HEFCE has announced funding allocations for 2013-14

Posted on March 22, 2013 by ejd2

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) will allocate £4.47 billion to 129 universities and higher education colleges and 203 further education colleges for the academic year 2013-14.

This funding is allocated for the following key areas and activities:

£2.3 billion for teaching
£1.6 billion for research
£160 million for knowledge exchange
£280 million in capital grants
£149 million in special funding.

Further details are given in ‘Recurrent grants and student number controls for 2013-14’ (HEFCE 2013/05). The ring-fenced settlement for science and research means that HEFCE can maintain overall levels for research and knowledge exchange funding until 2014-15.

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European Parliament new calls

Posted on March 21, 2013 by BENNETT Margaret

Europarl: vocational education and training

The European Parliament invites proposals for its call on dual education – a bridge over troubled waters.

The tenderer will provide the Committee on Culture and Education with concise data on the state of play of vocational education and training in member states to serve as background information for ongoing and upcoming debates on the new generation of education and training programmes, as well as on the EU 2020 strategy.

Funding is estimated to be worth up to €130,000 over 24 months.

http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:89645-2013:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0

Europarl: economic, social and territorial cohesion

The European Parliament invites proposals for the impact of the economic crisis on the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the European Union.

The tenderer will examine the various consequences that the economic and financial crisis had had and is having on the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the EU.

Funding is estimated to be worth up to €128,000 over 24 months.

http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:89647-2013:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0

Europarl: higher education exams

The European Parliament invites proposals for its call on higher education entrance qualifications and exams in Europe: a comparison.

The tenderer will examine the different types of secondary leaving certificates required to enter higher education institutions including the qualification level of each subject that students are tested, and will provide a description and assessment of specific admission requirements that governmental authorities or institutions of higher education are setting.

Funding is estimated to be worth up to €100,000.

http://ted.europa.eu/udl?uri=TED:NOTICE:89646-2013:TEXT:EN:HTML&src=0

For further information contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

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Schutz v Werit – Lord Neuberger’s Judgment in the UK Supreme Court – 13 March 2013

Posted on March 20, 2013 by ck7

CK2003SchutzvWeritSupremeCourtJudgment

Please find attached a short note of Lord Neuberger’s Judgment in Schutz’, taken from the Press Summary. The full Judgment can be found by following the link within the attached document.

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Transversal study visits – deadline March 28th

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Esther KNIGHT

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The EU Lifelong Learning Programme runs study visits across Europe to bring together small groups of individuals involved in different aspects of Lifelong Learning. Each visit looks at a specific topic of joint interest. English is the working language for the majority of study visits, which are open to all professionals involved in Lifelong learning including, though not only, academic staff.

The study visits are usually 3-5 days long, offering funding for 100% of travel and flat rate subsistence costs. These are very popular with staff in the University and we have had many people attending them.

They cover a huge range of subject areas. You can browse these in 2013 -2014 Study Visits Catalogue

Examples of some study visits, from the PDF Catalogue are here:

Title of Study visit

	Country	Dates	Page
Sustainable development in a learning region	Slovenia	16-20 Sept	52
New opportunities for technical branches and crafts	Czech	16-20 Sept	53
How to integrate arts and cultural activities in lifelong learning	Sweden	11-14 Nov	59
Energy efficiency and renewable energy: new demands in VET for new jobs	Germany	23-26 Sept	63
Understanding teaching and learning at university – A hands-on approach	Germany	2-6 Dec	76

Tomorrow’s teaching with virtual media	Denmark	30 Sept -4 Oct	90
Science of data quality: brainstorming data mining	Slovakia	18-20 Sept	116
Content-based approach and competence acquisition in teaching mathematics and scientific subjects	Italy	21-25 Oct	117

Access to university education for disabled students	France	3-7 Feb (2014)	119

The application form is quite simple and it has a very high success rate.Some of the staff who have attended workshops have gone on to work with the people they met – to submit larger European bids.The deadline for the next round of applications is 11 a.m. GMT March 28^th 2013 for visits taking place from September 2013 to February 2014, (and for study visits taking place from March to June 2014, you can apply by 15 October 2013.)

To apply you should read the Guide for applicants and download the online application form

The website with full details of the programme is here .

Please note that you cannot apply for a study visit in the UK

Background

Study visits are organised around 5 themes which reflect the latest policy developments in education and training in Europe:

1. Encouraging cooperation between the worlds of education, training and work

2. Supporting initial and continuous training of teachers, trainers and education

and training institutions’ managers

3. Promoting the acquisition of key competences throughout the education and training

System

4. Promoting social inclusion and gender equality in education and training, including the integration of migrants

5. Developing strategies for lifelong learning and mobility

Further help

If you require further information, just ask the External Projects Team for support externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

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FP7 Artemis call for proposals ARTEMIS-2013-1

Posted on March 14, 2013 by BENNETT Margaret

European Commission Framework Programme 7 (becoming Horizon 2020): Cooperation, EU

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.

Closing date 06 Jun 13

http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/page/call_FP7?callIdentifier=ARTEMIS-2013-1&specificProgram=COOPERATION#wlp_call_FP7

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

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Notable points to consider In Research Agreements

Posted on March 13, 2013 by ck7

CK1303ResearchAgreePointstoNote

Please find attached a short list of points to consider when preparing Research agreements.

Please also note that the patent ‘infringing by manufacture’ case of Schutz v Werit is to be handed down by the Supremes this morning. A Summary of the Judgment and the full judgment will be available from their website as usual.

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Consultation Results: Internet of Things

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Esther KNIGHT

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Summary

The European Commission has recently published the both the results of its public consultation on the ‘Internet of Things’ and the output from an expert group. The conclusions will feed into the development of future policy. The European Commission will also work closely with the CONNECT Advisory Forum for ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) Research and Innovation on this.

Background
Internet of Things (IoT) is a long term technology and market development based on the connection of everyday objects to the Internet. Connected objects exchange, aggregate and process information on their physical environment to provide value added services to end-users, from individuals to companies to society as a whole.

Therefore IoT could potentially improve the life of EU citizens and tackle societal challenges, such as health and transport, and create job opportunities in Europe. On the other hand, it also will create risks for citizens for example with privacy and security.

Consultation
The European Commission held a public consultation to gather views on the policy approach needed for a dynamic development of the IoT in the digital single market whilst also ensuring appropriate protection citizens. Over 600 responses were submitted to the consultation, which was held in Spring 2012.

Conclusions of Consultation
During the consultation, there was no consensus about whether public intervention is needed for the IoT, and if so, what the scope of the intervention should be.

Many respondents (mainly from industry, but backed by several academics and individuals) felt that public intervention is not needed since the sector is still in its infancy. They felt policy measures should be developed at a later stage and that the existing legal framework already protects the end-user. They suggest that, ongoing standardisation work on identification, IoT architecture or security will foster a competitive and safe development of IoT applications. Some respondents also stressed that inappropriate governance will raise barriers to investment and innovation.

By contrast, many individual respondents, civil society and consumer associations claimed that economic considerations are secondary when fundamental rights like privacy, security and other ethical issues are at stake. They stressed the need to protect the rights of end-users and raised concerns that the IoT market would not develop in a competitive way and that consumers may get locked in certain technologies. In their view, IoT specific rules should be developed and enforced to control the development of IoT technologies and markets. They conclude that a multi stakeholder platform, securing appropriate representation of civil society, is needed to address IoT governance issues.

Next Steps
The European Commission will develop future policy initiatives based on the consultation and expert report. It will also work with the CONNECT Advisory Forum for ICT Research and Innovation, which is known as CAF.

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Strategic Energy Technologies Information System (SETIS) calendar of events

Posted on March 8, 2013 by BENNETT Margaret

EERA Annual Congress 2013 (Apr 18, 2013 – Apr 19, 2013, Brussels, Belgium): The European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) is holding its third annual congress in Brussels on April 18-19.; 4th European Conference on Renewable Heating and Cooling (Apr 22, 2013 – Apr 23, 2013, Dublin, Ireland) Representatives from energy ministries, the European Commission and the European Parliament will join leading delegates from industry and research centres for the European Technology Platform on Renewable Heating and Cooling (RHC-Platform) fourth European Conference on Renewable Heating and Cooling, to be held in Dublin from 22 to 23 April 2013.
6th Energy Storage World Forum (Apr 23, 2013 – Apr 25, 2013, Berlin, Germany)

This year’s Energy Storage World Forum will cover over 40 topics, from policy and technological developments, to markets, regulation and legal considerations.
Energy Europe (May 23, 2013 – May 25, 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark): The first Energy Europe conference and fair will be held in Copenhagen from May 23-25, 2013.
21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (Jun 03, 2013 – Jun 07, 2013, Copenhagen, Denmark): The 21st European Biomass Conference and Exhibition (EU BC&E) will be held at the Bella Centre in Copenhagen (Denmark) in June this year.
European Geothermal Congress 2013 (Jul 03, 2013 – Jul 07, 2013, Pisa, Italy): The event will be held under the auspices of the International Geothermal Association – European Regional Branch, which will also set up the Scientific Committee for the Congress.; For further information see: http://setis.ec.europa.eu/newsroom/upcoming-events

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What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth Call for Proposals

Posted on March 6, 2013 by BENNETT Margaret

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:

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