Author Archives: Esther KNIGHT

2014 Fast Forward Competition opens

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2014 Fast Forward Logo

Entries for a competition to turn innovative ideas into reality have opened for eligible universities and research establishments. As part of the 2014 Fast Forward competition they are now able to compete for a pot of the £750,000 funding available.

The closing date for entries in the competition (electronic and paper) is Friday 13 December 2013.

Since 2010, the competition has provided £2 million worth of funding and inspired 35 innovative UK projects.

Universities and public sector research establishments are encouraged to work collaboratively with businesses and local communities on projects that best use innovation and Intellectual Property (IP). Last year’s projects were in the areas of healthcare and social enterprises, clean technology construction and aerospace.

• Bloodhound@University project which is involved in the Bloodhound Super Sonic Car (SSC) world land speed record project. Based at the University of the West of England, Bloodhound@University secured £80,000 in funding.

• ITALIA project from Buckinghamshire New University. The project was awarded £70,000 to bring together a variety of medical experts, university academics and Buckinghamshire County Council to develop new telehealth solutions to connect patients and doctors

How to enter

Download an application pack MS Word Document(463Kb) and a copy of Terms and Conditions PDF document(233Kb) and submit the form either by email (IPO preference) to competition@ipo.gov.uk or by post:

Fast Forward Competition
C/O Matthew Larreta (GY05)
Freepost CF 4185
Newport
NP20 1ZZ

 

The AXA Research Fund invites applications for its chairs programme

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http://researchfund.axa.com/chairs

The AXA Research Fund invites applications for its chairs programme. Grants enable institutions to attract one or more world-class researchers to undertake teaching alongside research work. The researcher may address the following topics:

•environmental risks, including natural hazards, human-driven environmental changes and risks linked to climate change;

•life risks, including ageing and long-term care, addictions and risky behaviours and biomedical risks;

•socio-economic risks, including geopolitical risks, macro-economic and systematic financial risks, individual and collective behaviours when facing uncertainties, and large corporate risks.

Applications are welcomed from research institutions in the European Union as well as from 40 other countries.

Chair positions may request up to €2.5 million, while funding for the successional chair programme is worth up to €1.8m.

International Brokerage Event devoted to Cloud, Open/Big Data and Smart Mobility

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Enterprise Europe Network Midlands (UK) invites you to participate in an International Brokerage Event devoted to Cloud, Open/Big Data and Smart Mobility. 

This unique and first of its kind event will be taking place at Parkside Millennium Point, Birmingham on the 28thNovember 2013.

For more information on the EXPO programme and to register to the please visit: http://www.thebiponline.co.uk/bip/west-midlands-cloud-data-smart-mobility-expo-2013/

The brokerage event will offer you the opportunity to:

Promote your technology and expertise to a range of UK and International organisations

  • Gain access to the latest developments taking place in Europe and beyond
  • Develop partnerships leading to technological and commercial collaboration between a range of industrial and research organisations
  • Appreciate developments in the sector and understand how to improve the role of your company
  • Find partners for EU funding opportunities within this niche sector and under the Smart Mobility and Electric Vehicle theme

 Key Topics

 

  • Cloud
  • Cloud Security
  • Digital Media
  • Open Data
  • Big Data
  • Smart GIS
  • Electric Vehicles
  • Connected Car
  • Smart Cities
  • Vehicle Telematics
  • Sensor Technologies
  • RFID and Tracking
  • GPS
  • Mobile Apps
  • Mobile Data
  • Smart Mobility
  • Low Carbon Transportation
  • EU/EC Funded Project Opportunities
    

The Brokerage Event will be taking place alongside an EXPO which will consist of a 2 day programme at the same location with inspirational speakers, a multitude

of topics affecting businesses both large and small delivered in a world class setting.

 This is one EXPO not to be missed!

* Free Tickets and Entry to the EXPO via our special promotional code when you register to our Brokerage Event – For more information please read below or contact Jay Gohil jgohil@cad.coventry.ac.uk

 Key features of this EXPO include:

  • World Exclusive Launch of the West Midlands Open Data Portal
  • Global coverage via the Big Data Festival
  • Cloud –  The latest Cloud technology and developments, learn Google’s vision of the future and what is now possible via the Cloud (Google)
  • Open/Big Data – Why is it important and get an insight into how Data is changing the world of work and the latest developments of Birmingham’s very 1st Open Data Portal (Cisco)
  • Smart Mobility – Your car, city & region is becoming more open, connected & smarter, see how the smart city is driving innovation and a Smart Mobility revolution and what are the latest developments (JLR, MIRA and Rolls Royce)
  • H2020 – Latest news on H2020 and EU funding opportunities for SMEs under the themes of Electric Vehicles and Smart Mobility
  • Deloitte – Are you ready for Low Carbon legislation? Act now before its too late, Carbon Champion tells you how & when you need to take action
  • University Support and Funded Projects – Find out about the different support available to SMEs via University EU funded projects in the Midlands

Register to the Brokerage event at: www.b2match.eu/cdsm2013

 

Brokerage Registration Cost: Free of Charge plus Free Entry to EXPO

 

Hotel: Latour Hotel http://hotel-latour.co.uk (Special Discount Rate £90 per Room per Night) Please email the Hotel directly and mention the conference and discount rate in your request

 

Joseph Rowntree Foundation: current calls for research

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Joseph Rowntree Foundation – current research funding calls

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has a number of current calls for their areas of social policy focus, which are:  poverty, place and an aging society; all these can be found here:

 http://www.jrf.org.uk/funding

Here are two examples of current calls:

A redistribution of societal risk: the impact on individuals, their networks and communities

This call is for an analysis of current and recent policy and evidence to assess the effects that recent changes in the redistribution of societal risk have had on people’s lives and relationships, particularly those that will have significant implications in our ageing society.

JRF are interested in assessing the cumulative impact of these shifts on individual lives, and the knock-on effects of them on others (e.g. family members) in the directly affected person’s network. They also want to look at the risks of redistributing responsibility for community resources – what are the effects on individuals, their personal networks and communities?

The budget for this project is up to £40,000 (including VAT and expenses).

http://www.jrf.org.uk/funding/calls-for-proposal/redistribution-societal-risk

Closing date 27th November

Evaluating the impact of digital inclusion and social media initiatives in east York

This call is for proposals for a formative evaluation of digital inclusion initiatives and the use of social media in supporting community development at Derwenthorpe and the surrounding communities of east York.

The budget for this project is up to £35,000 (including VAT if applicable) to include all work and any necessary expenses.

http://www.jrf.org.uk/funding/calls-for-proposal/evaluating-digital-inclusion-york

Closing date 27th November

ESRC: Empathy and Trust In Communicating Online (EMoTICON) Sandpit

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6-10 January 2014 (Cranage Hall, Cheshire)

The Economic and Social Research Council invites expressions of interest from eligible individuals for an intensive, five-day interactive commissioning workshop (sandpit) from 6-10 January 2014, being held at Cranage Hall in Cheshire.

ESRC, in partnership with AHRC, EPSRC, Dstl and CPNI, is commissioning new research to develop a greater understanding of how empathy and trust are developed, maintained, transformed and lost in social media interactions.

In order to develop innovative approaches and stimulate genuinely transdisciplinary collaborations, the ESRC is commissioning projects via a sandpit. The aim of the sandpit is to bring together researchers and other partners to create projects that will develop theoretically-informed and empirically-derived understandings of the workings of empathy and trust in online contexts and communities.

This call is intended to attract participants from across the full range of social sciences, arts and humanities, and engineering and physical sciences. The ESRC is particularly looking for people with particular personal attributes – creativity, openness, and the ability to work effectively as part of a team. A willingness to engage with policymakers, community organisations, government agencies, businesses and other key stakeholders is also essential.

Full-time and part-time scholars at UK-based research organisations (ROs) can apply. A mix of researchers at different career stages is also sought. The sandpit is aimed at early- and mid-career researchers as well as those in senior academic posts. We regret that, on this occasion, PhD students and scholars based overseas are not eligible to participate in the sandpit.

The sandpit is an intensive residential event and participants must attend all five days of the event. By submitting an application form, you are confirming that you are available for the full five days of the sandpit.

The closing date for expressions of interest is 11.00 on 11 November 2013. Applications from interested candidates should be submitted via the electronic application form.

