European Commission

The REA is located in Brussels, Belgium, and will become the biggest of the six existing EU executive agencies with a planned staff of 558 by 2013. It will control a EUR 6.5 billion budget, which represents around 12 percent of the budget for the current EU Framework Program for Research (FP7). Although FP7 runs until 2013, the REA is expected to remain in place until 2017 in order to manage projects funded during FP7.
Set up under the control of the European Commission, the task of the Research Executive Agency is to manage—literally to 'execute'—specific activities which would normally have been carried out by the European Commission. As the REA concentrates on its management role, and does not set policy, it can be more effective and more efficient in addressing the needs of the research communities for the following three parts of FP7:

• The PEOPLE program, including the Marie Curie Fellowships, which help European researchers exploit their potential (mainly by stimulating their career development, especially in terms of training and mobility);
• The part of the CAPACITIES program, which targets European SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and helps them compete by strengthening their innovation capacity on the basis of outsourcing research;
• Parts of the COOPERATION program for cooperative research in the Space and Security themes. These program parts aim to maximize the benefits of space-based research and increasing civil security in Europe.

In addition, a major role of the REA is to manage the proposal evaluation facilities across most of the FP7, assist in the legal and financial validation of participants, and manage the FP7 stakeholders' enquiry service.
For more information, and for current vacancies at REA, please visit the Research Executive Agency website: http://ec.europa.eu/research/rea/

The HighNoon project, funded from the 7th European Framework Program for Research (FP7) will assess the impact of Himalayan glacier retreat, explore possible changes of the Indian summer monsoon on water resources in Northern India and recommend appropriate and efficient response strategies for adapting to hydrological extreme events such as floods and droughts. The project will last for 3 years and will receive over €3 million funding from FP7. Both European and Indian research institutes are involved in the project.

Stronger and more strategic international cooperation among the EU and India is among the FP7 priorities and in this regard more than 550 Indian research organizations have been involved in applying to FP7. Currently 68 proposals which involve 113 Indian research organizations have been successful in the application process. In addition, 22 high-level fellowships have been awarded to Indian scientists to carry out their research in Europe for 1 to 2 years. (SOURCE: EC News Alert)

Links to the HighNoon and WATCH projects:
www.eu-watch.org
www.eu-highnoon.org

In special sessions, participants received concrete tips, were brought into contact with experienced researchers from successful European projects, and given the opportunity to meet reliable partners for their projects. Both materials and video recordings from each session are now available online.

Each session has a link to the video recorded in that room on that day. Click this link and scroll down the bottom left window of the page that opens to find the session (or speaker) that interests you. Then click again to watch the video.

Video of the sessions
Opening speech by Commissioner Janez Potočnik

The level of interest in Marie Curie in the United States was exceptionally high, being the sixth highest ranking (after Germany, United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Italy), with 85 percent first-time visits.

In order to promote science as a viable career in Europe, the Marie Curie Actions office has recently produced a couple of very funny commercials. Here are a couple of examples, surely worth a few minutes of your time to watch:
Electrical Derby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ9G2OL9ERo
Chemical Party: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDw4gk5pYl8&NR=1

To visit the Marie Curie Actions website, please go to: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/mariecurieactions/home_en.html

The agreement was one of several reached at the latest Competitiveness Council meeting which took place from 28 to 29 May in Brussels, Belgium.

Currently, national and EU laws do not meet the needs of complex research infrastructures with partners in many countries. To remedy this situation, the European Commission put forward a proposal for a new legal framework for European research infrastructures in July 2008.

Research infrastructures play an increasingly important role in the advancement and exploitation of knowledge and technology. For example, radiation sources, data banks in genomics and social science, observatories for environmental sciences, systems of imaging and clean rooms for the study and development of new materials and nano-electronics, are at the core of research and innovation processes.

By December of last year, discussions among the Member States had reached a stalemate over the issue of how to exempt research infrastructures from VAT and excise duty. The Czech Presidency suggested that European research infrastructures be treated as international organizations for VAT purposes. This proposal was accepted by a qualified majority.

Under the new legal framework, Member States wishing to host a European research infrastructure will have to declare in their application to the Commission that they recognize the new infrastructure as an international organization. (SOURCE: CORDIS News)

Further information is available on the CORDIS website.

