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!

International partnering event for research and innovation in health and agrofood

EU

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!

EU

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).

LIFE+ Call for Proposals 2012

EU

The European Commission has launched calls for proposals for the LIFE+ call for proposals 2012. The following themes are covered by this announcement:

  • LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity
  • LIFE+ Environment Policy and Governance
  • LIFE+ Information and Communication

Why not have a look at the LIFE+ webpages and see if you can fit into one of these?

Sustainable Design Reseach Centre’s successful EUNF application

EU

It was good to know that our BU EUNF application was a success. At SDRC we have been working on several research projects. One of which is a collaborative research project with the Tank Museum, a match funded PhD. The research is conducted by SDRC PGR Adil Saeed with supervisory team including Dr Zulfiqar Khan, Dr Nigel Garland and Professor Mark Hadfield. This research project has attracted significant interests from academia e.g. Oxford and Cranfield Universities, industrial interests from BAE Systems, AGR Field Operations, DSTL, PMI analytical, PAN analytical, Carl Zeiss and NASA Materials Testing and Control Branch. These industrial partners have been engaged with our current research through in-kind support by providing stat-of-the-art experimental and analytical resources.

The current research is looking into understating the failure mechanisms in Tanks within the museum environment due to aging and corrosion. Our current fundamental research will provide a springboard to develop sustainable models for museum environments and modern large vehicles’ industry to develop sustainable methodology of decelerating or even stop degradation due to aging and develop models of live health monitoring.

In addition to the above SDRC have forged international collaborations which have led to various research and education activities. These include

  • Ashikaga Institute of Technology (Japan)
  • National Institute of Technology, Srinagar, India
  • PES Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India
  • Wisconsin University Milwaukee (US)
  • Texas A&M University at Galveston (US) and
  • Qinghua University Beijing (PR China) – previously developed RAE UK-China collaboration bid

SDRC has experience in EU biding and has recently submitted an EU Interreg bid by participating in a consortium which include 13 EU partners in renewable named as GReen Energy Channel Cluster, GRECC.

Through the BU EUNF it is anticipated to bring our partners closer to initiate the process of incubating current research and the next steps through securing EU funding. Initial meetings with EU partners and The Tank Museum will be organised to discuss the project ideas, and relevant EU funding stream. BU EUNF will help initiating discussion and the formation of a consortium for future collaborative research activities.

This will provide opportunity of further raising BU profile in proactively engaging with national and international academic and industrial partners, showcasing BU current research project(s), resources and expertise to external partners, hence there is a significant PR opportunity, developing research proposals that are inline with the BU andREFstrategic attribute of societal impact, BU will act as a magnet for the proposed research programme and working closely with regional partners e.g. The Tank Museum.

This is an exciting opportunity to develop EU relationships across disciplines with in collaboration with the Tank Museum in Bovington. Our specialised expertise of understanding contacting surfaces contrasts with issues concerning public historic values from EU museums. If successful in attracting additional external funds it will have potential significant research impact, Professor Mark Hadfield said.

BU strategy of internationalisation and fusion puts international and EU collaboration through research, education and professional practice engagement at the heart of academic activity. It is very important that we proactively seek and capitalise on such opportunities for putting BU on the global map of academic activity, Zulfiqar said.

My EUNF Success

EU

The aim of the specific EU Network Fund is to create a strong link and to provide support for the development of large-scale, complex, inter/multi-disciplinary collaborative research activities leading to external funding between the Sustainable Design Research Centre (SDRC) at Bournemouth University (BU), the Tribological Department of Tekniker inBilbao,Spainand the Democritus University (DU) inGreece. The objective of this network activity is to establish a consortium of appropriate academic and industrial partners in order to develop a research application related with the sustainable development and durability of low friction PTFE composites used for industrial, aeronautical and aerospace applications.

An action plan (funding body choice, application process, role of its party, experimental techniques etc.) which will clearly define the steps and priorities for the completion of a major European research funding application will be developed. The plan will consist of regular meetings during the project period (March-August 2012) with the research team at Tekniker and DU, discussing the current research and industrial issues associated with using PTFE materials and ensuring that ideas, suggestions and innovations will be effectively presented with the application, while methods and strategies will be properly followed by all the parties. Methods require the innovative research concept to be implemented to a robust practical methodology scheme. Additionally Dr. Tzanakis will attend the well-known international conference of Tribology and Design whilst visitingDemocritusUniversityinGreecein order to gain further industrial partners and improve networking.

The Network Fund will massively support this potential collaboration among BU, DU and Tekniker allowing the parties to work efficiently towards the completion of a major European research funding application. The nature of the project is novel, realistic and would be highly applicable within many technological, design and manufacturing domains. BU will be the leader partner for the project application while the international exposure for BU research activities within DEC will be significantly increased.

 

EU funding for ‘Youth in the World’

EU

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!

EU

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.

Marie Curie Calls for Proposals officially launched!

EU

Several Marie Curie calls have been finally officially been released today!

Remember to check out my previous blogposts on:

And if you attended our fantastic Marie Curie proposal writing workshop last month, you can send your proposal off to Dr Martin Pickard for one review. I am also currently establishing a specialist Marie Curie RPRS which I will circulate the details of soon.

