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Troubled Human BrainProject changes courseCommission responds to critics with idea of permanent facilityT HE EUROPEAN COMMISSION is considering changing theHuman Brain Project into an infrastructure facility, fol-

lowing criticism from researchers that it is not working.The project could morph from a 10-year scientific

investigation into a permanent European facility forhuman brain research. This is likely to centre on an ITplatform that would pool and analyse large volumes ofdata from both neural and cognitive studies.

It appears that the facility would either be an inter-governmental organisation, similar in form to Cern,the European particle physics laboratory near Geneva,or be given the status of an official EU infrastructureconsortium. It would provide a supercomputing basefor researchers to use in the long term.

The idea follows an acknowledgement by theCommission that the original aim of the project—tobuild a model to understand the human brain in a dec-ade—was too challenging.

“The project is moving on to a solid track to becomea European research infrastructure. That is now aclear target, although it will take time,” said HenryMarkram, a co-director of the project and a neu-roscientist at the École Polytechnique Fédérale deLausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, in an email.

Details of the plan have emerged after a Commissionreview of the project and during a mediation processtriggered by a letter of complaint from more than650 cognitive scientists in July 2014. Project leaderssay the Commission is coming around to the idea that afacility could be more effective than a science project.

“The core of the project relies on very large infor-matics and computational platforms, and the idea isto offer them as a European tool,” says Philippe Gillet,the president of the project’s board of directors.

The project has so far been funded as a flagshipscientific consortium by the Commission, whichpledged €500 million to it from Horizon 2020 in 2013.

 According to Gil let , one option being consid eredis for the project to become an intergovernmental

organisation similar to Cern or the European SouthernObservatory, which are based on a members’ treatythat sets annual contributions.

 A less drastic option would be to reclas sify theproject as a European Research Infrastructure Cons-ortium, says Gillet—a legal entity that could thenreceive funding from Horizon 2020.

 Any change will have implications for the organisa-tion of the project, which until now has been centredat the EPFL. “We are moving towards an organisationthat is shared by different partners,” Gillet says. “We

 will not have a single coordinator but a joint entity, with formal rules.”

 Alexandre Pouget, a neuroscience researcher at theUniversity of Geneva, says this may counter one of the

complaints outlined in the July letter, which was thatthree of the project’s 21 co-directors had too muchcontrol over its direction.

The Commission has said that it will not confirm anychanges until March, when it will publish the resultsof its first review of the project. However, in a blogpost on 9 February, Thierry Van Der Pyl, the directorfor excellence in science at the Directorate-Generalfor Communication, said that “building a world-classexperimental ICT infrastructure” would be one of threechallenges to be tackled in the coming months.

The other priorities are to strengthen the project’sorganisation to generate more concrete results, andto improve the integration of cognitive researchers,

 who study the human mind and its processes, said Van Der Pyl. Cognitive researchers who were unhappy with the project’s original direction now say that theCommission appears to be listening to their demands—although it remains to be seen how the promise ofbetter integration will play out.

“The project’s objectives cannot befulfilled without better coordination

 with neuroscientists,” says FrédéricChavane, a researcher at the Institutedes Neurosciences de la Timone in

Marseille, France. “The Commissionis choosing its words carefully, but Ithink it is going in the right direction.”

19 February 2015Updated daily at www.ResearchResearch.com

by Cristina Gallardo cgnews@ResearchResearch.com

Every new opportunityfor research fundingfrom every sponsor inthe EU, US & beyond

Independent news

Direct from Brussels

Issue No . 403

Scientists aim to engageas social media calls – p4

 Teaming Germany dominates – p5

Horizon 2020 When great scienceis scuppered by bad planning – p8

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Research Europe, 19 February 2015 news 3

w h a t ’ s g o i n g o n

Barroso takes university post 

José Manuel Barroso, the former president of the European Commission, is to return toacademia at the Catholic University of Portugal. Barroso will instruct law students about EU

institutions, and teach governance and international affairs. He will also be a visiting professorfor international economic policy at Princeton University in the United States, where he willfocus on the relationships between China, the EU, Russia and the US. Switzerland drafts immigration bill 

The Swiss government has proposed a law that would impose quotas on immigration, followinga referendum last year that led to the country’s involvement in Horizon 2020 being limited.The government suggests that there should be quotas on workers from abroad who are inSwitzerland for more than four months, and that Swiss people should be given priority whenapplying for jobs. The aim is to find a solution that meets the terms of the 2014 referendum but

also allows the country to participate fully in Horizon 2020.

Head of Iter’s EU branch resigns

The head of Fusion for Energy, which manages the EU’s contribution to the Iter nuclearfusion facility in France, has stepped down. Henrik Bindslev, director since 2012, will leavethe company before the end of his tenure to become dean of the faculty of engineering at theUniversity of Southern Denmark. Pietro Barabaschi, an electrical engineer who joined Iter in1992, will lead F4E from 1 March until the governing board appoints a permanent successor.

Netherlands leads the way in ERC commercialisation scheme

Researchers from the Netherlands have won the most grants in the latest round of Proof of Conceptfunding from the European Research Council. Of the 59 winners announced on 5 February, 11 arefrom the Netherlands, nine from the UK, eight from Spain and six each from France and Israel. Thegrants, worth up to €150,000, are provided to help researchers commercialise their work.

EMA acknowledges mistakes in data disclosure

The European Medicines Agency has acknowledged that some data in three clinical-trials reportsshould have been released rather than being kept private because of commercial concerns. Theagency said that the “massive amount of documents reviewed and the time pressure to releasethem” led to the error. The European ombudsman Emily O’Reilly had questioned the EMA’s actions.

