Newsletter August 2017

 The Europe Office Newsletter – August 2017

 

BREXIT & Events

 University to host series of events in relation to the EU and Brexit

The first of these events will take place on Wednesday 23rd August and will be a panel discussion, allowing all members of staff to share their thoughts and ask any questions about the impact of Brexit on the university and it’s wider implications on the higher education sector.  The event will be opened by our very own Mark Anderson, Director of the Europe Office, and a subsequent Q&A session will be chaired by the Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Pamela Gillies CBE FRSE.   This event will take place from 1pm to 2pm in the Deeprose Lecture Theatre, Govan Mbeki building.

We will be hosting a funding workshop on the morning of Tuesday 29th August in H112 (9am) to promote opportunities for funding through the Erasmus+ programme.  This is a great opportunity for those of you who may be interested in gaining an insight into how these projects work and the processes involved, as we will have academics in attendance that are currently involved in projects sharing their own experiences.  There will be a light lunch at 12:30pm where will be serving Ibérico ham thanks to Pablo Lopez Alonso! Following lunch, there will be an opportunity to have a one-to-one session with Mark Anderson and Pablo Lopez Alonso on a specific programme or about a potential project idea that you may have.  Please contact r.blincow@gcu.ac.uk to book a place.

People Services will also host an informal drop-in session from 3.30pm on Monday, 4th September in the Staff Social Space.  This is aimed at those of you who are EU nationals who may wish to discuss the implications of Brexit. The session will last around 90 minutes and the University’s lawyers Anderson Strathern will provide an overview of the implications of the UK government’s proposed policy ‘Safeguarding the Position of EU Citizens Living in the UK and EU nationals Living in the EU’. There will also be a general discussion to identify what support and advice you would like from the University in the future.

 

Horizon 2020

CALLS

The submission session is now available for 7 health related project proposals. These include:

  • Development and validation of technology enabled, quantitative and sensitive measures of functional decline in people with early stage Alzheimer’s Disease
  • FAIRification of IMI and EFPIA data
  • Development of sensitive and validated clinical endpoints in primary Sjögren’s Syndrome (pSS)
  • European Health Data Network (EHDN)
  • Analysing the infectious disease burden and the use of vaccines to improve healthy years in aging populations
  • Discovery and characterisation of blood-brain barrier targets and transport mechanisms for brain delivery of therapeutics to treat neurodegenerative & metabolic diseases
  • European Screening Centre: unique library for attractive biology (ESCulab)

More details of these calls and their deadlines can be found at here.

 

MSCA (Marie Skldowska Curie Actions) Deadlines for 2016/17

·         MSCA IF (Individual Fellowships) 2016: Call Open 11/4/17; Deadline: 14/9/2017

·         MSCA COFUND-2016: Call Open 5/4/17; Deadline: 28/9/2017

 

OTHER EU FUNDING

Erasmus + 2017 Key Action 2 Deadlines for 2016/17

·         Strategic partnerships in the field of youth; Deadline: 4/10/2017

All the deadlines and information on the types of activities you can apply for are contained in the 2017 Call for Proposals document and the 2017 Programme Guide both of which you can download from the Eramus+ Key Resources page. The Call for Proposals is an overview document containing all the deadlines for 2017, while the Programme Guide contains all the detailed information on how to apply for Erasmus+ funding. You will need to read both documents when planning an application.

 

Erasmus+

The first lists of projects across the UK funded under the Erasmus+ programme in 2017 have now been published.

The lists provide an overview of projects funded under the 2017 Call, and you can see the types of organisations who have been successful in securing decentralised Erasmus+ funding.

The information available includes the organisation name, address and country, the type of project that is being supported, the amount of funding in euros, and the project name.  Follow this link to view the list.

 

CONTACTS AT GCU

Mark Anderson, Mark.Anderson@gcu.ac.uk or x8842

Pablo Lopez Alonso, Pablo.LopezAlonso@gcu.ac.uk  or x8337

Rhona Blincow, r.blincow@gcu.ac.uk or x3928

Rose Cawood, rose.cawood@gcu.ac.uk or x3749

Siobhan Doyle, Siobhan.Doyle2@gcu.ac.uk or x8274

2017 Travels and Office News

Hello everyone!

It has been a busy 6 months in the office since the new year!  We will have to keep our stories short and sweet, as we would be writing a novel otherwise…

We began the year in January with lots of writing; some new projects – so more on that in August when we know how we did.  We introduced a new member to the team: Siobhan Doyle.  Siobhan will be helping with the administration of our many projects and comes from a background in International Relations and speaks fluent French.  We also were at the Coordinator’s meeting in Brussels for a few new projects: SEASIN (South East Asia Social Innovation Network – www.seasin-eu.org) and representing another colleague’s project: Common Good First (www.commongoodfirst.com).

 

We carried on into February with the Kick Off Meeting for SEASIN (www.seasin-eu.org).  We met partners from Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia; as well as European partners in the UK, Spain and Portugal.  The project aims to develop a Social Innovation Awards Programme, Network and Social Innovation Support Units in each University.

SEASIN KO Meeting at GCU ^^^

 

In March we kept up the momentum with meetings in Alicante, Zanzibar, Eindhoven, Shiraz and hosted a TEACHEX (www.teachex.eu) meeting at GCU.  In Alicante we had the Kick Off Meeting for the FREE NETWORK project led by Universidad de Alicante and USMA in Panama.  This project focusses on Spin Off support in Latin American Universities.

 

We also had the final meeting of the ENRICH (www.enrich-project.eu) project under the Tempus Programme in Zanzibar.  It came together with the SUCCEED (www.ogpi.ua.es/project/116) Project for an interesting final conference about Energy Efficiency Measures in East Africa.

 

There was another TEACHEX (www.teachex.eu) meeting held at GCU as well.  The TEACHEX Project focusses on improving teaching standards and promoting teaching excellence in Israel and aims to set up Centres for Teaching Excellence in each university on the project.

 

At the end of March we had an interesting week in Eindhoven for our Strategy for Change Strategic Partnership (strategy4change.eu/institutional/).  There was training for students from each partner university in Social Innovation and project sustainability.  Groups of students were mixed from Eindhoven, Dublin, Glasgow, Aveiro and Umea and each group had to tackle a problem and produce a short film without words to show their understanding and empathy towards an issue and include constructive solutions to the problem.  They then presented this to the consortium.    There was also a multiplier event with talks from a variety of speakers from academia, business and non-profit; with a specific focus on design for Social Innovation and inclusion.  The meeting also coincided with the 2017 STRP Biennale (https://strp.nl/en/) and the consortium were lucky enough to attend the Keynote speech by Kevin Kelly.  There was also a hands on exhibition of ideas, technology, art and design – a few of us even tried out the Virtual Reality exhibits!

FREE NETWORK KO Meeting in Alicante ^^^

Waiting for our flight, and at the final meeting for ENRICH ^^^

Eindhoven: Interactive Projects and Technology; Interactive Workshops and Student Presentations

The STRP Biennale Keynote Speech ^^^

 

In April we got back to the office for a short while and then we were off again to visit the LASIN (Latin American Social Innovation Network) Social Innovation Support Units (lasin-eu.org) and the Studios delivered by Social Innovation Exchange.  We also delivered training in Mashhad in Iran for IHEI (www.ihei.eu) and had lovely tour of the city – very colourful!

 

We stopped off in Rio first to visit both universities there: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and UNIRIO.  Then we travelled straight onto Chile; first Valparaiso to see Federico Santa Maria Technical University and then on to Santiago to see Universidad de Desarrollo.

Brazil and Chile Evaluations ^^^

We then had a short reprieve where we celebrated Europe Day in the University and we had another meeting in Alicante for the Kick Off of the INDOEDU4ALL Project which aims to look at improving the Disability Support services at the Indonesian Universities on the project.

With Greek colleagues for INDOEDU4ALL ^^

 

We headed back to Latin America to finish off the evaluations for LASIN in Panama at USMA and Universidad del Istmo; and then in Bogota, Colombia with Fundacion Universitaria del Are Andina; and finishing in Medellin with Universidad de Antioquia.  All the visits were a great success – each university has undergone a big change to implement the centres in each one; with real unique strengths and differences in each SISU, as well as culturally relevant approaches to supporting social innovation in their locale.  The SISUs will continue to develop on the feedback from the evaluations over the rest of the project.

Visit to one of the social innovation case studies in Panama; and visits to the SISUs in Panama and Medellin ^^

 

In June we carried on our busy schedules with the final meeting of the Puedes Project (www.puedes.eu) Rio de Janeiro (second time this year!) and a meeting of the ENG@GE (www.engage-ce.eu) Project in Malta.  The Puedes Project was a mutual exchange project with universities across Latin America with the exchange of staff, undergraduate, masters and phD students both from Latin American universities and European universities on the project.  The ENG@GE Project looks at helping form a circular economy and provide tools to help foster innovative green entrepreneurship.

Puedes final meeting in Rio de Janeiro ^^^

ENG@GE in Malta ^^^

 

It has certainly been a busy and dynamic first half to 2017 in our office; and with more to follow in the coming months.  Over the second half of the year we will have a meeting for IHEI in Teheran; a LASIN conference in September in Panama; the launching of the SEASIN SISUs in November; a workshop for ENHANCE in Vietnam; and training in both Glasgow and Indonesia for the INDOEDU4ALL Project.  For the summer months we will be having a bit of rest, waiting to see the outcome of European bids in August and doing some strategy and forward planning.  We will update again soon on our travels and projects – watch this space!

