Category Archives: News

11.8 billion Euros for 2014-2020: the European Commission has formally adopted the UK partnership agreement on the 29th October.

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The European Commission (EC) has adopted Partnership Agreements with six Member States on the 29th October, including the United Kingdom. The UK Partnership agreement allocates €11.8 billion of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) for key thematic investments during the period 2014-2020. The UK government is now waiting for a formal response from the European Commission to its Operational Programmes.

The European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) covers the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF), the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). The funds are concentrated on a limited number of priorities for a better impact on growth and jobs in the UK: research and innovation, ICT, competitiveness of enterprises and low carbon economy represent more than 80% of the total allocations.

Both the European Commission and the United Kingdom are expecting to increase the number of innovative enterprises, including the number of collaborations between SMEs and academic institutions in the UK. Superfast broadband, low carbon economy, sustainable land management, inactivity levels, higher level training and skills are also within the main targets of the UK Partnership Agreement.

Within the ESI Funds Growth Programme, England is being allocated €3.6 billion of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), €3.3 billion of European Social Fund (ESF), and €3.4 billion for Rural Development.

The ERDF and ESF Operational Programmes, which are breaking down the investment priorities and objectives of the Partnership Agreements into concrete actions, are due to be adopted by the European Commission in the next few months. Applications will then be able to be submitted to the relevant Managing Authorities of the programmes for applying to these funds.

To find out more:http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/newsroom/detail.cfm?id=1796&LAN=EN&lang=en

Successful Bid to Arts Council

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One of Staffordshire Universities Senior Lecturers in Fine Art, Stephen Boyed, has successfully bid for £9,000 of Arts Council England Funding.

After The Gold Rush will develop new artworks to be exhibited at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery along with selected artifacts from the Museum Collections Centre.

The exhibition will consist of five lithographic images juxtaposed with images of conservation practice, and images gathered from Anglo Saxon artifacts from the Staffordshire Hoard.

Stephen is now working hard on preparing the exhibition which is expected to be launched late in 2014.

More details on Stephen Boyed: http://www.stephenboyd.eu/homepage.html

Enterprise Clinics – Protect and Realise your Innovative Ideas

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Innovation Clinic Sessions are returning!

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Do you think that your research or research within your faculty has the potential to have a commercial impact?

If so please book an appointment!

Please distribute the attached poster widely to your colleagues, and also to students undertaking research degrees (Masters and Doctorates).

It is important that individuals are rewarded for the development of any intellectual property that arises from work carried out within the University, patents and spin-out companies are ways to accomplish this. Creative industries are also important to producing a balanced commercial output, and can be protected using copyright.

Sessions will be held on Thursdays in August and September, with appointments from 1pm.

Please encourage your colleagues to come along, so that by patenting inventions and delivering spin-out companies the University can continue to provide accountability for public investment in research and further improve the reputation of individuals and the institution.

Innovation Clinic Plasma -PDF with dates and locations

If you have any questions please contact Adam Hope adam.hope@staffs.ac.uk +44  (0)1785 353667

 

 

New staff need to know about this blog

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All new research staff should be informed about support available on finding research funding and other services offered by the External Projects Team. We need help from all departments to ensure that this happens because we don’t usually know if new academics are joining the university.

The team have developed a series of documents to tell new staff about the services we offer and what they can find on our blog.

If you are a manager or colleague to a new member of staff please point them in the direction of the find funding section of our blog. This has a series of guides, including:

How to find funding

Request a fund search for your research idea

Using Research Professional –our fund search website

Overview of European Funding

Online funding systems needing External Projects Team approval

Contracts Review Process

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Funding Database

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Research Professionals funding database enables academics to search for research funding in all disciplines from sponsors in the UK and overseas. The database has an easy-to-use interface and powerful searching and customisation tools.

Staffordshire University subscribes to Research Professional. Use is free for all University members. From any computer within the University network, you can start searching directly by going to http://www.researchprofessional.com

Using the Database

The site has a quick start guide which can get you started on the help page. This can show you how to use the database, set up an account and customise your searches. There is also a video introduction.

Searches can be sorted by sponsor, or by discipline (as broad or specific as you choose), or you can run a multiple search combining various criteria at the same time.

To manage your searches more effectively, you need to open a personal account. This allows you to:

  • use the database from any computer – your office or anywhere else if you are travelling
  • create customised email alerts that will bring funding opportunities to your inbox
  • save the results of your searches and re-run them
  • store interesting funding opportunities, add notes and share information with your colleagues

Registration for a personal account is free, and takes about 1 minute to complete. To do this, use a computer within the University network and go to http://www.researchprofessional.com, click on ‘register’ and complete the form.

