FRENZ APRIL NEWSLETTER
(News Areas are emailed separately by the database)
(General news is distributed to all areas)
General News
Best practice in EU higher education co-operation
A new website has been launched to showcase EU co-operation with industrialised third countries (like NZ) countries in the areas of higher and vocational education. With funding from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture, the ECOTEC/ECORYS website aims to provide potential applicants with practical hints and tips on applying to the EC’s programmes. In addition, the site highlights eight European joint-projects on multilateral academic co-operation and mobility collaborations with the US, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Further information: http://bestpractices.ecorys.com
EUROCORES 2009 themes call
The European Science Foundation (ESF) aims to contribute to the European Research Area (ERA) through its European Collaborative Research (EUROCORES) scheme, which supports multinational, interdisciplinary collaborative research programmes across Europe and beyond. The 2009 call for themes is now open and about five themes will be selected. The selection of the themes is therefore for bottom-up proposals for the creation of new collaborative research programmes dealing with broad and complex topics that are best addressed through multinational cooperation. Through its annual call for theme proposals, ESF solicits new ideas with a view to creating large scale European Collaborative Research programmes in and across all scientific domains.
Theme proposals are not themselves research funding proposals, but rather the first step in the creation of large-scale thematic research programmes. The deadline for submissions is 29 May 2009.
Further information: http://www.esf.org/activities/eurocores/calls.html
Three calls for proposals for Marie Curie Fellowships within the FP7 People Specific Programme were published on the 18th of March 2009. These calls include:
Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowships (IIF): An opportunity for experienced researchers from outside Europe, (e.g., from NZ), to travel to Europe for a 1-2 year fellowship at a top European research organisation. In order to be eligible, researchers should be at least post-doctoral (or equivalent) level, and should ideally have skills, knowledge, expertise and networks that may be transferred, to provide a benefit to Europe.
Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowships for Career Development (IOF): An opportunity for experienced European researchers to travel outside Europe, (e.g., to NZ), for a 1-2 year fellowship at a top non-European research organisation in the context of career development. In order to be eligible, researchers should be at least post-doctoral (or equivalent) level, and should be able to demonstrate that his/her skills, knowledge, expertise and networks will be developed during this overseas stay, and will be transferred into Europe during a (mandatory) 1 year return phase.
Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships for Career Development (IEF): An opportunity for experienced European researchers (including NZ researchers who have been based in Europe for more than 3 years) to travel to another part of Europe for a 1-2 year fellowship at a top European research organisation, in the context of career development. In order to be eligible, researchers should be at least post-doctoral (or equivalent) level, and should be able to demonstrate that his/her skills, knowledge, expertise and networks will be developed during the fellowship period.
Links to the call information packages (including the call fiche, work programme, guide for applicants and FP7 factsheets documents for downloading and the Electronic Proposal Submission Service (EPSS) for each call) are available from the FRENZ call information page or, at:
IIF: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.FP7DetailsCallPage&call_id=199
OIF: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.FP7DetailsCallPage&call_id=200
IEF: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.FP7DetailsCallPage&call_id=198
The deadline for full proposals for each of the three calls the 18th of August 2009. Should you require more information, of if you wish to receive any advice on preparing or submitting a Marie Currie Fellowship proposal, please contact the FRENZ Director.
EC releases first FP7 monitoring report
The EC has published the first annual FP7 monitoring report, covering the calendar year (also the EC budget year) 2007. The report provides details on the new monitoring system, followed by a detailed factual analysis of the main elements of the FP7 implementation process. Further, the report provides an update on the simplification process and assesses the impacts and achievements in the first year. In Part 1 of the report the document the monitoring system is explained in detail, Part 2 presents a detailed analysis of the overall FP7 implementation, and Part 3 examines some of the new elements I the FP. Part 4 serves to explain the process and Part 5 looks at the impacts and achievements to date. The FP7 monitoring system is intended to be a first in a series of annual reports, all structured along the same principles allowing a detailed analysis to be performed.
Further information: http://ec.europa.eu/research/reports/2009/pdf/first_fp7_monitoring_en.pdf
CORDIS, the Community Research and Development Information Service, has extended its calls service and now offers a webpage specially dedicated to cofunded calls. As part of the Marie Curie Actions under the People Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), the 'COFUND' scheme provides additional funding to existing or new regional and national fellowship programmes for research training and career development. Additionally, all calls launched by COFUND action grant receivers, which are currently open to applications, are listed. These calls are not published by the European Commission, but are under the direct responsibility of the individual organisation listed in the table.
Further information: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/people/cofund_en.html
FELLOWSHIPS
New Zealand Participation in IRSES’ CONSTRUMATH Project
The 2008 Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES) project Constructive Mathematics: Proof and Computation(CONSTRUMATH), involving researchers from the University of Canterbury (UC), New Zealand, has recently been approved for launch by the European Commission. This initiative involves mathematicians from the Universities of Munich, Padova and Uppsala, the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Ishikawa) and Professor Douglas Bridges and his co-workers’ in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at UC. The underlying theme of the project is constructivity, meaning the exploration of mathematics with an alternative logic – intuitionistic logic – the exclusive use of which produces proofs that both embody implementable algorithms and verify the correctness of those algorithms.
Further information: http://www.frenz.org.nz/news.html
A call for proposals for Marie Curie Fellowships within the FP7 People Specific Programme was published on CORDIS on the 18th of March 2009.
The call encompasses:
Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowships (IIF); Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowships for Career Development(IOF); and Intra-European Fellowships for Career Development(IEF).
