EU and International Research Funding Newsletter

Welcome!  In this edition there is information on:

• ERC Advanced Grant 2019 (EU)
• Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships 2019 (EU)
• Draft H2020 Work Programmes: all  Societal Challenge draft programmes pre-published.  Also available are NMBP, Space, ICT and NEW! FET  (EU)
• Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage (JPICH) call on Conservation, Protection and Use (EU)
• NEW! Canada-UK AI Initiative (FIC / EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, AHRC)
• Open Research Area (ORA) for Social Sciences 2019 (FIC / ESRC, AHRC, MRC)
• Life-saving or life improving innovations in conflict zones (Grand Challenges / multinational)
• Impact of AI on Society and the Economy (FIC / AHRC, ESRC)
• Newton Fund opportunities for Institutional and Researcher Links (Newton)
• NEW! Tackling global development challenges through physical sciences research (GCRF)
• Global Challenges Academy Rapid Response Funds for project development (internal)
• John Templeton Foundation: interdisciplinary US-based Foundation (charitable)
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Exploration (charitable)
• Opportunity to influence the DFID research agenda
• Events: including NEW! Societal Challenge 5 Info Day 16 Sept, Global Challenges Summit 2019

ERC Advanced Grants Open for Application

Europe’s most prestigious research award scheme is now open.  ERC Advanced Grants invite applications for blue skies, high-risk high-reward research by researchers with a track record of significant achievements for at least the last ten years.   Think big, think slightly crazy and clarify your ultimate research aim.

A Nutshell Note with a summary of the programme is attached.

Deadline is 29th August.

For more information please see here. 

If you have any questions on the implications to this scheme of Brexit, please contact Dajana.Dzanovic@ncl.ac.uk / +44 191 208 5373.

Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships 2019 

Provides opportunities to work on research within Europe or outside Europe.

• European Fellowships take place in host institutions in EU Member States or Associated Countries and are open to researchers either coming to Europe or moving within Europe
• Global Fellowships are based on a secondment to a host institution in a country outside Europe followed by a mandatory return period to a European host institution.

A Nutshell Note with a summary of the programme is attached.

Deadline for applications is 11th September 2019.

For more information please see here: MSCA-IF-2019

If you have any questions on the implications to this scheme of Brexit, please contact Dajana.Dzanovic@ncl.ac.uk / +44 191 208 5373.

Horizon 2020 Draft Work Programmes for 2020

Draft Work Prorgrammes are now publicly available for:

• Societal Challenge 1: Health, Demographic Change and Wellbeing
• Societal Challenge 2: Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Marine, Maritime and Inland Water Research and the Bioeconomy  
• Societal Challenge 3: Secure, Clean and Efficient Energy
• Societal Challenge 4: Smart, Green and Integrated Transport 
• Societal Challenge 5 : Climate Action, environment, Resource efficiency and raw materials
• Societal Challenge 6:  Europe in a changing world – inclusive, innovative and reflective societies (please request)
• Societal Challenge 7:  Secure societies – Protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens

 

• Nanotechnologies, Advanced Materials, Biotechnology and Advanced Manufacturing and Processing (NMBP) draft work programme pre-published 
• ICT Work Programme Pre-Published
• Space Work Programme Pre-Published 
• Future and Emerging Technologies

Where there is no link above, please contact Dajana.Dzanovic@ncl.ac.uk / Victoria.Bainbridge@ncl.ac.uk for the the Work Programme.

Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage (JPICH) Launches Call on Conservation, Protection and Use

The JPICH Call on Conservation, Protection and Use aims to enable the emergence of new research-based frameworks that incorporate knowledge, concepts and values to help manage the ongoing and interlaced changes that affect cultural heritage in relation to its physical and social environment. The Call addresses four broad topics which are essential to understanding change and how to manage it:

1. Analysing and modelling change
2. Developing sustainable protection and enhancement of values
3. Management of cultural heritage at risk
4. Layered protection and conservation

Project consortium must include min. 3 and max. 5 of the following countries:  Belarus, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, The Netherlands, The United Kingdom

Call deadline is September 3rd.
More information is available here. 

Canada-UK Artificial Intelligence Initiative

The call aims to support innovative and cutting-edge interdisciplinary AI research that encourages the exploration of new interdisciplinary research methodologies, approaches and tools that cuts across at least two of the following research domains:

• social sciences and humanities;
• health and biomedical sciences; and
• natural sciences and engineering (including computational and/or mathematical sciences).

The call promotes the development of responsible AI through research that includes considerations of social-cultural variables (gender, racialised identity, socio-economic status, ability, etc.), biological variables (sex) and sustainable development in the research design, to ensure that the benefits of AI technologies and tools are shared broadly across society, to mitigate against potential harms, and to enhance the trustworthiness of AI.

