about EU funding relevant to BU’s current and future bidding activities.

The intended learning outcomes of this session are:

  • To find out about current EU funding thinking
  • To raise personal awareness of funding calls with relevance to BU

Within the update, the afternoon session will specifically include:

  • Creative Europe and Erasmus+
  • Accessing the Societal Challenges

Maribel is based in Brussels, along with the rest of the UKRO team, so is BU’s perfect partner for keeping us up to date with funding developments in the EU.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Emily Cieciura (RKEO, Research Facilitator: EU & International) or Dianne Goodman (RKEO, Funding Development Team Co-ordinator).

N.B. If you have pre-booked, the event will start at 11:30, as previously stated.

EU award for PhD student Preeti Mahato

EU, Featured, international, PG research, Publishing, Research news, student research, Uncategorized

FHSS PhD student Preeti Mahato in the Centre for Midwifery, Maternal & Perinatal Health (CMMPH) has been awarded a funded place on the COST Action Training School BEYOND BIRTH COHORTS: from study design to data management.  This training school will run from 23-15 November in Spain.

eu-flagCOST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a unique platform where European researchers can jointly develop their ideas and initiatives across all scientific disciplines through trans-European networking of nationally funded research.  Preeti pal has been awarded the sum of 500 euro to cover the cost of attending the Training School and travel and accommodation costs.    Preeti’s PhD project is on maternity care provision in  Nepal. Preeti’s research focuses on the quality and equity of service available at birthing centres. In Nepal, birthing centres act as first contact point for the women seeking maternity services especially the basic obstetric care. She is supervised by Dr. Catherine Angell, Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen and BU Visiting Faculty Prof. Padam Simkhada (based at Liverpool John Moores University).

Preeti has already published the first PhD paper ‘Birthing centres in Nepal: Recent developments, obstacles and opportunities’ in the Journal of Asian Midwives (JAM) [1], whilst another was published in the Nepal Journal of Epidemiology [2].  Furthermore, a more general health and development paper was published this year in Health Prospect [3].

Congratulations!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMMPH

 

References:

  1. Mahato, P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Angell, C. (2016) Birthing centres in Nepal: Recent developments, obstacles and opportunities, Journal of Asian Midwives 3(1): 17-30.
  2. Mahato, P.K., Regmi, P.R., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P., Angell, C., Sathian, B. (2015) Birthing centre infrastructure in Nepal post 2015 earthquake. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 5(4): 518-519. http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/NJE/article/view/14260/1157
  3. Regmi, P., van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V., Simkhada, P., Sharma, S., Mahato, P. (2016) Sustainable Development Goals: relevance to maternal & child health in Nepal. Health Prospect 15(1):9-10. healthprospect.org/archives/15/1/3.pdf

OpenAIRE Webinars

EU, open access, Publishing, writing

openaccessweek_logo

For this year’s 9th International Open Access Week, OpenAIRE has scheduled a full week of webinars on various exciting Open Science topics. During the week of October 24-30, join them at lunchtime (12.00 CEST) each day for key insights into the ethics and implementation of Open Science, especially as they relate to the EC’s Horizon2020 programme and OpenAIRE’s mission to foster the social and technical links that enable Open Science in Europe and beyond.

  • MONDAY: “The fundamentals of Open Science”, October 24, 2016 at 12.00 CEST, on key introductory themes in Open Science, with Tony Ross-Hellauer (OpenAIRE, University of Goettingen), Paola Masuzzo (Ghent University) and Chris Hartgerink (Tilburg University).
  • TUESDAY: “H2020 Open Access mandate for project coordinators and researchers”, October 25, 2016 at 12.00 CEST, on Open Access to publications in Horizon 2020, with Eloy Rodrigues and Pedro Principe (University of Minho).
  • WEDNESDAY: “Open Research Data in H2020 and Zenodo repository”, October 26, 2016 at 12.00 CEST, on Research Data Management in Horizon 2020 and the Zenodo repository functionalities, with Marjan Grootveld (DANS) and Krzysztof Nowak (CERN).
  • THURSDAY: “Policies for Open Science: webinar for research managers and policy makers”, October 27, 2016 at 12.00 CEST, on OpenAIRE’s policy activities building on the PASTEUR4OA project, and how to create/implement policies for open science at a local and national level, with Marina Angelaki and Alma Swan (PASTEUR4OA) and Tony Ross-Hellauer (OpenAIRE).
  • FRIDAY: “OpenAIRE guidelines and broker service for repository managers”, October 28, 2016 at 12.00 CEST, on Openaire compatibility guidelines and the dashboard for Repository Managers, with Pedro Principe (University of Minho) and Paolo Manghi (CNR/ISTI).