EUA’s report, “Collaborative Doctoral Education: University-Industry Partnerships for Enhancing Knowledge Exchange” is based on the two-year DOC-CAREERS project funded by the European Commission-DG Research. This involved thirty-three universities, thirty-one companies, and eighteen other stakeholder organizations, from twenty different countries across Europe.

More than half of doctorate holders in Europe now move into careers outside academia. At the same time, Europe’s universities are increasingly looking to develop stronger research links with business. The EUA report highlights that both universities and business consider collaborative doctoral programs as important channels for supporting innovation and recruitment.

Universities highlighted that such programs should help to improve recognition of the PhD qualification and ultimately increase the number of doctoral candidates enrolling in these degrees. Collaborative doctoral programs also give doctoral students crucial exposure to non-university environments, and are seen as an excellent way to improve the ability of young researchers to relate abstract thinking to practical applications.

From the industry perspective, participation provides access to a highly skilled workforce and cutting-edge academic research. Companies expect graduates of such programs to be excellent in research, but also highly aware of the business environment and market regulations such as those affecting intellectual property rights. As a consequence, there has been growing recognition within universities of the need to raise awareness of such transferable skills to complement core research skills. In particular, the report underlines that industry values PhD holders with strong communication, negotiation, management, and complex problem solving  skills, as well as experience working in international environments.

EUA’s work also demonstrates differences between the expectations of SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) and those of large R&D based companies.  SMEs tended to place more importance on soft skills while for larger companies, the value in hiring a doctoral candidate usually lies in their deep knowledge of a relevant subject area. (SOURCE: Science/Business)

The measurement of their under-representation is due to the work of the Helsinki Group that embarked upon the vast exercise of collecting the data from across the Member States as a means of rendering visible the ‘quota’ of women in research. That was in 1999, the year the Union launched its ‘Women and Science’ action plan.

These figures highlighted the three principal pitfalls in the path of women researchers. First, there is the leaky pipeline. While, at the outset, women are very much present in the research pipeline, many of them disappear along the way. When they do stay, they often come up against the glass ceiling, which is as real as it is invisible and whereby the choice jobs go to the men. At the same time, women can encounter another kind of obstacle: the sticky floor that restricts them to relatively uncreative tasks and prevents their scientific career from really taking off.

Many solutions have been proposed – and some implemented, notably through EU-backed projects – to overcome these obstacles: changes in science teaching, specific training or grants for women, mentoring, networks, etc. Yet the situation of women researchers remains fragile and their presence in positions of responsibility remains too rare (15 % of professorships, on average). (SOURCE: research*EU)

The April issue of “research*EU” is entirely devoted to the situation of Women in Science in Europe.

To access the newsletter, go to: http://ec.europa.eu/research/research-eu/women/index_en.html

In spite of the extremely stormy weather on that afternoon, approximately 140 attendees braved the elements to attend the event. Among them were members of EURAXESS Links, representatives of the European embassies, researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other research institutions in the area, faculty and students from local universities, representatives of the US Department of State, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), National Science Foundation officers, and others.

The panel; from left to right: Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, Dr. Charles Vest, Dr. Alan Leshner,
Dr. Dieter Imboden, Mr. Rovert Wuebker (Photo: Monika Pamp, Embassy of Switzerland)

The discussion was moderated by Dr. Alan Leshner, the Chief Executive Officer of AAAS and Executive Publisher of Science. The panel consisted of Dr. Dieter Imboden, President of the Swiss National Science Foundation and President of EUROHORC's, the European Heads of Research Councils; Dr. Charles Vest, President of the National Academy of Engineering and President Emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, Swiss Professor at University of Michigan, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, and Professor of Space Science and Aerospace Engineering; and Robert Wuebker, United States researcher, who soon will move as postdoc to Switzerland to do research in the field of behavioral finance and venture capital investments in renewable energy.

Mr. Urs Ziswiler, the Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States of America, opened the event and reminded the audience that Switzerland, with its population of 7.5 million, currently spends 2.9 percent of its GDP on research. This level of expenditure puts the country in the top ten in the world. Similar to the United States, about 75 percent of all R&D in Switzerland is funded by the private sector.

