Category Archives: Business, Education and Law

Horizon 2020: Update on UK National Contact Point events

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Several UK Horizon 2020 National Contact Points from the Science and Technology Facilities Council, the Medical Research Council, and the Economic and Social Research Council have organised a series of regional Horizon 2020 information days taking place over the next two months.

The events will provide an overview of Horizon 2020 and legal and financial issues, and include sessions on:

  • Research Infrastructures;
  • Societal Challenge 1 – Health, Demographic Change and Wellbeing;
  • Social Sciences and Humanities embedded across Horizon 2020;
  • Societal Challenge 6 – Europe in a Changing World: Inclusive, Innovative and Reflective Societies; and
  • Science with and for Society.

    The events planned are as follows:

  • Edinburgh – Monday 17 March event web page.
  • London – week beginning 24 March (exact date tbc)

 

 

 

UK’s first national Humanities festival

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The UK’s first national festival dedicated to demonstrating the value, vitality and relevance of humanities research has been announced.

“Being Human” will explore what it means to be human. The festival will run from 15 to 23 November 2014 and is led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in partnership with the Arts & Humanities Research Council and the British Academy.

Higher Education Institutions across the country are invited to apply for small grants to participate in the festival. The grants will fund creative programming which engages the public with leading humanities research, including debates, performances, virtual activities and exhibitions.

Held with the participation of arts and cultural organisations and universities across the UK, the festival will draw together the most exciting and inspiring work in the humanities research field to present a week of creative public events that inspire, inform and extend our contemporary thinking and imagination.

For further information go to: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/News-and-Events/News/Pages/UK’s-first-national-festival-dedicated-to-the-humanities-is-announced.aspx

Fund an international academic to work at Staffs Uni

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If you know a star academic working abroad that you would like to work at Staffordshire University for two years, this fund from the Royal Society and British Academy should be of interest.

Researchers can work in a broad range of fields including natural and social sciences and humanities.

Funding Body: Royal Society and the British Academy

Scheme: Newton International Fellowship

Overview: The Royal Society and the British Academy invite applications for the Newton international fellowship. This enables early-stage postdoctoral researchers from all over the world to work in the fields of natural and social sciences and the humanities at UK research institutions. Contact between the applicants and their UK sponsor must have been established prior to application.

Applicants must have a PhD and up to seven years of active full time postdoctoral experience. They should be working outside the UK and be competent in oral and written English. UK citizens may not apply.

Budget: The fellowship lasts for two years and provides £24,000 per year for subsistence costs, up to £8,000 per year for research expenses and a one-off payment of up to £2,000 for relocation expenses. In addition, fellows may receive up to £6,000 per year for up to 10 years following the tenure to support networking activities with UK-based researchers.

Deadlines: 10 March 2014 –This is an annual call

Further Information: http://royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/newton-international/

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Policy & Research Small Grants Open Call

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Nesta have launched a New small grants fund they want to find new ideas and foster collaboration with a wide array of organisations so a open call has been launched where up to ten projects in total will be funded across the year. The maximum budget is 10k and examples of expected projects are:

  • primarily research-based
  • developing a paper
  • a proof of concept
  • policy idea.

 NESTA research themes

  • Development and application of innovative methods for understanding innovation
  • Using big data or open data to understand innovation
  • Mapping and analysing new trends in social, business or technological innovation
  • Public policies to promote innovation
  • Adoption of innovation in public services
  • Innovation in emerging economies

 To find out more click on this link – http://www.nesta.org.uk/Small-Grants-Open-Call

 

Horizon 2020 Information Days

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Horizon 2020

Several UK Horizon 2020 National Contact Points including the Science and Technology Facilities Council, the Medical Research Council, and the Economic and Social Research Council have organised a series of regional Horizon 2020 information days taking place over the next two months.

The events will provide an overview of Horizon 2020, legal and financial issues and will include sessions on:

  • Research Infrastructures
  • Societal Challenge 1 – Health, Demographic Change and Wellbeing
  • Social Sciences and Humanities embedded across Horizon 2020
  • Societal Challenge 6 – Europe in a Changing World
  • Inclusive, Innovative and Reflective Societies
  • Science with and for Society
The dates and locations of these are as follows:
 
  • Cardiff – 7 February 2014
  • Belfast – 18 February 2014
  • Edinburgh – 17 March 2014
  • London – date to be confirmed

Registration and programme for Cardiff event

Demand for places at this event is expected to be very high, and registration will close on 31 January 2014.
Registration for the other events will open very soon.
(There is no charge for the events but registration is necessary in order to participate).
 

Judicial Review: R(on the Application of the HS2 Action Alliance Ltd (Appellant) v Secretary of State for Transport

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The Judgment expected this morning in the UK Supreme Court on the HS2 Action Alliance has rejected the HS2 Action Alliance appeal. The points of appeal are listed below. The administrative law procedure for judicial review permits parties in this significant case to challenge the reasonableness of the Government’s decision to go ahead with its plans for a high speed rail network; the challenge in this case appearing to be failure to consult during the environmental assessment process. A serious question was as to whether sufficient time has been allowed to assess environmental issues, including assessment by Members of Parliament; and thus parliamentary procedure would fail to meet the requirements of the environmental directive. This point of appeal also appears to have been rejected.