Please get in touch with the office if you want to discuss project ideas, or look at where to access funding.  You can find us on:

 

Facebookwww.facebook.com/TheEuropeOffice

Twitter@GCU_TEO

Or send us an emailrose.cawood@gcu.ac.uk

 

For more information on our projects and projects we are involved in, please see details below:

SEASIN www.seasin-eu.org 

Common Good First www.commongoodfirst.com

TEACHEX www.teachex.eu 

ENRICH www.enrich-project.eu

Strategy for Change strategy4change.eu/institutional/

LASIN lasin-eu.org

IHEI www.ihei.eu 

 

Puedes Project www.puedes.eu 

ENG@GE www.engage-ce.eu 

 

 

 

Newsletter July 2017

The Europe Office Newsletter – 

news3

news1news2

BREXIT

Universities UK

Horizon 2020

An area of particular focus for Universities UK has been the HMT underwrite of Horizon 2020 applied for before departure.  At this time it is unclear how this will play out, as it is being considered as part of the overarching negotiation of the financial settlement.  UUK have stated that “we are pushing Government for this and the earliest possible clarification on the UK’s participation in the remainder of the Horizon 2020 programme”.

Policy Priorities for Brexit

In February this year, the Universities UK (UUK) board approved a briefing paper titled “What should be the government’s priorities for exit negotiations and policy development to maximise the contribution of British universities to a successful and global UK”.  The paper is now complete after extensive feedback from UUK members over the last six months, and can be viewed within the attachments section of this e-mail.

CALLS

*Call for proposals for ERC Advanced Grant are now open*

 Are you an established, leading principal investigator who wants long-term funding to pursue a ground-breaking, high-risk project? The ERC Advanced Grant could be for you.

Key Points to note:-

  • Applicants for the ERC Advanced Grants are expected to be active researchers who have a track-record of significant research achievements in the last 10 years.
  • Applications can be made in any field of research – the ERC’s grants operate on a ‘bottom-up’ basis without predetermined priorities.
  • ERC grants support projects carried out by an individual researcher who can employ researchers of any nationality as team members. It is also possible to have one or more team members located in a non-European country
  • Advanced Grants may be awarded up to € 2.5 million for a period of 5 years.  An ERC grant can cover up to 100% of the total eligible direct costs of the research plus a contribution of 25% of the total eligible costs towards indirect costs.

Please follow this link for information on how to apply.

 

MSCA (Marie Skldowska Curie Actions) Deadlines for 2016/17

·         MSCA IF (Individual Fellowships) 2016: Call Open 11/4/17; Deadline: 14/9/2017

·         MSCA COFUND-2016: Call Open 5/4/17; Deadline: 28/9/2017

 

OTHER EU FUNDING 

Erasmus + 2017 Key Action 2 Deadlines for 2016/17

Strategic partnerships in the field of youth; Deadline: 4/10/2017

All the deadlines and information on the types of activities you can apply for are contained in the 2017 Call for Proposals document and the 2017 Programme Guide both of which you can download from the Eramus+ Key Resources page. The Call for Proposals is an overview document containing all the deadlines for 2017, while the Programme Guide contains all the detailed information on how to apply for Erasmus+ funding. You will need to read both documents when planning an application.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Universities UK 

21st October 2017 – The Higher Education and Research Act (2017): What it means for your institution

This is a national one-day conference to give you the opportunity to examine the key institutional and operational aspects of the Higher Education and Research Act, to consider where we are, and to discuss what happens next. Organised by Universities UK, the day will explore the implications for your institution and will give you the insight and intelligence you need to plan for the changes.  Please see this link for further information.

5th December 2017 – Research in universities: successful strategies for 2017 and beyond

 A one-day, national conference for all those with strategic responsibility for research in universities and the wider higher education sector.  Research in universities: successful strategies for 2017 and beyond​​ will offer delegates from a diverse range of institutions in the UK the opportunity to examine the changing research infrastructure and landscape. Please see this link for further information.

 

OTHER NEWS 

Scotland Europa

Scotland Europa is currently looking to build up their collection of project case-studies which have been EU funded.  It is therefore calling all those who have been involved in an EU project keen to share their experience to take part in a survey.  The projects should be collaborative in focus.

Survey Link

 

Erasmus+

The first lists of projects across the UK funded under the Erasmus+ programme in 2017 have now been published.

The lists provide an overview of projects funded under the 2017 Call, and you can see the types of organisations who have been successful in securing decentralised Erasmus+ funding.

The information available includes the organisation name, address and country, the type of project that is being supported, the amount of funding in euros, and the project name.  Follow the link below to view the list:

https://www.erasmusplus.org.uk/funding-results

 

Contacts at GCU

Mark Anderson, Mark.Anderson@gcu.ac.uk or x8842

Pablo Lopez Alonso, Pablo.LopezAlonso@gcu.ac.uk  or x8337

Rhona Blincow, r.blincow@gcu.ac.uk or x3928

Rose Cawood, rose.cawood@gcu.ac.uk or x3749

Siobhan Doyle, Siobhan.Doyle2@gcu.ac.uk or x8274

 

 

 

government-brexit-priorities-universities-ujmxm2

 

Newsletter November 2016

The Europe Office Newsletter –November 2016

news3

news1news2

EVENTS

EUROPE WEEK: A series of events organised by the Europe Office,  will take place from,

Monday 28 November to Wednesday 30 November 2016. To register please go to,

http://www.eventbrite.com/preview?eid=29225706876 .  Lunch will be provided.

