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!

Brand Spanking New Marie Curie Alumni Portal

EU

The Marie Curie Alumni Portal is offering free membership services to anyone who has won Marie Curie funding; and with over 50, 000 researchers who have been funded through this scheme, it is bound to be a hive of activity! The portal currently offers a number of membership services such as: 

  • an automated alert about new Marie Curie calls for proposals or meeting;
  • a discussion board to promote the exchange of knowledge between alumni on areas of expertise, career opportunities or events and conferences;
  • an events calendar with important meetings and events of interest to alumni; and
  • personalised alerts to news and content from the portal.

Following on from the launch of the Alumni portal, in 2012 a Marie Curie Alumni Association will be created which will merge with the existing Marie Curie Fellows Association.

If you have won Marie Curie funding, then please do register on this prital . And if you are thinking of applying in the future for a grant, then this shows what a great support network exists for Marie Curie Fellows, leading to future collaborations.

 

EU funding for Information & Communication Research

EU

ERA-Net CHIST-ERA (European Coordinated Research on Long-term Challenges in Information and Communication Sciences and Technologies) invites proposals for international research project grants. These support highly innovative and multidisciplinary collaborative projects in information and communication sciences and technologies with the potential for significant scientific and technical impacts. Proposals for this call should address the following topics: from data to new knowledge (D2K); green ICT, towards zero power ICT (G-ICT).  Institutions from France, the UK, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Turkey, Romania and Luxembourg may apply. Projects should typically last for two to three years, and are expected to request a maximum of €2 million each.

INFER Mini–Workshop on Predictive Analytics

EU

Nowadays web users generate a lot of data in a form of web logs. This data can tell us a lot about visitor behavior, their demands and preferences.  Predictive web analytics is aimed at understanding and predicting behavioral patterns of users in various web-based applications or services: e-commerce, mass-media, and entertainment industries. This mini workshop focuses on challenges and techniques in predictive web analytics.

If you are interested to find out what can be predicted from visitor behavior on the web and how it can be done, welcome to attend!

Date: Monday, 31/10/2011

Time: 4pm – 6pm

Place: PG143, Poole House, Talbot Campus

 4pm – 5pm

Mykola Pechenizkiy will talk about Context Aware Predictive Analytics: Motivation, Potential, Challenges

 5pm – 6pm

Omar Kudmany will talk about Web log pre-processing using Complex Event Processing technologies

European Energy Research Alliance seeks additional partners

EU

In spring 2012, fifteen other organisations will be selected as partners for a two-year term. The Alliance is now made up of ten energy research organisations, which got together in October 2008 to develop joint research programmes. EERA partners must pay an annual fee worth €10,000. Only one organisation can join per EU member state. The call for expressions of interest closes on 1 February 2012.

A glimpse of Horizon 2020….

EU

It has been announced that Horizon 2020 will include three components for basic research, industrial technology, and ‘grand challenges’

  • ‘Excellence in the science base’ will fund basic research.
  • ‘Creating industrial leadership and competitive frameworks’ will fund business research and innovation, in particular for small enterprises.
  •  ‘Tackling societal challenges’ will fund research that responds to grand challenges such as food security and climate change.

Horizon 2020 will increase funding for innovation through funding schemes for ‘prototyping, dissemination, demonstration, pilots, testing, user involvement, market replication, and public procurement’ and will use a single, standardised set of rules across all funding instruments to simplify procedures. In addition, it will expand the Open Access Pilot that promotes the free dissemination of EU-funded scientific publications, which now covers about 20 per cent of the Framework 7 budget.

European Science Foundation grants to help you network!

EU

The European Science Foundation has invited proposals for short visit, exchange and scientific meetings grants under its research networking programmes. Topics include evolution of social cognition across a wide range of human and non-human animal species and child cohort studies, precision polymer materials, interactions of low-dimensional topology and geometry with mathematical physics and others.

The deadlines for these grants are: 15 February, 15 June and 15 October.

How to find partners for EU Projects

EU

EC projects usually require partners, with the number and geographical location varying for each call. A useful tip to remember when considering your partner options is that a consortium should include a good balance of sectors industry, academia, user groups etc) and that all partners should be well-matched to the activities in the proposal.

You can find partners through your existing contacts, by reviewing previously awarded FP6 and FP7 projects, by searching/ advertising on the UKRO website ,by seeking the assistance of the relevant UK National Contact Point and by attending EU conferences and project evaluations, by scanning the CORDIS website.

