The Marie Curie schemes are funded under the Framework Programme 7 (FP7) Specific Programme ‘People’. Its main objective is to strengthen the human potential in research and technology in Europe and to make Europe a more attractive place for researchers to work. A key focus of the ‘People’ programme therefore is to have a structuring effect throughout Europe on the organisation, performance and quality of research training, on the active career development of researchers, on knowledge-sharing through researchers between sectors and research organisations, and on strong participation by women in research and development.

See European Commission Marie Curie site http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/index_en.htm

The ‘People’ programme is implemented through a set of Marie Curie schemes, also known as actions, addressing researchers at all stages of their professional lives, from early-stage research training to lifelong training opportunities. They provide opportunities for individual researchers and organisations – universities, research institutes and companies – to develop their research skills and training capacity, by building on industrial and academic expertise within Europe and across the world, through staff exchanges, secondments, postgraduate and postdoctoral fellowships.

A key feature of the Marie Curie schemes is the ‘mobility’ requirement, and all fellows funded under the programme will be expected to undertake mobility from one country to another, subject to specific requirements for the different schemes. Please refer to the Work Programme for mobility requirements, and also the call documents for the different eligibility criteria.

1. The initial training of researchers –

This activity support the initial training of researchers, implemented through the Initial Training Networks (ITNs) scheme. The network applies for funding from the European Commission before recruiting researchers. Projects are based on a joint training programme, focused on the development and broadening of research competences , and complementary skills. Community support for ITNs will comprise:

• the recruitment of early-stage and experienced researchers to be trained;
• recruitment of ‘visiting scientists’ to transfer knowledge and strengthen ITN supervision;
• the organisation of short training events (conferences, summer schools and specialised training courses), open to both trainees of the network and possibly to researchers from outside the network.

2. The life-long training and career development

This activity supports experienced researchers (having at least four years of full-time research experience or a PhD at the time of the deadline) at different stages of their careers. The aim is for career development, including greater independence as a researcher. This activity is implemented through the following actions:

This activity supports experienced researchers (having at least four years of full-time research experience or a PhD at the time of the deadline) at different stages of their careers. The aim is for career development, including greater independence as a researcher. This activity is implemented through the following actions:

• Intra-European Fellowships for Career Development; closing date 14/08/13
  
• Career Integration Grants for those looking to establish themselves in a research career in Europe;closing date 18/09/13
• Co-funding of regional, national or international programmes is aimed at organisations which are funders of research.

3. Industry-academia partnerships and pathways

This activity will seek to open and foster dynamic pathways between public research organisations and private commercial enterprises, particularly SMEs. The Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP) scheme aims to achieve this predominately by secondments between sectors and networking activities.

4. World fellowships

The career development of researchers from Member States and Associated Countries will be supported through the following schemes:

• International Outgoing Fellowships brain circulation with mandatory return to Europe;closing date 14/08/13
• International Incoming Fellowships to attract highly qualified third-country researchers to Member States and Associated Countries; closing date 14/08/13
• International Research Staff Exchange Schemes are partnerships between research organisations in Europe and one or more organisations in countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy and countries with which the EU has an S&T Agreement.

5. Specific actions

In support of the creation of a genuine European labour market for researchers, a set of accompanying actions will be implemented, with a view to removing obstacles to mobility and to improve the public awareness of Marie Curie actions.

The European Commission Framework Programme 7: Cooperation invites proposals for the ARTEMIS-2013-1 call. Funding supports industry-driven research projects, in the field of embedded computing systems, that aim to generate new and improved technologies and apply them in products, processes or services, in order to strengthen the competitiveness of European industry, improve sustainability and facilitate the emergence of new markets and applications that respond to societal needs.

Legal entities established in any EU member state or FP7 associated country may apply. Legal entities from the other third countries and international organisations may participate. Each consortium must include at least three legal entities established in three different ARTEMIS states. These are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK. The involvement of SMEs is encouraged. The budget for this call is approximately €72.29 million and the financial contribution of the programme will be 16.7 per cent of eligible costs. Projects are expected to last for up to three years. OJ 2013/C 56/11.

The ESRC, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Department for Communities and Local Government are inviting proposals for a What Works Centre, addressing the Local Economic Growth policy arena.

Applications may be made for up to £3.75 million (at 100 per cent fEC) for a period of up to three years. The scheme is open to all staff at research organisations eligible for Research Council Funding.

The aim of the Centre is to provide synthesis, evaluation and communication of the evidence base in support of policy implementation in the local economic growth arena. The primary customers for the outputs of the Centre will be decision makers and practitioners working in, and with, local economic partnerships, cities and local authorities, using evidence to ensure the best results for their localities.

Workshop for potential bidders

The funding partners will be hosting a workshop for potential bidders on 18 March 2013 at the BIS Conference Centre, 1 Victoria Street, London SW1.

This will provide an opportunity for potential bidders to learn more about the expectations of the funding partners, and to meet with other organisations with interests in areas covered by this call for proposals. Attendance at the workshop is not mandatory for a proposal to be accepted, however the partners believe it will offer opportunities to build stronger proposals.

Admittance to the workshop is by pre-registration only. To request a place please email your details to whatworks@esrc.ac.uk no later than 17.00 on 13 March 2013.

The deadline for submission of full proposals is 16.00 on 25 April 2013.

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

Supporting documents:

• Call specification (PDF, 194Kb)
• ESRC Research Funding Guide

The All European Academies (ALLEA), which brings together 52 Academies in more than 40 countries, has today published a roadmap for embedding the social sciences and humanities in Horizon 2020, the EU’s research and innovation programme from 2014-2020. Created by the British Academy, the roadmap sets out the key value of the social sciences and humanities in the realisation of Horizon 2020’s goals whilst making four key recommendations which can be viewed here.

This should be useful for those intending to apply for proposals related to cloud computing, software and services under Horizon 2020, the EU’s new research and innovation programme that will run from 2014 until 2020. Please however note that this is a draft document, so the information is subject to change.

Objective 1: Advanced Cloud Infrastructures and Services:

• Federated cloud networking;
• Automated service composition;
• Mobile Cloud service development environments; and
• Cloud infrastructures (virtual/physical).

Objective 2: Innovative tools and methods for software development:

• Tools and methods to manage complexity, system simulation, variability, testing and failure management across the software lifecycle; and
• Flexible and scalable tools for on-line collaborative software development
  

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  Additional Information

• UKRO subscriber web pages on the development of Horizon 2020.
• European Commission “Orientation Paper – Work Programme 2014 Software and Services. Cloud”.

Related UKRO Articles

• 16/05/2011 – ICT Policy: Consultation on EU Cloud Computing Strategy (Policy News)