Tagged / efficient

Research Contracts Manager vacancy in RDS

BU research

BU has created a new Research Contracts Manager position to support our BU2025 strategy to increase research and knowledge exchange income and activity. The postholder will be based in Research Development & Support (RDS) and will work with our Legal Services team to implement standard approaches to research and knowledge exchange contracting that achieve efficiency and efficacy in delivery.

The postholder will provide support with contract review and preparation for standard research and knowledge exchange contracts, ensuring that the appropriate contractual agreements are put in place in a timely and effective manner and reflecting the needs of the University and those of the funder and/or other parties. The postholder will be responsible for the timely resolution of contract negotiations to ensure that externally funded research and knowledge exchange projects proceed at pace. They will also advise on the contract management of awarded projects.

For further details, please visit our website: https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/about/jobs/research-contracts-manager.

Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy Challenge: Report from Horizon 2020 Stakeholder Workshop

EU

The EU’s proposed Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation will run from 2014-2020, replacing FP7. Over the coming months, the EC is preparing the proposals for the Programme and as part of this, holding stakeholder workshops on the proposed ‘societal challenges’ of Horizon 2020.  The discussion focused around these questions:

Are there new and emerging  areas in addition to those identified in the EU’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan that should be supported? It was agreed that a systematic approach will be used when analysing the future development of energy technologies, taking into account EU energy and climate policies and ways to enhance Europe’s global competitiveness. The Challenge should cover the whole innovation cycle (basic research, applied research, demonstration and market introduction) and more support is needed for energy storage, renewable heating and cooling, marine energy, geothermal energy and materials. 

How can research, demonstration and innovation targeting energy efficiency be reinforced and how can ICT contribute most effectively? It was agreed that better coverage of the energy efficiency deployment chain, work on risk management and research combining technology, market and social aspects of energy systems were seen as important. ICT is important to support smart grids, energy efficient buildings and neighbourhoods. European research can be made more attractive to industry through measures related to ‘technology push’ and ‘demand pull’. Having a stable environment in Europe, in terms of policy objectives, regulation and support, was seen as important. European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs) could be a possible way forward. The need to optimise the interaction between EU and national programmes was also emphasised, for example through Joint Programming.

 A summary report of the stakeholder workshop on the ‘Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy Challenge’ has been published.