If you need any help with using the system email externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

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Joining projects already being developed

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Getting your foot in the door of European funding can be difficult if you do not already have European partners. A good way to resolve this is to look for organisations seeking partners to join their consortium.

The University subscribes to an organisation called UKRO. One of their services includes a partner search portal. To access it you need to set up an account www.ukro.ac.uk using the create profile button. Once you are in, select the partner search tab. This brings up a list of organisations who are leading Horizon 2020 projects and looking or partners. It covers a range of subjects but is worth keeping an eye on.

Other ways you can find partners online can be to join the ERRIN Network www.errin.eu ERRIN aims to strengthen regional Research and Innovation capacities by exchanging information, sharing best practice and supporting European project development.

There are also H2020 focused groups on Linked In. Within this there are themed sub groups relating to the H2020 priorities. People frequently use Linked in to look for partners to join their consortium so it is worth joining a group in your interest area and getting emails sent to you.

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SEWM networking event

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Staffordshire University hosted our annual Social Enterprise West Midlands (SEWM)event yesterday in the Ashley Building. Melanie Mills SEWM Director (pictured first left) Jose Beech from ECD and Nic Gratton from FACT hosted over 22 Social enterprise’s from across the region who gathered to share knowledge and contacts. SEWM is itself a social enterprise and Staffordshire University work in partnerhsip to champion the role of social enterprise within Staffordshire and beyond.

If you are interested in finding out more you can access the SEWM website http://www.socialenterprisewm.org.uk/

Or speak to Peter Twilley our SE champion at P.L.Twilley@staffs.ac.uk

SU students Win National Social Enterprise Award

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Spitalfields market in London was home to 15 pop up shops this week as UK HEI’s competed over 2 days to win one of four National UnLTD Social Enterprise awards.

Funded by a Staffordshire University Social Enterprise UnLTD “try it” award three of our students travelled to London to set up a pop up shop.Congratulations go to Staffordshire University students; Andy Evans, Christina Turnock and Amy Pass (see pic below), who won a UnLTD Digital Marketing Award, selling a variety of products, including tea cups and saucers and sketch books, our students wowed the judges with their digital marketing campaign.

The prize is a day in London with marketing company “Born Social” to explore a digital marketing strategy as well as developing a on going mentoring relationship. Brilliant news and a great opportunity for our enterprising students to develop their skills.

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Five Top Tips for Knockout Bid Submissions

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Five Top Tips for Knockout Bid Submissions

  • Appoint one person whose only job is to make sure everyone else does theirs! – It is vitally important for there to be someone who is ultimately responsible for the bid, through whom every action flows. A good bid leader will drive the bid forward and coordinate a submission delivered on time and on target. Pick a good organiser and a popular team member to whom people will respond.
  • Ensure you have the right partners that will add value to the bid and have the right skills! – It’s rare for an individual to put together a large bid completely on their own. Utilise your team to build a wide-ranging team of specialists and your proposal will be completed with time to spare and resounding with confidence and knowledge
  • Brief well and set clear deadlines! – There is a period of time at the start of a bid submission where you will brief your collaborators on what is required of them and how long they have to do it. Handle this well and it will pay dividends later! Sometimes it can be difficult to know how to divide the workload. I suggest that you begin by reading the invitation documents in detail and assigning each question, section or task to a department or individual. One way to kick-start an effective and well-informed working team is to hold a group session where everyone can be briefed together, and ideas and suggestions can be shared among you.
  • Start a library (and keep it in good shape)! – Other than people a well written and well-tended content library is your greatest ally in preparing winning bids. BUT a bid comprising entirely of pre-written text is an impersonal and careless approach. A good content library if kept up to date with new and revised material, can contribute to as much as 80% of your bid, providing you and your team with more time to work on the essential and unique content that lies at the heart of every good submission.
  • Don’t count the days. Make the days count! – Channel your energies at the right time. Your energy, enthusiasm, clarity and creativity will all fluctuate wildly during the bid writing process. If you use this natural ebb and flow to maximise your most productive periods, your bid will be better for it.  Become adept at the art of timing and pacing and you’ll float like a butterfly and sting like a bee, not the other way round.

Keep an eye on progress and don’t be reluctant to send polite BUT persistent reminders as deadlines loom because when the bell goes your time is up, ready or not!

If you require bid writing support for commercial bids then please contact me at N.Arblaster@staffs.ac.uk  or if you require support for research bids including Horizon2020 then contact the external projects team at externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk