Category Archives: Business, Education and Law

Newton Advanced Fellowships

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Newton Advanced Fellowships is a new programme introduced in 2014 and provided under the Newton Fund, which is part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment.

Newton Advanced Fellowships provide early to mid-career international researchers who already have a track record with an opportunity to develop their research strengths and capabilities, and those of their group or network, through training, collaboration and visits with a partner in the UK.

The award enables international researchers based in a country covered by the Newton Fund to establish and develop collaborations with the UK with the intention of transferring knowledge and research capabilities.

The skills and knowledge gained should contribute to advancing economic development and social welfare of the partner country.

Aims

The aim of the Newton Advanced Fellowships is to:

  • Support the development of a well-trained research community who can contribute to advancing economic development and social welfare of the partner country by transferring new skills and creating new knowledge.
  • Strengthen research excellence in partner countries by supporting promising independent, early to mid-career researchers and their research groups and networks to develop their research through training, collaboration, reciprocal visits and the transfer of knowledge and skills from the UK.
  • Establish long-term links between the best research groups and networks in partner countries and the UK to ensure that improvements in research capacity are sustainable in the longer term.

Eligibility requirements

Applicants must have a PhD or equivalent research experience and hold a permanent or fixed-term contract in an eligible university or research institute in a partner country, which must span the duration of the project. Collaborations should focus on a single project involving the overseas-based researcher (“the Applicant”) and a UK-based researcher (“the Co-applicant”). Applicants should have not more than 15 years postdoctoral research experience.

The British Academy Newton Advanced Fellowships cover researchers working in all disciplines within the social sciences and humanities.

Applicants in the natural sciences and medical sciences (including clinical or patient-orientated research) should apply for a Newton Advanced Fellowship to the Royal Society and Academy of Medical Sciences.

For more details on eligibility please see the detailed scheme notes.

Note that some partner countries have specific eligibility requirements so please check the guidance carefully.

Newton Advanced Fellowships awarded by the British Academy are currently only available for researchers in the following countries:

  • Malaysia
  • Mexico
  • Thailand
Please note that Newton Advanced Fellowships for Brazil, Turkey, and South Africa will reopen in January 2016.

Value and Duration

Fellowships are available for either one year or two years depending on the Newton Fund partner country. Each award provides funding for a salary top-up (only available for the overseas researcher), research support, travel and subsistence, and training. In some cases, additional support is available from match funders. Please refer to the scheme notes for the country from which you are applying for more details.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted online using the British Academy’s electronic Grant Application and Processing (eGAP) system. For the assessment criteria please see the detailed scheme notes.

  • Application deadline: 16 September 2015
  • Referee deadline: 24 September 2015
  • Decisions made: December 2015
  • Fellowships must start not later than 31 March 2016

 

 

 

 

 

Funding for : Research for health in humanitarian crises

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The Department for International Development and the Wellcome Trust, via Enhancing Learning and Research for Humanitarian Assistance, invite expressions of interest for their call for research for health in humanitarian crises. Funding supports collaborative projects that aim to improve health outcomes by strengthening the evidence base for public health interventions in humanitarian crises. This call is particularly seeking proposals on the following topics:

•communicable diseases, including epidemics;

•sexual and reproductive health or gender-based violence;

•cost effectiveness of health interventions;

•ethical issues in the context of public health operations or research during humanitarian crises.

All applications must involve at least one research institute and one humanitarian actor working in partnership. Only consortium applications are eligible, with lead applicants being legally registered research institutions, non-profit institutions, nongovernmental institutions, a UN agency, or public or governmental institutions. Private sector organisations may be project partners but may not act as lead applicants. Proposals must be submitted in English.

Projects may receive funding within the following two categories: core grants, which involves a two-stage application process and is the principal mechanism for funding research; rapid response grants, which fund research on public health interventions in the acute phase of a crisis.

The annual budget is worth approximately £2 million. Seed funding of up to £10,000 per project may be awarded to cover travel and other costs associated with bringing the various project partners together and to collect preliminary data to support the proposal.