£8.2 million is available, supporting approximately 10 teams.

A webinar will be held on 17 July from 16:00 to 17:00 UK time.  Spaces will be limited, so we encourage you to register your interest (deadline 12 July) by emailing aiukcanada@esrc.ukri.org.

Deadline: compulsory Intention to Submit by 19th August.  Full proposals by 12th September.

 

Open Research Area (ORA) for Social Sciences 2019

Projects working with at least 3 of the 4 participating countries: France, Germany, UK, Canada.

A special opportunity also exists for collaboration with Japanese partners through JSPS.  For details please see the Japanese call.

All areas of research welcome but check the priorities of the relevant national agencies.

Outline and full proposal deadline 11th September 2019, 16.00. 

ESRC is running a webinar for potential applicants on 3rd July, 10.00 and 15.00.  You are strongly encouraged to participate.  To register please email oraqueries@esrc.ukri.org stating your preference for morning or afternoon.

For more information see here or contact victoria.bainbrige@ncl.ac.uk

 

Life-saving or Life-improving Innovations in Conflict Zones: A Humanitarian Grand Challenge

Creating Hope in Conflict – A Humanitarian Grand Challenge is administered by Grand Challenges Canada and seeks life-saving or life-improving innovations to help the most vulnerable and hard to reach people impacted by humanitarian crises caused by conflict.

Priority areas are: safe water and sanitation, energy, life-saving information, healthcare products and services.

Seed funding of ~ £150,000 and Transition to Scale (TTS) funding of ~£590,000 is available.

Private sector involvement is encouraged for seed funding and a requirement of TTS funds. Match funding is expected for TTS.

Call deadline: Tuesday 16th July, 11am, ET

For more information please see: https://humanitariangrandchallenge.org/

 

Impact of AI on Society and the Economy

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Research Institute of Science and Technology for Society (RISTEX) of Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), are pleased to announce a joint call for proposals exploring the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies on society and the economy. The call is now open and the deadline for applications is 17 July 2019. Successful awards will be announced in November 2019 and will be expected to begin in January 2020.

The call aims to foster collaboration between UK and Japanese social science, arts and humanities research around the theme of Artificial Intelligence and its impact on society.  Thematic areas for the call are listed below and further details are available in the call specification:

• Impacts on humans and society
• Economic implications, skills, work and education
• Transparency, responsibility, governance and ethics

The total UK budget for this call is £2 million. UK applicants may request between £360,000-£500,000 (100% fEC) per project. The total Japanese budget for this call is ¥180m. Japanese applicants may request up to ¥30m per project. Together they expect to fund between five and seven joint proposals for a period of three years.  Please note that proposals will be funded under this call subject to the UK funding being secured from the Fund for International Collaboration.

You might benefit from considering our Renkei partners.

For more information please contact Dajana Dzanovic on Dajana.Dzanovic@ncl.ac.uk.

If you’re interested in this call you might also be interested in the First European Artificial Intelligence Alliance Assembly. 

 

Newton Fund opportunities for Institutional and Researcher Links

The British Council Newton Fund Institutional Links and Researcher Links Calls are now out. Both have a deadline of 9 August 2019.

Institutional Links provides grants of between £50k-£300k (depending on country and focus) for the development of research and innovation collaborations between the UK and partner countries.

Researcher Links provides funding for leading researchers (one from the UK and one from the partner country) to bring together early-career researchers from the UK and a partner country to make international connections that can improve the quality of their research.

Both of these schemes are part of the Newton Fund and as such must aim primarily to promote the economic development and social welfare of the partner country or a third low or middle income country to satisfy ODA criteria.

At time of going to print the following countries are covered by these schemes:

Institutional Links – Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia and Thailand (Coming soon – Colombia, Mexico, Philippines and Turkey)
Researcher Links – Brazil and Jordan (Coming Soon – China, India, Philippines)

Check the website for updates and country specific information – https://www.britishcouncil.org/education/science/current-opportunities/newton-fund-institutional-links and https://www.britishcouncil.org/education/science/current-opportunities/newton-fund-researcher-links-workshops.

Call Deadline: 9th August 2019. 

Tackling global development challenges through physical sciences research

Project scope can be anything within the remit of the Physical Sciences theme.

Research must meet ODA requirements, being of primary benefit to a country in the Global South and with partners on the DAC list.

Up to £4 million is available from EPSRC’s GCRF allocation for this call.  5-10 research projects will be supported. through this activity. Projects will have a fixed start date of 01 April 2020 and may be up to 24 months in duration.

Deadline for Compulsory Intention to Submit 16:00 on 03 July 2019.
Full proposal deadline 20th August 2019.

 

DFID Seeking Members for Science Advisory Group

The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the UK’s work to end extreme poverty and to help to save lives when humanitarian emergencies hit.

DFID is recruiting new Members and a Chair for its Science Advisory Group (SAG), to provide independent and impartial strategic advice on departmental science and research policy and programmes for a period of up to 3 years.

They are recruiting across all priority science and research areas: Health; Agriculture; Climate, Water, Energy; Growth; Humanitarian; Education; Governance, Conflict and Social Development; and Data for Development.

The SAG reports to DFID’s Chief Scientific Adviser and meets 3 times a year.  The current SAG consists of 11 senior academics chaired by Professor Sir Ian Diamond.

The successful candidates will be senior academic leaders (Professorial level), with expertise in national and/or international level research management and a demonstrable understanding of the impact of science and research for delivering the UK’s international development objectives.

Information on the full post description, the application process, and other relevant matters are on the DFID external website here.

CLOSING DATE: 5 p.m. (UK time) on 15th July 2019.

 

Global Challenges Academy Rapid Response Funds

Newcastle University’s Global Challenges Academy can provide agile, quick turnaround funding to support research-related activity directly benefiting DAC list countries.

To be eligible your proposed activity must  directly and primarily promote the economic development and social welfare of partner countries on the DAC list.

Activity will need to align to at least one United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (UNSDG). Applicants are encouraged to discuss/co-create their ideas with their international partners ahead of submission.

Examples of eligible activity include:
• International networking and partnership building activity, addressing specific global challenges, which will lead to GCRF or Newton style funding proposals
• Preliminary data collection, pilot projects or other preparatory work needed ahead of making a external research funding application
• Activity as a response to an urgent research need in a DAC list country or a critical policy moment in a sustainable development related area
• Activity that builds on previous ODA research and might add impact (social, economic or academic capacity) or extend benefits to further geographic regions/demographic groups

There is no minimum application value, but it is expected that requests will not usually exceed £2k.

If you would like to discuss an application prior to submission, please contact Dr Elisa Lawson Research Funding Development Manager and Co-Director of Global Challenges Academy

Application form. This scheme operates with no deadlines. Submit a request at any time and decisions will be made within 5 working days. Awarded funds must be spent within 3 months of the decision notification. There is no limit on the number of applications which can be submitted for the same project/relationship but its expected only one will be active at any time. Short reports will be requested 1 month after completion.

 

John Templeton Foundation, deadline 16th August

The John Templeton Foundation is one of the new funders that our team will be focussing on in the forthcoming year.
Their funding areas are:

• Science and the Big Questions
• Character Virtue Development
• Individual Freedom and Free Markets
• Exceptional Cognitive Talent and Genius
• Genetics
• Voluntary Family Planning

Projects will generally last 3 years and you can apply to the Small Grant (up to $234,800) or Large Grant programme.
You must have co-funding for your proposal.

After registration, the application process is via initial Online Funding Inquiry (OFI), after which you may be invited to submit a full proposal.

The next OFI deadline is August 16th.

As this is new for all of us, please take some time to explore the Foundation’s funding areas, strategic priorities and the kinds of proposals they fund.

If you have an idea for a proposal, please get in touch with Dajana.Dzanovic@ncl.ac.uk or Victoria.Bainbridge@ncl.ac.uk

 

Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) is an initiative that awards initial grants of USD$100,000, and successful projects are eligible to receive follow-on funding of up to USD$1 million. Proposals are solicited twice a year for an expanding set of global health and development topics. Applications are only two pages, and no preliminary data is required. Applicants can be at any experience level; in any discipline; and from any organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies. The next application round for GCE will open in September 2019.

As this is new for most of us, please take some time to explore the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the types of challenges that they fund.

If you have an idea for a proposal, please get in touch with Dajana.Dzanovic@ncl.ac.uk / Elisa.Lawson@ncl.ac.uk / Victoria.Bainbridge@ncl.ac.uk.

 

H2020 Information Days

• Societal Challenge 5 Info Day – 16-17 September in Brussels
• Societal Challenge 1 Info Day and Health Partnering Day 2019 – 3-4 July 2019 in Brussels.  registration open here. (NB you will be directed to register with the portal first).
• Societal Challenge 2 Info Day 2020 and brokerage event – 3-4 July 2019 in Brussels;
• ICT Proposers’ Day 2019 – 19-20 September 2019 in Helsinki (Save the Date).

European Big Data Value Forum (EBDVF) 2019

EBDVF is the main event of the European Big Data and Data-Driven AI Research and Innovation community.  It will take place on 14-16 October in Helsinki, Finland

Global Challenges Summit 2019: 9th July, EOIs open

The Global Challenges Academy is proud to bring you a day-long bonanza of innovation, creativity and outstanding research for international development.  To express your interest in attending, including optional pecha-kucha, please click here: https://forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=4951790