 

28/11/16, H116, 10.30am,

Scotland Europa Workshop:  International Collaboration for a Better Society,

This workshop will promote the opportunities for funding in the areas of  Social Inclusion, Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies, as well as Social Sciences and Humanities.  A range of opportunities will be examined in the following general areas:-

  • Growth and Inclusion and Reversing Inequalities
  • Global Economic Development and Social Welfare.
  • Cultural Engagement
  • Global Engagement

Please register separately for this event at, https://events.scottish-enterprise.com/events/ClientApps/Silverbear.Web.EDMS/public/default.aspx?tabid=37&id=301318&orgId=1

 

29/11/16, 10.30am, The Hanging Lantern Room,

Opportunities and Uncertainties: The landscape for continued European Engagement,

The debate will attempt to respond to the contradictory messages revolving around BREXIT and bring clarity to the current situation, suggesting strategies and initiatives to counter the prevailing sense of an ambiguous future.

 

30/11/16, H116, 11.00am,

Promoting and Showcasing European Funding Programmes and current projects,

Erasmus+, including Capacity Building and Strategic Parnterships; Interreg, Horizon2020 – hear from successful EU project participants and take the opportunity to network over lunch.

 

BREXIT

Universities UK provide information and analysis on the impact of Brexit at the following link:-

http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/Pages/brexit-and-universities.aspx

 

HORIZON 2020

MSCA (Marie Skldowska Curie Actions) Deadlines for 2016/17

  • MSCA IF (Individual Fellowships) 2016: Deadline: 14/9/2017
  • MSCA COFUND-2016: Deadline : 28/9/2017
  • MSCA RISE (Research and Innovation Staff Exchange) -2016: Call open 1/12/16; Deadline 5/4/2017
  • MSCA ITN-(Innovative Training Networks) -2017:  Call open 15/9/16;  Deadline 10/1/17

Looking Beyond Horizon 2020

While Horizon 2020 is the main EU programme for funding research and innovation, there are also a number of other EU programmes which could be of interest to researchers looking for funding. These programmes are often characterised by lower funding levels and rates but often finance smaller scale projects which are harder to fit under the Horizon 2020 umbrella. The better known programmes include Erasmus+, COST and the Health Programme​, but there might also be opportunities under Creative Europe, LIFE, in the area of Rights, Equality, Citizenship and Justice or the Research Fund for Coal​ and Steel. Finally, UKRO has also produced a short overview on the European Structural and Investment Fund.

Different policy Directorate Generals of the European Commission run these programmes, and while some efforts have been made to align funding rules more, there are still significant differences, for example in the application procedures or the rules for project management and reporting. Our UKRO Factsheets will provide you with the most important information on each scheme in a condensed format.​

 

OTHER EU FUNDING

Erasmus Plus 2017 application deadlines announced

The European Commission has released the 2017 application deadlines for Erasmus+.

All the deadlines and information on the types of activities you can apply for are contained in the 2017 Call for Proposals document and the 2017 Programme Guide both of which you can download from the Eramus+ Key Resources page. The Call for Proposals is an overview document containing all the deadlines for 2017, while the Programme Guide contains all the detailed information on how to apply for Erasmus+ funding. You will need to read both documents when planning an application.

 

Contacts at GCU

Mark Anderson, Mark.Anderson@gcu.ac.uk or x8842

Pablo Lopez Alonso, Pablo.LopezAlonso@gcu.ac.uk  or x8337

Rhona Blincow, r.blincow@gcu.ac.uk or x3928

Rose Cawood, rose.cawood@gcu.ac.uk or x3749

 

More Information:

HORIZON 2020 http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/home.html

ERASMUS PLUS http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheEuropeOffice

NEXT STOP: Hanoi, Santiago, Valparaiso & Bogota…

Hi Friends!

We have been absent from here for a few weeks but we have lots of new travel stories to update you with, including pictures!

Firstly – we started off our travels in Vietnam for the ENHANCE Project, in beautiful Hanoi to discuss applying Social Innovation to research and European Funding with our Vietnamese partners, as well as a visit to see the stunning Ha Long Bay.  For details about ENHANCE, see the end of this post.

viet9 viet8 viet7 viet4 viet3 viet2 viet1

And the beautiful Ha Long Bay

viet6 viet5

Next we were on our way to Chile to stop in Santiago, and then Valparaiso for our LASIN Project meetings.  We landed over the beautiful mountains in Santiago, and had our first lot of meetings at Universidad de Desarrollo, and then a workshop with partners Social Innovation Exchange (SIX), to prepare partners for the development of their individual Social Innovation Support Units.  We then had a visit to two innovative projects in Santiago – first to Ideas Factory Santiago, and second to Laboratorio de Gobernio.  

landing 14571846_10157565599650652_712938856_o 14550874_10157550567755652_1779592905_o foto-3-10-16-2-26-35-p-m

14536828_10157546723570652_559060562_o 14522369_10157546737750652_806789249_o 14537037_10157546718260652_234522741_o 14585726_10157546720110652_2137361348_o  foto-3-10-16-2-19-01-p-m foto-3-10-16-2-24-20-p-m foto-3-10-16-1-27-45-p-m foto-3-10-16-1-06-21-p-m foto-3-10-16-2-23-15-p-m foto-3-10-16-2-22-31-p-m foto-3-10-16-2-19-54-p-m foto-3-10-16-11-01-45-a-m   r0011091

Ideas Factory Santiago and Laboratorio de Gobernio

14725289_10157588405860652_1124423902_o 14724170_10157588405695652_2097506998_o 14647480_10157588405580652_1273390456_o 14697221_10157588405495652_1997734941_o 14725211_10157588405040652_1557364663_o 14689110_10157588406490652_1058138086_o 8z2a1360 14689052_10157588407055652_684690974_o 8z2a1321  8z2a1319 8z2a1322

We then spent a day in beautiful Valparaiso at Federico Santa María Technical University where we wrapped up our project meetings and visited the Ideas Factory in Valparaiso. 

valpopano

valpo1 valpo2 valpo3 valpo5

Finally, some of the group went Bogota, Colombia for the for SIX Summer School.  The event showcased other organisations and their activities in Social Innovation, as well as talks about different aspects, opportunities and challenges in social innovation.  For more information on this event and SIX’s activities see this link:

http://www.socialinnovationexchange.org/categories/read/six-summer-school-2016-in-colombia-social-innovation-in-divided-societies

bog2 bog1

For more information on ENHANCE Project, see here: www.project-enhance.eu

For more on LASIN Project, see here: lasin-eu.org

For more on SIX, see here:  www.socialinnovationexchange.org

For more on Ideas Factory Chile, see here: www.ideafactory.cl

For more on Laboratorio de Gobernio, see here: lab.gob.cl

For more on Universidad de Desarollo, see here: www.udd.cl

For more on Federico Santa María Technical University, see here: www.usm.cl

 

Keep up to date with our office through:

Facebookwww.facebook.com/TheEuropeOffice

Twitter: @GCU_TEO

Or send us an emailrose.cawood@gcu.ac.uk

Newsletter – October 2016

The Europe Office Newsletter – October 2016

news3

news1news2

BREXIT

LIFE Programme Included in Treasury Guarantees EU Funding for UK Researchers Beyond the Date UK Leaves the EU

Following up on last month’s news about the Treasury statement on the future of EU funding, it has now also been confirmed that UK organisations that bid directly to the European Commission on a competitive basis for EU LIFE funds will also have the payment of such awards underwritten by Treasury, even when the projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU.

This means that UK organisations can continue to bid for funding from the Commission’s LIFE programme up until the point of exit, with the guarantee that funds awarded will continue for the duration of their projects.

The LIFE programme is the EU’s funding instrument for climate action, nature conservation and the environment.

Horizon 2020 Post-Referendum Issues BEIS Email Change

​The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) continues to collect evidence through a new email address for any issues or concerns UK organisations may have following the EU Referendum. Future emails should be sent to Research@beis.gov.uk, though the old address (Research@bis.gis.gov.uk) will still receive emails sent to it.  BEIS welcomes any examples of issues, problems or general concerns UK organisations have experienced or perceive as a result of the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.

Further Information Regarding EU Funding for Structural and Investment Fund Projects Provided by UK Government

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond announced today that EU funding for structural and investment fund projects will be guaranteed by the government, for those projects signed after the Autumn Statement that continue after the UK exits the EU. This announcement builds on the previous statement on 13 August, which guaranteed funds for projects signed up until the Autumn Statement. As part of today’s announcement, it was set out that funding for projects will be honoured by the government if they meet the following conditions:

  • they are good value for money;
  • they are in line with domestic strategic priorities.

Elsevier Brexit Resource Centre

Elsevier have launched a Brexit Resource Centre, providing free access to data, metrics and other resources for monitoring the effects of Brexit on the global research community. The information provided includes a factsheet on UK research 2011-2015, social media monitoring, free access to the top downloaded articles related to Brexit, and other related resources. Elsevier plan to update the UK research factsheet quarterly as new data becomes available to show any effects that may be linked to the results of the EU referendum.

HORIZON 2020

‘Research and Innovation Funding: Making a Real Difference’ Brochure and Video

The European Commission has prepared a promotional brochure and video, which show how effective the first two years of Horizon 2020 have been in terms of promoting economic growth and improving the lives of EU citizens.

The brochure and video present an assessment of the programme’s management and distribution throughout 2014 and 2015, with key information on the number of proposals submitted and funded, key Horizon 2020 performance indicators, major achievements etc. It also highlights some of the positive outcomes of FP7, which had been presented in the final assessment of the programme published last year.

MSCA (Marie Skldowska Curie Actions) Deadlines for 2016/17

•              MSCA IF (Individual Fellowships) 2016: Deadline: Passed

•              MSCA COFUND-2016: Deadline : Passed

•              MSCA RISE (Research and Innovation Staff Exchange) -2016: Call open 1/12/16; Deadline 5/4/2017

•              MSCA ITN-(Innovative Training Networks) -2017:  Call open 15/9/16;  Deadline 10/1/17

Looking Beyond Horizon 2020

While Horizon 2020 is the main EU programme for funding research and innovation, there are also a number of other EU programmes which could be of interest to researchers looking for funding. These programmes are often characterised by lower funding levels and rates but often finance smaller scale projects which are harder to fit under the Horizon 2020 umbrella. The better known programmes include Erasmus+, COST and the Health Programme​, but there might also be opportunities under Creative Europe, LIFE, in the area of Rights, Equality, Citizenship and Justice or the Research Fund for Coal​ and Steel. Finally, UKRO has also produced a short overview on the European Structural and Investment Fund.

Different policy Directorate Generals of the European Commission run these programmes, and while some efforts have been made to align funding rules more, there are still significant differences, for example in the application procedures or the rules for project management and reporting. Our UKRO Factsheets will provide you with the most important information on each scheme in a condensed format.​

OTHER EU FUNDING

Preparing for Erasmus+ in 2017
The European Commission will soon publish the 2017 Call outlining deadlines, priorities and application information for the coming year. Please be assured following recent events, organisations should continue to apply in 2017 and deliver their projects as intended. Read our news item for more details on our preparation for 2017.

Call for Proposals: Connecting Europe Facility

​The European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport and Directorate-General for Energy, is hereby launching a call for proposals in order to award grants in accordance with the priorities and objectives defined in the annual work programme for 2016 for a multi-sectoral call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility. Proposals are invited for the following call CEF-Synergy-2016-1.
The indicative amount available is EUR 40 million. The deadline for submission of proposals is 13 December 2016.

Further information of this call available at Innovation and Networks Executive Agency website.

EVENTS 

Erasmus+ | Glasgow | 2 November 2016

Erasmus+ is holding a series of information sessions on the Erasmus programme in the UK.  The event will provide an overview of the funding opportunities available under Erasmus+ in 2017, and is primarily aimed at organisations which have not yet applied for funding and would like to know more about the programme.

Erasmus+ – more information

Scotland Europa Workshop

On the 28th November a workshop will take place at Glasgow Caledonian University to promote the opportunities for funding in the areas of  Social Inclusion, Inclusive, innovative and reflective societies’, as well as Social Sciences and Humanities.  A range of opportunities will be examined in the following general areas:-

  • Growth and Inclusion and Reversing Inequalities
  • Global Economic Development and Social Welfare.
  • Cultural Engagement
  • Global Engagement

Further information on times and venue will be published shortly.

UKRO ERC Consolidator Grant Proposal Writing and Information Events

In its capacity as UK National Contact Point for the European Research Council (ERC), the UK Research Office, in partnership with the hosting institutions, is holding two events for researchers who are interested in applying for the 2017 ERC Consolidator Grants call. The events are scheduled as follows:

Further information and registration are available at the links to the events given above.

OTHER NEWS

European Parliament Approves the Ratification of the Paris Agreement

The European Parliament has approved the ratification of the Paris Agreement on climate change by the European Union. The European Union played a decisive role in building the coalition for the adoption of the Paris Agreement in December 2015. The European Commission has brought forward the legislative proposals to deliver on the EU’s commitment to reduce emissions in the European Union by at least 40% by 2030. The approval from the European Parliament concludes the political process for the European Union to ratify the Agreement and now the Council can formally adopt the Decision. In parallel the EU Member States will ratify the Paris Agreement individually, in accordance with their national parliamentary processes.

More information on the European Commission’s efforts to fight climate change at EU and international level is available Climate Action website.

ERC Signs an Implementing Arrangement with Brazil

​The European Research Council has signed an Implementing Arrangement with Brazil, allowing Brazilian researchers to join ERC-funded research teams in Europe.

The newly signed agreement between the ERC and the Brazilian National Council of State Funding Agencies (CONFAP) aims to foster international collaboration between the ERC and major international partners in line with Horizon 2020’s ‘Open to the world’ strategy.

Following the signing of the agreement, ERC-funded research teams will be encouraged to host excellent researchers from Brazil, funded by CONFAP, for a limited period. These opportunities are intended for active postdoctoral grantees from the State Funding Agencies (FAPs), from the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq). The Implementing Arrangement will mirror the existing ones the ERC previously signed with the USA, South Korea, China, Argentina, Japan, Mexico and South Africa, and brings the total number to eight.