The event participants (Photo: Monika Pamp, Embassy of Switzerland)

The panelists reminded that Switzerland stands very strong in R&D, and that in some areas, e.g., in the number of scientific publications per capita, it tops the United States. However, being a small country, it can only survive by having strong international exchanges and attracting international talent. Also, in some areas, such as clinical trials, international collaboration is necessary, since Switzerland alone would not have enough patients to participate.

The discussion centered on the differences and advantages of the European and Swiss systems versus the American system of funding and managing research. The panelists praised egalitarianism of the Swiss educational system, particularly at the K-12 level. At the same time some blamed it for stifling the process of discovery at Swiss universities, where it becomes a detriment, allowing no place or need for competition, with salaries fixed and budget allotments unrelated to performance. It is competition and individual achievement, they agreed, that makes the system in the United States strong, promotes discovery, ensures high quality of research, and makes the U.S. an attractive destination for international talent.

The panel (Photo: Monika Pamp, Embassy of Switzerland)

Other advantages of the American system that were listed included substantial entrepreneurial activity related to scientific discovery, cultural acceptance of the risk of failure, the central role that universities play in R&D, and implicit in the U.S. science policy assumption that the government will fund research. The system of annual evaluations at U.S. universities was praised by one of the panelists as helping to increase the quality of faculty performance, and at the same time translating into increases in salaries, and acting as a motivator for better performance.
However, the long-term thinking in funding allocation that characterize European and Swiss research were also appreciated by the speakers, as making possible projects such as ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor), where outcomes can only be expected decades from now. Also, Europe has been increasingly attractive to the American venture capital, observed a former Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Mr. Wuebker. A maturing innovation cluster is currently developing outside of the United States, and Switzerland (and Europe in general) is one of the places where this is happening now, he added.

Reception after the event (Photo: Monika Pamp, Embassy of Switzerland)

Some of the panelists were skeptical about the idea of coordination of European research in general, and would opt for a system based on competition rather than integration, “where, as in a balanced ecosystem, different species would need to compete for resources.” The European Commission seems to be preoccupied with the European Research Area lagging behind the United States, and blames it on European fragmentation, Dr. Imboden observed, hence concluding that better coordination of research efforts at the European level is necessary. However, in his opinion, a division of responsibilities would provide a better and more sustainable system in Europe. Integration is good, but homogenization is bad, and finding a balance between them is very important, they agreed.  (The extended notes from the panel discussion are posted on our website: http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/links/usa/past_events_en.htm)

The Q&A session provided an opportunity for audience’s interaction with the panel. Of interest to the audience were the panelists’ opinions on the lack of funding for and particularly difficult situation of women scientists in Italy. The panelists acknowledged that having a family is “detrimental” to a scientific career for both genders, but it is expressed in a different way for men than for women. As a result, the European system loses women in much larger proportions than men, which means that the scientific community misses a lot of talent. We must remember, however, that the situation of women scientists varies remarkably across Europe, and a lot of it has its origins in the K-12 education, where girls might be taught that science is not an appropriate subject of study for women. Another question focused on whether having European research funded under the Framework Programs is stifling, or whether it is an asset. The panel reminded the audience that the Framework Programs represent only 5 percent of all the money that is spent on research in Europe, and that although most of the Framework Programs funding is top-down, a new initiative of the European Research Council provides a bottom-up funding for break-through projects. It remains to be seen what impact this type of funding will have on European research.
A reception that concluded the event was held in the Swiss Ambassador’s, and featured traditional Swiss delicacies. By the time the reception ended, the storm was gone.

To find out more about the event and view video recordings from the discussion, click here.

