Author Archives: Esther KNIGHT

Wellcome Trust: Sustaining Health awards

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The Wellcome Trust Strategic Plan includes a specific challenge in the area of ‘connecting environment, nutrition and health’ – seeking deeper insights into the issues at stake and develop strategies to mitigate the risks to human health.  This embraces the research themes of

  • behaviour change
  • global nutrition
  • health impacts of climate change
  • ecological public health

Public health is seriously threatened by a lack of access to nutritious food, clean water and sanitation, by poor air quality, and by environmental (including climate) change. These interlinked dangers are developing in parallel with dietary choices and lifestyles that are contributing to an unprecedented burden of obesity and chronic diseases.

This call aims to stimulate the formation of creative partnerships that bring together the diversity of competences required to tackle these complex problems and inform the global response through multidisciplinary research.

http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Innovations/Awards/Sustaining-Health/index.htm

Closing date for initial outline: July 25th 2014

Universities play a key role in Smart Specialisation

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s3p_logohttp://s3platform.jrc.ec.europa.eu/documents/10157/a180cb45-b272-455b-9211-3e351a6626d3

This Smart Specialisation Strategy Policy Brief analyses the potential role of universities in the development and implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategies. These strategies are a central part of the new EU Cohesion Policy framework, designed to ensure effective spending of the large amount of EU funds that will be available for research and innovation.

Universites are often crucial institutions in regional innovation systems, especially in those with an absence of a dynamic, research led private sector, and there is rich history of academic and policy analysis in this area. However, with the new smart specialisation agenda, which differs in emphasis and design from previous regional innovation policies, universities have a potentially pivotal role to play in its delivery. This Policy Brief makes concrete suggestions on how universities can be integrated into Smart Specialisation Strategies to deliver their desired economic and social outcomes.

 

 

 

H2020 – wide range of volume of applications per call

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Data released on five Horizon 2020 calls that closed in April show a wide variation in application volume, ranging from only one to over 450 responses per call.

Of the programmes for which data has been released, a call for personalising health and care under the societal challenges pillar was most popular. With a budget of €185 million, the call received 451 proposals. The data was published on the European Commission’s Research & Innovation Participant Portal between 12 and 15 May.

A health co-ordination activities call, also part of the societal challenges pillar, received 49 proposals. The call carries a total budget of €40m. There were 26 proposals for a €6m call for joint EU-Japan call relating to the future of the internet. This call is part of the industrial leadership pillar.

The least popular calls were both under the programme’s excellent science pillar, each of which received only one proposal. The e-infrastructures call has a budget of €13m, while the call for supporting innovation, human resources, policy and international cooperation carries a budget of €2m. –

Summary of 2014 work programme:

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-1122_en.htm

Number of responses per call:

http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/call_updates.html

Commission Consultation on Europe 2020 Goals

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The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the Europe 2020 Strategy, which will feed into the mid-term review of the strategy planned for 2015. The deadline for submitting a response is 31 October 2014.

The Europe 2020 Strategy is the overarching set of current EU policies, including the Innovation Union and Digital Agenda initiatives whose priorities have a strong influence on Horizon 2020 funding. The aim of the consultation is to ‘draw lessons from the first four years of the strategy and to make sure it acts as an effective post-crisis strategy for growth and jobs in Europe’.
The consultation covers the ‘scope, nature, instruments, ownership and delivery of the strategy’, and will provide important evidence for the mid-term review of the strategy in 2015. The consultation closes on 31 October 2014.

Winston Churchill Memorial Trust – 2015 Travelling Fellowships

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The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust are looking for people who will be able to undertake research overseas and on return disseminate their new knowledge and examples of best practice.

Applications are now open for 2015 Travelling Fellowships.

Applicants must demonstrate that their project will have a wider benefit within their community or field, in addition to their own personal development.

Grants cover return and internal travelling, daily living and insurance within the countries visited. No qualifications are required.

If you would like to apply please go to our website, check your eligibility, find the correct category for your project and apply online

 

May’s Wider Outlook is here!

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http://bit.ly/1fT9fYt

Welcome to May’s Wider Outlook—the team have chosen the theme of  working with others and collaboration we have identified a number of opportunities including : working with overseas partners, NIHR, Arts related funding, and sandpits.

Our lead article looks at recent collaborative work undertaken by Universities in the US, Canada and Ireland on the impact of Star academics on the wider university academic staff. Enjoy this edition and as ever do contact us with any comments, ideas or suggestions at  externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

UK National Contact Point Events on Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships

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Registration is now open for the Individual Fellowships information and proposal writing events, which the UK Research Office is organising in its capacity as UK National Contact Point for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. The events will take place in Cardiff, Warwick and London on 28 May, 9 June, and 19 June 2014 respectively.

