European Commission

This is the interim conclusion based on over 470 responses so far to the consultation launched by the Commission with its February 2011 Green Paper.

Nearly all respondents stress the importance of simplifying procedures for the funding application process and accounting for its use. The Common Strategic Framework will cover funding currently provided through the Framework Program for Research (FP7), the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Program (CIP) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) (IP/11/138 and MEMO/11/76).

Over 420 completed online questionnaires have been received so far, and over 50 position papers have been posted for reading online by anyone interested. Many more responses are expected, as stakeholders still have until 20 May 2011 to respond. 28,500 people from 134 countries have visited the consultation web site: http://ec.europa.eu/research/csfri/index_en.cfm.

European Commissioner for Research and Innovation Máire Geoghegan-Quinn said: "I am very encouraged by the strong response so far to the consultation. I invite interested parties who have not yet given us their views to do so by 20 May and I guarantee that every contribution will be taken into account.

The main message for the Commission is already emerging loud and clear and it is a message that I very much welcome: we must go further in cutting red tape and in being innovative ourselves if we want to release the full potential of EU funded research and innovation to tackle global challenges, create growth and jobs and improve daily lives in Europe and beyond. "

The consultation will be followed by a major conference on 10 June in Brussels. More than 700 scientists, entrepreneurs, politicians and other stakeholders will convene to discuss the consultation outcome.

The results of the consultation and the conference will underpin the Commission's proposal on future EU research and innovation funding, to be presented by the end of the year. The new system will come into force, subject to approval by the European Parliament and the Council, when the current programs end on 31 December 2013.

More flexibility and curiosity driven activities

Beside simpler rules, many participants underline the need for more curiosity driven activities to unlock the creative potential of Europe with high-risk projects, which can bring significant societal and economic benefits.

Many respondents are also stressing the need to interact with the public more directly, for example by a stronger emphasis on science education, science information and promotion of science, with a clear role for the national and regional levels.

Two-thirds of the respondents so far are individuals, the remaining third comprising in equal proportions commercial organizations and universities or other higher education establishments. About 10% of the respondents identify themselves as representing an SME.
More than half of the respondents have received funding through FP7.

Over 1000 proposals received to name new funding program

Alongside the consultation on the content of the new program, the Commission is running a competition, announced by Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn on 28 March, to find an inspiring name for the program (IP/11/371).

Until 10 May anyone interested can present proposals online at:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/csfri/index_en.cfm?pg=younameit.

An international jury will then select a shortlist of three to be put to a public vote. So far over 1,000 proposals have been received. See below for more information about the competition.

then please visit the website below.

The new Research & Innovation Programs aim to support researchers and innovators in Europe, boost excellence and ensure that good ideas reach the market to generate economic growth and jobs.

The person who suggests the winning name will get an expenses-paid trip to the European Innovation Convention in Brussels at the end of this year, and will also get to meet the Commissioner and other leading political, scientific and business figures.

Deadline: 10 May 2011.
M ore information and submit your ideas at: DG Research

The main goals of the Conference were to provide a suitable forum to discuss the findings of the interim evaluation; to discuss the research context of the EU 2020 Strategy and the Innovation Union flagship with special emphasis on the further implementation of FP7; and to put forward recommendations for the preparation of the future Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation funding.

The 7th Framework Program is the major funding instrument for implementing European Union research programs, running between 2007-2013 with an overall budget of more than €50bn. This is spent through Cooperation programs, the Ideas program (which includes the European Research Council), the People component (which includes the Marie Curie schemes), and Capacities program, which provides support for research infrastructures, regional initiatives and science in society, amongst other things.

In performing the evaluation of FP7, an Expert Group was appointed that drew upon statistical data, reviews and other evaluations, independent studies, hearings, and consultations with relevant stakeholders. The Expert Group then weighed up these various inputs to provide a summary overview on the current status of FP7.

Conference Conclusions and Recommendations and Power Point presentations are available on the conference website.

European Union spending on research and development will rise by over 13 percent in 2012, to €7.6 billion, despite cutbacks being made by many national governments in this and other areas of public spending. However, funding for one of Europe’s most high profile technology projects, the Galileo global positioning system will be cut by €24.9 million as part of what is described by the EU’s Budget and Financial Programming Commisioner Janusz Lewandowski as, “A delicate balancing act combining austerity and growth boosting measures for 500 million Europeans.”

The figures are from the draft EU budget for 2012 adopted by the Commission on 20 April 2011. The draft budget for 2012 foresees €132.7 billion in payments, a 4.9 percent increase on 2011. Total commitments amount to €147.4bn, a rise of 3.7 percent.

Even in times of austerity, bills must be paid

The Commission says that while the draft budget for 2012 has been drawn up to be in tune with the current austerity climate at a national level, it must honor its legal commitments. EU-funded programs launched in 2007 are now running at full speed. This means that in 2012 it will have more bills to pay to reimburse regional authorities and SMEs that have invested in those programs.

In particular, this means payment levels for Framework Program 7 will be up 13.3 percent to €7.6 billion and the Structural and Cohesion funds will rise by 8.4 percent to €45.1 billion.

“Some ask why we would increase the EU budget when Member States face severe austerity measures at home,” says Lewandowski. “This is a legitimate question. The main reason for the increase is that we must pay the bills coming from projects from across Europe.”

The projects would probably never have been launched back in 2007 without EU money. According to Lewandowski, discontinuing funding at this point is “unthinkable.” “Firstly we could be sued for not respecting the terms of the contracts, secondly this would harm Member States’ budgets even more since they expect us to reimburse the EU share of the funding that they have already paid to beneficiaries; thirdly, stopping such projects halfway through would be detrimental to whole communities.”

Lewandowski claims the Commission has made a particular effort to cut its overheads and is freezing administrative expenditures for 2012. This real-terms cut in spending will be achieved by reducing expenditure linked to buildings, information and communication technology, studies, publications, missions, conferences and meetings and for the third year in a row there will be a freeze on creating any new positions. (SOURCE: Science|Business)

The consultation will feed into a 'strategic innovation agenda' for the EIT, which the Commission is due to propose by the end of this year. The agenda will outline the Institute's main priorities until 2020, focusing on the Institute's mission and objectives, funding and future themes.

The EIT has an administrative headquarters in Budapest, but operates from 16 sites throughout Europe, from Barcelona to Stockholm, through cross-border public-private partnerships known as 'Knowledge and Innovation Communities', or KICs for short. The KICs bring together excellent higher education institutions, research centers and businesses. To date, three KICs have been created, focusing on sustainable energy (InnoEnergy KIC), climate change (Climate KIC) and information and communication society (EIT ICTLabs).

The consultation complements a broad debate on the future of EU research and innovation funding - see the Commission Green Paper "From Challenges to Opportunities: Towards a Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation funding", 9 February 2011.

The consultation is open for comments from 14 April. The deadline for feedback from interested parties is 30 June. Based on the results of this process, as well as an independent evaluation and a proposal from the EIT itself, the Commission will present the strategic innovation agenda by December 2011.

Background

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is an autonomous EU body stimulating world-leading innovation through the pioneering concept of knowledge and innovation communities. The EIT has received €309 million from the EU budget for the period 2007-2013. The chief executives of the KICs recently signed seven-year partnership agreements with the EIT. The agreements include an initial grant of up to €10 million for each KIC. This will rise to an average of €20 million for each KIC in the following year. The KICs can now start rolling out educational programs with EIT-labeled Masters' and PhDs, research projects and help set up new businesses. The InnoEnergy KIC alone plans to educate and train almost 2,000 students and mid-career professionals over the next three years and to launch 20 companies. EIT is currently starting to formulate plans for the next EU funding cycle, and is looking for more money to run more projects. The EIT contributes up to 25 percent of the total cost of each project with the remainder of the funding coming from the participants. (SOURCE: Science/Business)

A notice on 25 April from NIH explained that, as a result of the "nearly 1 percent" decrease from what NIH received in 2010, the agency will cut 1% from ongoing grants compared with the 2010 level. Some researchers will face even steeper cuts: The National Cancer Institute plans to trim current grants by 3%.

According to previous notices, recent budget increases of 1% to 3% allowed NIH to grow grants by a comparable amount. The last cut (2.9%) was in 2007. NIH anticipates raising the average size of its grants by 2% if Congress approves the president's budget request for 2012.

As for new and competing grants, NIH expects to make 9050 awards compared with 9386 in 2010, according to NIH's 2012 budget request. The news is better for postdocs and graduate students supported by NIH's Kirschstein National Research Service Awards. Their stipends are going up 2% this year.  (Source: Science Insider – 25 April 2011)

Unitary patent protection would make it possible for inventors (individuals, companies or institutions) to protect their invention in 25 Member States by submitting a single application. After the patent is granted, there would be no need to validate it in each country one by one.

Unitary patent protection would make the existing European system much simpler, much less burdensome and less expensive for inventors. It would end the complex validation requirements and in particular limit the very expensive translation requirements in participating Member States. Consequently, it would stimulate research, development and investment in innovation helping to boost growth in the EU.

Unitary patent protection would also protect inventions better than the current system. Due to the prohibitive costs involved in the national validation of European patents, today many inventors only patent their inventions in a handful of countries. This makes inventions less valuable as the lack of protection in other countries allows them to be copied more easily.

What is a patent?
A patent protects new inventions. It can cover how things work, what they do, what they are made of, and how they are made. It gives the owner the right to prevent others from making, using or selling the invention without permission.

An inventor - an individual, a company or an institution - can apply for a patent. To qualify as new, it is important that the invention is not already in use or in the public domain before the date on which the patent application is filed.

Patents encourage companies to make the necessary investment for innovation. There would be little incentive otherwise for individuals and companies to devote the necessary resources to research and development.

In general, the exclusive rights of a patent owner to exploit the invention commercially last for a maximum of 20 years, subject to the payment of regular renewal fees. Anyone else wishing to use the invention while it is still patented must request authorization from the patent holder and may have to pay a license fee. In return for this exclusive right, the details of how it works are published. In this way the scientific or technical know-how that made the invention possible is made public, allowing others to further their own research. As a general rule the patent renewal fees increase over time. This means that only the most commercially viable patents are maintained for the full period. At the end of this 20 year period, the patent lapses.
As a hypothetical example, a company may patent a new chemical that acts as better lubricant than existing products on the market. The patent could include claims about the molecule or composition of the lubricant, how it can be made and examples of where the lubricant can be applied, for example in the engine of a car. Anyone wanting to reproduce the chemical would have to ask the company for a license, normally in return for payment.

However, researchers in the field would benefit from the technological knowledge disclosed, for example the process involved to make the chemical in the patent. This could bring about further research leading to more advanced lubricants which themselves could be patented.

How do you currently apply for a patent in Europe?
Today, inventions can be protected in Europe either by national patents or European patents granted centrally by the European Patent Office (EPO).

Member States have their own patent offices dealing with applications for national patents. The protection conferred by a national patent is limited to the territory of the State concerned.
If the applicant chooses to apply for a European patent, the application will be dealt with by the EPO, based in Munich. The EPO provides a single procedure for granting patents in Europe. It is an intergovernmental organization comprising 38 members (27 EU Member States + 11 other European countries). It was established in 1973 following the signature of the European Patent Convention (EPC). On the basis of one single patent application processed in one of the three official languages of the EPO (English, French and German), inventors and businesses can obtain a European patent.

If the EPO grants a European patent, the full text of the patent, known as the specification, is published in the official language of the EPO chosen by the applicant as the language of the proceedings. At this stage, the applicant must also provide a translation of the part of the patent that defines the scope of protection - the claims – into the other two official EPO languages.

However, this is not enough for the European patent to take effect in most Contracting States to the EPC. The patent proprietor must choose the countries in which he/she wishes to have protection and validate the European patent in these states. A number of different validation requirements may apply. For example, the patent proprietor may have to pay a fee to the national patent office, comply with various formal requirements and provide a translation of the patent to the official language of the State.

How many patent applications are submitted annually? Which countries patent the most? How many European patents are granted a year?
In 2009, 134,542 patent applications were filed with the EPO, of which 68,597 came from EPC countries and 65, 945 from other parts of the world.
Germany filed the most applications to the EPO (25,107), followed by France (8,929), the Netherlands (6,738), the UK (4,821) and Italy (3,881). For the full list, please consult the EPO's 2009 annual report.
In 2009, 51,969 European patents were granted by the EPO.

What are the current validation costs of a European patent?
At present for a European patent to be effective in a Member State, it needs to be validated in that Member State (cf. above). These validations are expensive. The translation of patents is particularly costly, on average amounting to €75 to €85 per page. With a typical length of a patent being 20 pages, the costs for a single translation of a patent may be more than €1500. Further costs are incurred by hiring local representatives acting as intermediaries between the patent proprietor and the national patent office in order to comply with all the requirements in a specific Member State and/or to certify the translation. Various other fees must also be paid to the national patent offices. The validation costs for a European patent in 13 Member States are approximately €12,500 and reach approximately €32,000 in 27 Member States.

These costs particularly affect SMEs, young innovative companies, start-up companies and public research organizations, and they hinder access to the patent system.

Furthermore, in order to maintain the patent protection, the patent holder has to pay renewal fees each year in each country where the patent has been validated. If he/she wishes to transfer the patent or to allow someone to use the patented invention through a licensing agreement, these transactions need to be registered by the national patent offices country by country. This makes the management of patents complex and costly in Europe.

What is the London Agreement?
The London Agreement is an intergovernmental and optional agreement aimed at reducing the translation costs of European patents. It entered into force on 1 May 2008. So far 15¹ EPC Contracting States have agreed to dispense entirely or partly with translation requirements.

There are two translation options for Member States participating in the London Agreement. Countries which use one of the EPO languages as their own official language may completely dispense with translation requirements. Once the EPO publishes the patent no further validation or translation is necessary. Other countries must either designate one of the EPO languages and require a translation of the entire patent to that language, or they  must translate the claims to their own official language(s).

However, the London Agreement does not apply in 16² EU Member States. These countries continue to require a translation of the entire patent into their official language(s). Although the London Agreement has reduced costs, it does not always address the full issue of validation requirements.

What is the history of the EU patent?
Efforts to create a common patent applicable across all European countries have been made since the 1960s but have never been successful for a number of reasons.
In 2000 the European Commission made a proposal to create a Community Patent through a Regulation [now 'EU patent' under the Lisbon Treaty]. The aim was to provide for a single patent title applicable in all Member States. In 2003 Member States agreed upon a common political approach but failed to reach a final agreement, including covering the details of the translation regime. Following a wide-scale consultation in 2006, the Commission produced a Communication in April 2007, which confirmed the commitment to the Community patent and re-launched negotiations in Member States.

In December 2009 Member States unanimously agreed upon the Conclusions for an enhanced patent system, including the main features of the EU patent, but not the translation arrangements. Instead, they affirmed the need for a new Regulation to cover the latter matter. The Commission proposed a regulation on the translation arrangements for the EU patent in July 2010, but despite all the efforts of the Belgian Presidency, the Council could not reach a unanimous agreement on the applicable translation arrangements. In December 2010 the Competitiveness Council confirmed that there were insurmountable difficulties that made the establishment of such a regime impossible to attain within a reasonable period by applying the relevant provisions of the Treaties.

What is purpose of enhanced cooperation?
Enhanced cooperation is a possibility ensured by the Treaties that can only be adopted by the Council as a last resort requiring the participation of at least nine Member States when it has established that the objectives of such cooperation cannot be attained within a reasonable period by the Union as a whole.

After the failure to find a unanimous agreement on the translation arrangements for the EU patent (cf. above), 12 Member States³ asked the Commission to propose the launch of enhanced cooperation in the area of the creation of unitary patent protection in the territories of those Member States who are willing to participate in such cooperation. On the basis of these requests, the Commission presented a proposal for the Council's authorizing decision in December 2010. Following the adoption of the Commission's proposal, another 13 Member States⁴ requested to join the cooperation. Spain and Italy decided to stay outside this framework. They can, of course, join later.

On 10 March 2011, following the consent given by the European Parliament on 15 February, the Competitiveness Council adopted the authorizing decision to establish unitary patent protection in the territories of the 25 participating Member States.

What is the aim of today's proposals?
These proposals contain the provisions that are necessary to implement unitary patent protection in the 25 Member States joining the cooperation.

The first proposal prescribes how patent holders can obtain European patents with a unitary effect that ensures uniform protection for their inventions in the 25 participating Member States. Patent holders can request the unitary effect at the EPO once their European patent is granted. The EPO then registers the unitary effect and manages the maintenance of the patent (e.g. the payment of renewal fees) until it lapses. These patents can only be licensed, transferred, revoked, etc. together in the 25 Member States.

The second proposal contains the translation arrangements. Applicants can file their patent application in any language. They also have to provide a translation to English, French or German, which are the official languages of the EPO. Applicants who are residents in the EU will be compensated for these translation costs. The European patent is then granted in one of the three languages and the applicant is required to provide a translation of the claims (which define the scope of the invention) into the other two official EPO languages.

For a transitional period of a maximum of 12 years, European patents with a unitary effect that were granted in French or German will need to be translated to English and ones granted in English will need to be translated to another official language of the EU. These translations will be required until high-quality machine translations are made available to ensure the availability of patent information.

How can an applicant obtain a European patent with unitary effect?
Applicants will have to file an application for a European patent with the EPO the same way as they do today (cf. above). Once the European patent is granted, and the mention of the grant is published in the European Patent Bulletin, the patentee can request the EPO register the unitary effect in the European Patent Register. In the case of such a request, the patent will take effect retroactively (from the mention of the grant) in the 25 participating Member States without any additional validation requirements. It will provide equal protection through the territories of these countries.

How would the costs of obtaining patent protection change with today's proposal?
As the proposals build on the existing system of granting European patents under the European Patent Convention, the procedural fees of the EPO will remain the same. However, the so-called post-grant costs of patent protection would drop radically. In the long run unitary patent protection, i.e. the cost of the translation of the claims to the two other procedural languages of the EPO (which were not chosen as the language of the procedure), will cost €680 in the territories of the 25 participating Member States.

On the basis of the discussion in the Council, however, certain transitional translation requirements are introduced in the proposal on the translation arrangements in order to facilitate the access to patent information until high-quality machine translations become available. Accordingly, for a transitional period of a maximum of 12 years, European patents with unitary effect that were granted in French or German will need to be translated to English and the ones granted in English will need to be translated to another official language of the EU. These additional requirements will result in somewhat higher translation costs for a transitional period but even under these arrangements patent protection will cost less than €2,500 for 25 Member States.

Finally, if the patentee decides to extend their patent protection to the EU27, such protection will cost only 20% of the current validation costs.

How will the EU patent be enforced? What will happen to the planned European Patent Court?
Another important element in the overall reform of the patent system in Europe is the development of a unified litigation system. The current system entails multi-forum litigation since companies may have to litigate in parallel in all countries where the European patent is validated. This results in considerable costs, complexity and legal insecurity. A European Patent Court would facilitate the development of a consistent jurisprudence and increase legal certainty.

On 8 March, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered its opinion on the draft international agreement involving the EU, its Member States and other states of the EPC aiming to set up a European Patent Court. The CJEU considered that the draft agreement in its current form is not compatible with the EU Treaties. The Commission is in the process of analyzing the opinion and considering ways to address the Court's concerns.

What about EU companies and individuals already working in English, French or German? Won't they have a comparative advantage?
No, the Commission has made sure that for example Austrian, French or Irish companies will not have comparative advantages over their Swedish, Dutch or Polish counterparts.
First of all, applications for a unitary patent title can be done in any language. Not only in the official EU languages - but any. However, these applications need to be supplemented by a translation in one of the EPO's working languages: English, French or German. Furthermore, all companies and individuals resident in the EU that file for the unitary patent title will be compensated for these supplementary translations.

For a transitional period of a maximum of 12 years, European patents with a unitary effect that were granted in the EPO's working languages will also need to be translated into another EU language. Not only will these supplementary translations facilitate access to patent information, but they will also help further develop the final solution in the form of high-quality machine translations.

These measures combined will ensure there will be an equal level playing field for all EU applicants.

What happens next?
The proposals are currently transmitted to the Council and the European Parliament for adoption. In order for the proposal on unitary patent protection to be adopted, the qualified majority of the 25 Member States participating in the enhanced cooperation measures and the European Parliament must vote in favor (ordinary legislative procedure). For the adoption of the proposal on the translation arrangements, the 25 participating Member States in the Council must act unanimously after consulting the European Parliament (special legislative procedure).

More information is available at:
http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/indprop/patent/index_en.htm

For further details about the European Patent Office and the London Agreement, see
http://www.epo.org/

1: Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom
2: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. Ireland and Malta accept patents in English, not requiring translations into Irish or Maltese.
3: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom
4: Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Portugal, Malta, Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia Hungary, Latvia, Greece and Cyprus

research and educational institutions throughout Europe and elsewhere to discuss the initiative, review progress, and chart out future directions. The EURAXESS Initiative is funded through the People component of the 7th Framework Program.

At the EURAXESS Conference (Photo: EURAXESS)

In 2008, the European Commission issued a Communication to the Council and the EU President that introduced the European Partnership for Researchers, outlining four priority areas for enhancing research careers. These four priorities were: open recruitment and portability of grants, addressing the social security needs of mobile research, creating attractive employment conditions, and enhancing the training, skills and experiences of researchers. In September 2008, Council Conclusions provided the remit for a Steering Group on Human Resources and Mobility (SGHRM), which has looked at social security issues for researchers, undertook a mapping exercise on doctoral programs and monitoring of the European Partnership for Researchers.

At the EURAXESS Conference (Photo: EURAXESS)

There are a number of issues that the European Commission DG Research is seeking to address through these initiatives. Firstly, while EU countries are seen to produce more science and engineering graduates and PhDs than the US and Japan, researchers make up a much lower share of the workforce in the EU. A second issue has been the mobility of European researchers out of Europe. It is widely recognized that large numbers of European researchers are based in the United States, of which many were top performers in their fields. While the US has been able to successfully attract many researchers; Europe has been less successful. A further issue is the aging of researchers within Europe and a shortage of potential replacements through the lack of attractiveness to research careers. Through addressing such issues and enhancing the attractiveness of research careers, the EU hopes to stimulate a more knowledge driven economy.

The EURAXESS Initiative: Mobility in Europe

In order to overcome some of these challenges, strong efforts have been made in making more research positions and fellowships publicly open, with efforts to develop systems to make mobility easier across Europe. In doing this, the Commission has been working closely with other organizations throughout Europe, including research institutions, universities, funding organizations, and national ministries. In making recruitment more open, the EURAXESS Jobs website has been the main portal for achieving this objective. The Jobs website, which is aimed at professional researchers and research organizations, now has more than 5,000 organizations registered and sees around 5,000 job advertisements per month from doctoral to senior levels that also include research management and administrative positions across Europe. In addition, there are also around 300 Fellowships advertised every day. In 2010, this website obtained 5m page views with 500,000 unique visitors. In addition to the main EURAXESS Jobs portal, there are 33 national EURAXESS Jobs portals.

In addition to the work of the SGHRM, EURAXESS Services has seen the establishment of more than 200 EURAXESS Service Centers in 37 countries to support the social security aspects of research careers. These Service Centers provide help and support with respect to accommodation, childcare and basic information about a country or city, social security, visa formalities, work permits or intellectual property rights. A key component of the EURAXESS Services initiative has been on scientific visa issues.

EURAXESS Links: The International Dimension

EURAXESS Links concerns the international dimensions of mobility. It first started with the establishment of EURAXESS Links in the USA in 2007 (first known as ERA-Link), followed subsequently by Japan (2008), China (2009), Singapore (2010) and now India (2011). Each of these services aims to facilitate mobility, research exchange and collaboration between Europe and their respective countries, providing information on funding and collaboration opportunities and a network through which European researchers can share information specific to their location. As the early ERA-Link initiative in the USA outlined, although European researchers may no longer be physically based in Europe, the Commission views these researchers as a potential asset, not a loss, bringing closer ties between Europe and their host country.

Future Directions: What is the Vision for EURAXESS Links?

Until now the focus has been on the growth of the networks and providing creditable and practical information for use by researchers. Under future scenarios the Information Officers would gradually come to play the role of “Overseas branch offices” for the EURAXESS Network reaching out to third country nationals (e.g. researchers from Japan) to help with mobility to and from Europe. It is also anticipated that further Information Officers would be appointed in other countries, such as Brazil, Canada, and South Africa. The Singaporean Officer is also likely to play a hub like role, serving ASEAN countries. Emphasis would also be placed on consolidating the networks and developing stronger links between them. What this means in practice is not yet certain, but is likely to occur beyond 2012.

In the more immediate period, under the Hungarian presidency a conference will be held which will seek to review the contribution of the research profession to the innovation Union, inter-sectoral mobility, the preparation of the future generation of researchers, as well as the career paths and mobility of researchers. (SOURCE: EURAXESS Links Japan)

Further Information:
EURAXESS Jobs
EURAXESS Services
EURAXESS Rights
EURAXESS Links

Dr. Izabella Zandberg at the EURAXESS Links USA exhibit booth
(Photo: EURAXESS Links USA)

EURAXESS Links USA hosted an exhibit booth at the conference for the third time already. The booth was hosted in collaboration with the EU Delegation and Directorate General for Research and Innovation - Health. As always, we had information about European funding for research, opportunities for collaboration and services available through the EURAXESS portal. Dr. Jan van de Loo, the Scientific Officer in charge of Medical Research-Cancer Research was present at the booth to meet with visitors and answers specific questions about European research programs in the area of cancer.

As a part of the conference program, the European Commission, Directorate General for Research and Innovation - Health also hosted a special session titled "Coordination of Translational Cancer Research in Europe." A number of large research networks in the area of translational cancer research were presented during this session.

Those so-called Networks of Excellence combine two major aims of the FP7 Health program at the European Commission, i.e. long-term coordination of joint collaborative public-private cancer research partnerships and the development of research policies. ERA-NETs combine long-term coordination and cooperation between Health Ministries, Regional Authorities and/or Research Councils in different European Countries. The detailed program of the session can be found here.

Dr. Eleni Zika, ERC Science Officer, talks to a visitor at the ERC booth
(Photo: EURAXESS Links USA)

Next to our booth was the European Research Council's exhibit stand. Thanks to this proximity we could provide more comprehensive information to our visitors. Our booths were located in the non-profit section of the exhibit hall, close to ECCO (http://www.ecco-org.eu/) and other European exhibitors.

With 456 exhibiting companies, 796 booths, and more than 16,000 attendees, the conference attracted more exhibitors, but approx. 2000 less attendees than last year.

However, it still provided many opportunities to meet European researchers and reach out to other scientists interested in working with Europe.

We welcome all new members of our network who signed up at the AACR conference!

Visit the event web page and see a promotional video

The Portuguese-American Post-Graduate Society is an independent non-profit organization with no political affiliations. Its objectives are to stimulate the development of strong relationships between the Portuguese postgraduate community living in North America and American society while simultaneously promoting their home country. A collaborative partnership has been established earlier this year between EURAXESS Links USA and PAPS: http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/links/usa/partners_en.htm

A series of meeting sessions at the event this year included “Science: The Way Forward", "Impact of the Diaspora on the Portuguese Economy" and "Portugal: The Brand," with prominent leaders from several fields of the globalized Portuguese Academia, Industry and Society among the speakers, including Dr. Aires Soares, Science Counselor at the EU Delegation in Washington, DC. A presentation of EURAXESS services was also a part of  the program. Please check the event page and the press release for more information.

All researchers can apply directly without a preliminary pre-selection by the operational contact of the institution.

However, the Principal Investigator is invited to inform the operational contact about his/her project submission.

Researchers may only apply for funding once per year. Application deadline: May 23, 2011.

Further information: AXA Research Fund

... co-funded program aimed at increasing and facilitating the international mobility of scientists in five research domains:

• Microelectronics, nanosciences and nanotechnologies
• Energy, environment and climate change
• Science and technology of high performance computing
• Life sciences and biotechnology
• High energy physics, high energy density physics and astrophysics

Currently the Incoming CEA Fellowship is open. Applicants should have 4 years post-Master experience and be non-French citizens, or have not resided in France for the past 12 months.

Duration: 1 or 2 years.
Application deadline: 30 June 2011.
Further information: CEA

Each year, the Foundation will present the Anneliese Maier Award to up to five outstanding researchers from abroad working in all areas of the humanities and social sciences. Nominations for the first Anneliese Maier Awards must be submitted by 31 May 2011.

Application deadline: 15 September 2011.
Further Information: KNAW

is Science Foundation Ireland's most prestigious award for recruiting young researchers currently based around the world to carry out their research in third level institutions in Ireland. This is a rolling call starting 14 February 2011.

Further information: SFI

Fellows must have at least 4 years of experience and a PhD. Very experienced fellows must have more than 10 years experience. Relevant fields: energy, food sciences, materials, nanotechnology, networks, social sciences, software, and water.

Salary levels: Experienced fellows: €48,775; Very Experienced Fellows: €76,667.
Deadline: Quarterly cut-off dates.

Further Information: IMDEA

Candidates should be qualified to pursue an academic career and should preferably have a connection with Switzerland. Forthcoming deadline: 30 April / 31 July.
Further Information: Swiss Foundation

This scheme is for UK scientists who want to collaborate with scientists overseas either through a one-off visit or bilateral travel. Both the UK and overseas applicants must possess a PhD and hold a fixed or permanent position. All countries outside of the UK are eligible. Application deadline: 30 June 2011.

Further Information: Royal Society

• Research Fellow for Science and Technology for Sustainable Societies (Deadline Extended: 9 May);
• Research Fellow for Marine Governance/Coastal Management (deadline: Until Filled)
  
• Satoyama Initiative - invites internship applicants who can contribute website development support and data collection assistance.

Further Information: UNU-IAS

The application process is open to researchers with at least four years full-time postgraduate research experience or a doctoral degree. Proposals from all areas of scientific and technological research of interest to the European Community are welcome.

Proposals are submitted by the researcher in liaison with the organization that will host him/her in a Member State or Associated Country. The proposals are then evaluated by external independent experts against a series of predetermined criteria.

Financial support will be provided to the best proposals for a period of one to two years, and eventually for an additional return phase of one year if the researcher originates from an international cooperation partner country.

Funding includes, in particular, a salary for the researcher and a contribution towards research-related costs.

The call opened on 16 March 2011 and applications are due on 11 August 2011.
More information can be found at: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/calls/ (click on PEOPLE).

Applications are open to researchers from a Member State or Associated Country in possession of a doctoral degree or at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience following the successful completion of a program of study qualifying them to pursue a doctorate. It is, however, expected that researchers will have more experience.

Proposals from all areas of scientific and technological research of interest to the European Community are welcome. Proposals are submitted by the researcher in liaison with the return host organization in a Member State or Associated Country and evaluated by external independent experts against a series of predetermined criteria. Financial support will be provided to the best proposals for a period of up to three years, including an initial outgoing phase (one to two years) in a third country and a mandatory reintegration phase.

Funding is provided for advanced training on the basis of a “personal career development plan” established by the researcher with his/her supervisor in the host organization. It includes a salary for the researcher and a contribution towards research-related costs.

The call opened on 16 March 2011 and applications are due on 11 August 2011.

More information can be found at: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/calls/ (click on PEOPLE).

Aimed at experienced researchers (with at least 4 years full-time postgraduate research experience or a doctoral degree) of any nationality who have spent less than 12 months of the last 3 years outside the country of their proposed host organization. The applicant should apply with the proposed host organization.

Applications are due on 6 September 2011.

More information can be found at: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/calls/ (click on PEOPLE).

The following calls are currently open under the Ideas program.

The following calls are open under the Cooperation program:

• Information and Communication Technologies / 3 Open calls
• Joint Technology Initiatives (Annex IV-SP1) / 2 Open calls

Participants from the United States are eligible to join research proposals under the Cooperation scheme. These programs require at least three partners in three different EU or associated countries plus a partner in the United States. With the exception of Health proposals, there is no funding from the European Union for U.S.-based partners unless the participation of the U.S. partner is deemed necessary for the success of the program. Cooperation schemes in the area of Health provide for full funding of the U.S.-based partners.

The following calls are open under the Capacities program.

• Research Infrastructures / 1 Open call

To access a full list of currently open calls for proposals launched by the European Commission and for full details of the calls, go to: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/calls/

http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/jobs/index
Also visit our website: http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/links/usa/funding_opportunities_en.htm

http://ec.europa.eu/research/dgs/tenders/open_en.cfm

For one position as Senior Entrepreneurship Officer, the EIT is looking for someone who can take overall responsibility for entrepreneurship. The post is at the AD8 grade.

The ideal candidate for the second position of Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) Entrepreneurship Officer (at the AD6 grade) will be familiar with all EU policies and institutions that have a bearing on entrepreneurship.

The vacancies are based on 5-year fixed renewable contracts and will be located at the EIT’s headquarters in Budapest, Hungary.

The deadline for applications is midday on 2 May 2011. More information about the EIT vacancies: http://eit.europa.eu/work-with-us/current-vacancies.html

The EFSA is the European Union’s scientific risk assessment body on food and feed safety, nutrition, animal health and welfare and plant health and protection, tackling issues all along the food chain.

Members’ should be EU, European Free Trade Association or Candidate Country nationals, with at least 10 years professional experience. Third country nationals may also apply but will only be considered if there is not enough expertise from those regions mentioned above.

Deadline for applications: 31 May 2011.
Further Information: EFSA

Candidates should have a PhD, preferably obtained before 2007. Only very strong candidates with an outstanding research record and excellent leadership capabilities will be considered.

Deadline for applications: 2 May 2011.
Further Information: ICREA

The call for experts is open both for individuals and for organizations.

Further information

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• Do you want to upload your CV? Login into your account MyEURAXESS:
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Find A Postdoc: http://www.findapostdoc.com/
Career.edu: http://www.career.edu/index.php
Nature.jobs: http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/index.html
Jobs.ac.uk: www.jobs.ac.uk
Research Jobs in the Netherlands: http://www.academictransfer.org/org/
Brainpower Austria: http://www.brainpower-austria.at/webfiles/home.asp
Euro Science Jobs: http://www.eurosciencejobs.com/
Elsevier Jobs: http://www.recruitment.elsevier.com/register/default.aspx

...the urban regeneration of Bilbao, cultural distinctiveness, unique governance arrangements and high wealth levels.

Through a diagnostic of the innovation system and the policy mix, this OECD review offers some policy and governance recommendations to achieve the region’s desired transition in light of global trends in the innovation process and innovation policy.

Access the document

Link2US has initially identified fourteen funding programs within six U.S. federal government entities open to European Union researchers.

This information is now available on the Link2US website in database form.
Additional programs and entities will be added and updated annually.

Access the database

Virtual Help Desk for Link2US

The Virtual Help Desk provides answers to your questions about U.S. funding programs open to European researchers, and assists with the details of applying for funding.

Assistance is provided via telephone on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m. Washington DC time (approximately 2:00–4:30 p.m. European time) at +1-202-326-6663.

For all questions and comments outside of the scheduled office hours, please contact info@link2us.eu