If you are planning a submission, don’t forget to contact RKE Operations straight away so they can get to work helping you with your costings etc

Thinking of applying for FP7 Transport? Then you should attend this Maritime Transport and Innovation Brokerage Event

EU

The Maritime Transport and Innovation Brokerage Event, MIBE2012, will take place in Santiago de Compostela, Spain on 20-21 June 2012.

From the Atlantic Area, a Pan-European conference on the latest innovation and development within the European Maritime Industry, showcasing a selection of leading EU projects.

This is a unique opportunity to network and find out how to participate in FP7 funded projects, in particular the latest Transport Call for Tenders, with a total budget over €20M.

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

EU

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!

Marie Curie Template Application

EU

A number of you have expressed an interest in seeing a Marie Curie application to get a feel for the form. I have placed a blank version on our I drive so any BU member of staff thinking of submitting can take a look I:\R&KEO\Public\RDU\Marie Curie Form Template . The forms for all the Marie Curie schemes are similar and therefore only one is provided. The form is strictly for internal BU circulation only.

Looking for FP7 Health partners or attending an infoday? Then this is unmissable!

EU

Fit for Health and Health-NCP-Net are organising a partnering event in Brussels on 30.05.12  for the next FP7 Health Call for Proposals, due to be published in July 2012.

The main aim of the event is to facilitate consortium building for future bids to the FP7 Health Theme. The day will mainly consist of bilateral meetings which will be arranged between groups interested in the same topics of the forthcoming FP7 Health Call for Proposals.

The European Commission will also hold an infoday on the Call the day before the brokerage event on 29.05.12 which is essential for finding out more about the Call and meeting potential partners.

New EU IPR guidance for SMEs

EU

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?

EU

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.

Fuel Cells and Hydrogen JTI: Slides From Information Events Now Available

EU

The 5th call for proposals is currently open for the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Technology Initiative (FCH JTI). The call, which is worth EUR 150 million, closes on 24th May 2012. The slides and recordings are now available from information events related to this call.
A European information event was held in Brussels on 9 February 2012. The slides are now available. Slides 26 to 58 include some useful tips on things to do and things to avoid, based on previous calls. Slide 59 provides a contact email at the FCH Joint Undertaking (JU), which runs the FCH JTI calls on behalf of the European Commission. The FCH JU emphasises that applicants should not hesitate to ask them for help or further information.
In the UK there was also a webinar, which was organised by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Group of the UK Energy Generation and Supply Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN). This was held on 28 February 2012 and included a presentation from the Head of Unit for the FCH JU. The slides and a recording of the presentation are in the ‘Focus Working Group on the FCH JU 2012 Call’ website of the KTN. To access these documents, you will need be a member of this Group. The group is also intended to facilitate discussion on: preparing a successful bid to the FCH JU Call; exchanging experiences; gaining insights into the 2012 topics; and searching for collaboration partners.

Presentations from the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) infoday are now available online.

EU

The infoday was organised on the IMI Call for Proposals on the topic “European Lead Factory: Joint European compound library and screening centre”.

Presentations included an update on the revised IMI Strategic Research Agenda and IMI rules and procedures. Among the changes in the rules are:
•the new option for using real indirect costs in addition to the option of the 20% indirect cost flat rate;
•average or actual personnel costs can be used;
•Certificates on the Financial Statements (CFS) are now only due once a threshold of EUR 375,000 is reached;
•and periodic reports are now either due in July or December each year.
A presentation was also given on how to write a successful IMI proposal. This included general advice and participants were taken through the most common mistakes made in previous rounds.

My EUNF Success

EU

I am delighted to know that my application to EUNF is successful. The award will partially support my academic visit to University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France.

As the France’s 4th university, Lyon 1 attains excellence in the fields of higher education and research. The University is committed to more than 80 European Union projects and participates actively in FP7. Apart from academic activities in Computer Science Department, during the visit, I will focus my networking activities in the Laboratory of Informatics and Image System (LIRIS), a well-known research center with members from Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université Lumière Lyon 2, École Centrale de Lyon, etc. Research in LIRIS cover image processing, 3D modelling, animation, mobile application, data mining, information retrieval, etc., which matches my research area.

The main objective of the networking is to target two potential FP7 calls. One is Marie Curie Career Integration Grants. Under LIRIS are there a number of research teams, including Simulation, Analysis and Animation for Augmented Reality (SAAAR), Multiresolution, Discrete and Combinatorial Models, Feature Extraction and Identification, Realistic Rendering for Mobile Augmented Reality, etc. Each team has around 10 PhD students. I will identify and meet a few most promising students for potential Marie Curie fellowship.

The other call interesting to me is FP7-ICT-2011-9, Collaborative Projects – small or medium scale focused research projects (STREPs). Particular project directions I’d like to investigate are mobile augmented reality and its application in game and animation. The research teams above mentioned have a number of professors and associate professors, whom I intend to meet and discuss with them about potential collaborative projects.

Another activity I’d like to get involved is the World Conference of Web 2012 (http://www2012.org) which is going to be held in Lyon. It’s the most selective International Conference of the Web. I would like to take the opportunity to attend the part of the conference during the period of my visit, particularly on the presentation of European projects, expecting more networking with European partners.

EU and China to step up research cooperation

EU

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.