The best and most effective way to become involved in FP7 consortia however, is to join European Technology Platforms (ETPs). These are groups of industry-led stakeholder forums who explore Europe’s key challenges. ETPs define the EU Strategic research agenda and then bid for European Commission funds (through FP7 etc) to address these. The biggest players in the field across Europe belong to these groups and obviously as they set the research agenda, they are increduibly successful at winning FP7 funds for research. Joining these groups will not only open you to a plethora of partners but also will allow you to contribute in shaping the research agenda of Europe (which you can then address through funding). Some of the major ETPs are listed below with hyperlinks to their webpages:

Advanced Engineering Materials and Technologies
Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe
Embedded Computing Systems
European Biofuels Technology Platform
European Construction Technology Platform
European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council
European Rail Research Advisory Council
European Road Transport Research Advisory Council
European Space Technology Platform
European Steel Technology Platform
European Technology Platform for the Electricity Networks of the Future
European Technology Platform for Wind Energy
European Technology Platform on Smart Systems Integration  
European Technology Platform on Sustainable Mineral Resources
Farm Animal Breeding and Reproduction Technology Platform
Food for Life
Forest based sector Technology Platform
Future Manufacturing Technologies
Future Textiles and Clothing
Global Animal Health
Industrial Safety ETP
Integral Satcom Initiative
Mobile and Wireless Communications
Nanotechnologies for Medical Applications
Networked and Electronic Media
Networked European Software and Services Initiative
Photonics21
Photovoltaics
Plants for the Future
Robotics
Sustainable Nuclear Technology Platform
Sustainable Chemistry
Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform
Waterborne ETP
Zero Emission Fossil Fuel Power Plants

Bamboozled by Intellectual Property Right in FP7 proposals…?

EU

Then the new factsheets published by the European Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Helpdesk is for you!

The factsheets aim to help you with your IP issues at different stages of FP7 projects before you start writing your proposal. How to manage IP in FP7 during the proposal stage looks at some of the issues you need to consider when putting your proposal together, as well as questions you should address in the text of the proposal itself. How to manage IP in FP7 during the negotiation stage highlights issues that consortia should bear in mind during negotiation of grant agreements with the EC once a proposal has been lucky enough to have been selected for funding. ‘How to manage IP in FP7 during and after the project’ isn’t quite ready yet, but will be published on the IPR website soon!

BU workshop on Meta Transfer of Knowledge as part of EU project

EU

You are invited to contribute and participate in a Workshop on Meta Transfer of Knowledge – Challenges in Transfer of Knowledge in Industry.

The workshop is taking place at the International Conference on Innovation through Knowledge Transfer at BU on 19th and 20th of April 2012.

The workshop is a part of Knowledge Transfer activities that take place within the EU funded INFER project coordinated by Prof. Bogdan Gabrys, DEC. INFER offers participants the opportunity to move between sectors and country in order to provide, absorb and implement new knowledge in a professional industrial-academic environment.

The workshop will allow conference delegates to benefit from experiences in knowledge transfer, knowledge exchange and knowledge sharing, during the progress of the INFER and other similar projects.

The goal of the workshop is to share the knowledge about the most effective transfer of knowledge activities that can and have been organised especially in large international projects such as those carried out within EC “People” Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP) programme.

Such projects are of particular interest to this workshop as their aim is to stimulate intersectoral mobility and increase knowledge sharing through joint research partnerships in longer term co-operation programmes between organisations from academia and industry where effective knowledge transfer is critical to the success of the projects.

As the transfer of knowledge mechanisms can be observed in all areas where the cooperation between academia and industry exists, it is hoped that sustainable collaborations between people who are interested in continuous development of these mechanisms and improvement of their efficiency will be fostered. This will give the opportunity to push further the discussion upon the potential of Transfer of Knowledge phenomena across different communities.

More about this event can be found on the project website and if you have any further questions about the Workshop please contact Katarzyna Musial.

Interested in bio-based economy? Then you need to read this consultation summary!

EU

The EC has published a summary of responses to the recent consultation on the bio-based economy in Europe. The consultation gathered views from stakeholders in advance of the upcoming EC Communication on the Bio-Based Economy (to be published in November) which will be the main EU strategy until 2020 for developing and promoting a sustainable bio-economy in Europe (and therefore influence funding!).

225 responses were received in response to the consultation, which contained 12 questions around potential benefits and risks of fostering a bio-based economy in the future, the current achievements and existing obstacles that hinder the functioning of the bio-based economy today; and future actions that will be necessary.

The responses indicated that the reduction of waste and pollution was the biggest potential benefit of a bio-based economy that could be achieved in the short term (by 2020). Strong consensus was gained on the possible achievements in the short term of the provision of agricultural advisory services and/or knowledge transfer systems to farmers, and on the increase in the use of bio-waste and other waste streams. There was major concern over the possible over-exploitation of natural resources and food security and only 27 % of all respondents thought research and innovation actions on the bio-based economy are effective both at EU and Member State levels. Respondents also claimed that insufficient links between decision-makers and stakeholders from the bio-based economy sectors is hindering the successful functioning of the bio-based economy, along with not enough links between policies, lack of long-term impact analysis in decision-making and insufficient provision of loans and venture capital and that lack of general public information and understanding of the sustainable bio-based economy is a concern.

You can read the full consultation document for yourself on the EC webpages.

EU Parliament propose double money for Horizon 2020

EU

The European Parliament has published a report in response to the various draft documents for Horizon 2020. The report suggests that the budget for the research and innovation programmes should be doubled (so get networking now to apply for this in 2014!) and large scale projects (such as GALILEO) be paid for outside of this budget. Collaborative transnational excellent research should be kept at the heart of Horizon 2020 and a move towards a more ‘science-based’ approach and a more trust-based and risk-tolerant attitude towards participants at all stages of the funding system should be taken. Research Priorities should be set in a more transparent way and rules should be easy to interpret and apply to all EU research and innovation programmes and instruments. It also calls for greater participation for Member States who are currently under-supported, more support for underperforming regions and states that there should be new measures to support Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs).

All the latest on the FP7 Security theme

EU

The Security theme has been a hive of activity over the last few weeks!

Firstly the EU has signed a European Framework Co-operation with the European Defence Agency which will allow them to formally cooperate in promoting dual-use application in research, formally consult with each other and share their R&D goals, align their agendas and coordinate calls for research topics as well as influencing the development of a possible Security theme in Horizon 2020. These activities are expected to support the emergence of dual-use technologies and capabilities for civil and military users across the 27 EU Member States. Protection against Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) threats is the first research topic that will be addressed under the newly established EFC. Other topics where the Commission and the EDA plan to co-ordinate their work involve unmanned aerial systems and situational awareness, which includes many technological sub-sectors involving sensors, information management and cyber-security.

Secondly, the presentations of the 2011 Infoday are now available online for anyone who couldn’t attend. These slides also include the list of participants, and Project Officers’ contact details; this is the first time that a list of Project Officers responsible for the various topics to be funded under a Security call has been published.

Thirdly, the annual Security conference was held in Poland at the end of September. The focus of the conference was to explore effective ways in which industry, research institutes and local public (end-user) authorities can be brought together and it was ackwledged during the conference that one of the main challenges is to move the programme from its research focus to a market perspective due to the sector’s fragmentation. Several achievements of the FP7 Security theme that were highlighted during the Conference as well as some of the main new policy goals for Security research in Horizon 2020. You can  read more about the conference  on the SRC 2011 website.

EU ‘Erasmus’ funding available for BU staff!

EU

BU takes part in the  Erasmus Mobility Programme (part of the EU funded Lifelong Learning Programme) which means academic and professional services staff can now bid for funding in support of teaching or training visits to partner universities or enterprises in Europe. Taking part in the Erasmus scheme will enhance your CV and give you a great international experience, as Richard Shipway from the School of Tourism found:

“My Erasmus visit was an opportunity to profile BU’s undergraduate and postgraduate courses, enhance my own experience of teaching overseas, explore the possibility of future students and staff exchanges, and to establish research links with the partner university’s staff in the area of tourism and events.” (Erasmus visit to Dokuz Eylul University, Turkey in May 2011).

Check out the Centre for Global Perspectives webpage to submit an application; the deadline is Friday 28th October.

EU Funding for ‘Social Experiments’ (!)

EU

Funding is available under the Progress 2011 theme. Your proposal must contribute to developing and testing socially innovative approaches to policy priorities in the context of the Europe 2020 Strategy and the Open Method of Coordination on social protection and social inclusion. To be selected under this call, projects should focus on either of the following selected themes, keeping in mind in all cases the gender dimension of the issue:
• Social inclusion of vulnerable groups (such as Roma people, migrants and their descendants, homeless and young people)
• Quality of childcare services (this has great impacts on child well-being, but also on gender equality, poverty in jobless households, employment rates, birth rates and on long term sustainable development by supporting the development of human potential)
• Active and healthy ageing (this depends on various factors, such as life habits, working conditions or urban policies and represents a major condition in order to extend working lives and to reduce social protection expenditures)
• Transition from education to work for the youth (as only a multidimensional policy approach combining actions on the education framework, the labour market, families can be successful)
Deadlines: 15.12.11 and 30.03.12

New plans for Partnering in Research & Innovation

EU

The EC recently published  Partnering in Research and Innovation which sets out the different types of partnering and aims to progress partnering activities across the EU. The report acknowledges that the existing partnering activities they currently have (such as Public-Private Partnerships) work well as the mutual trust built within them creates excellent research which in turn makes Europe a more attractive global partner in addressing major societal challenges.

More relevant for BU as we tend not to participate in these partnering activities, is that the report acknowledges the need for Horizon 2020 to develop a framework to encourage and support future partnerships and capitalise on these early indications of success. The Active and Healthy Ageing EIP pilot which is designed to ensure that ideas are successfully developed and brought to market in the most coherent way possible is indicative of this.

In order to strike the right balance for Horizon 2020, the EC will soon launch a strategic exercise to determine where and how the partnering approach can be applied most successfully and the types of initiative to which the instruments are best suited. I will keep you informed when further information on this is released.

Media related EU Funding available

EU

Development of Production Projects (including animation, creative documentaries and drama): One of the objectives of the programme is to promote, by providing financial support, the development of production projects intended for European and international markets presented by independent European production companies in the following categories: animation, creative documentary and drama. Deadlines are 25.11.11 and 13.04.12.

Development of Online and Offline Interactive Works: One of the objectives of the programme is to promote, by providing financial support, the development of production projects intended for European and international markets presented by independent European production companies. Deadlines are 25.11.11 and 13.04.12