These information and proposal writing events aim to provide participants with a better understanding of the Individual Fellowships scheme and its requirements. The events will focus on the objectives of Individual Fellowships for both potential Fellows and hosts, along with practical information on proposal preparation, submission and finances. The events will also feature a case study from previously successful Individual Fellowship applicants and supervisors.

The events are aimed at staff at both UK academic and non-academic organisations, including research support staff, who are planning to submit a proposal to the Individual Fellowships call. Participants should gain a clear understanding of the proposal format for each scheme and the key issues relating to planning, writing and submitting proposals.

The events are timed to coincide with the first Individual Fellowships call under Horizon 2020, which opened on 12 March with a deadline of 11 September 2014. For registration and further information, please see link the below.

Follow the registration link here, you need to be registered with UKRO – with a xxxx@staffs.ac.uk email address.

http://www.ukro.ac.uk/Lists/MCA1/NewForm.aspx?RootFolder=/Lists/MCA1&Source=http://www.ukro.ac.uk/Pages/140326_mca1.aspx

The draft agandas for each of the sessions are below.

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Marie Sklodowska-Curie COFUND Seminar – April 30th 2014

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In its capacity as UK National Contact Point for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, UKRO  announces a seminar on the Horizon 2020 COFUND scheme.

COFUND offers co-funding for new or existing regional, national and international programmes to open up to:

 

  • International, intersectoral and interdisciplinary research training; and
  • Transnational and cross-sectoral mobility of researchers at all stages of their career.

COFUND in Horizon 2020 has a new element to it, as there are now two funding streams: one supporting experienced researchers through a ‘Fellowship programme’ and the second supporting early stage researchers through a ‘Doctoral programme’.
The first COFUND call under Horizon 2020 is due to open on 10 April 2014, with a deadline for proposals on 2 October 2014.

Wednesday, 30 April Queen Mary University of London Mile End Road London, E1 4NS

This seminar will provide participants with a better understanding of the COFUND scheme and its requirements, including the new doctoral training option. It will combine discussion on the objectives of COFUND and its fit within the wider postgaduate researcher training landscape in the UK, along with practical information on proposal preparation, submission and finances. The seminar will also feature a case study from previous successful COFUND applicants.

The event will run from 10.30 to 16.00 with a lunch break.

Please note that lunch will not be provided. For more details, please see link to the draft programme. 140430_programme_draft_cofund

This seminar is aimed at organisations – universities, government departments, funding councils, charities – who manage research and/or researcher training funds and are interested to learn more about the COFUND scheme as a way to leverage Horizon 2020 funding to support research fellowship and/or doctoral training schemes.
Registration

Attendance is free of charge but capacity at the venue is limited and places will therefore be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Social Sciences and Humanities in Horizon 2020

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Conference: ‘Achieving Impact – SSH in Horizon 202

http://www.achievingimpact2014.eu/node/18

The presentations from the ‘Achieving Impact – Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities in Horizon 2020’ conference, which took recently place in Athens, have been published on the conference website.

Organised by the NET4SOCIETY, the network of National Contact Points for research in the field of Social Sciences and Humanities, the ‘Achieving Impact’ conference brought together researchers, research support staff and stakeholder organisations to discuss and exchange good practice in achieving impact in Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities research.
The conference also featured brokerage and information sessions on call topics in the Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 6: Europe in a changing world – Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies.
Presentations and videos of the speeches delivered in the conference are now available to download on the conference website.

 

 

 

 

 

Latest news on the Health for Growth Programme

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http://ec.europa.eu/health/programme/policy/proposal2014_en.htm

With a proposed budget of €446m the general objective of the Health for Growth Programme is to:- ‘work with the Member States to encourage innovation in healthcare and increase the sustainability of health systems, to improve the health of EU citizens and protect them from cross-border health threats’.

It is proposed that the programme will focus on the links between economic growth and health, and will concentrate on finding and applying innovative solutions to improve the quality, efficiency and sustainability of health systems.  It will support actions aimed at developing human capital and exchanging good practices in the following areas:-

  • Contributing to innovative and sustainable health systems;
  • Increasing access to better and safer healthcare;
  • Promoting good health and preventing disease;
  • Protecting citizens from cross border health threats.

The Programme will be managed by the Directorate General for Health and Consumers.  It will be delivered according to priorities set out in annual work programmes.  Funds will be made available in the form of:-

  • Grants for joint actions (transnational partnerships)
  • Grant to projects
  • Operating grants
  • Direct grants to International Organisations
  • Public procurement

The opportunities available to apply for grants for joint actions and projects and public procurement tenders will be of interest to the university.  The Programme will offer opportunities for HEI involvement in activities aimed at increasing the uptake of results from FP7 (and its successor Programme Horizon 2020) research; to participate in expert networks; to undertake research and analysis and in providing some training and staff development for health workers.

Publication of the first calls for proposals is expected in April or early May 2014.

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