The Facts

The Secretary of State issued a Command paper titled ‘High Speed Rail: Investing in Britain’s Future—Decisions and Next Steps’ (DNS) setting out the government’s strategy for a new national high speed rail network called High Speed Two (HS2) from London to Birmingham, Manchester, and Leeds. The appellants contend that the Decisions and Next Steps (the ‘DNS’) paper is a ‘plan or program’ that is ‘required by administrative provisions’ and ‘sets the framework for development consent’ of HS2 and falls within articles 2 and 3 of Directive 2001/42/EC the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive (the SEAD) as transposed by the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004. Justice Ouseley, found at first instance, that the consultation process in respect of the compensation decision was so unfair as to be unlawful. On all other grounds, however, he dismissed the claims, as did the Court of Appeal.

Main points of appeal:

1. Whether plans that may influence the Parliamentary consent process should be effectively excluded from the requirements of strategic environmental assessment by an unduly restrictive interpretation or application of the Strategic Envinronmental Assessment Directive (the SEAD); and contrary to EU environmental law.

2. Whether on the facts the Secretary of State’s ‘Decisions and Next Steps’ (DNS) paper would have a sufficient influence on Parliament to engage the SEAD (the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive) and whether its very potential to influence Parliament is a compelling factor since, by the time the Bill process is underway, it will too late to challenge the decision in the DNS and provide proof of actual influence;

The writer has not followed the appeal closely, however the Case summary and Judgment issued this morning given its topicality and public importancea are linked below.

Press Summary:

Click to access UKSC_2013_0172_PressSummary.pdf

Judgment:

Click to access UKSC_2013_0172_Judgment.pdf

Host a conference in humanities or social sciences

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The British Academy has launched their annual call for people to hold conferences at the academies London base. The remit for conferences is that they fit around the theme of humanities and social sciences. Plus they are looking for proposals for conferences that will be pivotal events and of lasting significance in the field. This is a chance for leading and emerging scholars to examine current and future issues surrounding novel, dynamic, innovative and exciting subject areas.
Funding Body: British Academy
Scheme: Conference Programme
Overview: The British Academy invites proposals for its 2015 conference programme. This supports conferences on subjects in the humanities and social sciences held at the British Academy’s premises in central London. The academy will support up to six conferences in 2015, with up to 135 participants each.
Any UK-based scholar is eligible to submit a proposal.
Budget: The academy provides the venue, facilities and catering; contributes to travel and accommodation for convenors, speakers and chairs; and promotes and administers the conferences. Themed volumes of essays arising from the conferences may be published in the Proceedings of the British Academy series.
Deadlines: 21 February 2014 –annual call
Further Information: http://www.britac.ac.uk/events/events_proposals_conferences.cfm

Erasmus + Webinars

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Ecorys and the British Council have advertised webinars for the new Erasmus + programme of funding. These are taking place in January and February.imagesCAGFFZM5

All of the details on how to register and when the webinars are taking place can be found Here

The External Projects Team will be listening in to the Webinars, so we will be sending out a blog with all the latest info later this month, in the meantime, if you are interested in accessing the E+ funding please get in touch with us at externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

 

 

Philip Leverhulme Prizes

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Philip Leverhulme Prizes recognise the achievement of early career researchers whose work has already attracted international recognition and whose future career is exceptionally promising. The prize scheme makes up to thirty awards of £100,000 a year, across a range of academic disciplines. The 2014 round opens on 6 January 2014 and closes to nominations on 14 May 2014.

For the 2014 competition the selected subject areas are:

  • Biological Sciences
  • History
  • Law
  • Mathematics and Statistics
  • Philosophy and Theology
  • Sociology and Social Policy

Each Prize has a value of £100,000 which may be used over a two or three year period. Prizes can be used for any purpose which can advance the prize-holder’s research, with the exception of enhancing the prize-holder’s salary.

The Prize is available over two or three years.

Please read the following before submitting a nomination.

Fo further information go to: http://leverhulme.ac.uk/funding/PLP/PLP.cfm?utm_source=FUNDING+BULLETIN&utm_campaign=2189d99bd6-FB_NOV_13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_06df278404-2189d99bd6-78732765

 

Big Lottery: funding event at Staffordshire University – February 5th

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We are really pleased that Stephna Davis-Watts, Policy and Partnership Officer at the Big Lottery Fund is coming to the Ashley Centre, Stoke on February 5th.

1-00pm -4-30pm

Initially the Big lottery were reluctant to come to the University as they equated it entirely with research related work – we have persuaded them otherwise.

We have asked Stephna to make a presentation on the current opportunities for large project funding from the Big lottery and to discuss large project ideas with colleagues in the university and with  partner organisations.

We are inviting colleagues from across the university in areas of interest that the Big Lottery can fund; these include

  •  Low carbon
  • The Environment
  • Creative communities
  • Community engagement
  • Arts and creative technologies
  • Physical activity
  • Mental health
  • Public health
  • Social enterprise

The Big lottery is geared towards partnership funding – you could use the event to scope out a project idea with a group of partners –with a Big lottery expert on hand –  if there are individuals you would like us to invite as well do let us know.

For current large funds see:

http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/funding/funding-finder?area=England&amount=50001%20-%20500000

To book a place please email externalfundingofficer@staffs.ac.uk