Funder: British Academy/Leverhulme Trust
Title: Small Research Grants
Deadline: Wednesday 10 April 2013
Value: £10,000 (up to)
Overview: Primary research in the humanities and social sciences. Funds may be used to facilitate initial project planning and development, to support the direct costs of research and to enable the advancement of research through workshops or conferences, or visits by or to partner scholars. All applications should demonstrate that funds are sought for a clearly defined, discrete piece of research with an identifiable outcome. Applications for individual and collaborative projects are equally welcome. International groups of scholars are eligible to apply, provided the lead applicant is a UK-based scholar. Grants are tenable for up to 24 months and are worth between £500 and £10,000.
Plus there is also funding for the following areas:
Up to £1,000 aimed at recent postdoctoral scholars and awards for travel from Funding from the Sir Ernest Cassel Trust.
Up to £10,000 for individual or cooperative research projects relating to Britain or China from the Sino-British Fellowship Trust.
Up to £500 for the study of ancient Persia and related areas from the Ancient Persia Fund.
Up to £2,500 for research on antiquities, historical geography, early history or arts in parts of Asia from the Stein Arnold Fund
Further information: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/guide/srg.cfm
ARC interest: CABR, IACT, CMAT, CAMH, CSER, IEPR
UK droughts and water scarcity grants – outline bids
The Natural Environment Research Council, in collaboration with the Economic and Social Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council, the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, invites outline bids for its UK droughts and water scarcity grants. These are for consortia to respond to one of three work packages in relation to droughts and water scarcity in the UK. The three work packages are:
• characterisation and quantification of the roles of multiple drivers, their impacts, and cumulative effects during historic periods of drought and water scarcity and methods to support decision-making, worth up to £1.5 million;
• forecasting droughts and water scarcity, and methods to support decision-making, worth up to £2m;
• impacts of droughts and water scarcity, and methods to support decision-making, worth up to £7m for individual consortia of up to £3.5m.
All consortia must be interdisciplinary and cover an appropriate range of environmental, social, economic, historical and cultural contexts at multiple scales within the UK. Project duration should be between 36 and 48 months. Applicants must be eligible for RCUK research grant funding.
The total budget is worth up to £10.5m.
Closing date 03 May 13 for outline bids, full proposals due 21 August 2013.
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/programmes/droughts/events/ao.asp?cookieConsent=A
For further information contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk
Non-disclosure and non-circumvention agreements: the Court of Appeal judgment in ‘Dorchester Property Management’
CK2703ConfidentialityBlogDorchesterPropertyvBNP Paribas
Please see attached a further discussion of the recent Court of Appeal decision related to non-disclosure and non-circumvention agreements, in relation to the disclosure of confidential information.
Wider Outlook Edition 31 April 2013
The latest edition of Wider Outlook is now avaliable, this month’s focus is Europe and European Funding. If you require support please get in touch.
Science essential to boosting efficiency, says Commissioner
Europe needs science to drive innovation in energy efficiency and develop better products, research commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn has told a conference of scientists and policymakers.
Science is the basic requirement for developing more efficient buildings, vehicles, and appliances, she said. “Greater efficiency in these three key sectors will come from the development of new materials, technological advances, and innovative approaches,” the commissioner told the conference.
Better technologies in this area would also help Europe become more resilient in the face of climate change, and ensure an advantage for European companies on international markets, the commissioner added.
Geoghegan-Quinn was speaking yesterday (26 March) in Brussels at a conference organised by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. The conference, Scientific Support to EU Growth and Jobs: Efficient buildings, vehicles and equipment, addressed how increasing energy efficiency would enhance Europe’s competitiveness.
The conference was the first event in a Commission initiative about how science can contribute to growth and jobs in the EU. Around 400 researchers, industry representatives and policymakers were in attendance.
Geoghegan-Quinn stressed the need for industrial groups and public researchers to work together to make sure both basic and applied approaches are used to improve energy efficiency.
“Basic research is not part of the public-private partnerships’ philosophy of emphasising activities that are closer to the market,” Geoghegan-Quinn said. “But there is a real need to coordinate upstream and downstream activities by covering the whole value chain from basic research to innovation, and that’s one of the key aims of Horizon 2020.”
Horizon 2020 is the next EU research programme, which is scheduled to begin in 2014.
See European commission statement:
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/index.cfm?id=1410&obj_id=16500&dt_code=NWS&lang=en&ori=HLN
Call for Proposals: Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 2014-20
![European Commission logo](https://ec.europa.eu/wel/template-2012/images/logo/logo_en.gif)
The Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) provides the general quality framework for European and international co-operation activities a Higher Education Institution may carry out within the Programme. It is a prerequisite for HEIs to organise student mobility and teaching and other staff mobility, to carry out Erasmus intensive language courses and intensive programmes, and to apply for multilateral projects, networks, accompanying measures and to organise preparatory visits. Renewal of Staffordshire University’s Erasmus Charter for HE will be applied for at an institutional level.
The 2014-2020 EU programme for education, training, youth and sport supports, among other policy objectives, the European modernisation and internationalisation agenda in higher education. The Programme will cover the period 2014-2020 and replaces seven existing programmes, including the Lifelong Learning programme (LLP) which will end with the academic year 2013-2014.
For further information contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk
Innovation, Internationalisation and Sustainable Growth
Join ECD and partners in sharing valuable lessons to influence and improve performance in areas of Innovation, Internationalisation and Sustainable Growth.
On 23rd April there is an event at Birmingham Science Park to mark the success of the District+ Programme and support delegates in making the most of ongoing funding and business opportunities in Europe.
Further information is available on the flyer here: Innovation Internationalisation Sustainable Growth. The following link has registration information: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/5865203983#.
If you are interested in this event but unable to attend please contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk who can provide feedback.
Litigating a Non-Disclosure Agreement all the way to the Court of Appeal? – A salutary warning
Please see attached a link to an excellent blog written by the Intellectual Property commentator Mark Anderson on his IP Draughts Blog, on the recent case of Dorchester Project Management Limited v BNP Paribas Real Estate Advisory and Property Management UK Limited [2013] EWCA Civ 176. The main judgment was given by Lady Justice Arden on 7 March 2013. A Summary of further points to consider will follow shortly in a second blog on this case, prepared by the External Projects Team.
The link to Mark Anderson’s IP Draughts blog is at:
the link to the case of Dorchester Project Management Ltd v BNP Paribas Real Estate Advisory and Property Management Ltd is at:
http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWCA/Civ/2013/176.html
FP7 People – Marie Curie Schemes – calls open
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.
PCP SILVER challenge
Supporting Independent Living for the Elderly through Robotics, EU and other funders
Supporting Independent Living for the Elderly through Robotics invites applications under its pre-commercial procurement SILVER challenge. Funding supports two to three years projects with the aim to develop new innovative robotic solutions to make elderly people more independent from professional homecare. Tenderers should aim at a market introduction of their new solution a maximum of two to four years after the end of the PCP. All legal entities from EU members and associated state countries and with relevant portion of research and development are eligible. The total budget is €2,150,000. The process will be divided in three phases:
•up to eight companies will participate in the design of a solution with a budget up to €350,000 for a period of six months;
•up to four companies will participate in the development of a prototype with a budget up to €720,000 for a period of one year;
•up to three companies will participate in the pre-commercial development with a budget up to €1,080,000 for a period of one year.
Closing date 05 Jun 13
Deadline information Registrations due 5 June; applications due 12 June 2013
http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:74279-2013:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0
For further information contact: externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk