Creative Europe Programme 2014-2020

Posted on September 17, 2013 by Esther KNIGHT

Creative Europe: support programme for Europe’s cultural and creative sectors from 2014

Culture Programme

Following a recent seminar attended by the External Projects Team here is an outline of the new Creative Europe Programmme

Calls will be issued in late 2013, with deadlines in early 2014; there is a networking event in Brussels November 4th-6th 2013, with the opportunity to present project ideas and meet potential partners.

The new Creative Europe programme brings together 3 current programmes (Culture – MEDIA – MEDIA Mundus)

Specific Culture Objectives are to

Strengthen the sectors’ capacity to operate transnationally;
Promote the transnational circulation of works and operators and reach new audiences in Europe and beyond
Strengthen the sectors’ financial capacity
Strengthen policy making

‘Creative Europe’ – Culture Strands will cover

Transnational cooperation projects
European networks
Literary translation
European “platforms” with a structuring effect

For the Creative and Cultural Sectors – the proposed budget of €1,462.7 million for 2014-2020 is a 9% increase on current levels, with a new financial facility for bank loans to the sector – funding is based on 50% match funding.

For a free monthly newsletter with updated information on the Creative Europe Programme – register via www.culturefund.eu

If you are interested in this programme – please contact the team externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

Leverhulme: study abroad studentships

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Esther KNIGHT

The Leverhulme Trust invites applications for its study abroad studentships. These support an extended period of advanced study or research at a centre of learning overseas, excluding the US.

Further details: http://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/funding/SAS/SAS.cfm

Eligible applicants must have been resident in the UK for at least five years and hold an undergraduate degree from a UK institution. Applicants should also either be a student at the time of application or have been registered as a student within the last eight years.

Studentships comprise £17,000 per year for basic maintenance costs and a dependent partner allowance of £6,000 for a period of 12 to 24 months. Awards may include further allowances, such as tuition fees and a contribution to essential research costs, at the trust’s discretion.

Closing date 13 January 2014 Applications due 4pm. This call is repeated once a year.

Environmental Audit Select Committee: Sept. 4th

Posted on September 2, 2013 by Esther KNIGHT

EVIDENCE HEARING: SUSTAINABILITY IN BIS

Watch it online: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Live.aspx

The Environmental Audit Committee will hold an evidence session at 2.25 pm on Wednesday 4 September in Committee Room 8, Palace of Westminster, on Sustainability in BIS.

This session will explore aspects of sustainable development in a particular Government department, and identify lessons for wider application across other departments. It will examine BIS on its policies on the Regional Growth Fund, higher education funding reform (including student fees changes) and the Government’s Industrial Strategy. The session follows the Committee’s June 2013 report (First Report, HC 202) examining progress across Government departments generally in embedding sustainable development structures and processes. The National Audit Office have undertaken an audit in BIS and produced a detailed briefing to support the Committee, which has been published on their website.

Witnesses:

At c.2.25 pm

Emma Ward, Director, economic development, BIS

Howard Orme, Director General, finance and commercial, BIS

Janice Munday, Director, advanced manufacturing and services, BIS

Alex Wilson, Deputy Director, Regional Growth Fund, BIS

Paul Williams, Deputy Director, student finance policy, BIS

Steve Egan, Chief Executive, Higher Education Funding Council for England

British Academy – quantitative skills acquisition awards

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Esther KNIGHT

British Academy Skills Acquisition Awards

Full information: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/guide/skills_acquisition.cfm

Quantitative Skills Acquisition Awards of up to £10,000 are available to support the career development of early career scholars – i.e. those within 10 years of the award of their Phd. who are in established academic posts. These awards aim to develop and enhance their quantitative skills by providing an award to enable early career researchers to spend some time with a mentor at a specialist centre in the field.

This scheme was introduced by the Academy in 2013. Around 20 awards are expected to be available in the next round of competition, with the aim of providing funding to:

· Support specific skills acquisition
· Benefit outstanding researchers
· Encourage the development of networks and future partnerships.

The scheme enables researchers to spend time with a mentor in a research group specialising in quantitative methods, and will also provide some funding to meet the costs of a mentor.

Costs of travel, accommodation and subsistence can be applied for, together with a contribution to the cost of teaching relief for the applicant, and the time of the mentor, and although the maximum award is up to £10,000 over 12 months, the average value of award is expected to be significantly lower.

Applications will consist of three main components:

First, the researcher should outline the project s/he intends to work on with a named mentor (the researcher would need to identify them in advance), explaining how this relates to longer-term career development. S/he should also demonstrate additionality i.e. explain that this funding to develop their quantitative skills would not otherwise be available.
Second, the researcher’s Head of Department should confirm that no existing resource is available to provide for the planned skills acquisition, and how the proposal relates to the department’s research strategy. A key aim of the scheme is to ensure that the programme supported new activity, rather than substituting costs already borne by institutions.
Third, the mentor with whom the researcher plans to work should outline the support to be made available to the researcher and the time that they would make available.

