Category Archives: Computing, Engineering and Sciences

Erasmus + Deadlines Announced

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ALERT!!! 2016 application deadlines announced

The European Commission has released the 2016 application deadlines for Erasmus+.

All the deadlines and information on the types of activities you can apply for are contained in the 2016 Call for Proposals document and the 2016 Programme Guide both of which you can download from our Key Resources page.

The Call for Proposals is an overview document containing all the deadlines for 2016, while the Programme Guide contains all the detailed information on how to apply for Erasmus+ funding. You will need to read both documents when planning an application. Please note that as of 20 October 2015, there is a discrepancy between the Call for Proposals and the Programme Guide in terms of the deadline for Strategic Partnerships applications for education and training projects. We are seeking clarification from the European Commission on which is the correct date, and will update our website once the date is confirmed.

We would also recommend that you bookmark our funding deadlines page which will be kept up-to-date with any changes in the coming weeks.

Please contact us for further information on how we can support your Erasmus + application. Email us at: researchservices@staffs.ac.uk

 

Information sessions for Erasmus+ newcomers

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New to Erasmus+? Register for an information session

The UK National Agency are pleased to announce a series of information sessions on the Erasmus+ programme in the UK. The purpose of these events is to provide an overview of the funding opportunities available under Erasmus+ and is intended for newcomers to Erasmus+. There is no charge to attend but places are limited.

Who should attend?

The sessions are for any organisation in the UK working in the sectors of education, training, youth or sport. They are aimed at organisations new to Erasmus+, including anyone who has not yet applied for funding but would like to know more about the range of possibilities under the programme. If your organisation has applied before, we advise that you look out for our application support events, including webinars.

The agenda is designed to give a general introduction and overview of Erasmus+, followed by a closer explanation of the types of funding opportunities available and next steps. There will be the opportunity to meet UK National Agency staff and network over refreshments.

When and where?

We will be holding information sessions in six venues across the UK, all of which are half-day events finishing around 12.30pm.

Follow the links below to register online:

Tuesday 20 October 2015 The Studio, Birmingham Register your place
Monday 2 November 2015 Westminster Conference Centre, London Register your place
Wednesday 4 November 2015 The Studio, Manchester Register your place
Tuesday 10 November 2015 IET, Glasgow Register your place
Monday 23 November 2015 Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Register your place
Thursday 26 November 2015 The MAC, Belfast Register your place

If you have any questions about the information sessions, please email the Erasmus+ events team on eplusevents@ecorys.com.

The team in Research Business & Employability Services (RBES) manage the Erasmus + proposal process for Staffordshire University, please let us know if you wish to attend or are interested in Erasmus + funding. You can reach us at our email researchservices@staffs.ac.uk or call Josephine Beech on 01782 294149.

UK Research Office (UKRO) – Marie Skłodowska-Curie event

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We are looking forward to our annual UK Research Office (UKRO) visit by our representative Blazej Thomas. This year’s visit will be focused on the European mobility actions of the Horizon 2020 programme.  

 You are warmly invited to attend the UKRO session, at the Ashley Centre LT 114/116 on December 9th, from 1.30pm – 3pm

 Blazej will be presenting details of the Marie Curie Skladowska Actions (MCSA) fund which provides opportunities for academic mobility across the EU.

 The MSCA aim to equip researchers with the necessary skills and international experience for a successful career, either in the public or the private sector. The programme responds to the challenges sometimes faced by researchers, offering them attractive working conditions and the opportunity to move between academic and other settings.

 The Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (MSCA) provide grants for all stages of researchers’ careers – from doctoral candidates to highly experienced researchers – and encourage transnational, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary mobility. The MSCA enable research-focused organisations (universities, research centres, and companies) to host talented foreign researchers and to create strategic partnerships with leading institutions worldwide.

The MSCA are open to all areas of research and innovation, from primary research to market take-up and innovation services. The areas of research and innovation are chosen by the applicants.

 MSCA supports the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers, which promotes positive working conditions for researchers and open recruitment. Equal opportunities are also supported at the level of researchers and project decision makers.

 This is an open invitation to all academic colleagues across the university.

 How to book your place:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/uk-research-office-ukro-marie-skodowska-curie-event-tickets-19058994967

 

 

 

Great Opportunity Coming Soon! Researcher in Residence Programme with the Digital Catapult

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Coming Soon! Researcher in Residence Programme

Research Councils UK and the Digital Catapult Centre will soon invite applications for their researcher in residence programme. The next call will open in October. The following information is subject to change.

This enables researchers to spend time at the Digital Catapult Centre within one of the following two residency schemes:

  • junior residencies, which are based at the centre or a relevant user organisation full or near full-time and enable early-career researchers to develop their existing research interests within a user-led project in conjunction with the centre, whilst also feeding back user experience to the digital economy research community;
  • Senior residencies, which are based at the centre on a full-time basis or via a series of short secondments and enable researchers with a significant track record in relevant areas to shape projects, provide thought leadership, and drive the creation of new activities.

Projects must address one or more of the catapult’s current challenge areas, namely closed organisational data, personal data, creative content and the internet of things.

Applicants must have a contract of employment at a UK university or be PhD students who have submitted their thesis by the closing date, Sunday 6 December 2015.

Residencies provide a budget of up to £25,000 each to cover expenses, including travel and accommodation.

Timeline: The closing date is 23:59 on Sunday 6 December 2015, with decisions due by the end of February 2016. Successful applicants are expected to commence their residencies within three months of award. The programme will run for three years, with two funding calls each year. The next round will open for applications in the autumn.