Professor Sylvie Vauclair (Photo: EURAXESS Links NORTH AMERICA)

The CNRS Office for the United States and Canada hosted the event in collaboration with the Office of Science and Technology at the Embassy of France, the French Space Agency (CNES), the Delegation of the European Commission, and EURAXESS Links NORTH AMERICA.
In her lecture, titled “Earth, Space and Beyond: Searching for New Worlds,” Professor Vauclair presented the most recent discoveries in astrophysics. A series of colorful slides illustrated her discussion of newly found formations across the universe, and phenomena such as acoustic vibrations that are produced by the Sun and other stars. Observing and analyzing these vibrations leads to having precise information on the masses, ages, and chemical composition of the stars, and generally helps us understand their deep interiors. The presentation also covered the ways and methods of discovery of new planets and stars. So far, more than 350 planets have been discovered orbiting around stars other than the Sun. It is very natural that the question arises: which of those planets can potentially host life? This question does not belong to science fiction anymore, Professor Vauclair stressed, but has become a legitimate area of scientific inquiry. For a planet to sustain life, several conditions must be met (that we know of), including to size of the planet; existence of a solid surface; the position of the planet in relation to the star that is not too close and not too far, so that the temperatures allow for existence of liquid water; as well as the make-up of the planet’s atmosphere.

Audience at the ESS lecture in the French Embassy (Photo: EURAXESS Links NORTH AMERICA)

The audience was interested to know if planets meeting these criteria were located a relatively short distance from the Earth. So far, several planets have been discovered with conditions potentially amiable to life, however their far distance from the Earth makes our travel to those planets impossible.

Reception (Photo: EURAXESS Links NORTH AMERICA)

Another question related to whether the changes in the vibrations of the Sun, and other changes in the galaxy can explain the current climate change. Professor Vauclair underscored that, although cosmic factors caused Earth’s past climatic changes, such as the glacial era, the current increase in Earth’s temperatures can’t be attributed to the cosmic factors, and should be considered an effect of the green house gases in the Earth’s atmosphere. A reception concluded the event, providing an opportunity to sample a selection of French wines, ask more questions of Professor Vauclair, and purchase her book that was available for sale.

Reception (Photo: EURAXESS Links NORTH AMERICA)

This online webinar course is recommended for researchers in research institutions (e.g., grad students, postdocs, professional staff, and faculty) and researchers in commercial companies (e.g., startups, SBIRs, research-based small businesses, and Global 1000). It will allow attendees to make an informed decision as to how to better plan their commercialization efforts, be it through employment, licensing, consulting, joint venturing, or startup creation.

The course will deal with successfully commercializing any type of research activity, whether focused on engineering, physical sciences, or life sciences. The course will discuss the practical business and legal issues that researchers need to understand to commercialize their research. It will deal with the different ways to commercialize research, ranging from the traditional (i.e., employment and licensing) to the more entrepreneurial (i.e., consulting, joint venturing/strategic alliance, and startup company). It will show how these commercialization methods overlap and how they differ. It will deal with fundamental topics like intellectual property, licensing agreements, employment agreements, and consulting agreements, which researchers must understand regardless of whether they intend to be a researcher at a university lab or the founder of the next great public company. The course will then turn to the advanced topics of creating and funding companies. The advanced topics deal with commercializing as a group, with the resulting complexities of understanding the relationships and expectations of the other team members in the company, be they other employees, founders, executives, board members, shareholders, investors, or partners.

Each lecture is a 90-minute webinar. There will be expert guest speakers for each session.
This eleven-lecture course is free, but registration is required.

To see the full program for the series and to register, go to http://researchercourse.ncet2backoffice.org/

This event will expose area postdoctoral fellows in the S.T.E.M. fields to the many career options (e.g., government, private sector, entrepreneurship) that are available to them.

The event will be held on 22 July 2009, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at Bethesda North Marriott/Montgomery County Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Road, Rockville, MD 20852.
This event is free, but registration is required.

To find out more, and to register, please go to the conference website:
http://postdoc-conference.ncet2backoffice.org/

Please visit our website: http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/links/usa/funding_opportunities_en.htm

The following calls for proposals are currently open under the Cooperation program:

To access a full list of currently open calls for proposals launched by the European Commission, go to: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.FP7CallsPage

the EURAXESS portal provides links to information on career and grant opportunities in science and technology in European countries.

For further details, please go to: http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index_en.cfm

http://ec.europa.eu/eures/home.jsp?lang=en

The Chronicle of Higher Education Careers Service: http://chronicle.com/jobs/
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/
Euro Science Jobs: http://www.eurosciencejobs.com/

click on that country on the map for a short brochure. More links to success stories have been recently added. There are now over 50 projects linked to the map covering all EU countries.

European Research by country: 2004-2009