European Commission

Led by NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the program will research the risk factors that make people more vulnerable to heat exposure; changing weather patterns; changes in environmental exposures, such as air pollution and toxic chemicals; and the negative effects of climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts. In addition to better understanding the direct and indirect human health risks in the United States and globally, one of the program's goals is to determine which populations will be more susceptible and vulnerable to diseases exacerbated by climate change. This program will also help to develop data, methods, and models to support health impact predictions. Source: National Institutes of Health (NIH) – 6 October 2011 http://www.nih.gov/news/health/oct2011/niehs-06.htm

The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the first results of its new funding initiative, the Proof of Concept.  These 'top up' grants, worth up to €150,000 each, are designed to help maximize the value of ERC-funded “blue sky” research. In total 30 top researchers, already holding ERC grants across Europe, will be given this additional support to bridge the gap between their research and the earliest stage of a marketable innovation. The funding can cover activities related but not limited to intellectual property rights, technical validation, market research or investigation of commercial and business opportunities.

The projects, selected through peer review evaluation, treat topics ranging from health to telecommunication: research on needle-free injections of vaccines, safer mobile communications, responses to consumers' concerns on health and food safety, as well as devices facilitating locomotion, e.g. wheelchairs manoeuvred with the nose simply by sniffing. With a very limited part of the whole ERC budget, the initiative could unleash considerable innovation potential.

The European Research Council launched the new funding initiative, the “Proof of Concept”, in March 2011, to contribute to stimulating innovation. The total funding of the first ERC Proof of Concept call is €10 million and is foreseen to continue in 2012. The call is open to all Principal Investigators benefitting from an ongoing ERC grant or a grant that ended less than twelve months before the publication date of the call. The funding is for up to one year per grant. The success rate is around 40%. A total of 78 proposals were submitted in June to the first deadline of this call.

The second deadline is on 8 November 2011.
Full list of all selected Principal Investigators by country of host institution

The preliminary results are now available. Download the latest version of the report here [pdf, 420KB, Updated on 27/10/2011] 

Further results of the consultation will be discussed at the European Gender Summit on 8-9 November 2011 in Brussels. Together with the onsite discussions, the consultation responses will feed into the policy manifesto on "Integrated Action on the Gender Dimension in Research," which will be discussed and refined at the Summit for presentation to the European Commission.

The in-depth consultation on the future of research, innovation and gender was launched by genSET in response to the EC Green Paper "From Challenges to Opportunities: Towards a Common Strategic Framework for EU Research and Innovation Funding”, The consultation contained 29 questions, focusing on the three key dimensions of this debate:

• Research cultures and scientific quality
• Innovation cultures and creativity
• Structural change and social responsibility

This consultation received over 300 responses and will contribute important evidence and understanding of how Europe can benefit from more effective mainstreaming of the gender dimension in research, innovation and the scientific systems.

More information

The OECD Guide to Measuring the Information Society provides statistical definitions, classifications and methods to measure and compare the information society across countries, in addition to providing a standard reference for statisticians, analysts and policy-makers in the field. A number of standards for measuring the information society have been set by the guide. These include:

• the definition of industries producing ICT goods and services (the "ICT sector") (2007)
• a classification of ICT products (goods and services) (2009)
• the definition of a "content and media" sector (2007)
• a classification of content and media products (2009)
• definitions of electronic commerce and Internet commerce transactions (2009)
• model questionnaires and methodologies for measuring ICT use and e-commerce by businesses, households and individuals (2005)

The first edition of the Guide was issued in 2005 and was largely revised over the period 2007 to 2009. Both the 2005 and 2009 versions are available online. The new 2011 edition marks the first time an update is published in print. Its main additions include: the revised definition of e-commerce; the revised classification for measuring ICT goods; an update of the international scene; an update on measurement in non-member economies; the revision of the partnership core ICT indicators.

