Tagged / EU

ECOSAL-Atlantis: An ecotourism project

BU research, Research news

Bournemouth University (BU) hosted a visit from the national co-ordinators of ECOSAL-Atlantis last week; an EU ecotourism project recording and promoting the heritage of salt production around the Atlantic Coasts of the UK, France, Spain and Portugal.

The ECOSAL-Atlantis project goal is to create a traditional salt-working route to highlight the fascinating archaeological and ecologically characteristics of these historic landscapes, thereby encouraging economic success of small-scale salt production and tourism development.

BU is the sole UK partner in this project, providing invaluable archaeological and ecological expertise. Researchers are also helping to develop ‘Traditional Salt-working: The Atlantic Route’ and are working with heritage consultants A&A Fielding Ltd to encourage other organisations and sites to join in the creation of the Route.

Other partners have been busy completing the heritage inventory of salt working sites, as well as collecting environmental data from coastal lagoons. This last aspect includes work on the eco-system of these fragile landscapes, producing guidelines that will protect them.

UK national co-ordinator Mark Brisbane, Professor in the School of Applied Sciences at BU said: “This is a highly innovative and original project that brings together archaeology and heritage, ecology and biodiversity, tourism and economic development and forces them to work together in a novel way for the long-term good of these fragile and precious landscapes”.

During their stay the ECOSAL team visited Poole Museums and Poole Harbour, including Brownsea Island, where they witnessed work taking place in the lagoon, recorded bird species and analyzed factors encouraging breeding and length of stay.

Poole Harbour has been an area of salt production from the late Iron Age period (if not before) carrying on into the Roman period, with sites making salt excavated at Ower and Hamworthy. Salt production must have continued into the medieval period around the harbour area but by the 18th century the salt-works were at Lilliput, where they used peat-fired boiling houses crystallising salt from seawater drawn from ponds in what is now known as the Blue Lagoon.

The ECOSAL team also visited the salt marshes in the Lymington-Keyhaven nature reserve, where Hampshire County Council and St Barbe Museum are creating the Lymington Salt Walk.

Now a tranquil wildlife haven, 200 years ago this area was the centre of the second most important site for salt production after Liverpool. The land would have been covered by salt pans where brine was concentrated, windmills would have pumped it into storage tanks and boiling houses which then used coal to bring the brine to a low boil in large iron or copper pans, producing salt as the water boiled away. There was also a network of inlets with docks for boats to deliver the coal and collect the salt. The success of this industry directly contributed to the wealth of the town of Lymington and helped to build many of its important 18th and early 19th century buildings.

There are 13 organizations involved in the ECOSAL project, from four countries (Spain, France, Portugal and the United Kingdom) as follows: Diputación Foral de Alava, Spain (project leader), Ecomuseé du Marais Salant, France, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France, Communauté de comunes Océan – Marais de Monts, France, Communauté de comunes de l’ile d’Oléron, France, Cap Atlantique, France, Asociación Cultural Amigos de las Salinas de Interior, Spain, Fundación Espacios Naturales Protegidos de Andalucía (Andanatura), Spain, , Bournemouth University, UK, University of Aveiro, Portugal, Aveiro Municipality, Portugal, Rio Maior Municipality, Portugal and Municipality of Figueira da Foz, Portugal.

More information can be found on the Bournemouth University website.

The future of EU Energy funding

EU

Two exciting developments related to EU Energy funding are now in the public domain.
 
The European Commission has recently published an illustrated brochure on its “Energy Roadmap 2050” which is intended to be the basis for developing a long-term EU framework for energy policy.
 
The Smart Grids European Technology Platform, a stakeholder platform relating to smart grids, had published an updated version of its Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) entitled “SmartGrids SRA 2035”. This updates their previous research agenda from 2007. The presentations and conference summary from the Smart Grids 4th General Assembly, in March 2012, are also now available. The SRA of European Technology Platforms, such as the Smart Grids Technology Platform, are likely to influence future European Commission research calls.  This is because they represent the views of a large stakeholder group on what future research priorities should be. The updated SRA should therefore be of interest to researchers interested in applying to European research funding in this area.

EU funding available in the hard sciences for research, networking, visits and conference attendance

EU

FP7 Artemis call for proposals: Funding supports industry-driven research projects in the field of embedded computing systems which aim to design, develop and deploy interoperable, cost-effective, powerful safe and secure electronics and software systems. The budget for this call is approximately €138.73 million and the financial contribution of the programme will be 16.7 per cent of eligible costs. Projects are expected to last for up to three years. Closing date 06.09.12

ESF Research conferences scheme: Grants support high-level research conferences lasting for three to four days in ESF member organisation countries. Closing date 15.09.12

 ESF Earthtime – the European contribution short visit and exchange grants: Grants should foster collaboration between European researchers working on topics relevant to geochronology and stratigraphy. Short visit grants provide €85 per day over a maximum of two weeks. Exchange grants provide €400 per week over a maximum of three months. Both awards provide actual travel expenses, worth up to €500. No deadline.

Autism as a priority for Horizon 2020?

EU

The French government is to call for research into autism to be listed as a priority area in Horizon 2020, the successor to the EU’s Framework programme for research. The French minister for social cohesion, presented an outline of the plan at a recent cabinet meeting and will produce a detailed set of goals by the end of this year, following a decision to make the condition France’s ‘national cause’ for 2012.

The government intends to ‘intensify’ research in biology, physiology and the social sciences to expand knowledge of autism. This is likely to include an interdisciplinary research stream supported by the National Research Agency. The plan highlights the need to reinforce the rights of citizens with autism and to increase public awareness of the condition in order to support social inclusion. If you are interested in autism research and want to get in to EU funding, now would be a great time to start building links with French researchers in this area.

Partner searches for water and energy research

EU

UKWaterResearchDirectory: An online directory of UK researchers has just been developed to support the Living With Environmental Change (LWEC) UK Water Research and Innovation Framework (UKWRIF) and the UK Natural Environment Research Council’s (NERC) Water Security Knowledge Exchange Programme (WSKEP). It covers all disciplines with interests in water and could be used to find partners for EU funded, and other, projects. Researchers who are not already on the database can add their details. It is also possible to keep up to date with additions and updates by subscribing to a mailing list. The main purpose of the Directory is to improve the ease by which government and industry can find research skills that they may be interested in, trade associations knowing who to invite to meetings/workshops for their members, and for the research community to have a better way of finding complementary research partners. The database has only just been launched and still being actively populated with researchers. It is also possible to keep up to date with additions and updates by subscribing to a mailing list. If so, you will receive no more than one update email per month.

Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic:The Department for Adaptation Strategies Research is looking for partners, who are interested in similar research fields and who are willing to be a part of newly created networks in the following fields:

  • climate variability and its impact on social and economic systems, including adaptation strategies and mechanisms;
  • adaptation measures with a wide multidisciplinary nature with regard to development interventions;
  • natural hazards (climate extremes) and their impact on society from the regional, national and global points of view;
  • research methods oriented to mitigate vulnerability of society and improve its resilience towards climatic extremes, natural hazards and environmental risks;
  • environmental limits of social and economic development from the environmental geography perspective;
  • climate change and its impact on migration and environmental security;
  • environmental changes (risks) and their impact on population processes, theoretical conceptualisation, drawing case studies;
  • estimates of people vulnerable to climate variability carried out on the basis of climate modeling and simulations (regional and nation-wide level);
  • analysis of the the relationship between the environment, economic growth, financial flows and population aspect (migration and development);
  • relationships and impacts of interactions between the environment and society and the reflection of theoretical trends of environmental sociology;
  • dissemination of environmental risks and understanding interest groups’ standpoints with regard to environmental risks (climate change);
  • analysis and evaluation of economic benefits of adaptation strategies in selected sectors and applying suitable methods for optimal combination of these measures; and
  • analysis of adaptation measures in bioenergy and agricultural sectors.