Survey reports rising cybersecurity fears

EU citizens are becoming increasingly concerned about their online security, a EuropeanCommission survey has found. The Special Eurobarometer on cybersecurity surveyed1,000 people and found that the misuse of personal data and the security of online payments

 were the most common cybersecurity concerns. Fears of identity theft also increasedsignificantly between 2013 and 2014, the survey found.

Ranking puts France ahead in internationalisation

French institutions have come top for internationalisation in the latest assessment by theEuropean Commission’s university ranking U-Multirank. The exercise assessed 237 institutionsaccording to their international perspective. Of the 27 universities that achieved the top score,six were located in France. Four were in Austria, three in Belgium and three in the Netherlands.

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Research Europe, 19 February 2015

Cancer groups collaborate on European database

4 news

US survey finds scientists active in

policy and public engagement Most scientists are interested in being involved in sci-ence policy and many are turning to social media todiscuss their work, a study of researchers in the UnitedStates has found.

The study, performed by the not-for-profit PewResearch Center, found that 87 per cent of scientistsbelieve they should take an “active role” in policy dis-cussions. Only 13 per cent said it would be better to stayaway and “focus on establishing sound scientific facts”.

 About half of the respondents said they talked to thepress about their work, with 47 per cent describing it on

social media and 24 per cent blogging about it.“Science as an enterprise is changing,” said Dominique

Brossard, a science communications specialist at theUniversity of Wisconsin at Madison, commenting on thefindings. “It had to happen. The younger generation iseager to be part of a more open environment.”

Pew’s Internet, Science and Tech project surveyedalmost 4,000 members of the American Association forthe Advancement of Science, and the study’s findings

 were released at the annual meeting of the AAAS in SanJose, California, on 15 February.

Lee Rainie, the director of the project, said the find-

ings reflected a general tendency for society to besubject to greater online scrutiny. “This isn’t just sci-ence,” he said. “Everyone finds they have more people

 watching what they are doing. It is going on in all areasthat we study.”

The survey revealed that scientists were more likely toengage with the press and on social media if they workedin disciplines that were subject to public media debates,such as Earth sciences. Engineers and chemists, whoconsidered their disciplines to be less in the public eye,

 were not as inclined to engage.The proportion of scientists who felt that now was a

good time to start a career in their particular discipline was 59 per cent, down from the 67 per cent recorded in asimilar Pew study five years ago.

 At a discussion at the AAAS meeting, some attendeesquestioned whether the survey was representative of sci-entists in the lab, given that the participants were those

 who had chosen to join the AAAS, which publishes themagazine Science.

However, Brossard said that separate work surveyingscientists at all levels and disciplines at the University of

 Wisconsin had mirrored the main findings. This work hadfound that the most important social media outlet for

scientists at the university was Wikipedia, leading theuniversity to consider the role of researchers in shaping Wikipedia entries when appointing staff.

by Colin Macilwain at the AAAS meeting in San Jose

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre is working with cancer registries and organisations on acentralised database for cancer research.

The database, to be launched in March, is intendedto make it easier for researchers and organisations toaccess harmonised information in a standardised for-mat, so that they no longer have to approach individualregistries for information.

“The current system is rather hit and miss as to whichdatabase has the most up-to-date information,” saysNicholas Nicholson, who is leading the cancer infor-mation project at the JRC. “It’s important we have onedefinitive set of data.”

Plans for the European cancer information systembegan in 2010, and the European Network of CancerRegistries, the International Agency for Research onCancer and the London School of Hygiene and TropicalMedicine’s Concord programme have been involved inits development. As well as helping researchers, the

database is intended to reduce the burden of analysis onregistries, which spend a lot of time formatting data tosend to individual cancer organisations.

The JRC says it intends to work to improve data collec-tion across Europe, as not all registries collect the rangeof data required by the database and some countries lacksufficient registries. “It’s a very heterogeneous pictureand we need to move towards a more systematic way ofoperating,” says Nicholson.

 According to Michel Coleman, a professor of epide-miology at the London School of Hygiene and TropicalMedicine, other fields of disease research could alsobenefit from harmonised data sets. However, he saysthat undertaking such a task would likely require theinvolvement of an EU body such as the JRC, to get organ-isations across Europe on board. For cancer, populationdata sets have been recorded for 50 to 100 years, sothere is a lot to collate and harmonise, he adds.

 Ac co rd in g to Ni ch ol so n, ha vi ng the Eu ro pe andatabase in place will help policymakers to use the infor-

mation in developing health policy. “Cancer data are stillmainly used as a research tool, and should be drivingpolicy intervention much more,” he says.

e u r o p e

by Safya Khan-Ruf sknews@ResearchResearch.com

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Research Europe, 19 February 2015   news 5

Germany’s Teaming successattributed to eastern tiesStrong links to eastern Europe and a push from the gov-ernment are behind the overwhelming German presencein Horizon 2020’s Teaming initiative, observers have said.

The European Commission published the results ofthe first round of Teaming calls on 30 January, revealingthe 31 projects that will receive a total of €14.5 million.Germany is involved in 21 of them, in partnership withresearchers in Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

“German success is probably a reflection of the pres-ence of a large number of researchers with easternEuropean backgrounds in German research institutes,”says Luc Soete, the rector of Maastricht University inthe Netherlands and chairman of the Commission’sResearch, Innovation and Science Policy Experts group.

Other observers say that the German government iskeen to ensure the success of the initiative to preventthe widening-participation agenda from affecting itsfuture EU research funding.