Access the Guide here

It says European biomedical research is advancing "at a great pace" given the relatively small funds available. With more money, it could do better. The councils group is the European Science Foundation's membership organization for all medical research councils in Europe. Its white paper, "A Stronger Biomedical Research for a Better European Future," follows the document, "Present Status and Future Strategy for Medical Research In Europe," published four years ago. Calling for global collaboration and cohesion in biomedical research, the paper analyses the current state of biomedical research within Europe compared with its international collaborators, together with an assessment of new challenges faced in Europe including changing patterns of diseases, aging populations and the growing cost of healthcare.

The paper provides an examination of the present status of biomedical research in Europe and the rest of the world. It is available to view online here. (Source: University World News, 16 October 2011)

The money will be available under the proposed EU budget for 2014-2020 in the form of newly minted project bonds, grants and loan guarantees unveiled on 19 October.

The grants will be awarded to a select group of "common interest" projects, which will benefit from a fast-track permit granting procedure. Projects eligible for EU funding, such as the Southern Gas Corridor to bring gas from the Caspian basin to Europe, could then receive between 50-80% of their funding from the EU. Other examples of projects that the Commission said could be eligible include:

• An offshore grid in the North Sea to transport electricity produced by offshore wind parks.
• Innovative projects to store electricity.
• Gas pipeline projects enabling gas to flow in both directions.

"This is the very first time that the EU is co-financing the construction of large energy infrastructure from its regular budget," the Commission said in an explanatory statement.  (Source: EurActiv.com)

Read more

However, EU companies continue to lag behind major competitors from the US and China in R&D investment. The European Union has 15 companies in the top 50, and only one – Volkswagen – is in the Top 10 of the world’s 1,400 leading companies. “This is not good enough,” said Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, urging companies to take action. “We’re facing an innovation emergency, we need much more innovation in Europe, and we need it fast. Business as usual is no longer an option. Europe has to continue to strengthen its knowledge base to remain competitive.”

It is a moot point as to whether the scoreboard reflects improvements in the EU’s knowledge base or a lack thereof, since the table records overall investment but does not say where the money is spent.

The US, with five companies in the Top 10, saw investment rise by 10 percent, following a 5.1 percent drop in 2009. Asian firms continued to show very strong growth in R&D investment levels, with a 29.5 percent rise for Chinese companies and 20.5 percent for those from South Korea.

Overall, the data shows a positive trend in 2010 as global R&D investment increased by 4 percent on average, a robust upturn after the 1.9 percent drop observed in 2009. The global Top 50 in terms of total research investment includes 15 EU companies, 18 US firms and 13 from Japan.

Two pharmaceutical companies occupied the top spots: Roche from Switzerland (€7.2 billion) followed by Pfizer from the US (€7 billion). Volkswagen (€6.3 billion), in sixth place, is the biggest EU-based investor in R&D, followed by Nokia (11th at €4.9 billion), Daimler (13th at €4.8 billion) and Sanofi-Aventis (14th with €4.4billion).

The EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard is published annually and ranks 400 companies based in the EU and 1,000 outside by their investments in R&D. It measures the total value of their global investment irrespective of the location where the research takes place.

More than two thirds of R&D investment by EU Scoreboard companies is by those located in the three biggest member states, with German companies showing the highest one-year growth (8.1 percent). This is mostly due to the car manufacturers Daimler, Volkswagen and BMW. UK companies' R&D investment was up by 5.8 percent, close to the EU average, while investment by French companies rose by 3.8 percent.

In other member states, a few large players account for high shares of R&D investment growth. These include Novo Nordisk (27.3 percent) and Vestas (49.8 percent) in Denmark and Banco Santander (56.3 percent), Telefonica (16 percent) and Amadeus (33.2 percent) in Spain. Fast growing companies such as TomTom (Netherlands) in the electronic equipment sector, Autonomy (UK) and Gameloft (France) in software and Morphosys (Germany) in biotech, are highlighted as success stories showing very good performances in 2010.

The 1,400 companies in the Scoreboard employed more than 40 million people in 2010, a 3 percent increase over 2009. An analysis of the past eight years' trends shows that employment growth in R&D-intensive sectors is generally higher than in other sectors and less affected by the economic crisis. (Source: Science/Business, 18 October 2011).

Approx. 2,000 participants from over 70 countries engaged in 5 days of conference activities, with poster sessions being one of the most interactive events we have ever seen at any conference over the years.
http://www.wcrp-climate.org/conference2011/

The European Commission, Directorate for Research and Innovation, in collaboration with the European Delegation and EURAXESS Links USA, hosted an exhibit booth at the conference. Among handouts available at the booth was the report on "European Research Framework Program Research on Climate Change" containing information on EU-funded research projects in this area http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/pdf/cop-15.pdf as well as a very popular among our booth visitors the ENSEMBLES final report http://www.ensembles-eu.org/.

Other useful documents and resources that were available at the booth included:

European Commission, research information on the Web:

CORDIS (FP7 documents, projects): http://cordis.europa.eu/home_en.html

Participant Portal (call information):  http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/page/fp7_calls

"EU2020" http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union/pdf/innovation-union-communication-brochure_en.pdf

FP7 in Brief http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/pdf/fp7-inbrief_en.pdf

 "European Research Framework Program - Research on Climate Change"   
 http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/pdf/cop-15.pdf

"MARIE CURIE ACTIONS IN BRIEF - A POCKET GUIDE"
 http://www.eurosfaire.prd.fr/7pc/doc/1214209505_marie_curie_in_brief_en.pdf

International Cooperation:

EU-AFRICA http://ec.europa.eu/research/iscp/pdf/eu-africa.pdf

EU-ASEAN http://ec.europa.eu/research/iscp/pdf/978-92-79-09295-4_en.pdf

We welcome all new EURAXESS Links USA members who joined our network at the conference!

ERC Science Officers and other representatives will be present at the booth and available to provide information about ERC and their funding mechanisms, the Starting and Advanced Grants. The EURAXESS team will also be present.

Nearly 32,000 attendees, including 26,397 scientific registrants, were at Neuroscience 2010 and we’re expecting even more attendees for Neuroscience 2011 this year in Washington, DC.

A joint session co-organized by the German Research Foundation,  European Research Council, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research is planned on Tuesday, November 15 from 9:00-12:00 PM in room 146B of the Washington Convention Center:

http://www.sfn.org/am2011/events/sessions.aspx?type=workshop

http://www.sfn.org/am2011/

This major event will gather more than 1200 participants involved in the innovation chain, including high-level policy makers, leading CEOs, deans of universities and research centers, bankers, venture capitalists, top researchers and innovators.

http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=conferences&eventcode=94605FF6-EBC0-A850-D5E9283516C75767

A session titled "European Research Council: Funding Opportunities" will be held on 5 December 2011 from 6:15 PM to 7:15 PM in TH15E.

http://sites.agu.org/fallmeeting/

The 16th European Career Fair will take place at the MIT campus and Hyatt Regency Cambridge Hotel. The 2011 Fair was visited by over 5500 job seekers and featured exhibitions by 122 companies ranging from renowned multinationals to smaller, innovative firms operating in a wide variety of sectors.

Visit the ECF 2012 website at https://www.euro-career.com/companies.php

More information will be provided in the forthcoming issues of the newsletter.

http://www.aaas.org/meetings/

the state of the art and debate the key issues underlying the science and practice of these inextricably linked natural, utility and infrastructural issues of our time.

The unique milestone event will be held in Dublin, the capital of the Emerald Isle, in the beautiful springtime and has the genuine potential to make a definitive contribution to the direction that global society will take in the foreseeable future.

Further information: IWA-WCE

The aim is to promote substantial advances in the frontiers of knowledge, as well as to encourage new productive lines of enquiry and new methods and techniques, including unconventional approaches and investigations at the interface between established disciplines. The peer review evaluation will therefore look for proposals that demonstrate the synergies, complementarities and added value that could lead to breakthroughs that would not be possible by the individual PIs working alone. The grant can be up to a maximum of EUR 150 000 000 for a period up to six years (pro rata for projects of shorter duration).

