The League of European Research Universities (LERU) has recently published a brochure presenting excellent interdisciplinary Social Sciences and Humanities projects.
See the link below to access the LERU brochure.
Enterprise and Commercial Development were joined yesterday by our UK Research Office (UKRO) representative Blazej Thomas and National Contact Point (NCP) for SME Innovation, Dr Jane Watkins as well as Mudlark owner Charles Hunter for an interactive session on European Funding and SME’s.
(pictured above from left to right, Prof Allan Howells, Dr Jane Watkins, Matthew Hocking, Jose Beech, Blazej Thomas & Charles Hunter)
The all day event, sponsored by EUREKA and hosted by the External Projects Team was held in the Ashley Building, and was designed to stimulate discussion and debate on the routes to EU Horizon 2020 funding for SME’s and local organisations as well as providing insight to academics on funding opportunities within the programme. Over 50 attendees had the opportunity to listen to expert advice as well as question our speakers on the nuts and bolts of European funding.
The slides will be avaliable to all participants, so if you didn’t attend and would like to recieve them please email: externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk
Are you passionate about your research – do you want to get it across to a wider audience?
The AHRC and BBC Radio 3 are looking for applications for the New Generation Thinkers of 2015.
This pioneering scheme aims to develop a new generation of academics who can bring the best of university research and scholarly ideas to a broad audience – through BBC broadcasting. It’s a chance for early career researchers to cultivate the skills to communicate their research findings to those outside the academic community.
Each year, up to sixty successful applicants have a chance to develop their programme-making ideas with experienced BBC producers at a series of dedicated workshops and, of these up to ten will become Radio 3’s resident New Generation Thinkers. They will benefit from a unique opportunity to develop their own programmes for BBC Radio 3 and a chance to regularly appear on air.
BBC Radio 3 and its programmes the Verb, the Essay and the Sunday Feature have provided a platform for debate and commentary from scholars across the world.
The New Generation Thinkers scheme also works with BBC TV Arts who will be looking to develop New Generation Thinkers and their ideas into arts television.
We welcome applications from researchers working in all areas of the arts and humanities. This year we are again extending the call for researchers who work in areas of social sciences and medical science whose work intersects with the arts and humanities. There are a series of interfaces, and many areas of common ground between. This can be seen in both cross-council programmes, Connected Communities and Life Long Health and Wellbeing.
The subject coverage for this year’s schemes covers all disciplines covered by the AHRC detailed below, including additional subjects that intersect with the work of sister councils ESRC and MRC.
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/Funding-Opportunities/Pages/New-Generation-Thinkers-2015.aspx
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The Info Day provided support to applicants for Knowledge Alliances and Sector Skills Alliances in developing their proposals for the deadline of 26 February 2015. It gave networking opportunities to over 300 organisations across Europe.
Knowledge Alliances
The European Commission is supporting Europe’s innovation capacity in higher education, business and the broader socio-economic environment. These are multilateral, transnational, result-driven projects open to any discipline, sector and to cross-sectoral cooperation. Projects need to involve at least 6 organisations from 3 different Programme Countries, of which at least 2 need to be higher education institutions and 2 enterprises.
Sector Skills Alliances
Sector Skills Alliances are transnational projects drawing on evidence of trends in a specific economic sector and skills needed in order to perform in one or more professional fields. The consortia are designing and delivering joint vocational training programmes and teaching and training methodologies. The sectors that are eligible under this action in 2015 are:
Projects need to involve at least 9 organisations from 3 different Programme Countries. In each country there must be a ‘trio’ composed of: vocational education and training provider(s), organisation(s) with expertise in a particular sector (including research centres) and bodies with regulatory function in education and training systems.
Main funding rules
• Duration: 2 or 3 years;
• Grants: € 700.000 or up to € 1.000.000;
• Grant for implementation support based on staff unit costs (covering all project expenditure) and in duly justified cases for mobility activities.
Further Guidance
More details are available in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide on the Call website. The e-Form and instructions for submission will be published by the EC in December 2014.
http://www.ukro.ac.uk/subscriber/Pages/141113_alliances_infoday_presentations.aspx
The site for “Science with and for Society” (SWAFS) has replaced the Science in Society website. The “Science with and for Society” programme is crucial in implementing the Responsible Research and Innovation governance framework.
The new website is easier to navigate and contains more information about all policy areas of the SWAFS programme:
It is possible to provide the European Commission with feedback on the new portal -which can be found here:
The tool is supporting organisations interested in the current Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliances-Sector Skills Alliances 2015 call for proposals, with the deadline of 26 February 2015, in finding partners for their projects.
The database is searchable by project country, organisation type and project type.
To use the tool, please follow the link below.
http://infodaykassatool.teamwork.fr/
RCUK has requested that research council funded colleagues should be reminded about the Research Outcomes Harmonisation Project and their obligation to submit data on the outcomes of their research.
RCUK have a responsibility to demonstrate the value and impact of research supported through public funding. The seven research councils collect information that researchers provide on outputs, outcomes and impact to report to and engage with both the Government and the public. Responding to a drive from BIS, the RCUK Research Outcomes Harmonisation Project is an initiative designed to increase the uniformity of data collection and to improve analysis, reporting and communications.
From September 2014, all RCUK funded research outcomes must be recorded on Researchfish.
Using software originally developed for the MRC, Researchfish is currently used by 90+ funders to gather information from researchers about the outcomes of their work.
It is an online facility that enables research funders and research organisations to track the impacts of their investments and researchers to log the outputs, outcomes and impacts of their work.
In September, PIs holding awards from the Councils which used the previous system (AHRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC and NERC) were sent an email with a link to register with Researchfish. New grant holders for MRC and STFC were also sent registration emails. If PIs have lost this email they can request that it be resent by emailing support@researchfish.com.
RCUK are now requesting that outstanding data be submitted as a matter of urgency.
Data should be uploaded to Researchfish by 4pm on 13th November 2014 at which point the system will not accept any more submissions.
For further information about the Research Outcomes Harmonisation Project go to: http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/research/researchoutcomes/project/
Contact researchoutcomes@rcuk.ac.uk if you have any questions about the research outcomes collection process.
To register on Researchfish go to https://www.researchfish.com/
External Projects Team can be contacted on externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk
The Erasmus+ InfoDay: Knowledge Alliances and Sector Skills Alliances will take place in Brussels on 12th November 2014.
Knowledge Alliances are between higher education institutions and enterprises and aim to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity, employability, knowledge exchange and/or multidisciplinary teaching and learning;
Sector Skills Alliances support the design and delivery of joint vocational training curricula, programmes and teaching and training methodologies, drawing on evidence of trends in a specific economic sector and skills needed in order to perform in one or more professional fields
The aim of the event is to explain the funding opportunities available under Knowledge Alliances and Sector Skills Alliances
Speakers will offer advice and tips on preparing and submitting proposals as well as provide support with the financial aspects of funding.
There will be the chance to follow the meeting online.
More information about the event and the agenda will be available shortly at the web link below.
Find the full programme document here:
http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/documents/erasmus-plus-programme-guide_en.pdf
The UK Space Agency, in partnership with the Economic and Social Research Council, invites proposals for the call: Does human spaceflight affect the perceptions and uptake of STEM subjects?
It aims to fund social research into the effects of human spaceflight programmes and the correlation between astronaut programmes and the interest in and uptake of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) among children.
Proposals for studies must address the following areas:
It is anticipated that funding in the region of £300,000 to £350,000 will be available, over three years. This may cover research time, research assistants and other resources relevant and necessary to the proposed research.
This call is open to researchers at research organisations eligible for ESRC funding.
Closing date: 13 October 2014
For further information go to: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/353124/Human_Spaceflight_and_STEM_-_Call_for_proposals_II.pdf
The views of around 3000 stakeholders from the research community, sector, public authorities, industry and non-governmental organisations will contribute to shaping the future priorities and topics of calls for proposals 2016-2017.
This external advice report complements the recommendations from the Advisory Group of the Societal Challenge 6 published in July 2014. Further debate among the Member States about the next work programme will be taking place in the Programme Committee.
The link below gives the full report.
Ths link takes you to the European commission’s site for this Societal challenge