Details are available from the FRENZ call information page or, alternatively, please consult the CORDIS People Specific Programme calls for proposals.CORDIS’ individual call pages offer the call fiche, work programme, guide for applicants and FP7 factsheets documents for downloading, as well as the Electronic Proposal Submission Service (EPSS). The deadline set for this round of Marie Curie Fellowship calls is the 18th of August 2009. Should you require more information, of if you wish to receive any assistance in submitting a Marie Currie Fellowship proposal, please contact the FRENZ Director.
ICT News
Ideal-ist Partner Search tool open for the 2009 ICT-PSP Call
Ideal-ist, the key international partner search tool for ICT projects in the Framework Programme (FP7), has, for the first time opened this partner search service for the ICT Policy Support Programme (or ICT PSP). The third ICT call for proposals, closing on 2 June 2009, has a budget of 99.5 million EUR. Ideal-ist has focussed on the improvement of cooperation with other networks, organisations and initiatives. The tool may also be used to identify partners for the second Artemis Call 2009, opened on 26 February with deadline for submission of Project Outlines on 15th of April 2009; and the second ENIAC Call for Project Proposals, expected at the end of March 2009.
Further information: http://www.ideal-ist.net
Physical Science News
EuroNanoForum 2009, Prague, Czech Republic
Event date: 02-06-2009
The fourth EuroNanoForum is scheduled to take place from 2 to 5 June in Prague, Czech Republic. Focusing on 'Nanotechnology for sustainable economy', EuroNanoForum 2009 will address the contribution and challenges of nanotechnology research for sustainable development in European industry and society. This includes areas such as the need for reductions in carbon emissions and fossil fuels dependence, the substantial increase in energy demand, pollution control, clean water management and a sustainable quality of life of the European citizen, as well as material production sustainability and efficiency.
Further information: http://www.euronanoforum2009.eu/
Nanotechnology FAQs published
The EC has recently released a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on nanotechnologies. Available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish, the FAQs will help to communicate basic information about nanotechnologies to the general public. In response to key questions, the document explains the role that the EC has in funding nanotechnology research; looks at all of the European policies in place relating to nanotechnology. And, in response to questions on regulation, includes a section on the EC’s Code of Conduct in nanotechnology research, published last year.
Further information:
The FAQ is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/nanotechnology/faq/faqs.cfm?lg=en
The EC web pages on nanotechnologies are available at: http://ec.europa.eu/nanotechnology/index_en.html
Life Sciences
Symposium on biological surfaces and interfaces, Sant Feliu de Guixols, Spain
Event date: 27-06-2009
The European Science Foundation (ESF) and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) are organising a symposium on biological surfaces and interfaces from 27 June to 2 July in Sant Feliu de Guixols, Spain. Interfaces between synthetic materials and biological systems (biointerfaces) constitute one of the most dynamic and expanding fields in science and technology. By definition, the field is highly interdisciplinary, spanning the disciplines of physics, materials science and engineering, chemistry, biology, bioinformatics and medicine.
Further information: http://www.esf.org/activities/esfconferences/details/2009/confdetail290.html?conf=290&year=2009
Two new climate change have been documents published by the EC - a Commission Staff Working Document on Integrated Climate Change Research and European Research on Climate Change - Projects of the Sixth Framework Programme. These papers can be downloaded direct from the website. Other publications on climate change and enviromental research are also available for download.
Further information: http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/index_en.cfm?pg=publications
Conference on 'Sustainable development - a challenge for European research', Brussels, Belgium
Event date: 26-05-2009
A conference on 'Sustainable development - a challenge for European research' will take place from 26 to 28 May in Brussels, Belgium. The event is organised by the European Commission, in cooperation with the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and will highlight the multiple ways in which European research contributes to global sustainable development. These include understanding the environment, technological solutions, and influencing mindsets and behaviours.
Further information: http://ec.europa.eu/research/sd/conference/2009/index_en.cfm
FRENZ has received a new version of the draft 2010 workprogramme for the Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology theme of the Cooperation programme of FP7. Dated February 2009, this version breaks project topics into three main areas: Sustainable production and management of biological resources, Fork to farm - Food, health and well being, and Life sciences, biotechnology and biochemistry for sustainable non-food products and processes. Within the text, there are two topics that encourage NZ participation in coordination and support activities (not research) to: exchange information, share objectives and create links between the respective programmes (mapping and comparisons of on-going activities…); organise multilateral networking and partnership initiatives among on-going projects from each programme (including project-twinning activities, valorisation of research results and transfer of results to end users…) and discuss and formulate co-ordinated research agendas, jointly plan and possibly implement future initiatives in a concerted manner, in order to tackle these global issues via world-wide co-ordinated efforts. The draft makes mention of a joint call: 'Ocean of Tomorrow', which includes three topics of a cross-thematic nature. As yet, there is no indicative budget or timetable, although it expected that the call should be launched in late July. No further information.
Humanities & Social Sciences
Conference on innovation and the economy, Brussels, Belgium
Event date: 02-06-2009
A conference entitled 'The innovation economy - getting new ideas, new partners and new growth for the global economy' will take place in Brussels, Belgium, on 2 June. In the light of the economic role of innovation and recent and upcoming elections in Europe and the United States, the conference is dedicated to looking at how to go about creating the right global climate to deliver innovation. Janez Potocnik, the European Commissioner for Science and Research, will be one of the key speakers.
Further information: http://www.sciencebusiness.net/events/innovation_economy2009.php