Contacts at GCU

Mark Anderson, Mark.Anderson@gcu.ac.uk or x8842

Pablo Lopez Alonso, Pablo.LopezAlonso@gcu.ac.uk  or x8337

Rhona Blincow, r.blincow@gcu.ac.uk or x3928

Rose Cawood, rose.cawood@gcu.ac.uk or x3749

More Information:

HORIZON 2020

http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/home.html

ERASMUS PLUS

http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/TheEuropeOffice

Twitter

@GCU_TEO

Oh hey there Panama, Ireland, Uganda…

Hola amigos!  Sorry for the hiatus on here – we have been rather busy.  Read on…

We have been off on our travels this August and September, and we have another two trips in Vietnam and Chile at the end of September and beginning of October. Our project LASIN based in Latin America will take place in October in Santiago, and a visit to Vietnam to network and then attend the ENHANCE Project meeting are happening in September to October.

Firstly, we met in Panama City for our LAURDS project meeting with partners to discuss project management and the progress of the project. It rained a lot but it was nice to see friends and colleagues again. See the pictures below:

p5 p4  panana panama

Our meeting in Dublin was around Strategy For Change project with partners in Aveiro, Umea, Eindhoven, Dublin and Glasgow.  We heard from interesting academics and practitioners in the area of social innovation and attended a workshop with Fighting Words a creative writing enterprise in Dublin, before sampling some live Irish music in the pub!  Pictures below:

dub1 dub2 dub8dub4 dub7 dub6  dub5

Fighting words – www.fightingwords.ie/          Pictures below:

fighting fighting5 fight3 fighting2

Next was our meeting in Kampala, Uganda for the Enrich Project International Conference and coordination meeting.  Weather was warm and we had interesting talks from practitioners in the field of renewable and low carbon energy, as well as a Whistle Stop tour of Kampala before returning home:

 uganda7 uganda2 uganda3 uganda5uganda6whistle7 whistle6 whistle5 whistle4 whistle2 whistle uganda

We also hosted the eSTEM meeting where Egyptian partners visited our engineering labs during the week long capacity building meeting.   See pictures below:

estem3 estem2 estem

However we also still had colleagues around in the Office and we always welcome anyone who wants to pop by with questions and ideas or for a chat.

officepablorhona

For more information on the projects discuss see the links below, or go to our Facebook and Twitter pages for updates.

LASIN: lasin-eu.org/

ENHANCE: www.project-enhance.eu/

LAURDS: www.gcu.ac.uk/gsbs/staff/professordavidedgar/

Strategy for Change: strategy4change.eu/

Enrich: www.enrich-project.eu/

eSTEM: www.eelu.edu.eg/index.php/projects/Erasmus    /    www.estem.edu.eg

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEuropeOffice/

Twitter: @GCU_TEO

 

Or write to us: Rose.Cawood@gcu.ac.uk

Impressions about GCU’s Europe Office

This is an article written by a recent intern, Elena; who worked with our office.  Elena is from Romania, currently studying in Forlì, Italy; and worked with our office for a few months as part of her studies. She wrote an article for us to share about her impressions of our office and a reflection on her time working with us.  

It is easy to see that GCU’s Europe Office has enjoyed unprecedented success from the opportunities provided by the European Union; as a result of implementing strategic partnerships with universities, businesses and other organisations within the UK and throughout the world. The Europe Office (TEO) has managed to deliver an appropriate and professional strategy in order to find new partners and convince others to engage in interesting projects. Along with other offices sustaining social innovation and enterprise within GCU, TEO has given the city of Glasgow a boost by attracting different organisations and top researchers to contribute to projects and research in the city, whilst also helping to draw in tourism and support cultural exchange. The projects that TEO coordinates and is involved in aim to promote social innovation through ideas, creativity, diversity and inter-sectoral collaboration; with overriding aims to improve quality of life in Glasgow and the wider world.

TEO has a range of skills and experience through its staff and projects and this makes it a place where professionalism; proactivity; reliability; commitment; and many other qualities can be found combined to produce the innovative approach that the office has.  There is an ideal mixture for an outward looking and engaged office.  One of TEO’s most important assets is that at its forefront there is a leader and not a boss. Working with a leader enables sharing of experience and skills acquired between staff; and abilities are passed on in the team. This boosts TEO’s overall capacity and it leads to a stronger, well prepared and hardworking team. TEO is a place where the team is a team in the real sense of the word. It is a great working environment where the team collaborates, sets common goals and develops together. The inter-disciplinary experience, interpersonal skills, attention to detail and diplomacy; and multi-tasking but relaxed work environment, are the qualities that make GCU’s TEO indispensable and effective; even in these uncertain times.