Further Information

For further information, please contact:

H2020 Nanotech Brokerage Event : 19-20 November – Brussels

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Description: Description: Description: cid:3404802233_179739

www.errin.eu

The ERRIN Network in collaboration with Saxony-Anhalt is organising a two day event on Nanotechnology.

Starting with a Policy event on Nanotech and synergies on 19th November, organized by Saxony-Anhalt, and followed by a joint networking cocktail;  this is an opportunity for  participants to meet and start the discussing project proposals.

On the following day 20th November, ERRIN is organising a brokerage event where participants will have the opportunity to develop project proposals and build consortia.

The aim of the two day event is to give the opportunity to participants of getting a Policy overview which can contribute to new ideas and projects on the second day.

The Venue for both days: Saxony-Anhalt EU Office: Boulevard St. Michel 80 1040 Brussels.

More Details:

– The event on 19th November focuses on nanotech-related policies, networking with European Commission staff and between ERRIN members;

– The event on 20th November will focus on the Call/Topics with a deadline in 2014. In attachment the latest draft of the Work Programme: a new version may become available before the meeting;

– Participants can prepare by identifying which topics they would like to participate in and which topics they may become involved in as a partner.

Please fill out this WEBFORM in order to Register by indicating which Event/Session and Topic are you interested in

Commission Publication on Social Innovation Research

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http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-sciences/pdf/social_innovation.pdf

 This policy review, written by Jane Jenson and Denis Harrisson, has produced a systematic overview of research findings of 17 comparative European projects in the area of social innovation. The review focusses on how these projects address ‘social innovation’ in terms of theory, methodology, policy areas, actors, and level of analysis with the aim of bringing the results to the attention of policy-makers, wider groups of stakeholders and the broader public in a comprehensive way. The report makes substantial recommendations for future research practices on social innovation, including in HORIZON 2020.

 

 

 

Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) awards

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Awards and scholarships

http://www.theiet.org/membership/awards/index.cfm

The IET Awards programme includes awards to reward and celebrate individual excellence and innovation, undergraduate and postgraduate engineering scholarships.

The IET Awards programme includes awards for individual excellence, research and innovation, scholarships, travel awards, prizes and competitions within the engineering and technology sector.

In 2013 the IET will provide over £2m in awards, prizes and scholarships, to celebrate excellence and research in the sector and encourage the next generation of engineers and technicians. This year has seen the launch of new schemes including the Diamond Jubilee scholarships, Apprentice and Technician awards and new scholarships in India and the Americas.

IET Awards - The Institution of Engineering and Technology (Awards logo)

 

October’s Wider Outlook – now here

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October’s Wider Outlook – concentrating on Research Council news is now available, there’s also the opportunity to voice your opinion on open access via the University’s response to the HEFCE consultation – deadline October 16th.

 http://bit.ly/17o5uJ9

If you have any comments or ideas for future editions we would love to hear from you

externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

 

 

NESTA – Digital makers fund

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Image of Digital Makers homepage

 

The digital makers fund is about getting 1000’s of young people involved in making digital activities. Something we seem pretty well placed to do as a university.

 NESTA expect successful initiatives will use young people’s existing interests, passions and pastimes as a gateway to digital making, inspiring young people to become creators, not just users of digital technologies. NESTA are looking for applications from organisations, or partnerships between organisations, that have the capacity to engage thousands of young people in digital making activities.

Further details:

http://www.nesta.org.uk/areas_of_work/public_services_lab/digital_education/assets/features/digital_makers_fund_second_open_call

  • Use different interests and content to reach new audiences – how can digital making tie in with music, fashion, sport, film or brands that will inspire young people to participate?
  • The ‘making’ element is important. NESTA want ideas that lead participants to the creation of a digital product that they can show to and share with others.
  • NESTA are interested in reaching different networks and communities for learning – youth clubs, libraries, after school clubs, interest groups and social networks speak to thousands of young people every day. How can they integrate digital making into their activities?

NESTA take a broad view of digital making that encompasses 3D printing and physical computing, as well as coding and programming, and want to work with partners who are noisy advocates for the importance of digital making; who will use all the channels available to them to shout about and promote their projects.

Deadline: 14 November 2013

Grants between £20,000 and £50,000