Applications may be made in any field of research covered by the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The ERC seeks pioneering proposals addressing new and emerging fields of research or proposals introducing unconventional, innovative approaches and scientific inventions. The expected impact on science, scholarship or engineering should be significant. New types of joint effort may be needed, they may require building around specialized infrastructures, they may have to allow for new combinations of skills and disciplines, or the bringing together of researchers from different institutions, sectors or countries. It is therefore expected that the organization of such activities will vary widely, depending on the particular needs of the research.

Application deadline:  25 January 2012

More information

Fellowships last for up to ten months in one of the EUI's four Departments which in turn invite fellows to participate in departmental activities (seminars, workshops, colloquia, etc.). The annual deadlines for applications are 30 March and 30 September, but the Department of Law considers applications only for the 30 March deadline. More details on the EUI website.

Marie Curie Career Integration Grants (CIG): deadline 18 September 2012

The Marie Curie Career Integration Grants aim for the permanent integration of researchers who are offered a stable position in Europe after a mobility period in a different country. The eligibility is open to Postdocs as well as researchers with at least four years of research experience and of any nationality. The funding covers a flat-rate contribution of EUR 25,000 per year for a period of two to four years. The flat-rate contribution can be used as a contribution towards salary, research, publication and travel expanses etc. for the researcher. With the Work Program 2011, the European Reintegration Grants (ERG) and the International Reintegration Grants (IRG) have been refocused in order to reinforce the attractiveness of the European Research Area by merging and rebranding them as Career Integration Grants (CIG).

Marie Curie Industry Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP): deadline 19 April 2012

The Industry-Academia Partnerships & Pathways (IAPP) is a Marie Curie Action that seeks to enhance cooperation between public research organizations and private commercial enterprises, in particular SMEs, based on longer-term cooperation programs for increasing knowledge-sharing and mutual understanding in both industrial and academic sectors. The participants in an IAPP consist of one or more research organizations (e.g. universities) and one or more commercial enterprises that propose a research project based on a joint cooperation program. This transfer of knowledge will be reached through staff secondments (staff exchange).

Marie Curie Co-funding of Regional, National and International Programs (COFUND): deadline 15 February 2012

COFUND supports existing or new regional and national fellowship programs to open up and provide for transnational mobility and international programs. The target group of the scheme comprises public bodies, which fund and manage fellowship programs, as well as international organizations, research organizations and research-funding bodies that offer fellowships to experienced researchers. The co-funded fellowships should support the participating researchers in gaining an independent research position by acquiring multi- and interdisciplinary skills and inter-sectoral experience. The European Commission will provide a contribution of 40% of the fellowship costs. The maximum contribution per institution has increased from EUR 5 million to EUR 10 million for this call. In addition, the funding duration has been extended to a maximum of five years.
Further information: Research & Innovation Participant Portal

The visits can last between one week and three months and are limited to one person (the visiting fellow) working with one institute (the host institute). Both the visiting fellow and one person from the host institute (the host) are co-applicants of the proposal.

The main aim of this funding instrument, which is open to all fields of research, is to initiate or to consolidate international collaborations. To reach this aim, short research projects between the host institute and the visiting fellow should be carried out during the stay. There should be an exchange of knowledge that is beneficial to both co-applicants and their institutions.

The attendance of congresses, conferences, workshops or seminars is not foreseen. Salaries for researchers on scientific sabbaticals are also not funded.

The International Short Visits have no geographical limitations. Swiss researchers can go to any other country or researchers from any country can come to Switzerland.

More information: http://www.snf.ch/E/international/worldwide/international-short-visits/Pages/default.aspx

The workshops can last between two and five days. Up to 30 participants from different institutions can participate. However, the SNSF will fund a maximum of ten researchers. The seminar is to take place in Switzerland but exceptions can be granted if justified.