Under the Teaming initiative, which aims to reducedisparities in Europe, the 31 project teams will develop

business plans for specialised R&D centres in the low-per-forming countries. These will be aided by partners in theadvanced countries, and a further €87m may then be pro-

 vided to support up to 10 of the centres’ implementation.The German government pushed hard for the coun-

try’s success, organising several conferences on thesubject with ministries in the east. “Since the fall ofcommunism, there’s been a tradition of cooperation

 with eastern Europe,” says Nils Wörner, the deputy headof the Brussels office of the HRK, Germany’s association

of rectors. “It’s always easier to build on existing coop-eration than to start something out of the blue.”

 And according to one representative of Germa nresearch organisations, the government may also beconcerned that a failure to close Europe’s excellence gapcould lead to more EU funding being reallocated fromsuccessful countries to poorer performers.

 According to Claire Nauwelaers, a science and inno- vation policy consultant, the success of the programme wil l ult imately depend on whether partnerships areable to create much-needed structural changes in thetarget countries. “Partnering a good institution in a

less-advanced country with a good institution in anadvanced member state is fairly superficial—it doesn’tsolve the problem,” she says.

by Jenny Maukola  jemnews@ResearchResearch.com

Smart specialisation stalled by insufficient plansMore than half of the operational plans for smart spe-cialisation submitted by regions have been deemedunsatisfactory because they did not provide enoughdetail about monitoring.

Speaking at a conference in Riga, Charlina Vitcheva, thedirector of smart and sustainable growth at the EuropeanCommission’s Directorate-General for Regional Policy,said the Commission had found that 59 of the 110 plansfailed to meet monitoring and evaluation criteria.

The plans indicate how regions will spend their shareof €186 billion for regional research and innovation fromthe European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)—andregions will be required by the Commission to prove thatthey have spent the funds effectively. The 59 plans musthave a monitoring part added before 2016 or face furtherdelays in accessing their share of the funds, the confer-ence heard.

 Vitcheva was speaking on 12 February at a confer-ence on the progress of smart specialisation, held at

the National Library of Latvia in Riga. At the event, theCommission representative maintained that the con-cept of smart specialisation had been a “paradigm shift

in innovation policy”, and had made regions look moreclosely at their potential to innovate.

However, she noted that many submitted plans lackeda “real vision for transformation” and were simply old,tired innovation strategies that had been repackaged.

 As in the past, she said, many regional governmentsare still proposing to use ERDF money to build infra-structure. Others remain preoccupied with the interestsof large companies with a stronghold in the region,instead of small, fast-growing businesses. According to

 Vitcheva: “That cannot translate into economic results.”John Bensted-Smith, the director of the Institute for

Prospective Technological Studies at the Commission’sJoint Research Centre, said that regions must preparefor failure as well as success, to allow them to take morerisks in drafting their plans. “If you simply follow theprevious path, you’ll continue doing what was done

before and you will get neither a better result nor a worseresult,” he told participants. “It simply won’t changemuch at all.”

by Jenny Maukola at the Latvian presidency’s conference in Riga

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Research Europe, 19 February 20156 news

One step aheadMarta Paterlini met Sweden’s research minister Helene Hellmark Knutsson toask her how she plans to keep the country at the forefront of European research.In October, the former Stockholm county councillorHelene Hellmark Knutsson was given one of the mostimportant tasks in the Swedish government. The coun-try’s reputation for research means there is alwayspressure on the research and higher education minister,and Hellmark Knutsson was attacked, in some quar-ters, for her lack of a university degree. Two months

later, the fragile government coalition between the SAPsocial-democratic party and the Green Party nearly col-lapsed because of a budget stalemate. All in all, HellmarkKnutsson’s term didn’t get off to the easiest of starts.

She says, however, that this hasn’t distracted her fromthe tasks ahead, the most important of which are to set along-term agenda for research and provide better, moreequal opportunities for young researchers.

On the first point, she says: “The government is plan-ning to present a research bill in 2016 for the following10 years.” In 2013, Sweden allocated 3.4 per cent ofits GDP to R&D, and the budget then grew to 63.6 bil-

lion Swedish kronor (€6.7bn) in 2015. This cementedSweden’s reputation as one of the strongest countries forresearch in Europe. “I intend to keep it that way,” saysHellmark Knutsson.

But despite these budget successes, one issue thathas emerged is whether Sweden has allocated toomuch to ‘big science’ infrastructure—at the expense ofits researchers. In 2010, the government announcedthat it would commit $75 million (€66m) to a nationalSciLifeLab involving Uppsala University, Stockholm

University, the KarolinskaInstitute and the RoyalInstitute of Technology. By2016, the country will alsospend $95.8m on building theEuropean Spallation Source(ESS) neutron facility and$15.3m on the Max IV syn-chrotron, both in Lund.

Some researchers say thatthe money poured into thesefacilities should instead bedistributed through com-petitive grants, but HellmarkKnutsson disagrees. “There

 wi ll al ways be discussionsabout research spending—and it’s important to have

funding for basic research and block grants for univer-sities as well,” she says. “But we have to have specialmoney to allocate to infrastructure.”

Fears that the ESS might absorb money from Vetens-kapsrådet, the national research council, are misplaced,she says, and investment in a life sciences facility wasmuch needed after AstraZeneca moved most of its R&D

activities to the UK. “The injection of money into theSciLifeLab was the right thing to do,” she says.

 AstraZeneca’s departure was hard to take for Sweden.Perhaps in response, Hellmark Knutsson says thatencouraging industry will be a priority during her four-

 year term. “Sweden needs to coordinate its researchpriorities with the needs of industry, and provide betterincentives for corporate R&D,” she says.