(Areas of interest  include: anonymization, differential privacy, re-identification and homomorphic encryption; trust and identity; distributed ledgers and Blockchain; distributed or privacy preserving architectures for personal data exchange; semantic data models; user profiling; IoT – architectures, security, data visualisation; business models for personal data exchanges and for the IoT; evaluation and measurement of economic impact for marketplace interventions)

Please contact Naomi Arblaster, n.arblaster@staffs.ac.uk if you are interested

HEIF 15/16 Innovation Vouchers – Call OPEN

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Research, Business and Employability Services have opened a call for Innovation and Collaboration vouchers, open to all staff. Innovation and Collaboration Vouchers are designed to support innovative projects, collaborations with companies and cross faculty working.

Call Information

  • Application period: 5th – 30th October 2015
  • Total Budget for theme: 10 vouchers at £4k
  • Projects duration: 4 months
  • Not funded: Internal faculty admin costs, Research Projects, Training and Teaching and learning

The application form along with a best practice example is now available for download in the HEIF dropbox below:

HEIF 15-16 Innovation and collaboration voucher documents

* NOTE you do not require a Dropbox account to access the documents, close dialogue box (x in right hand corner) and the documents will be accessible

 

 

Registration Now Open: Information Days for Societal Challenge 6: inclusive, innovative & reflective societies

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ESRC and other UK Horizon 2020 National Contact Points will be running a series of information days around the UK.

The events will actively promote the new Work Programmes 2016-17 to the UK social science and humanities research community and provide information about the calls, as well as some helpful advice on applying to the European research framework.

First deadlines for 2016 calls under Societal Challenge 6 are on 2 February 2016.

Upcoming events in the UK:

  • The British Academy, London: 2 November
  • University of Nottingham: 4 November
  • University of Glasgow: 9 November
  • Swansea University: 16 November
  • Queen’s University Belfast: 18 November

The registration is now open on-line on the ESRC website on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. For more information about the events, please contact international@esrc.ac.uk.

Revised timetable for consultation on next Research Excellence Framework

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Revised timetable for consultation on next Research Excellence Framework

Following a request from the Minister for Universities and Science HEFCE, in partnership with the other UK funding bodies, has agreed to delay publishing a consultation on the next Research Excellence Framework (REF) until the conclusion of the spending review.

HEFCE says:

We know that institutions are keen for the arrangements for a future REF to be confirmed and communicated in a timely fashion. Early clarity on a future framework will alleviate uncertainty in the sector, enable institutions to focus preparatory activity efficiently, and allow wise investment decisions to be made.

However, the short delay will enable the sector to provide responses to the REF consultation document that are informed by the outcomes of the spending review which will be announced in late November.

We have therefore agreed with the HEFCE Board and the other UK funding bodies to postpone the consultation until the spending review reports.

We welcome the Government’s ongoing commitment to the dual support system and look forward to working with the sector, the research community and research users to develop the most appropriate framework for the next REF.

http://www.hefce.ac.uk/rsrch/REFreview/

 

Image of Research Poster Competition – Enter today

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Staff have the opportunity to enter a “Images of Research competition.” Last year 20 entries were recieved from across the institution and we are looking to replicate the success by running the competition this year.

What is required? An image and 150 words to describe your research – Be creative!

Who can enter? Staffordshire University Research Staff and Students inc PHD students

Deadline for entries: 30th October 2015

Contact info: Libby Plant RBES  – Libby.Plant@staffs.ac.uk

Please click this link for more information Images of Research Poster Competition Launch

Opportunity – Commission for National Centre for Ceramic Education

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Staffordshire University is seeking to commission a consultant to create an evidence base to support the development of a National Centre for Ceramic Education at Staffordshire University. The evidence base will be used to support the development of a business case and an ERDF application for the new centre.

Deadline for submissions is 5:00pm Monday 5th October 2015.

The Full brief can be downloaded by clicking this link: 2015-09-24 National Ceramics Centre Consultants Brief (FINAL)

Submissions should be returned to: John Adlen

Head of Research, Business & Employability Services

Email: j.adlen@staffs.ac.uk

 

 

Open call to SMEs and new entrants for industrial experiments

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logo_en[1]The Digital Agenda for Europe will shortly be inviting applications for its second open call to SMEs and new entrants for industrial experiments. The call will open on 28 October 2015 and the closing date is 3 December 2015.

The following information is subject to change as it is being made public just before the adoption process of the work programme to provide potential participants with the currently expected main lines of the work programme 2016-2017. They are not yet endorsed by the Commission and they do not in any way prejudge the final decision of the Commission.

This call aims to initiate new business and innovation opportunities between SMEs and new entrants, major cyber physical system-platform providers, and competence centres. The goal is to develop innovative CPS products that will help increase the competitiveness of the European SME sector and thereby contribute to creating new jobs and growth in the European economy. projects must address at least one of the following focus areas:

•software intensive projects whose expected outcomes are software prototype demonstrators running on a EuroCPS platform;

•system integration projects whose expected outcomes are integrated system component prototypes;

•CPS with innovative components projects whose expected outcomes are system architecture virtual prototype demonstrators of the CPS products.

Applications are invited from SME’s and new entrants.

The maximum European Commission contribution for industrial experiments per applicant is €150,000. The funding rate is 70 per cent. The maximum duration of industrial experiment is 18 months. This comes in addition to coaching by competence centres and assistance from platform providers.