Tag Archives: Funding

Council Conclusions on International Co-operation in Horizon 2020

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As part of the discussions during last week’s meeting of EU countries’ science ministers in Brussels, the Competitiveness Council has issued a set of conclusions on the subject of international co-operation within Horizon 2020.

 The Competitiveness Council calls on the European Commission, member states and key stakeholders:

 to develop common principles on issues such as responsible research and innovation, research integrity; peer review; promotion of gender equality and the gender dimension in research and innovation; researcher careers; fair and equitable treatment of IP; and open access to publicly funded research publications and to research infrastructures;

 Acknowledging the crucial importance of international research collaboration, the conclusions emphasise that the European Commission should ‘systematically consider where international co-operation can add strategic value in implementing Horizon 2020 and could play a particularly valuable role in the Horizon 2020 work programmes’. The Council also invites the Commission, working closely with EU Member States, to identify priorities for international co-operation on the basis of Horizon 2020 and of the results of FP7 projects.

 The conclusions also underline the importance of preparing ‘multi-annual roadmaps for co-operation with the EU’s strategic partners, which will identify priorities and instruments for activities within Horizon 2020 for international co-operation on research and innovation’. The Council also states that Member States must be involved from an early stage in this process, and calls on the Commission to present the first roadmaps by the end of 2013.

 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/intm/137346.pdf

 

First World War Lottery Funding

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Funding from the National Lottery can be applied for to celebrate next year’s centenary of the First World War.

Funding body: National Lottery
Scheme:    First World War: Then and Now
Overview: Projects to mark the Centenary of the First World War. These grants aim to make a real difference to a wide range of people by helping them understand the war and its impact better. In particular, they want to involve young people in marking the Centenary. See examples of the heritage your project might explore.
In assessment, they take account of the broad range of outcomes that projects achieve. Projects need to cover a number of the following areas:
Outcomes for heritage
With our support, heritage will be:
•    better managed
•    in better condition
•    better interpreted and explained
•    identified / recorded
Outcomes for people
With our investment, people will have:
•    developed skills
•    learnt about heritage
•    volunteered time
Outcomes for communities
With our support:
•    more people and a wider range of people will have engaged with heritage.
Deadlines: Open Call -apply anytime
Budget: £3,000 to £10,000. They also provide grants of more than £10,000 for First World War projects

The Lottery are looking to fund not-for-profit organisations; and partnerships led by not-for-profit organisations.

Horizon 2020 update from UKRO

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The UK Research Office have advised that they understand the European Commission’s DG Research and Innovation is planning to complete internal drafts of the first Horizon 2020 work programmes by the end of June 2013.  This timetable is extremely ambitious and reliant on the budget discussions progressing, but if all goes as planned an indicative list of topics could be available in July, with consultations underway in Autumn.

The Horizon 2020 Strategic Programme for 2014-2016 is expected to be published alongside the first work programmes to set out the overall objectives of the first two years of the programme and a number of ‘focus areas’ which are expected to be the main thematic driver for the first work programmes. Early indications suggest these could include:

  • Sustainable food security
  • Blue growth: unlocking the potential of the oceans
  • Smart cities and communities
  • Competitive low-carbon energy
  • Energy efficiency
  • Mobility for growth
  • Waste: a resource to recycle, reuse and recover raw materials
  • Water innovation: boosting its value for Europe
  • Overcoming the crisis: new ideas, strategies and governance structures for Europe
  • Disaster-resilience: safeguarding and securing society, including adapting to climate change
  • Digital security 
  • Personalising health and care

The full article is available from the UKRO subscriber services via www.ukro.ac.uk, or contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk for further information.

Capital Funding Call for Digital Transformations in Community research Co-Production in the Arts and Humanities

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As part of the cross-Council Connected Communities Programme, the AHRC is inviting applications for Digital Community Research Co-Production Projects. The call aims to harness digital technologies to stimulate innovative engagements and research co-production between communities and researchers. £4m capital funding is available under this call.

A key focus of, and output from, the projects funded must be some form of new, or significantly enhanced, research-based asset of enduring value for communities and future research. These assets may take a variety of forms, such as open datasets, integrated search facilities, mash-ups, visualizations and mappings, enhanced gateways and portals, galleries, tools, hardware, interfaces, software, material artefacts, or other forms of innovative cultural and creative resource or asset.

Applications are invited for between £50,000 and £600,000 on a full economic cost basis and the AHRC will fund 80% of the full economic costs (with the exception that equipment costs may be included under this call). The closing date is Thursday 27th June 2013.

There are a series of launch events, the local event is Birmingham on 30th May. 