She will also focus on training for researchers—notleast to make sure the ESS and Max IV have enough staff.The government has said it will create 14,000 extra plac-es at universities by 2018, to ensure that students are

trained in the sciences and subjects in which there arenot enough graduates, such as teaching and healthcare.It has also said it will cut down on its grants to attractleading researchers from abroad. “We appreciate this hasbeen important to build the quality of the research envi-ronment in Sweden,” says Hellmark Knutsson. “But we

 want to invest in younger researchers.”Gender equality is another priority: “We still do not

 judge men and women equally,” she says. “We are notthe gender-equal country that Sweden would like tobe.” She will encourage improvements in recruitmentand grant assessment processes so that more women areselected, and bonuses will be offered to universities thathire female researchers.

Overall, the minister seems to have a clear vision forSweden. But on one EU-wide problem—how to provide amore secure career path for researchers—she has little tosay. Some have suggested that Sweden should extend itsfour-year Meriteringstjänster qualification to six years,to help give young researchers some stability. On this,Hellmark Knutsson acknowledges, “There is certainly aneed for longer-term financing.”

But in the absence of a concrete plan, Swedishresearchers will have to wait a little longer to see wheth-er the minister tries to tackle this problem head on—and

 whether she can turn it into another research issue on which Sweden leads the way for the rest of Europe. More to say? Email comment@ResearchResearch.com

i n t e r v i e w h e l e n e h e l l m a r k k n u t s s o n

Helene Hellmark Knutsson

* 2014-present  Minister for highereducation and research* 2013-2014 Chairwoman, StockholmCounty Social Democratic Party

(SAP)

* 2013-2014 Member, SAP nationalboard* 2011-2014 Board member, SwedishAssociation of Local Authorities and

Regions

* 2010-2014  Commissioner andgroup leader, Stockholm County SAP* 2011-2013 Chairwoman, MälardalCouncil * 2001-2010  Commissioner andchairwoman, Municipal Executive

Board, Sundbyberg

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Research Europe, 19 February 2015   comment 7

South African scheme shows

flaws in superstar funding

f e d d e r k e & g o l d s c h m i d t    v i e w f r o m t h e t o p

The South African Research Chairs Initiative, launchedin 2008 by the country’s National Research Foundation,concentrates funding on a small number of researchers

 judged by peer review to be world class. Chair holdersreceive between $150,000 (€133,000) and $300,000 a

 year for five years, renewable for up to 15 years. In con-trast, researchers outside the scheme receive, at most,about $10,000 a year from the NRF.

The initiative grew from 32 chairs in 2007 to 150 in

2014. In a 2012 review, the NRF declared the schemeto be “an imaginative and largely successful innova-tion”. It reported that there was “good evidence thatchair holders and their colleagues are contributing toan increase in the flow of publications, including thoseto prestigious journals”, but did not provide any data onthis point. It also noted that more than 90 per cent ofthe chairs reviewed had been renewed.

The initiative offers an opportunity to measure theeffect of funding allocation on research output. Werecently compared the productivity of 80 chair holders

 with that of equivalent researchers without such funding,

from 2009 to 2012. We found that, in bibliometric terms,chair holders were scarcely, if at all, more productive. We used two types of control group in our comparison.

First, we used bibliometric measures such as publica-tion counts, citation counts and h-index scores to creategroups of researchers who were comparable based onsimilar past performance.

Second, the NRF ranks researchers in a number ofcategories, based on peer review. This ranking is inde-pendent of the selection mechanism for research chairs,although research chairs are also ranked. Categories Aand B are held to indicate world-class research—mak-ing these researchers an obvious control group against

 which to compare chair holders. We found that despite a funding advantage of at least

15:1, chair holders did not show a statistically observ-able superiority in their performance. On average, theyauthored no more articles and were cited no more thanthe researchers in either the A-rated group or the biblio-metrically defined groups.

The chair holders showing the greatest superiority inperformance were those who had performed best and

been rated most highly before the funding award. Bycontrast, chair holders with relatively weak prior recordsperformed worse than those in the control groups.

Strikingly, more than half of the chair holders inour sample were ranked below the A and B categories,indicating a lack of international peer recognition.Symmetrically, the researchers in our sample with thelowest performance on bibliometric measures were morelikely to be chair holders. The peer-based selection of

research chairs thus appears to have been biased awayfrom its stated goal of rewarding research excellence.

The effect of funding varied across disciplines. Onlychair holders in the biological, medical and physical sci-ences showed a statistically significant improvement inoutput. There was a weak effect in the chemical sciencesand engineering, and none at all in business, econom-ics, the social sciences and the humanities.

This analysis was not designed to reveal other pos-sible impacts of the chairs, such as economic and socialimpact, a rise in graduate student numbers or capacitybuilding. But there are immediate policy inferences to

be made: our results show that selective funding yieldsthe greatest returns the more responsive it is to priorresearch performance. Funding needs to go to thestrongest researchers.

Even then, the marginal returns from raised fundingseem to be steeply diminishing. In South Africa, evenfor the most productive recipients, an additional pub-lication by a chair holder costs 22 times as much as oneby a comparable researcher outside the scheme. Eachadditional citation costs 32 times as much.

If funding is intended to raise the output and impactof an entire research system, a more broad-based,inclusive approach that gives smaller awards to moreresearchers may carry more promise. The differentialrates of return across disciplines also suggest thatadjusting funding to reflect these differences couldraise aggregate levels of output and impact.

Finally, if funding allocation is to fol-low revealed productivity, productivity hasto be monitored transparently and objec-tively. An obvious step would be to use thegrowing number of bibliometric measuresalongside peer review in reaching deci-sions about allocations. All the more so aspeer review is itself not immune from bias—

as this South African case demonstrates. So me th in g to ad d? Em ai l co mm en t@

 ResearchResearch.com 

 Johannes Fedderke and Marcela Goldschmidt work inthe school of international affairs at Pennsylvania State

University in the United States. Their study of the South African Research Chairs Initiative is published in ResearchPolicy vol 44, p467-482 (2015).

‘The marginal

returns

from raised

funding

seem to bediminishing.’

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Research Europe, 19 February 20158 comment 

v i e w f r o m t h e t o p d a v i d t a l b o t  

Don’t blame the Commission for

Horizon 2020’s low success rateEven the briefest of glances at online discussions aboutEU research programmes will reveal a host of complaintsabout the poor success rate of bids. The effort requiredto put in an application, and the slim chance of it payingoff, it is argued, will lead researchers to turn their backson EU research funding.

This is despite the fact that changes have beenmade for Horizon 2020 in response to widespread dis-content with the slowness and complexity of previous

Framework programmes. Many of these changes havebeen designed to simplify bidding, speed up contractawards and encourage small and medium-sized busi-nesses and organisations in the most recent memberstates to participate.

The changes have indeed sped things up, but withsignificant consequences for both individual submis-sions and the overall success rate.

One of the main simplifications has been the removalof the negotiation phase that came between evaluationand contracting in Framework 7. This has taken weeksout of the time between a bid’s acceptance and the sign-

ing of the contract; the flipside is that applicants onlyget one shot at specifying a project.This means that bids that would have passed the eval-

uation stage in Framework 7 with recommendations forthings to be sorted out in negotiation are now rejected.The message is that bid writers need to focus more ontheir submission, rather than blaming the EuropeanCommission for rejecting a poorly specified bid.

 Another change has been to make calls under Horizon2020 much less specific than those under the previousFramework programmes. As a result, far more teamshave found opportunities to put in bids—vastly outstrip-ping any increase in available funding and inevitablyleading to a lower success rate.

But from my experience as an evalua-tor and rapporteur in Horizon 2020, it isclear that the people putting in bids are

 just as much to blame for the low successrate as the Commission is. The purposeof Horizon 2020 is to fund multina-tional, multiyear and multimillion-europrojects. Many bids lack the requiredscale or vision, even though they haveno doubt allowed a research fundingspecialist somewhere to tick the box for

a bid submitted. My feeling is that, forthe programmes I have worked on, if youtake out the time-wasting bids, success

rates are broadly similar to those in Framework 7 andmany national funding programmes.

Researchers really need to take on board whatHorizon 2020 is designed to do. It provides big money—and 100 per cent funding—to tackle big questions. TheCommission wants to fund big projects and it expects bigresults. Such work is likely to be beyond the capacity ofnational research programmes.

Most proposals have little problem addressing the sci-

entific and technical aspects of these big questions, butthat is only part of the story. To be successful, a proposalneeds to score as highly for its management as it doesfor the science. Almost every evaluator will tell you howheartbreaking it is to see brilliant science scuppered byinadequate management planning.

Previously, this could have been addressed in thenegotiation phase, but no longer. You can call thisbureaucracy, but Horizon 2020 collaborations are, bytheir very nature, massive projects. They need a highlevel of management input and skill to fulfil their poten-tial and allow researchers to do what they do best.

Similarly, exploitation of results is as important asmanagement and scientific excellence. The Commission was rightly criticised for allowing the results of pastFramework projects to disappear into a black hole whenfunding ended. As a result, it is determined to ensurethat Horizon 2020 projects have a real impact. Just say-ing that you will set up a website or host a conferenceisn’t going to score well.

The rules of the game are unlikely to change duringHorizon 2020. There won’t be much more money, andthe calls aren’t going to become tighter. No doubt there

 will still be more excellent projects than the Commissioncan afford to fund, but if your proposal is truly excellent,my sense from the first round of evaluation is that yourchances are as good as they were in Framework 7.

Simpler contracting and wider calls mean that bid writers need to be at the top of their game. Small busi-nesses and new entrants should consider formingpartnerships with established players to build their trackrecord, and don’t forget management and exploitation.Combine all this with an excellent idea, and your chanc-es will be as good as ever.

 More to say? Email comment@ResearchResearch.com

David Talbot (david@dkt-consulting.com) is a specialist

in EU research funding and management. He has servedas an evaluator and rapporteur in Framework 7 andHorizon 2020.

‘It is

heartbreaking

to see brilliant

science

scuppered by

inadequate

managementplanning.’

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Aerial fire fighting

The Directorate-General forHumanitarian Aid and Civil

Protection invites propos-

als on buffer capacitiesfor addressing temporary

shortcomings in extraordi-

nary disasters. The budget

is €3.8 million [4].

Civil protection grants

The Directorate-General for

Humanitarian Aid and Civil

Protection invites propos-als for projects on civilprotection and marine pol-

lution. The total budget is

€8.5 million and grants are

worth up to €800,000 [7].

Sustainable development

The Northern Periphery and

Arctic Programme invites

proposals for its mainproject grants. The total

budget is €56 million [14].

Data management

The European FoodSafety Authority invites

tenders for assistance

to the assessment

methodology unit forstatistical analyses, data

management and ad hoc

consultation. The contract

is worth an est imated€2.5 million [25].

Researcher incentives

The Netherlands

Organisation forScientific Research

invites applications for

its innovational research

incentives scheme Vici

awards. Grants are worthup to €1.5 million [32].

funding opportunitie severy new opportunity every discipline

Research Europe19 February 2015

Opportunities from previous issuesof Research Europe, listed by closing

date. European Commission andassociated funders marked EU.

Each entry is followed by a Web id

February 

d e a d l i n e sh i g h l i g h t s

N O T T O B E

P H O T O C O P I E D

For subscriptions call +44 20 7216 6500

27  UK All Saints Educational Trust

corporate awards 1171897 

  UK Gen Foundation grants 208697 

  UK University of Oxford Byrne-Bus-sey Marconi fellowships 1176712

  UK University of Oxford HumfreyWanley fellowships 1176708

  UK University of Oxford Sassoonvisiting fellowships 1176352

  UK Wellcome international engage-ment awards 211201

28  DE Association of European Opera-

tional Research Societies doctoraldissertation award 205717 

  DE Boehringer Ingelheim FondsHeinrich Wieland prize 209564

  CH European Organisation forNuclear Research openlab summerstudent programme 1162212

  CH European Respiratory Societyaward for lifetime achievement inpulmonary arterial hypertension 261084

  CH European Respiratory SocietyMaurizio Vignola asthma gold medal  1182399

  CH European Respiratory Societyresearch award in idiopathic pulmo-nary fibrosis 1165878

  CH European Respiratory SocietyRomain Pauwels research award 209561

  CH European Society of Biome-chanics SM Perren research award 206894

  DE Institute of DevelopmentResearch and DevelopmentPolicy Erasmus Mundus scholarships1182899

  UK Institute of Historical ResearchJacobite studies trust fellowships 1160615

  UK International Headache Societycephalalgia award lecture 1170491

  UK International PsychoanalyticalAssociation Elise M Hayman award

for the study of the Holocaust andgenocide 165086 

  UK International Psychoanalyti-cal Association Hayman prize forpublished work pertaining to trau-matised children and adults 165091

  DE International Society of Biome-

chanics promising scientist award 1182978

  FR PhosAgro/UNESCO/Interna-tional Union for Pure and AppliedChemistry research grants in green

chemistry 1177485  UK Sainsbury Institute for the Study

of Japanese Arts and Cultures Rob-ert and Lisa Sainsbury fellowships 209367 

  FR Solar Facilities for the Euro-pean Research Area call for access1172225

   JP United Nations UniversityJapan Society for the Promotion ofScience-UNU fellowships 197704

   JP United Nations University PhDfellowships 197693

   JP United Nations University post-doctoral fellowships 197701

  CH World Health Organization socialinnovation projects 1183458

  FI World Institute for DevelopmentEconomics Research discriminationand affirmative action 1183463

  CA York University visiting scholars 1181929

  March

1UK Dystropic Epidermolysis BullosaResearch Association Internationalepidermolysis bullosa researchgrants 199894

  NL ESF conservation genomics:amalgamation of conservationgenetics and ecological and evolu-tionary genomics – short visit andexchange grants 1163579

  UK European Association for theHistory of Medicine and Health book

award 1170096   DE European Federation of Im-

munological Societies Ita Askonasprize 1177168

  DE European Molecular BiologyOrganisation conferences andconference series 212934

  DE European Molecular BiologyOrganisation global exchangelecture courses 1158877 

  DE European Molecular BiologyOrganisation Federation of Euro-pean Biochemical Societies jointlecture courses 259675

  DE European Molecular BiologyOrganisation practical courses 212930

  DE European Molecular BiologyOrganisation workshops 212932

  UK European Society for PaediatricEndocrinology fellowships 174830

  NL European Society for PaediatricInfectious Diseases training coursesand workshop awards 254898

Online Funding Search

Funding searchSearch

For full details of every funding opportunity, visitwww.ResearchProfessional.com

Online subscribers can view full details of any funding opportunity bysimply searching for the Web id number as free text in a funding search.

Free text: 1234567 x

e u r o p eAntarctic researchThe Scientific Committee on Antarctic

Research and the Council of Managersof National Antarctic Programs inviteapplications for their antarctic researchfellowships. These aim to encouragethe active involvement of early-careerAntarctic researchers and to strengtheninternational capacity and cooperationin Antarctic research. One to two awards,worth up to US$15,000 (€13,200) each,are available.Web id: 1162323Email: sec@comnap.aqDeadline: 3 June 2015 [1]

Bone research prizeThe Austrian Society for Bone and MineralResearch invites applications for its inter-

national research prize. This is awardedto an individual whose recent work inthe fields of molecular, cellular, patho-physiological or clinical aspects of boneand mineral metabolism has resulted ina novel finding or concept. The prize isworth €7,500.Web id: 193670Email: klaus.klaushofer@osteologie.at Deadline: 19 March 2015 [2]

EU materials scienceERA-Net M-ERA.NET invites proposals forits transnational joint call. This supportstransnational high risk R&D projectsaddressing materials science and engi-neering, including micro- and nano-

technologies, production processes andtechnologies. The project duration maynot exceed 36 months.Web id: 1173688Email: office@m-era.net Deadline: 9 June 2015 [3]

EU aerial fire fightingThe Directorate-General for HumanitarianAid and Civil Protection invites propos-als on buffer capacities for addressingtemporary shortcomings in extraordinarydisasters. Proposals should provide twomodules of aerial forest fire fighting,using planes stationed on, or on standbyin, different locations in southern Europe.The budget is €3.8 million.Web id: 1183606Email: echo-a5@ec.europa.euDeadline: 9 March 2015 [4]

EU public healthThe Directorate-General for Health andConsumers invites tenders for a pilotproject. The tenderer will support thedevelopment of actions to address thehealth needs of people living in isolatedand vulnerable situations in the EU. Theestimated value of the contract rangesfrom €800,000 to €1 million.Web id: 1183589Email: sante-procurement@ec.europa.euDeadline: 13 March 2015 [5]

Global ozone monitoringThe European Organisation for the Exploi-tation of Meteorological Satellites invitestenders for a study on impact mitigation

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10 funding opportunities Research Europe, 19 February 2015

Web id: 1183726Email: rasa.procurement@efsa.europa.euDeadline: 17 April 2015 [25]

Gender economicsThe UniCredit Foundation, in cooperationwith UniCredit Women's InternationalNetwork, invites submissions for the bestpaper on women topics in Europe awards.

These will be awarded for the two bestpapers on gender economics. Prizes areworth €5,000 each.Web id: 1161987Email: unicreditanduniversities@uni-credit.euDeadline: 30 April 2015 [26]

EU ecotoxicologyThe European Food Safety Authorityinvites proposals for data collection forthe estimation of ecological data, residuelevel and residue decline of pesticides onfood items to be used in risk assessmentfor birds and mammals. This call aimsto collect and harmonise the availableecological data, diet composition data

obtained in the treated areas, and datafrom residues trials including both resi-due levels and residue decline to be usedfor risk assessment of birds and mammals.EFSA intends to fund one proposal overnine months. The grant co-financing ratewill equal up to 90 per cent of the projectcosts to a maximum of €300,000.Web id: 1182601Email:repro.grants.and.procurements@efsa.europa.euDeadline: 18 May 2015 [27]

Political science fellowshipsThe European University Institute andthe Robert Schuman Centre for AdvancedStudies invite applications for their one

 year Jean Monnet fellowships. These areavailable for researchers, tenure trackacademics and those wishing to spendtheir sabbatical at the Robert SchumanCentre. The fellowships include a monthlystipend of €2,000.Web id: 192263Email: applyres@eui.euDeadline: 25 October 2015 [28]

Plastic surgery scholarshipThe European Association of PlasticSurgeons, together with the AmericanAssociation of Plastic Surgeons, invitesapplications for their academic scholar-ship. This aims to assist the recipient inthe establishment of a new combined

research programme between Europeand the US. The scholarship is worth upto US$60,000 (€52,800).Web id: 1171018Email: office@euraps.orgDeadline: 1 January 2016 [29]

Radio telescope accessThe Netherlands Institute for RadioAstronomy invites proposals for its call.This provides scientists with a limitedbut diverse set of standard observingcapabilities on the international LOFARtelescope, a powerful radio telescopefor frequencies below 240 MHz. For thiscycle 1,600 hours of observing time willbe allocated, of which about 750 hourscan be observed at night. There will be2,400 hours of processing time available.Web id: 1179445Email: sciencesupport@astron.nl Deadline: 11 March 2015 [31]

or institution for higher education. Grantsare worth at least €7,860 each.Web id: 252513Email: bof@ugent.beDeadline: 7 May 2015 [11]

Surgical oncology trainingThe European Society of Surgical Oncol-ogy invites applications for its trainingfellowships. These enable young surgeons

to visit a specialist centre outside theirown country, in order to expand theirexperience and learn new techniques. Upto 10 standard training fellowships, worth€2,000 each, are available as well as onemajor training fellowship of €10,000.Web id: 189865Deadline: 31 October 2015 [12]

Operational researchThe Association of European OperationalResearch Societies invites applications forits general support funds. These supportactivities related to EURO, which cannotbe covered by other means. The budgetis €10,000.Web id: 1167699

Email: secretary@euro-online.orgDeadline: 1 April 2015 [13]

EU sustainable developmentThe Northern Periphery and Arctic Pro-gramme invites proposals for its mainproject grants. These aim to help gener-ate vibrant, competitive and sustainablecommunities by harnessing innovation,expanding the capacity for entrepreneur-ship and seizing the unique growth initia-tives and opportunities of the northernand Arctic regions in a resource efficientway. During the period 2014 to 2020, theprogramme will allocate approximately€56 million to projects with a maximumtotal budget of €2m.

Web id: 1166079Email: christopher.parker@northern-periphery.euDeadline: 10 April 2015 [14]

Genetic diseasesThe Jérôme Lejeune Foundation invitesapplications for its research grants. Thesesupport research projects on intellectualdisability from genetic origin appearingin early childhood. Grants are worthup to €20,000 per year for one or two

 years. Clinical projects may be awardedlarger grants.Web id: 213435Email: conseilscientifique@fondation-lejeune.org

Deadline: 9 March 2015 [16]

Fellowships in Germany The German Academic Exchange Ser-vice (DAAD) and the Leibniz Associationinvite applications for their researchfellowships. These enable internationalpostdoctoral investigators to conductresearch at Leibniz institutes in Germany.Grants provide a monthly instalment of€2,000, insurance and a research allow-ance of €460 over 12 monthsWeb id: 1162261Email: behrsing@daad.deDeadline: 16 March 2015 [17]

Molecular biology The European Molecular Biology Organi-sation invites applications for its younginvestigator programme. This gives youngindependent researchers in Europe exten-

sive networking opportunities, as wellas other financial and practical support.

 Young investigators receive a financialaward worth €15,000 in their second

 year. All current investigators may alsoapply for small grants of up to €10,000from the EMBO council.Web id: 206990Email: yip@embo.orgDeadline: 1 April 2015 [18]

EU FP7 electron laser Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorfinvites applications for use of its free-electron laser facility at the Electron Lin-ear accelerator with high Brilliance andLow Emittance. This hosts various highpower radiation sources which enableuser groups from all over the world tocarry out experiments in a variety of sub-

 jects including electromagnetic radiation,nuclear physics and radiation physics.Web id: 253943Email: b.schramm@hzdr.deDeadline: 20 April 2015 [19]

Natural heritage awards

The Europarc Foundation and the AlfredToepfer Foundation invite applicationsfor the Alfred Toepfer natural heritagescholarships. These enable young con-servationists with practical experience inthe field of conservation and in the workof protected areas to undertake a studyvisit to one or more protected areas inanother European country. Three awards,worth €3,000 each, are available.Web id: 192399Email: n.courant@europarc.orgDeadline: 8 May 2015 [20]

