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!

European News (w/c 14/9/15)

EU, Funding opportunities, Info Days, Training

Every week I receive an email from UKRO updating me on the EU-related activities including funding calls, info days, tenders and other news which helps keep me up to date with the EU. As this blog can be accessed externally, we cannot give you all the information that they email, but you can get the full subscriber experience by registering at the UKRO website.UKRO logo

Highlights from the most recent email are:

  • UKRO ITN (Innovative Training Network) event on 7/10/15 – please see the previous blog post about this event
  • ERC Consolidator Grant Information sessions – see University of Sheffield on 3/11/15 and  London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on 6/11/15 to register
  • Info Week for Societal Challenge 2 (Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, maritime and maritime inland water research and bio-economy) runs from 24/11/2015 to 27/11/2015
  • Experts are required for EC non-food Scientific Committees in the topic areas of Consumer Safety  and Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks – deadline 2/11/15
  • Did you miss the H2020 Co-ordinators’ Day on 8/9/15? You can see videos of the presentations to find out more about H2020 project management
  • The draft Work Programmes are being made available. Please note that they are still under review and should not be assumed to be finalised
  • EU and China have launched a new Co-Funding Mechanism for research and innovation

If you are looking for specific funding, please make use of BU’s subscription to ResearchProfessional or search on the Participant Portal. For tenders, please use TED – Tenders Electronic Daily.

Also being discussed on planet EU:

  • ResearchProfessional are reporting on changes to demand management within Horizon 2020 (log-in to our institutional account to read more)
  • There are concerns about a move to an increased emphasis on applied research and product development within the H2020 Societal Challenges Pillar, according to a freely available article from ResearchResearch.Research-Professional-logo

If you would like further assistance in developing your EU knowledge and engagement, please contact Emily Cieciura, Research Facilitator: EU & International

 

UKRO Visit – 14th October 2015 – Save the date!

BU research, EU, Info Days, Research news, Training

UKRO logoDo you aspire to be an EU-funded researcher?

The planning for our annual UKRO visit from our European Adviser, Maribel Glogowski, is well underway. This will take place on Wednesday, 14th October 2015 at Talbot Campus.

There will be an information sharing session for RKEO-only staff in the morning with presentations for all staff in the afternoon (13:00 – c. 16:30). It is expected that the afternoon session will include a general introduction to EU funding and the draft Work Programmes to 2017. You can see the draft Work Programmes in the Subscribers’ area on the UKRO portal. As BU subscribes to this service, all staff can register.

Please register for this event as soon as possible by contacting Dianne Goodman. Once we have your details, we will send the full programme, when it is confirmed. The schedule for the day will also be announced on the Research Blog nearer the date.

If you have any burning EU funding information needs, do let me, Emily Cieciura, know as soon as possible, so that we can incorporate your query into the session, where possible.

From research proposals to job applications: Writing tips from the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants workshop

BU research, EU, Funding opportunities, Guidance, Research communication

Yesterday I attended an ERC Starting Grants session at the London School of Economics. Although I may never reach the heady, research heights of submitting a proposal to the prestigious, ERC Starting Grants Call (let alone progressing past Step 1, with 9% success rate!), the workshop provided a range of advice equally applicable to preparing: i) funding proposals and, ii) job applications. From the background search to the interview presentation, in many ways job applications are similar to research funding applications.

Firstly, the background search: if possible, find out who has recently received funding in your field. If applying for a position, identify previous successful candidates. What skills and experience did they have? Appreciating these will allow you write your application accounting for your own capabilities, whilst also identifying how the project or position can further your professional and personal development. Awareness of how the project/position can create opportunities to turn your weaknesses, to strengths, is an important advantage at the interview stage. Next, what are the priorities of the funder, company or institution? Does your CV fit the job roles and responsibilities? Does your project proposal satisfy the call?

Secondly, the writing: be ambitious, but avoid sounding unrealistic. Adhere to the application criteria and submission guidelines (even font-size, line-spacing, etc). Provide evidence of how your project is innovative, what makes you stand out, or what specific skills you can contribute. These should relate to the criteria of the position advert or the research call. Preparation is key; start writing as soon as possible, and expect multiple drafts. Build your proposal (or Personal Statement) logically, based on your previous research (or experiences and skills). Make the application a pleasure to read, but stick to the specific guidelines. If preparing a research proposal, use data and graphs; if preparing a Personal Statement, tell a story expanding on your CV. Ask friends and/or colleagues for comments on your application – informal peer-review in preparation for formal peer-review (the same applies when practicing your interview presentation). Importantly you want to convince those outside of your field how you (or your study) can provide a long-lasting difference.

If you are invited to interview, do your research, again. What are the values of the funder, institution or company? Who is on the panel? What is their background? Next, structure a convincing presentation aligned to your application; support each claim with an example, but be succinct and to-the-point. Maintain focus and momentum, but communicate your enthusiasm. Once finished, expect a range of technical and non-technical questions. Ultimately, interview questions will relate to the application criteria, and range from your subject-specific knowledge to transferable skills (i.e., project management skills). Finally, use questions as an excuse to show your audience what you know; view your ‘weaknesses’ as opportunities. If successful, celebrate; if unsuccessful, view as an opportunity. As the ERC Officer mentioned ‘many successful applications come from investigators who were unsuccessful with a previous application and subsequently improved their submission’.

So regardless as to whether you are an undergraduate looking to secure a placement/ postgraduate position, or a Senior Lecturer applying for research funding, translate what you have learnt from previous writing experiences to the opportunities presenting you here and now.

ERC Starting Grant Call

ERC Starting Grant – Funded Projects

EU Funded Projects – Host Countries

James Gavin, Lecturer (Exercise Physiology) – Faculty of Management

EC Info Day – EU Brokerage Event on Key Enabling Strategies taking place on the 1st of Oct 2015

EU, Info Days

EC Info days: relating to EU Brokerage Event on Key Enabling Strategies is being held on the:

1st of October 2015 in Strasbourg, France euflag

Info days and brokerage events run by the EC are an opportunity to get an overview of work programmes covering the 2016 and 2017 calendar years, meet up and hear from others who are interested in the same programme and potentially form links and build consortia for future applications.

Please click on the link below to book or register your interest

http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=2DE41882-FADE-977A-8FDF508D5871C5AA

Please let Emily or myself know if you intend to go so we can co-ordinate if others also wish to attend.

EC Info Day – Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy taking place on the 14th-15th Sept

EU, Info Days

EC Info days: relating to Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy are being held on the: 14th-15th September 2015 in Brusselseuflag

Info days and brokerage events run by the EC are an opportunity to get an overview of work programmes covering the 2016 and 2017 calendar years, meet up and hear from others who are interested in the same programme and potentially form links and build consortia for future applications.

Please click on the link below to book or register your interest – please bear in mind places are limited!

http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=0B56FA95-AFE0-D63B-DD0527FE301EC26C

Please let Emily or myself know if you intend to go so we can co-ordinate if others also wish to attend.

 

 

 

 

EU Stakeholder Partnership Event – Innovating Cities with Nature and Culture

EU, Info Days, Training

The European Commission is organising a Stakeholder Partnership event on 20 October 2015 to facilitate networking, information exchange and cross-border partnerships of actors interested in addressing urban challenges through innoeuropevating with nature or by making innovative use of cultural heritage assets for regenerating cities. More information is available from the website.

In the autumn, under the Horizon 2020 work programme for 2016-17, the European Commission will launch new calls for large-scale demonstration projects in cities as living-labs for nature-based solutions to societal challenges and cultural heritage as a driver for sustainable development. These calls mark a shift from basic and applied research to a novel type of innovation actions based on a systemic approach to solve problems and promote a more resource efficient, greener and competitive economy. The calls will aim at engaging stakeholders in cross-sectoral partnerships and inter-disciplinary activities, which are deemed necessary for co-designing, co-developing and co-implementing innovative solutions, testing them in real-world conditions through demonstration activities and securing their market uptake.

The Stakeholder Partnership Event aims at presenting the strategic orientations and rationale behind the new approach for research and innovation in cities using nature and cultural heritage, and at offering an opportunity for information exchange and networking.

Representatives of public authorities and other stakeholders from cities and regions, industry and businesses, civil society organisations and from the research community are invited to join the event on Tuesday, 20 October 2015, at DG Research and Innovation, Rue du Champs de Mars 21, 1049, Brussels. Around 200 participants are expected.

Register now!

 

UKRO Information Event – Innovative Training Networks 7/10/15

EU, Funding opportunities, Info Days, Training

ukro_logo-150x85Information Event: Horizon 2020 Innovative Training Networks (ITN) – Royal Veterinary College, London​​, Wednesday 7 October 2015

​​The current EU funding programme for research and innovation, Horizon 2020, offers exciting opportunities for academia and industry collaboration through European and international partnerships. These include schemes which are completely ‘bottom-up’, in that organisations can initiate projects on topics of their own choice.

The UK Research Office (UKRO), in its capacity as UK National Contact Point for the Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), is holding two information events on the 2016 ‘Innovative Training Networks’ (ITN) call for proposal, which will have a deadline in mid-January 2016.

Aim of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks

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. ​

Aim of the events

The events 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.

Event Registration is via the UKRO website.

Attendance for the event is free of charge, but registration is mandatory.

Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Further information on the venue will be provided to delegates once they have registered.

BU subscribes to the UK Research Office (UKRO). Please sign up to get updates direct to your inbox. You will also need to register to view the draft programme for this event.

EC Info Day – EU Brokerage Event on Key Enabling Strategies taking place on the 1st of Oct 2015

EU, Info Days

EC Info days: relating to EU Brokerage Event on Key Enabling Strategies is being held on the:

1st of October 2015 in Strasbourg, France

Info days and brokerage events run by the EC are an opportunity to get an overview of work programmes covering the 2016 and 2017 calendar years, meet up and hear from others who are interested in the same programme and potentially form links and build consortia for future applications.

Please click on the link below to book or register your interest:

http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=2DE41882-FADE-977A-8FDF508D5871C5AA

Please let Emily or myself know if you intend to go so we can co-ordinate if others also wish to attend.

EC Info Day – Health, Demographic Change and Well-being taking place on the 18th Sept 2015

EU, Info Days

EC Info days: relating to Health, Demographic Change and Well-being are being held on the:

18th September 2015, Brussels, Belgiueuflag

Info days and brokerage events run by the EC are an opportunity to get an overview of work programmes covering the 2016 and 2017 calendar years, meet up and hear from others who are interested in the same programme and potentially form links and build consortia for future applications.

Please click on the link below now to book or register you interest – this will definitely be a popular event!

 http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=7829B368-BCD2-7BA8-039C396F0C62FA5D

EC Info Day – Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy taking place on the 14th-15th Sept

EU, Info Days

EC Info days: relating to Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy are being held on the: 14th-15th September 2015 in Brusselseuflag

Info days and brokerage events run by the EC are an opportunity to get an overview of work programmes covering the 2016 and 2017 calendar years, meet up and hear from others who are interested in the same programme and potentially form links and build consortia for future applications.

Please click on the link below to book or register your interest – please bear in mind places are limited

http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=0B56FA95-AFE0-D63B-DD0527FE301EC26C

Please let Emily or myself know if you intend to go so we can co-ordinate if others also wish to attend.

EC Info Day – EU Brokerage Event on Key Enabling Strategies taking place on the 1st of Oct 2015

EU, Info Days

EC Info days: relating to EU Brokerage Event on Key Enabling Strategies is being held on the:

1st of October 2015 in Strasbourg, France  euflag

Info days and brokerage events run by the EC are an opportunity to get an overview of work programmes covering the 2016 and 2017 calendar years, meet up and hear from others who are interested in the same programme and potentially form links and build consortia for future applications.

Please click on the link below to book or register your interest:

http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=2DE41882-FADE-977A-8FDF508D5871C5AA

Please let Emily or myself know if you intend to go so we can co-ordinate if others also wish to attend.

EC Info Day – Health, Demographic Change and Well-being taking place on the 18th Sept 2015

EU, Info Days

EC Info days: relating to Health, Demographic Change and Well-being are being held on the:

18th September 2015, Brussels, Belgium euflag

Info days and brokerage events run by the EC are an opportunity to get an overview of work programmes covering the 2016 and 2017 calendar years, meet up and hear from others who are interested in the same programme and potentially form links and build consortia for future applications.

Please click on the link below now to book or register you interest – this will definitely be a popular event!

http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=7829B368-BCD2-7BA8-039C396F0C62FA5D

Please let Emily or myself know if you intend to go so we can co-ordinate if others also wish to attend.

OpenAIRE2020 National Open Access Desk

EU, Post-award, Publishing

jisclogoBack in July, Mafalda Picarra from JISC wrote a blog post on the Jisc Scholarly Communications about OpenAIRE2020 National Open Access Desk. If you are involved in or are interested in an EC Horizon 2020 project, this blog post will be of interest to you.

Since the start of the OpenAIRE2020 project in January, Jisc became the UK National Open Access Desk (NOAD). This means that Jisc is now providing support and information to help UK HEIs and researchers to comply with the EC’s Horizon 2020 programme OA policy, the Open Research Data Pilot and the FP7 Post-Grant Open Access Pilot.

Jisc has been working closely with UK national associations – SCONUL, ARMA, RLUK and UKCoRR – to ensure that information about the EC’s Horizon 2020 OA policy and the Pilots is disseminated through the most appropriate channels to multiple stakeholders. Back in June, the national associations sent a first communication to their members. Today, we will disseminate more detailed information to HEIs research librarians, research managers, open access contact points and EU research, policy and funding teams on the EC’s OA policy and the two pilots.

In a nutshell, the Horizon 2020 OA policy requires that all peer reviewed publications resultant from Horizon 2020 and European Research Council funded projects be made open access. In addition, a Pilot on Open Research Data is being run in some core areas of Horizon 2020 which aims to improve and maximise access to and re-use of research data generated by projects. Finally, OpenAIRE is running a Pilot on FP7 Post-Grant Open Access where eligible FP7 projects can apply for funding to publish their research outputs on open access.

OpenAIRE has developed relevant resources (factsheets, guides and webinars) that can be accessed online (https://www.openaire.eu/) and provides helpdesk support to those that require more information on compliance with the EC’s OA policy or on how to participate in the pilots.logo_openaire

For more information contact the National Open Access Desk (NOAD), Mafalda Picarra, on info.openaire@jisc.ac.uk

 

European Funding for Sustainable and Climate Resilient Business – UK Launch of Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 2 and Challenge 5

EU, Info Days

KTN in collaboration with Innovate UK is running a series of events to launch the 2016 Horizon 2020 work programme for Societal Challenges 2 (Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy) and 5 (Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials).

  • European Brokerage Event: Circular Horizons 2016/17 – European Business Brokerage event for Horizon 2020 funding for resource efficient business models and the circular economy, 10th September, London;
  • H2020 Nature Based Solutions – Re-greening Cities Information Day, 30th September, London;
  • Feeding a changing world – Horizon 2020 Funding for Resource Efficient bio-based value chains – farm to fork, non-food crops, BioBased products and waste treatment, 13th October, Manchester;
  • Solutions for a climate resilient world: Horizon 2020 funding in 2016, 2nd November, Exeter;
  • Horizon 2020 funding for Water innovation, 1st October, Manchester.

An opportunity to network with potential industry partners.  Details and registration here.

Please let Emily or myself know if you intend to attend so we can co-ordinate if more than one person is interested in the area(s).

 

 

 

 

EC Info Day – Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy taking place on the 14th-15th Sept

EU, Info Days

euflagEC Info days: relating to Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy are being held on the: 14th-15th September 2015 in Brussels   

Info days and brokerage events run by the EC are an opportunity to get an overview of work programmes covering the 2016 and 2017 calendar years, meet up and hear from others who are interested in the same programme and potentially form links and build consortia for future applications.

Please click on the link below to book or register your interest – bear in mind places are limited!

http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&eventcode=0B56FA95-AFE0-D63B-DD0527FE301EC26C

Please let Emily or myself know if you intend to go so we can co-ordinate if others also wish to attend.

 

ERC Starting Grants call launched

EU, Funding opportunities

The 2016 CALL for ERC Starting Grants has been launched but note the deadline for submission is 17th November THIS YEAR.  ERC Starting Grants are designed to support excellent Principal Investigators at the career stage at which they are starting their own independent research team or programme (2 to 7 years of post-PhD experience).  An overview of the scheme is available here.

The newly-launched ERC work-programme is here and there is an Information Day at LSE on 8th September, details here.

If you are interested in applying please let myself or your Funding Development Officer know so we can help you with the application.