Creative Industries Alliance Seeking Members

EU

The European Creative Industries Alliance (ECIA) is recruiting new members for its Policy Learning Platform.

The Policy Learning Platform of the European Creative Industries Alliance has been set up with the view to pull together regional and national policy-makers in order to develop “better practice” in support of creative industries.

The main task of the platform is to steer and further promote the ECIA through an open method of coordination. In order to draw upon a wider stakeholder community and build upon the best regional, national and European expertise and knowledge across Europe, an open call for new members for the Policy Learning Platform has been published.

The deadline for submissions is 17 April 2012 and submissions to the open call can be made through this website Policy Learning Platform open call submissions.

Some EU funding calls released – from water to social dialogue!

EU

MEDIA 2007 The Sales Agent Scheme 2012: One of the objectives of the programme is to encourage and support the wider transnational distribution of recent European films by providing funds to distributors, based upon their performance on the market, for further reinvestment in new non-national European films.  The scheme also aims to encourage the development of links between the production and distribution sectors thus improving the market share of European films and the competitiveness of European companies. Deadline 18.06.12

 

Europe for Citizens: The European Commission, Education, Audiovisual and Culture Agency (EACEA), has launched a call for proposals (deadline 01.06.12) under the Europe for Citizens Programme. The Programme has five priorities and all projects are required to address at least one of these priorities:

  • the future of the EU and its basic values;
  • active European Citizenship: civic participation and democracy in Europe;
  • inter-cultural dialogue;
  • people’s wellbeing in Europe: employment, social cohesion and sustainable development; and
  • impact of EU policies on societies.

 

Industrial Relations and Social Dialogue: The European Commission, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, has launched a call for proposals to promote industrial relations and social dialogue. This call is aimed at measures and initiatives designed to facilitate the adaptation of social dialogue to changes in employment and work-related challenges such as:

  • addressing the modernisation of the labour market;
  • quality of work;
  • anticipation, preparation and management of change and restructuring;
  • flexicurity;
  • skills;
  • mobility and migration;
  • youth employment;
  • contributions to health and safety;
  • reconciliation of work and family life;
  • gender equality;
  • anti-discrimination;
  • active ageing;
  • active inclusion; and
  • decent work.

Please note that there is a second deadline set to 4 September 2012 for actions commencing no earlier than 4 November 2012 and no later than 21 December 2012.

 

EDULINK II: EDULINK, the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group (ACP) – European Union (EU) Co-operation Programme in Higher Education, has launched a call for proposals. Proposals will have to address one of the following two priority areas: Energy access and efficiency; or  Agriculture and food security. The specific objectives are to increase the capacity of ACP HEIs at two levels: Management /Administration and Academic. Proposals will aim at supporting HEIs in ACP States to create new and upgrade existing curricula and teaching methods, reinforce links between teaching, modern technologies, lifelong learning and research, as well as strengthening their management and administration capacity. Deadline 30.07.12

 

Sustainable Industry Low Carbon scheme (SILC): The European Commission, Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry, has launched a call for proposals regarding the Sustainable Industry Low Carbon scheme (SILC).The objective of this call is to support actions that will enable energy-intensive manufacturing and process industries covered by the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) to cope with the challenges of a low carbon economy and to maintain their competitiveness.
More specifically it seeks to identify and select sector-specific or cross-sectoral industrial projects that will develop and deploy cost-efficient technological or non-technological innovation measures, or a combination of both, for improving the GHG (greenhouse gas) emission performance of installations under the EU ETS. Deadline 25.06.12

 

Support of the European Innovation Partnership on Water: The Commission intends to award a contract to establish a secretariat for the EIP on Water. The secretariat will support the European Commission with the establishment and operational phase of the EIP on water. The activities will vary in nature, and will include secretarial tasks, contact with stakeholders at various levels, support in the development of a strategic implementation plan, co-ordination of the (outcomes of) innovation sites and development of a Web-based market place for water innovations. Deadline 23.05.12