The aim of this funding instrument, which is open to all fields of research, is to allow researchers working on a similar question to meet and advance their knowledge on the issue. Typically, the workshop should bring together scientists with different backgrounds that might bring new insights to a theme by sharing their knowledge and actively working together for a few days. An interdisciplinary approach is therefore encouraged. Furthermore, it is strongly advised to have a balance of established researchers and young promising scientists among the participants.

Although the call for this funding instrument is always open, there are three cut-off dates per year when the evaluation process begins. The next cut-off dates are: 14 March, 2012; 20 June, 2012; 17 October, 2012.

More information: http://www.snf.ch/E/international/worldwide/international-exploratory-workshops/Pages/default.aspx

International Partnering Awards provide funding for BBSRC funded scientists to form long term collaborations with scientists in our priority countries. Funding of up to £50,000 is available for travel and subsistence, workshops and other networking costs.

The International Workshop scheme provides up to £10,000 for top BBSRC funded scientists to hold a scientific meeting with their counterparts anywhere in the world.

More information on the call, application guidance and details of previous awards can be found at:

US Partnering Awards: www.bbsrc.ac.uk/us
International Workshops: www.bbsrc.ac.uk/international_workshops
Other partnering awards available from BBSRC:
Brazil Partnering Awards (new for 2011): www.bbsrc.ac.uk/brazil
China Partnering Awards: www.bbsrc.ac.uk/china
India Partnering Awards: www.bbsrc.ac.uk/India
Japan Partnering Awards: www.bbsrc.ac.uk/Japan
The call will close on Tuesday 22 November with awards starting in April 2012.

Areas of research include atmosphere and ocean processes, cryospheric processes, ecology and ecosystems, regional/global environmental variability and change, environmental health, science and technology policy research, and space weather. Deadline for applications: December 31, 2011.

More information: cires.colorado.edu/collaboration/fellowships

These research support programs offer US scholars and professionals the opportunity to conduct policy-relevant research in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Researchers are also able to increase their understanding of current regional issues, develop and sustain international networks, and directly contribute to the formation of US public policy by conducting research on topics vital to the academic and policy-making communities. The fellowships provide logistical support, international airfare, a living/housing stipend, visa support, emergency evacuation insurance, and, in many countries, field office support.

The Individual Advanced Research Opportunities Program (IARO) provides students, scholars and professionals with support to conduct policy-relevant field research in the countries of Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Eligibility: Master’s students, predoctoral students, postdoctoral scholars, and professionals with advanced degrees are eligible. Applicants must be US citizens. Information and application: http://www.irex.org/project/individual-advanced-research-opportunities-iaro  Deadline:  5 p.m. EST on November 16, 2011.

The Short-Term Travel Grants Program (STG) is a short-term, flexible program for postdoctoral scholars and professionals to conduct targeted, policy-relevant research in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Eligibility: Postdoctoral scholars and professionals with advanced degrees are eligible. Applicants must be US citizens. Information and application: http://www.irex.org/project/short-term-travel-grants-stg  Deadline:  5 p.m. EST on February 1, 2012

Countries Eligible for Research: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

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

The following calls are currently open under the Ideas program.

The following calls are open under the Cooperation program:

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.

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://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/page/calls

 There are 3 options:

• Do you want to upload your CV? Login into your account MyEURAXESS:
  http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/res/index
• Did you forget your password? Recover it with a simple click:
  http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/jobs/passwordRecovery
• Do you want to delete your account? Click here:
  http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/res/deleteAccount

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/
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
Academics.com job search: http://www.research-in-germany.de/research-career-in-germany/jobs/29640/academics-com-i-frame.html
Talent Scotland: www.talentscotland.com

The current issues as well as back issues can be found here. (Source: European Commission, DG Research and Innovation)

iBioMagazine goes "behind-the-scenes" of scientific discoveries, provides advice for young scientists, and explores how research is practiced in the life sciences. Learn about new discoveries, gain useful advice, listen to new teaching ideas—explore your world in iBioMagazine.

See the new issue of iBioMagazine.

took place in Brussels on 12-13 May 2011, is now online.