All applications should demonstrate that Academy funds are sought for a clearly defined, discrete piece of research, which will have an identifiable outcome on completion of the Academy-funded component of the research.

Closing Date

The closing date for applications for the next round of skills acquisition awards will be 30 October 2013. Application forms will only be available on the e-GAP system from 4 September 2013. The starting date of grants in this round will be not earlier than 1 September 2014 and not later than 1 April 2015.

Award information

Level of award: up to £10,000.
Period of award: grants are tenable for up to 12 months.
Further information: View Frequently Asked Questions.

August’s Wider Outlook – now available

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Esther KNIGHT

Welcome to August’s Wider Outlook http://bit.ly/11rROKF

—the team have chosen the theme of Citizenship, Equalities and Social Exclusion for this month’s edition. Starting with a report on 2013 as the European Year of Citizens; looking at developments in UK’s approach to policy initiatives with the Government’s What Works, evidence based social policy advice centres; and funding available to promote Equalities and Social Justice.

As ever do contact us with any comments, ideas or suggestions at externalprojects@staffordshire.gov.uk

Knowledge alliances – bridging the gap between Higher Education and Business

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Esther KNIGHT

Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliances

Knowledge Alliances are a new type of project which, following pilot calls in 2011 and 2012 under the Lifelong Learning Programme, will form part of the Erasmus+ Programme 2014 – 2020.

Knowledge Alliances are structured partnerships between Higher Education Institutes (HEI) and the business community. They are intended to facilitate long-term active exchange and collaboration between HEI and business to foster entrepreneurship and innovation. Knowlege Alliances are part of the second key activity area for HEI under Erasmus+: cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practice.

Knowledge Alliance activities are expected to trigger innovative approaches, entrepreneural skills and the possibility of new products and services. They are therefore broadly defined and might include the development and implementation of new learning and teaching methods; structured mobility; a new multidisciplinary curriculum or a new company approach to staff development.

At least three counties must be involved in a Knowledge Alliance represented by at least one HEI and one private company in all participating countries. Partner organisations will be expected to raise at least 25% of the funds required for their Knowlege Alliance.

The concept of Knowledge Alliances was piloted in 2011 and 2012. Three out of 94 proposals were selected for funding in 2011 and three out of 103 applications in 2012. The successful pilot proposals are:

CIAKL – Cinema and Industry Alliance for Knowledge and Teaching

EUEN – European University Enterprise Network

KNOWFACT – European Teaching Factory Paradigm in Manufacturing Education

E-NSPIRATION – Energy Innovative Training programme

EDUCCKATE – Education Cultural and Creative Knowledge Alliance for Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs

EURL3A – European Real Life Learning Lab Alliance

For further details see the Knowledge Alliance web site

http://ec.europa.eu/education/higher-education/knowledge_en.htm

EU Call for Tender – Study on ‘ICT & Art Connect’

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Esther KNIGHT

The European Commission, Directorate General Communications Networks, has published a call for tenders regarding a study on ‘ICT & art connect’, with a closing date of August 27th 2013.

The study will create a map of institutions and ongoing programmes/activities linking ICT and the arts in Europe and worldwide. It will analyse best practice to enhance interaction between artists and IT experts and to increase the impact of these interactions on innovation and creativity.

From this analysis, recommendations will be drawn for a DG Connect strategy to engage more broadly with the arts in Horizon 2020. The aim is to contribute to enhancing creativity and innovation in society, technology, science, education, and business; and to better embed science and technology in society.The following 4 objectives should be addressed:

1) Provide an overview of European and worldwide activities linking art and ICT in research, education, and innovation.

2) Take stock and analyse best practices in Europe and worldwide for linking art and ICT and thereby enhancing creativity and innovation.

3) A list of recommendations for a DG Connect strategy on how to best engage in H2020 with the arts will be presented and based on the analysis in first objective and second one.

4) The contractor will organise a final 2-day symposium on ‘ICT & art connect’. This event should bring together artists, technologists, scientists and representatives of relevant institutions and funding bodies identified in the study.

Further details:

http://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/news/study-ict-art-connect-smart-20130030

Research awards from the Society for Research into Higher Education

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Esther KNIGHT

The Society for Research into Higher Education invites applications for its research awards. The awards support new research into higher education.

The society is offering up to four awards annually of £10,000 each for research focused on any aspect of higher education submitted under three overarching themes: higher education policy, higher education and society, and higher education practice.

These awards are only open to individual members of the society at the date of application. Where a proposal is submitted by a research group or team, the lead proposer must be an individual member of the society.

Closing date: September 1st 2013