TEO have continued to be proactive and through risk analysis are aware of feasible scenarios for the office to be sustainable into the future.  To move forward will require the implementation of a new strategy for the office; and different approaches along with consolidation of skills and cooperation with new and established partners. The office continues to support the university’s researchers, partners and academic staff using their expertise and disseminating information to help allay the uncertainty that the University community may be experiencing in recent months.  For the university and project partners, the Brexit result might be an opportunity to become better as individuals by developing new abilities and skills while acquiring new information and work experience.

If leaving the EU will be the outcome for Scotland, TEO has identified alternative funding sources and strategies to be ready for a changing world.  If so, the office may change but TEO will retain its ethos of supporting collaborative research, international university cooperation and constructive dialogue between different countries. Improving standards, as well as becoming more active and visible are some of GCU’s underpinning goals which will continue to help maximise opportunities and offer a higher standard of education for its students.  With or without the EU, it will continue its overarching mission.  Currently nobody can tell exactly what impact Brexit will have on certain sectors because the process is a complex one, as indicated below, made mostly of negotiations which makes it somewhat unpredictable what outcomes will occur.

 

blog

Source: [1]

After the process ends, UK will no longer offer European added value [1] [2]. But despite the uncertainty, the resources for collaboration will still be accessible, at least for the moment. GCU’s The Europe Office has managed to increase international cooperation outside Europe by engaging in opportunities offered by the EU. In addition to supporting the academic community to access funding streams, it has already led to several successful EU funded projects, including the establishment of Innovation Centres in Latin America and North Africa, and is currently involved in a number of Social Innovation initiatives.  TEO’s revived strategy going forward will continue to work to place GCU at the forefront of EU engagement.

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32810887

[2] http://ec.europa.eu/chafea/documents/health/hp-factsheets/added-value/factsheets-hp-av_en.pdf

[3] http://www.proyectosupua.es/lifestyles/en/content/project/european-added-value

NAFSA in Denver

Hi everyone!

We have been in Denver this week at the NAFSA Conference and Expo 2016.  It was warm and sunny as you can see from some of our pictures!  We met with contacts both nNAFSAew and established and discussed current and potential NAFSA3projects.

There was a range of different workshops and speakers, and many universities from all over the world exhibiting and networking with each other.

 

For further info on the speakers please see here for the full agenda: https://www.eventscribe.com/2016/nafsa/agenda.asp?h=Full%20Schedule&BCFO=A|GP|MG|O|P|PF|PL|S|SP|W|X|CC|ES|NP

All in all it was a useful and interesting week, and our director Mark even donned full Scottish dress (pictures to follow soon…).

At the end of June one of our projects ‘Strategy For Change’ has an event in Aveiro coming up also.  At this event there will be speakers from a range of organisations; such as freelance entrepreneurs, university professors and researchers and more – from across the world.  It will be an interesting event with speakers and workshops focusing on social innovation, social entreprenafsa4neurship, collaboration and co-design and civic participation.

NAFSA2

 

For more information on the event and how to get involved, see the Facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/sfcaveiro , Tumblr page: http://sfc-aveiro.tumblr.com/ and keep your eyes on our Facebook and Twitter where we will be posting details of the event.

That’s it from us this week, happy Friday and enjoy your weekends (and the weather!), new post again soon.

Please leave us a comment to tell us what you have been up to, or if you want to chat to us about any projects get in touch on Twitter Facebook or by emailing Mark.Anderson@gcu.ac.uk

TEO is busy!

The last month has been a bu13124799_1569430006683680_1693394600465804544_nsy one in the Europe Office!

At the beginning of the month we visited Nairobi, Moi University for a Roundtable meeting for the ENRICH Project.  Discussions focused on13227431_1573585776268103_2318383523835893682_o the constraints faced by East African countries to developing better, reliable and more affordable low carbon energy.  Discussions went further in to include smart grids, better infrastructure, using local business and innovation, and greater collaboration between public-private-university sectors.

 

Then there was the HEURO Annual Conference 2016 in Birmingham where Pablo delivered a presentation on our experience of Erasmus+ KA2 Capacity Building projects.

We also hosted an UKRO workshop about MSCA Fellowships under Horizon 2020.  If you would like to know more about this get in contact with TEO through our Facebook, Twitter or by emailing mark.anderson@gcu.ac.uk.

We were in Groningen and we visited the Campus Library at University of Groningen, during our Capacity Building TEACHEX meeting.

13235254_1576114072681940_7754974772351959698_o

13254903_1576114076015273_4542433206455272469_o

 

Lastly, we were also in Brussels at a Scotland Europa familiarization event.  We heard from Scottish MEPs, Policy think tanks and Scotland E13260197_1576456619314352_5446023692939862272_nuropa staff about the structure of the European Union and the different funding mechanisms available.

For more information about these events and projects, see our Twitter feed (@GCU_TEO), Facebook page (The Europe Office – GCU) and the website links in this post.

We will be in Aveiro, Portugal at the end of June, for the Strategy for Change Project…. keep your eyes peeled for updates about that visit!