 

ERA-NET Bioenergy Joint Call: The sixth Joint Call for Research and Development Proposals of the ERA-NET Bioenergy is now open in the areas of biogas and energy crops.The call topics are:

  • Innovative biogas production. Focal points include e.g. pre-treatment technologies, unexploited substrates, measurement/control, upgrading, management of digestate; and
  • Sustainable biomass for energy purposes. Focal points include e.g. optimisation of existing and new crops by way of plant breeding or cultivation techniques, breeding and cultivation for cascading uses, harvesting/storage technologies.

Please note that calls for proposals run by ERA-Net projects have their own funding rules and reimbursement rates. Applicants should check the call documentation for further details.

 

FP7 JTI Clean Sky Call for Proposals: Via the Calls for Proposal, Clean Sky aims to incorporate Partners to address very specific tasks which fit into the overall technical Work Programme and time schedule. Due to the nature of these tasks, the Call is not set up using a set of themes, but it is conceived as a collection of very detailed Topics which can be viewed on the Participant Portal webpage. Deadline is 10th July.

Want to help direct the topic of future EC funding? Then get involved in consultations

EU

The European Commission has recently launched various consultations on a range of topics including policy options to safeguard Europe’s waters; interoperability of digital products and services state aid for films and other audiovisual work; protecting the EU’s financial interest and enhancing prosecutions; financial support for energy efficiency in buildings; and on gender imbalance in corporate boards.
The Consultation on Environment Policy Priorities for 2020, Consultation on Future Network Technologies and Consultation on Blue Growth – Sustainable Growth from the Oceans, Seas and Coasts are all directly related to deciding funding priorities for Horizon 2020. 

This is your chance to get involved and start shaping the future of EU funded research. Have a look on the Your Voice website and get your voice heard.

Find Partners for NNMP in FP7 at this event!

EU

A transnational brokerage event is being organised for participants looking for partners for Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies, Material and new Production technologies (NMP) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) calls under the 2013 NMP Work Programme.

The  event aims to include presentations from Commission officials about the content of the NMP-PPP 2013 calls (which will be published in July 2012), as well as opportunities to meet other potential participants from a range of sectors to discuss project ideas, during pre-arranged bilateral meetings.

The main topics will be:

  • Nanosciences and nanotechnologies;
  • Materials, new forms of production, integration;
  • Factories of the Future PPP;
  • Energy efficient Buildings PPP; and
  • Green Cars PPP.

The event will be held in Lyon, France on 12 June 2012. It is free of charge but you will need to register and submit your profile by 22 May 2012.

 

FP7 Health: Virtual Match Making Event

EU

The European Commission funded project “Fit for Health” is organising a virtual match-making event where an “intensive match-making” process is offered. Between 7 and 11 May, the Fit for Health expert network will perform an “intensive match-making” process: this means that they will assist each participant registered in their database to find relevant partners.  In order to participate in the virtual match-making registration in the Fit for Health partnering database is required. This is free of charge.

EU Green Week Conference 2012 – a great opportunity to network for Partners

EU

The 12th annual Green Week (the biggest annual conference on European environment policy) will take place from 22 to 25 May 2012 in Brussels. Last year’s Green Week conference attracted over three thousand participants from government, business and industry, non-governmental organisations, academia and the media.
This year’s theme is ‘Water’. There will be over 40 sessions overall, including a sessionon the afternoon of the 24 May on European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs), which will focus on the proposed EIPs for Water and for Sustainable Agriculture, both of which are currently under development; and two sessions on “Science in support of evidence-based environmental policy making (Part I)”, which are being held in partnership with the Commission’s Directorate General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD).
If you are looking to network, this is a fantastic place to do so!

OECD Co-operative Research Programme Call for Research Fellowships and Conference Sponsorship

EU

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has launched its 2013 Call for funding international conferences and research fellowship grants in 2013, which provides funding for international conferences (for example workshops, congresses and symposia) and research fellowship grants. The CRP programme supports research on the sustainable use of natural resources in agriculture, fisheries, food production and forestry.

Applications should fit into one of following research themes:

  • The Natural Resources Challenge;
  • Sustainability in Practice; and
  • The Food Chain

The aim of the Research Fellowships scheme is to strengthen the international exchange of ideas and increase international mobility and co-operation between researchers working in these fields; while the aim of the Conference Sponsorship scheme is to inform policy makers, industry and academia of current and future research, scientific developments and opportunities in these fields.

The closing date for applications is 10 September 2012.

 

FP7 Transport Information Day and Networking Event for the 2013 Work Programme Calls

EU

The EC  is holding a two-day info day for universities, research institutions, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) and companies who are interested in learning more about participating in the FP7 Work Programme 2013 transport theme. The two-day information event will be held on 18-19 July 2012 in the Charlemagne building, rue de la Loi 170, Brussels. The first day will inform potential researchers about FP7 and the new Transport Calls for Proposals under the 2013 Work Programme AND The second day will give participants the opportunity to network with potential project partners. If you are thinking of making a submission to this programme, then I cannot recommend your attendance at this enough! It will also be a key opportunity to network in general with people in similar research areas, so could well be worth attending even if you don’t intend to submit to this round. You can’t book online yet (see the hyperlink on info day for the page the booking will be released on to), but it’s good to block these dates out early if you want to attend.

Got Central American contacts? Get some funding to go see them!

EU

ENLACE travel grants promote exchange between Central American and European researchers, and encourage contacts between research institutions, to facilitate joint participation in FP7 calls.

These promote exchange between Central American and European researchers, and encourage contacts between research institutions, to facilitate joint participation in FP7 calls.

Full grants cover travel and subsistence costs worth up to €3,000 and co-financed grants provide costs worth up to €1,000. Funding covers a maximum of 30 days.

Ambient Assisted Living Joint Programme: Daily Life Activities of Older Adults at Home funding

EU

The Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) Joint Programme has launched its fifth Call for Proposals: “ICT-based Solutions for (Self-) Management of Daily Life Activities of Older Adults at Home”, which encompasses important dimensions of the broad topic of Home Care. The deadline for proposals is 31 May 2012. This call aims to develop ICT-based solutions which enable and sustain older adults to continue managing their daily activities in their home. The call also aims to identfiy ICT-based solutions which support informal carers in their assistance. Successful projects are expected to target systemic solutions addressing the users’ wishes and needs, or to provide a contribution which is meant to be integrated into a systemic solution, including some kind of support service. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is providing up to EUR 1.2 million in funding for UK academic partners, while the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) is also providing up to EUR 1.2 million in funding for UK non-academic partners.  

 

 

Turkish SME seeks Partners for Project on LED Lighting System

EU

Ale Technologies, a Turkish SME, is seeking partners for a research project for the design and development of a smart, integrated, and high-tech LED lighting system. The project seeks to create a concept for indoor lighting applications to create a safer, cleaner and a more energy-efficient environment. If this sounds up your street, don’t be shy and get in touch with the PI; details on the hyperlink above.

Funding available from the MEDIA programme

EU

Support to Video on Demand and Digital Cinema Distribution:The Video on Demand and Digital Cinema Distribution scheme constitutes one of the ways in which the MEDIA 2007 programme ensures that the latest technologies and trends are incorporated into the business practices of beneficiaries of the programme.The main objective of this scheme is to support the creation and exploitation of catalogues of European works to be distributed digitally across borders to a wider audience and/or to cinema exhibitors through advanced distribution services, integrating where necessary digital security systems in order to protect online content. The deadline is June 25th.

Support for the implementation of Pilot Projects: The programme may support Pilot Projects to ensure that it adapts to market developments, with a particular emphasis on the introduction and utilisation of information and communication technologies. The deadline is June 18th.

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.