To participate in any (or all) of these webinars, please register here: https://goo.gl/HIcpJT

 

 

FP9: what is on the horizon?

EU, Events

Science|Business hosted a full day webcast of their event Research Strategies: Europe 2030 and the next Framework Programme.

There are a number of consulations forthcoming, where you will be able to contribute:

> Horizon 2020 interim evaluation (due to launch w/c 17/10/16)

> FP9 consulations (expected early 2017)

Please take a look at Policy directions – a synthesis, which drew together the discussions from the strategy and policy workshops:

> Connected health: Can big data help us live healthier, longer?

> Energy and resources: Can innovation really help us manage the planet better?

> Security and defence R&D: How can we make Europe safer?

> Connected cars: Can autos, ICT and regulation work together?

> Open Innovation: How public labs and private investment can work together

> Scaling up: How can Europe grow its companies faster?

> Enabling technologies: How can R&I re-power Europe’s industries?

Key features for possible inclusion in the next Framework Programme (FP9), the successor to Horizon 2020, include:

> A greater role for Social Sciences and Humanities much earlier in the innovation process, rather than being brought in to make new technology acceptable to the end user, late in the day

> Making innovation inclusive by engaging with all stakeholders, linked to a drive towards a shared vocabulary and cultural understanding, especially between industry and academia

> Demand-driven research

> Open data and the implications for security and privacy

> Impact, with the ability to measure, monitor, demonstrate and communicate impact being specifically mentioned – there needs to be a credible    promise of impact / added value for society and growth

> Excellence is still paramount

> FP9 activity needs to be part of society, part of the solution and perceived as such.

Further hints of what may be to come can be found in Commissioner Moedas’ speech Embracing an ERA of Change, Berlin, 10/10/16.

The inherent dilemmas presented by Kurt Vandenburghe (Director Policy Development and Coordination at European Commission’s DG Research and Innovation) are:

> Prioritisation may exclude some stakeholders

> The need for a careful balance between ensuring continuity yet embracing change, as we move from Horizon 2020 (FP8) to FP9

Want to know more? Watch out for further announcements made on this blog. As well as Science|Business being an excellent source of EU information, BU also has a subscription to UKRO, to which BU staff can subscribe with their BU email.

UK Research Office training opportunties

EU, Events, Funding opportunities, Info Days, Research Training

UKRO logoUKRO hold provides regular training events in their capacity as the UK National Contact Point for the European Research Council (ERC) and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions​ (MSCA).

Forthcoming events:

26th October 2016: ERC Consolidator Grants Information and Proposal Writing Event to be held at the University of Glasgow

Are you a researcher interested in applying for the 2017 ERC Consolidator Grants call?

The session is aimed at researchers based in, or moving to, the UK who are planning to submit a proposal to the ERC Consolidator Grants call. The 2017 Consolidator Grants call is expected to open on 20 October 2016 and close on 9 February 2017. Applicants are expected to be active researchers and to have a track record of excellent research. The scheme is designed to support Principal Investigators (PIs) at the stage at which they may still be consolidating their own independent research team or programme. To be eligible for the 2017 call, the PI must be 7-12 years from the date of award of their PhD on 1 January 2017, which is extendable in certain strict cases.

Another repeating event is being planned for a London location in November 2016.

