Wellcome Trust launches new investment company

Posted on January 8, 2013 by ejd2

On January 3^rd the Wellcome Trust launched a new healthcare venture capital fund through a subsidiary investment company, Syncona Partners LLP (“Syncona”). Syncona is looking to develop a portfolio of investments in healthcare devices, diagnostics, therapeutics, information technology, and services. Syncona will support early- and late-stage companies, as a majority investor or as part of a syndicate. Syncona has starting capital of £200 million and will be looking to support investments between £1m and £20m to support the creation of sustainable healthcare businesses.

Further information is at http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/Media-office/Press-releases/2013/WTP041359.htm.

ORA – Open Research Area in Europe for the Social Sciences: third joint call for proposals is now open

Posted on December 20, 2012 by BENNETT Margaret

Third round of the ORA in the social sciences is now open

The Open Research Area (ORA) partners are pleased to announce their third joint call for proposals. The current partners (ANR, DFG, ESRC, NWO) are delighted to welcome the United States National Science Foundation (NSF) to the 2012-13 round of the scheme.

This will establish the ORA plus scheme, allowing US researchers to collaborate in ORA projects. Through this expansion, thousands of new researchers will be available for cooperation in ORA applications, offering interesting opportunities to cooperate on a wider scale.

This change means that there are now five countries participating in the next call: France, Germany, the Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States.

Proposals will be accepted for research projects in any area of the social sciences involving researchers from any combination of three or more of the participating countries.

Unlike previous rounds, ORA will not accept applications for proposals from only two countries. In this pilot phase of ORA plus, this is necessary to manage demand for what is already a very popular scheme, and to ensure proposals can be assessed in a timely fashion. The partners will continue to review the response to the scheme and consider what steps may be taken to support bilateral research collaboration in future through ORA or other mechanisms.

The closing date is 15 February 2013.

Call documents

For further information, contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

ESRC Future of the UK and Scotland Project

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Esther KNIGHT

Advance notice is given that the ESRC expects to publish, on 15 January 2013, a call for proposals for an investment in research on the impacts of both the process and outcomes of the Scottish independence referendum.

Research topics will be wide-ranging and are likely to include the wider implications of independence and/or continuing devolution of powers for the rest of UK, Scotland’s finances, continuing constitutional and legislative change, and the future shape of Scottish society (including demographic issues).

It is therefore expected that the call will be for a ‘Hub and Spoke’ Centre or Research Network (although innovative alternative arrangements will be considered), with a two year programme of work, costed at up to £2 million (at 80 per cent FEC).

Please note: applications will be acceptable from any Research Organisation eligible to hold ESRC funds, across the UK.

http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/funding-opportunities/24499/latest-opportunity-11.aspx

Intelligent Energy Europe Funding Announced

Posted on December 17, 2012 by ejd2

The Intelligent Energy Europe programme has launched a call for proposals. This funding stream supports projects designed to:

Promote energy efficiency and encourage the rational use of energy sources
Increase the use of new and renewable energy sources as well as encouraging energy diversification
Stimulate energy efficiency and renewables in the field of transport

The next call has €65 million available with a deadline of May 8th. For further details on the call priorities and help in exploring opportunities please contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk. There is a Brussels based information day on the 23rd January followed by a networking partner brokerage event on the 24th January. We have Staffordshire University representation at this event so if you would like to express an interest please contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk.

The official call information is available at http://ec.europa.eu/energy/intelligent/getting-funds/call-for-proposals/how-to-apply/index_en.htm.

CEDEFOP tender to conduct a study on how low-educated and low-skilled workers from a low socio-economic background think about education and continuous learning.

Posted on December 14, 2012 by BENNETT Margaret

The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training invites proposals for a narrative of career-related and labour-market-related learning of low-skilled workers. The tenderer shall conduct a study to investigate how low-educated and low-skilled workers with a low socio-economic background think about education and continuous learning. Funding is worth up to €300,000 over 18 months.

The study will investigate how low-educated/low-skilled workers with a low socio-economic background think about education and continuous learning. The inquiry will be based on a collection of individual narratives that should bring out attitudes, aspirations and expectations towards learning. This research on low-educated workers prone to the risk of unemployment and social exclusion intends to uncover the potential among individuals to re-engage in learning and become socially upwardly mobile. The results of the study will be used to inform Cedefop’s research agenda on the topic of how adult and work-based learning can help people to better manage careers and working-life transitions, to set the stage for future analyses, and to pave the way for policy recommendations.

The closing date is 18th January 2013.

http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:374347-2012:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0

For further information, please contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

Technology Strategy Board (TSB) – Technology Inpsired Innovation

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Josephine Beech

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The Technology Strategy Board is to invest up to £10m in fast-track and collaborative research and development projects that stimulate innovation across the key enabling technology areas of advanced materials, biosciences, electronics, sensors and photonics and information and communications technology.

Additional funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) may be available for projects in line with the scope of this competition that contain a significant, high-quality academic research component and demonstrate added value by building on or being complementary to their existing research programmes and portfolios.

We are seeking innovative proposals that focus on projects that advance the development of a recent technological discovery or breakthrough in the context of significant and identifiable technological risk, which can be broadly applied across a wide range of market opportunities and needs.

Projects must be collaborative and business-led.

For clarity please note that ESP stands for Electronics, Sensors and Photonics; ICT stands for Information & Communication Technologies.

The competition has two strands:

Strand 1 is a single-stage fast-track process. Projects must be led by a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) and must last between six and 12 months.

Strand 2 is a two-stage competition. Consortia should include at least one SME partner and projects must last between 12 and 24 months.

The competition opens on 3 December 2012.

Open date: 03 December 2012

Registration close date: 23 January 2013

Close date: 10 April 2013

For more Information please contact Naomi Arblaster on N.Arblaster@staffs.ac.uk or call 01785 353519

Call for Proposals: Tempus IV

Posted on December 7, 2012 by Josephine Beech

Reform of Higher Education through International University Co-operation

Deadline: 26/03/2013

The European Commission, Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, has launched a call for proposals in the provision for the fourth phase of the Tempus programme, a reform of higher education through international university co-operation.

The overall objective of the programme is to support the modernisation of higher education in the EU’s surrounding area. The Tempus programme promotes institutional co-operation and focuses on the reform and modernisation of higher education systems in the partner countries. It contributes to an area of co-operation in higher education involving the European Union and partner countries in its wider proximity. In particular, the programme will promote voluntary convergence with EU developments in the field of higher education, deriving from the ‘Europe 2020’ strategy, the strategic framework for European co-operation in education and training (‘ET 2020’) and the Bologna process.

The purpose of this call for proposals is to promote multilateral co-operation among higher education institutions, authorities and organisations from EU Member States and partner countries, with the focus on the reform and modernisation of higher education.

To find out more about this call please click HERE

Design across Europe

Posted on December 7, 2012 by ejd2

A group known as the European Design Leadership Board has formulated a series of recommendations for the European Commission on how to incorporate design as a driver of user-centred innovation across Europe in order to contribute to the Europe 2020 Strategy’s goals for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The aim of the report is to enhance design’s long-term contribution to the Europe 2020 goals through increased competitiveness and the pursuit of a better quality of life for EU citizens, with design embedded in Europe’s innovation systems. The recommendations in the report cover aspects including differentiating European design on the global stage, positioning design within the European innovation system and design for both innovative and competitive enterprises and an innovative public sector. On Horizon 2020, the report states that design research must be better embedded in the programme and in particular, that Horizon 2020 work programmes should have sufficient flexibility to enable the formation of multidisciplinary consortia in which design is one essential element. One possible output of projects could therefore be new, meaningful applications with a better design content, better technology usability and better value for users. http://europeandesigninnovation.eu/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Design_for_Growth_and_Prosperity_.pdf

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