Please contact External Projects Team (externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk) if you are interested in this call. Further information is available at http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/Funding-Opportunities/Pages/Capital-Funding-Call-for-Digital-Transformations-in-Community-research-Co-Production-in-the-Arts-and-Humanities.aspx

Establishment of a European Policy Network of National Literacy Organisations

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Deadline: 29th of August 2013; 12:00 PM

More than one in five 15-year-olds in Europe, as well as many more adults lack basic reading and writing skills. This makes it harder for them to pursue learning and to find a job, and puts them at risk of social exclusion. Aware of this serious problem, the European Commission has taken action to help improve literacy levels in Europe.

The purpose of this call for proposals is to support the establishment of one European policy network to raise awareness, gather and analyse policy information, exchange policy approaches, good practice and promising campaigns and initiatives to promote literacy in light of the Education and Training framework (ET2020) benchmark that the share of low-achieving 15-years olds in reading should be less than 15 % by 2020.

The objectives of this network are to:

  • develop country specific knowledge;
  • facilitate the exchange of good practice;
  • implement awareness-raising initiatives;
  • cooperate with other institutions and organisations working in the field of literacy both at national and EU level to promote effective literacy policies.

http://ec.europa.eu/education/calls/s0513_en.htm

EU budget discussions update

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Official negotiations between the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament regarding the overall EU budget for 2014 to 2020 are finally scheduled to start on Monday 13 May, to try to reach agreement on the budget before the end of the Irish presidency on 30 June. These Multiannual Financial Framework negotiations will continue on the basis of the EUR 960 billion budget agreed at the European Council meeting in February 2013. The negotiations are looking to agree final budgets for the next generation of EU programmes due to be launched in 2014.

Staffs Fest 2013

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The External Projects Team is looking forward to running some enjoyable events during Staffs Fest 2013. Details are below. You can book places using My View or by contacting the Universities Continuous Professional Development team on professional.development@staffs.ac.uk or 01782 294127 / 01782 294872

Falling in Love with Funding

Tuesday 25 June 10:00-11:00

Activity Space Cadman Yard, Stoke

Speed Dating activity with an open access surgery with the External Projects Team and the Knowledge Transfer and Innovation Team

This session provides a chance to meet other people in the University who are looking to develop projects and enterprise activities. This is a chance to meet people outside your normal work area who could collaborate with you on projects.  Staff from Enterprise and Commercial Development will also be on hand to answer your funding or enterprise questions.

With Alex Harvey and Josephine Beech

 

Deconstructing Contracts

Tuesday 25 June 13:30-14:30

L134 Flaxman Building, Stoke

An opportunity to demystify contracts with our resident expert Christopher Kenning

 

EuroTrash: A quiz to outdo all Quizzes

Tuesday 25 June 15:00-16:30

L134 Flaxman Building, Stoke

A fun quiz guaranteed to make you smile. Prizes to be won! EU national dress is optional!

With Margaret Bennett

Funding to Enhance the Student Experience

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This funding is a great opportunity for anyone who has an idea of something they wish to do to improve the student experience, something  Staffordshire University puts great emphasis on.

Funding Body: Higher Education Academy

Scheme: Individual Grants

Overview: The Individual grant scheme invites proposals from individual staff members to lead projects that enhance the student experience. The Higher Education Academy is keen to encourage evidence-based research which can lead to innovations in learning and teaching that have clear benefits beyond your own institution.

Applications are invited from any member of staff engaged in the student learning experience in HEA-subscribing institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. -(Staffordshire University is a subscribing institution)

Deadline: 10 June 2013

Budget: Proposals submitted under the Individual scheme may request up to £7,000 from the Higher Education Academy. Projects will run for twelve months.

Website: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/tdg/individual

Please could anyone wishing to apply please send their ideas to the External Projects Team before bidding so we can ensure the University makes a strategic bid to this fund. externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

COST open call: European Science Foundation

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The European Science Foundation, through its European Cooperation in Science and Technology programme, has launched an open call for proposals. Funding supports networking activities, such as meetings, conferences, workshops, short-term scientific exchanges and outreach activities in the following domains:

•biomedicine and molecular biosciences;

•chemistry and molecular sciences and technologies;

•Earth system science and environmental management;

•food and agriculture;

•forests, their products and services;

•individuals, societies, cultures and health;

•information and communication technologies;

•materials, physics and nanosciences;

•transport and urban development.

Projects must include researchers from at least five COST countries.

Financial support for an action of 19 participating countries is in the range of €130,000 per year, normally for four years, subject to available budget. 

  • Closing date 27 Sep 2013
  • Deadline information Submissions due by 5pm Brussels time (GMT+1).

See http://www.cost.eu/participate/open_call

If you are interested in this flexible funding opportunity please contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

 

UK-China travel grants

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Travel grants of £1500-£2000 are available for travel to China for specific research, conferencing or lecturing reasons from the Universities’ China Committee in London (UCCL).  The grants are for post graduate or research degree students. Return visits from China can also be supported.  Further information is available at http://www.gbcc.org.uk/universities-china-committee-in-london-uccl.aspx.  Please contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk if you require help.  The deadline is 1st June 2013.