Further details: www.elrha.org/r2hc/home/

Closing date for expressions of interest 20 Jul 2015

Full proposals due by 14 December 2015

 

 

Scientists – spend a week with an MEP

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​The MEP-Scientist Pairing Scheme 2015 is calling for applications from researchers who would like to interact with Members of  the European Parliament (MEPs) and provide scientific expertise. The aim of the scheme is to enhance knowledge-based decisions and to facilitate better public awareness of EU policies and to foster greater mutual understanding.

Successful applicants will be paired with MEPs and will be invited to Brussels later in 2015 for a week where they will have the opportunity to follow MEPs in their daily political activities and learn about EU policy in the area of research. There would then be follow-up event organised by the MEPs which could include workshops, visits to local research facilities, press conferences and exhibitions.

The selection criteria specify specific fields of research, which are linked to the priority areas of the European Parliament’s Science and Technology Options Assessment bureau (STOA), an in-house service which also uses external expertise and provides its services to the European Parliament’s Committees. These are:

  • Eco-efficient transport and modern energy solutions;
  • Sustainable management of natural resources;
  • Potentials and challenges of the Information Society;
  • Health and life sciences; and
  • Science, technology and innovation policy.

These areas are to be understood in a broad sense and both natural scientists in state-of-the-art innovative areas (energy storage, renewable energy, photonics, innovative production etc.) and social scientists (jobs and growth, indicators, foresight etc.) are encouraged to apply.

There is no research funding available but researchers participating in the scheme will be reimbursed for travel and accommodation when the come to Brussels.

The deadline for applications is 31 July 2015 and all details on the application process can be obtained form the invitation document.

Find partners for your creative project

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Creative Europe supports cross-border exchange and cooperation. In order to apply for funding opportunities such as European Networks, Cooperation Projects and European Platforms as part of the Culture sub-programme, you will need to work with partners.

The best partnerships develop over time and can be a meeting of shared or contrasting intent and creative practice.

How can you can meet peers and partners to collaborate with?

Commission acts to simplify access to European Structural and Investment Funds

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The Europen Commission has announced its intention to create a High Level Group on simplification. It aims to reduce the administrative burden for beneficiaries to access the five European Structural and Investment Funds– the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.

The group is to independently assess and monitor the uptake of simplification opportunities to access and use European Structural and Investment Funds by the Member States, thus contributing to the Commission’s efforts for Better Regulation.

Former Commission Vice President Siim Kallas will chair this group which is planned to run for three years. The members of the group should include the best available experts in the field. Special focus is to be put on five priorities:

1. Facilitating access to funding for SMEs

2. Tackling the “Goldplating” practice, where extra requirements or administrative hurdles are addedat national or regional level, including in the process of selecting projects.

3. Using simpler ways to reimburse costs.

4. Increasing the use of online procedures, such as “e-cohesion” in Cohesion Policy funded projects

5. Analysing how projects initiated and managed by local communities are implemented (community-led local development)

The new regulations offer a broad range of opportunities for simplification and reduced administrative burden. These include a set of common rules for all European Structural and investment Funds.

This High Level Group on simplification is part of a broader initiative to improve how Member States and regions invest and manage EU Cohesion Policy funds, set by Commissioner Corina Creţu and the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy.

 

EU PRIZE FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE / EUROPA NOSTRA AWARDS

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The EU Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards was launched in 2002 by the European Commission and has been organised by Europa Nostra since then. The Prize celebrates and promotes best practices related to heritage conservation, management, research, education and communication. In this way, it contributes to a stronger public recognition of cultural heritage as a strategic resource for Europe’s society and economy.

The Prize honours every year up to 30 outstanding heritage achievements from all parts of Europe. Up to seven are selected as Grand Prix laureates and one receives the Public Choice Award, chosen in an online poll. All the winners receive a certificate as well as a plaque or trophy. The Grand Prix laureates also receive €10,000 each.

The awards are given in four categories:

CONSERVATION
Outstanding achievements in the conservation, enhancement and adaptation to new uses of cultural heritage.

RESEARCH
Outstanding research projects which lead to tangible effects in the conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage in Europe.

DEDICATED SERVICE by INDIVIDUALS or ORGANISATIONS
Open to individuals or organisations whose contributions over a long period of time demonstrate excellence in the protection, conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage in Europe and far exceeding normal expectations in the given context.

EDUCATION, TRAINING and AWARENESS-RAISING
Outstanding initiatives related to education, training and awareness-raising in the field of tangible and/or intangible cultural heritage, to promote and/or to contribute to the sustainable development of the environment.

Specialist juries made up of independent experts assess the nominated projects and select the winners in the four categories.

The awards are presented to the winners at a major public event, which is held each year in a different European city. The 2015 European Heritage Awards Ceremony is held on 11 June at the emblematic City Hall of Oslo. Vienna hosted the European Heritage Awards Ceremony in 2014, Athens in 2013 and Lisbon in 2012.

The European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards has been supported by the EU Culture Programme (now replaced by the Creative Europe Programme). A total of 415 remarkable heritage accomplishments have been recognised in the past 13 years.

Since 2002, the Awards Scheme has contributed significantly towards further professionalism and structuring of the heritage sector, by highlighting the best practices, encouraging cross-border exchange of knowledge and bringing together different stakeholders in wider networks. The Prize has also brought major benefits to the laureates, such as greater national and international exposure, follow-on funding, technology sales and increased visitor numbers. Last, but not least, the Prize has increased the visibility of the heritage sector amongst the general public while giving it a distinctly European dimension. Read study on the impact of the Prize.

WINNERS 2010-2015

APPLY FOR AN AWARD IN 2016

For more information, please contact:
Elena Bianchi
Heritage Awards Coordinator
eb@europanostra.org
+31 70 302 40 58

Technology-inspired innovation – information and communications technology

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Innovate UK invites registrations for its call on technology-inspired innovation in information and communications technology. This supports technological innovation feasibility studies on information and communication technology, with a special focus on new software-based technologies or approaches that enable innovation in the areas of data exploration, simpler user experiences, increasing confidence in distributed computing systems, and advanced, modern software engineering. Projects should concentrate on early-stage technical opportunities that contain a significant level of technical risk and some level of uncertainty about how the proposed approach will work in practice.

Companies of any size may apply, however projects must be led by a small or micro business either singly or in collaboration with one other SME or research partner. In addition, companies may submit applications for multiple projects, however they are not allowed to participate in more than one project.

The total budget is worth up to £3 million. Each project should range in size between £50,000 and £150,000, although projects outside this range may be considered. Projects should last six to 15 months. SMEs may receive up to 70 per cent funding of their project costs, medium-sized businesses may receive 60 per cent and large businesses may receive 50 per cent.

  • Closing date 02 Sep 15
  • Deadline information Registrations are invited between 18 May and 12 noon, 2 September; full applications due by 12 noon, 9 September 2015.

Further information:

https://interact.innovateuk.org/competition-display-page/-/asset_publisher/RqEt2AKmEBhi/content/technology-inspired-innovation-may-2015-ict

 

The Thompson Family Charitable Trust

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Grants are available to UK registered charities for general charitable purposes.

Funding is provided at the discretion of the Trustees.

The Trust provides a range of grants from £250 up to an exceptional amount of £500,000. Most grants tend to be between £1,000 and £50,000 with a few grants of £100,000 and £200,000.

The Thompson Family Charitable Trust provides grants to registered charities for general charitable purposes.

Previous grants have been given in the following areas:

  • Health and social welfare.
  • Medical research.
  • Animal welfare.
  • The Arts.
  • Sports.
  • Education.

Applications may be submitted at any time, and UK registered charities are eligible to apply.

Examples of previously funded organisations include:

  • Animal Health Trust
  • Cancer Research UK
  • Cheer Trust
  • Injured Jockeys Fund
  • Katie Piper Foundation
  • Macmillan Cancer Support
  • North London Hospice
  • Parkinson’s UK
  • PCA Benevolent Fund
  • St Andrew’s Primary School
  • St Mary’s Church
  • Scene and Heard
  • Walk the Walk Worldwide
  • Walk with the Wounded

The Trust does not maintain a website or a formal application form.

Applications should be made in writing to the Trust.

 

Contact details:

Katie Woodward

The Thompson Family Charitable Trust
Hillsdown Court
15 Totteridge Common
London
N20 8LR

Telephone:
01608 676789
Email:
roy.copus@btinternet.com

Synergies Between Horizon 2020 and ESIF for Key Enabling Technologies now Available Online

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The presentations and video are now available online from a recent event on synergies between the Key Enabling Technologies in Horizon 2020 and European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF).

The event was organised by the European Commission and the Committee of the Regions and held in Brussels on 6 May 2015.

Speakers from the Directorate General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) and the Committee of the Regions began the event. The speakers highlighted that two thirds of the EU regions have included Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) as part of their Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategies (RIS3).
The presentations included the results from a recent study on “Analysis of Smart Specialisation Strategies in Nanotechnologies, Advanced Manufacturing and Process Technologies”, the report from which is given at the link below.

http://ec.europa.eu/research/industrial_technologies/index_en.cfm

Speakers from DG RTD noted that whilst there are no particular actions on Smart Specialisation Strategies in Horizon 2020, Horizon 2020 can be used to accelerate the changes set out in the strategies. For example, the Teaming and Twinning calls both link to Smart Specialisation Strategies. They also highlighted that there are 20 topics where synergies can be found with ESIF in the Leadership in Emerging and Industrial Technologies part of the Horizon 2020 Work Programme, which is where the Key Enabling Technologies feature most prominently.

Proposal Development Event on co-creation, growth and inclusion

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Proposal Development event on co-creation, growth and inclusion

15th of June (13:00 till 18:00), Brussels

Registration is now open

ERRIN, invites Universities, Regions and Businesses to the proposal development event on co-creation, growth and inclusion, which will focus of the coming funding opportunities in 2016-17. We would like to engage with the likeminded individuals on the following areas of expertise: Economics, ICT, Technology, Health, Social Sciences.

Co-creation puts end-user or customer in the centre of production process and co-creation of value. At this event we will be looking at co-creation in a context of

(i) purpose-driven innovation,

(ii) end-user involvement and

(iii) cross-boundary collaboration.

We are looking to focus on Co Creation

  • In Health Diet, Diabetes, Smoking and Obesity
  • In Culture Virtual Museums and Social Platform on European digital heritage, memory, identity and cultural interaction
  • In Responsible Research and Innovation: specifically gender related
  • In Design: User-driven innovation: value creation through design-enabled innovation
  • In ICT: Please note this is a major Cross cutting theme.
  • In Security: Anti-corruption, fraud and cybercrime
  • In Mobility: mobility of people and money and its consequences for the European social and economic system

What is the aim of Brokerage Event? It is an event that provides the opportunity to meet consortium partners and discuss project proposals ahead of the 2016/2017 calls with the potential to develop consortia.

How to get the best out of the Brokerage Event Prior to the Brokerage Event, we invite all participants to make their project ideas and/or expertise known via the ERRIN Site. Participants will have the opportunity to present their idea in a facilitated round table session in a short project pitch to promote their proposal.

Who should attend? Regions, companies and universities with the following areas of expertise:

Economics, ICT, Technology, Health, Social Sciences who are interested in developing project proposals and partners in for the 2016-17 topics as well as some 2015 ones. This is the right place to bring together well targeted ideas and clearly defined cooperation needs from the research and business sector.

For more information and participation please contact:

Tatiana Panteli, European Business and Research Development Manager, t.panteli@wlv.ac.uk