NILS Science and Sustainability

NILS Science and Sustainability

Marta ArregiUniversidad Complutense de Madrid, SpainApril 26, 2012, [email protected]. +34 91 394 4385http://www.ucm.es

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.ucm.es/

Programme operator• Universidad Complutense de MadridBackground: • NILS mobility project 2009 – 2011• Some NILS outputsNILS Science and Sustainability• Aim and strategy• Students’ mobility challenges: why to link

EEA Grants to Erasmus scheme?• Research: why to focus on Sustainabilty?• Research projects should…• Researchers’ mobility: challenges• Measure: Students’ mobility• Measure: Abel – Researchers Individual Mobility• Measure: Abel – Researchers Coordinated Mobility• Expected outputs• Spanish universities and public research organisms


Universidad Complutense de Madrid


Seven centuries of historyQuick facts (2010 – 2011 academic year)

• Students: 83.694

• Teaching and research staff: 6.989• Administrative and service staff: 4.625• Budget 2010:

600 Mill. €• Official degrees:

170• Complutense qualifications

179• Centers: 21 Faculties, 5 University Schools, 9 Associated Centres, 40 University Research Institutions, 8 Schools for Professional

specialization, 4 Universtity Hospitals, 17 Research Assistance Centres, 39 University Residences.

la energía de la diversidad

NILS Science and SustainabilityBackground

NILS mobility project Jan 2009 – Apr 2011

General aims Increased cooperation between researchers/artists from

Spain and from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein To set up the basis for further cooperation schemes Increased cooperation concerning postdegree studies Increased number of LLP-Erasmus agreements

Budget:1.865.555 euro

Measures Degree students mobility (Erasmus scheme) Researchers mobility: focused on mathematics and connected disciplines

103 Spanish degree students moved 92, to 17 Norwegian HE institutions

11, to 3 Icelandic HE institutions24 HE institutions involved

81 researchers moved 24 Spanish, 12 Norwegian, 5 Icelandic

institutions involved120 lectures, seminars, courses, talks, …

124 publications, exhibitions20% of grantees, planning further cooperation

http://www.nilsmobilityproject.es

NILS Science and SustainabilityBackground

http://www.nilsmobilityproject.es/

Aim and Strategy• To enhance human capital and knowledge base in Spain

and in the DS by improving and deepening academic and research collaboration, promoting scientific research on strategic fields for human well-being and Earth sustainability.

• We will provide the opportunity for international training and research cooperation to researchers at different stages of their careers as well as the opportunity for degree and master students to make a part of their studies abroad.

• Degree and master students: Erasmus scheme. • Researchers’ training and research co-operation : based

both on individual and coordinated mobility schemes.Period: Summer 2012 – December 2015EEA Grants Budget: 3.918.000 €


Students’ mobility challenges: why to link EEA grants to Erasmus scheme?

Provides a proved solution for the main challenges for students’ mobility: – Recognition and accreditation of learning; – Support services such as academic guidance, language training,

support for finding lodging, etc.– Provides access to some (although insufficient) funding; – Shared scheme: most of higher education institutions

participate.– New cooperation agreements are easy to develop between

higher education institutions and their centres.


Research: Why to focus on Sustainability? Why to promote multidisciplinarity? Why to promote mathematics?

Major human challenge: Earth and Human Sustainability”Learning to live sustainably on Earth is going to require enormous

advances in our understanding of the natural world and our relationship with it”

“Doing so requires answering extremely complex, multi-disciplinary questions”

”To acquire such understanding, progress in mathematical sciences is essential, as ”almost every sustainability challenge we face requires

mathematical tools”



Research projects within NILS S&S should: Be multidisciplinary or have a clear mathematical content Have a clear experimental scientific/technological approach Deal with problems related to Sustainability:

• climatic change and its impact on socioeconomic changes, …• demography, population, migration flows,… • natural resources (including renewable energies and

sustainability),• health (public and individual, population aging, …), • social dynamics (i.e. social change, social phase transitions,

resources distribution….), • methodologies (modeling, simulation, validation….)• Etc.

Reseacher’s mobility: challengesCommon challenges:

Internationalisation of researchIncrease of human resources and their competences in R&DImprovement of their mobility and stabilityPreventing drop out by PhD students;...

Specific Spanish challenges:Low funding (and decreasing with the crisis)Brain drainRigidity of existing funding mechanismsRigid selection proceduresHigh cost of life in DS


Measure: Students mobility

Calls addressed to HE institutions launched by UCM HE institutions will then launch their own calls Initial funding: 1.010.000 euro Grant to students: 600 euro /month


Measure: Abel Extraordinary Chair – Individual Mobility for Researchers

Beneficiaries: researchers active in Universities and public research institutions, supported by their authorities

Types of grants: predoctoral, postdoctoral, senior Applications must be supported by at least two

institutions (one in Spain and the other in a DS) Applicants must submitt a common research activity plan Initial budget: 1.627.800 euro


Measure: Abel Extraordinary Chair – Coordinated Mobility for Researchers

Beneficiaries: researchers groups active in Universities and public research institutions, supported by their authorities

Applications must be supported by at least two institutions (one in Spain and the other in a DS)

Participating groups must submitt a common research activity plan

Projects may last up to 36 months Initial budget: 700.000 euro


Expected outputs

200 HE students benefiting from a NILS S&S Grant 30 HE institutions involved 90 researchers benefiting from a NILS S&S Grant 10 research groups involved in coordinated mobility schemes

funded by NILS S&S 90 seminars, scientific publications and similars 20 forecasted joint project/activities/collaborations after NILS

S&S completion


List of Spanish universtities

http://www.educacion.gob.es/educacion/universidades/educacion-superior-universitaria/que-estudiar-donde/universidades-espanolas.html

Spanish public research organisms

http://www.idi.mineco.gob.es/portal/site/MICINN/menuitem.7eeac5cd345b4f34f09dfd1001432ea0/?vgnextoid=a6cbc18d48530210VgnVCM1000001034e20aRCRD&lang_choosen=en







Documents

NILS Science and Sustainability