 

12th October 2016: MSCA Innovative Training Networks (ITN) to be held at the University of West London

The ITN scheme supports joint research training and/or doctoral programmes, implemented by European partnerships of universities, research institutions, industry (incl. SMEs) and other non-academic organisations. The research training programmes are intended to provide doctoral students with excellent research skills, coupled with experience outside academia, hence developing their innovation capacities and employability prospects. The event aim to provide participants with an in-depth overview of the ITN scheme. Participants should gain a clear understanding of the proposal format for each scheme and the key issues relating to planning, writing and submitting proposals. There will also be ample opportunity to ask questions. Attendance will be free of charge, thanks to the support from the University of West London.

To attend staff should register, via BU’s subscription, on the UKRO website. Please ensure that you have approval within your Faculty to attend. You should also register with UKRO so that you receive announcements concerning EU funding direct to your own inbox – make sure that you hear first!

If you are considering applying, please contact Emily Cieciura, REKO’s Research Facilitator: EU & International, in the first instance.

Last reminder for this Thursday 29th Sept ‘Coping with the new EU Landscape Workshop’

BU Challenges, EU, Events, international, Research Training

eu_flagOur informative “Coping with the new EU Landscape” 2 workshops will be taking place this Thursday the 29th of September in the Octagon on Talbot Campus at:

10am – 11am (a few spaces available) and then a repeat of the session at 2pm – 3pm.

These introductory sessions will present, the now fairly stable, situation between the UK and the European Commission in respect of H2020; outlining the political and legal positions.

The key message is business as normal but there are many practical aspects that need to be taken into consideration. These will be explained together with strategies and tactics to optimise the bid approach; and even be advantageous in the short/medium term.

Martin Pickard, as WRG Europe Ltd, has had, along with many others, direct input at very senior level into the respective task forces and UK/Commission discussions and negotiations; enabling central insights into the requirements and opportunities to be successful.

There is still time, however don’t delay…. please email Dianne Goodman at dgoodman@bournemouth.ac.uk asap to book into one of these workshops.

 

Horizon 2020 Funding for virtual factory research at BU

Awarded & submitted bids, BU research, EU, international

European Union - Horizon 2020Uber, Amazon, AirBnB, Netflix… The Internet has had many impacts to the economy. Not only to the consumer market, but widely across the service sector. There is a large amount of integration and automation to enable things like instant order confirmations. Work in these aspects of business processes is quite well established in the service sector.
Manufacturing is a key part of the economy. To remain competitive or become even more so, automation that supports innovation is also essential for the manufacturing sector. BU will be leading, under direction of Drs L. Xu and P. de Vrieze, an international consortium on a project receiving €1.2 mln in funding to address these challenges.

Advanced ICT supported manufacturing is currently gaining a lot of traction with initiatives such as Industrie 4.0 in Germany, Factory of the Future in Italy and the High Value Manufacturing Catapult the UK. Part of this development is advanced coordination of manufacturing allowing for increased flexibility and reduced costs. A virtual factory ensures exchange of data between smart machines, systems, software and design within the manufacturing chain. Manufacturing processes become more simple through plug-and-play techniques.

To enable this, the “vF Interoperation suppoRting buSiness innovaTion” (FIRST) project provides new technology to describe manufacturing assets and to compose and integrate existing services into collaborative virtual manufacturing processes. The project will see collaboration between internationally recognised academics and industry in Europe and China. As such the consortium will take advantage of it various backgrounds to address the issue from a variety of perspectives.

The FIRST consortium is a competitive consortium with large know-how and expertise in complex software systems and manufacturing automation. The research base of the academic partners will be used as foundation for innovations to contribute to virtual interoperation of smart manufacturing in the area of Factory of the Future/Manufacturing 2.0 to improve the competiveness of our industrial partners and sustainability of the European manufacturing sector. Within this research programme, 6 industrial researcher will get the opportunity to gather knowledge in academia while 22 academic researchers will absorb knowledge in industry. The consortium will provide new knowledge for GK, an enterprise software vendor and KM, a manufacturing software vendor, inform newer training in the area of big data, cloud computing to both GK and KM, and promote innovation, while the academic partners will translate their research to facilitate better understanding virtual factories.