Security and the stateThe Gerda Henkel Foundation invitesproposals for its programme on security,

society and the state. This targets newsecurity-related issues that are primeexamples of the post-Cold-War era buthave been neglected in mainstreamresearch. The funding period is generallybetween one and 24 months. Scholarshipsinclude a monthly stipend of up to €2,700and travel- and material expenses.Web id: 1174534Email: podranski@gerda-henkel-stif-tung.deDeadline: 4 December 2015 [21]

Scholarships in Hungary The Hungarian Scholarship Board Officeinvites applications for its Hungarianstate scholarships. These provide stu-

dents and researchers with the oppor-tunity to conduct studies or research inHungarian education institutions andresearch institutes in the academic year2015-16 and for participation in sum-mer university courses in the summerof 2015. Funding includes a monthlystipend and may include an accommoda-tion allowance.Web id: 1165188Deadline: 8 April 2015 [24]

EU data managementThe European Food Safety Author-ity invites tenders for assistance to theassessment methodology unit for sta-tistical analyses, data management andad hoc consultation upon request. Thetenderer will conduct specific tasks andtraining courses upon request. The con-tract is worth an estimated €2.5 millionover four years.

of the loss of solar visibility on the globalozone monitoring experiment-2 reflec-tance data quality. The tenderer will carryout an evaluation study and propose miti-gating actions with respect to the GOME-2on Metop-A reflectance data quality. Thework will be divided in four work packagesof a total of eight man-months.Web id: 1183653Deadline: 23 March 2015 [6]

EU civil protection grantsThe Directorate-General for HumanitarianAid and Civil Protection invites propos-als for projects on civil protection andmarine pollution. These aim to promotecooperation in prevention, preparednessand awareness-raising. The total budgetis €8.5 million and grants are worth upto €800,000.Web id: 213189Email: ECHO-CP-P&P@ec.europa.euDeadline: 8 April 2015 [7]

EU equality data collectionThe Directorate-General for Justiceinvites tenders for analysis and com-

parative review. The tenderer will mapthe existing legal framework and practiceswith regards to equality data collection inthe EU, update the publication 'Europeanhandbook on equality data', and producea report on comparative review of equalitydata collection in EU member states. Thecontract has a duration of 12 months.Web id: 1183709Email: just-a4-cft@ec.europa.euDeadline: 15 April 2015 [8]

EU vocational educationThe Education, Audiovisual and CultureExecutive Agency, under its ErasmusPlus programme, invites applicationsfor comprehensive policy frameworks

for continuing vocational education andtraining. Grants support national authori-ties' efforts to plan for or implementpolicy intervention in continuing voca-tional education and training with theaim to secure coherence and relevance ofsupply and significantly increase adults'participation in learning. The total budgetamounts up to €4.2 million. Each grant isworth up to €150,000 for one year and upto €300,000 for two years. 15 proposalsare expected to be funded.Web id: 1183563Email: eacea-eplus-vet@ec.europa.euDeadline: 30 April 2015 [9]

Cancer research awards

The European CanCer Organisation andthe European Journal of Cancer inviteapplications for their young investiga-tor's award. This recognises recent origi-nal work in cancer research, treatmentor care by a young scientist or doctor inthe field of basic, translational or clinicaloncology. The award includes €4,000,free registration for this year's Europeancancer congress, free accommodationand a contribution towards travel costs.Web id: 251287Email: anne.blondeel@ecco-org.euDeadline: 5 May 2015 [10]

Ghent University doctoratesGhent University invites applications,under its special research fund, for its

 joint doctoral grants. These support PhDstudents who wish to take a doctorateunder joint supervision of Ghent Univer-sity and a non-Flemish partner university

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Web id: 260977Email: esmo@esmo.orgDeadline: 1 May 2015 [38]

Increasing wheat yieldsThe International Wheat Yield Partnershipinvites proposals for discoveries. This callsupports projects that aim to discoverapproaches to substantially increasethe genetic yield potential of wheat, as

defined by grain yield under the absenceof stress. Projects should last betweenone and three years, and may receive upto US$2 million (€1.76m) each, includ-ing both cash and in-kind contributions.Web id: 1183672Email: iwypprogdirector@gmail.comDeadline: 15 March 2015 [39]

EU metrology grantsThe European Association of NationalMetrology Institutes invites applicationsfor its 2015 call for the following topicareas – metrology for health, SI broaderscope, metrology research for pre- andco-normative projects, and researchpotential - within the European Metrology

Programme for Innovation and Research.Web id: 1161610Email: msu@npl.co.ukDeadline: 17 March 2015 [40]

Occupational safety grantsThe Institution of Occupational Safety andHealth invites proposals for its annualcompetition call. This supports researchthat will provide an evidence base foreffective occupational safety and health.Collaborations are welcome.Web id: 1161712Email: reception@iosh.co.ukDeadline: 25 March 2015 [41]

Wellcome archives accessThe Wellcome Trust invites applicationsfor its medical humanities research bur-saries. These support small and medium-scale research projects based on libraryor archive collections supported by thetrust. Bursaries are usually worth up to£25,000 (€33,800), depending on theduration of research.Web id: 1183662Email: r.resources@wellcome.ac.ukDeadline: 1 April 2015 [42]

Civil engineering travel The Institution of Civil Engineers invitesapplications for the Queen's JubileeScholarship Trust travel award. This ena-bles candidates to travel overseas andundertake an activity that furthers theirprofessional development. The awardis worth up to £1,500 (€2,000) for anindividual member or up to £6,000 for agroup of members.Web id: 1169776Email: quest.awards@ice.org.ukDeadline: 23 April 2015 [43]

Neuroendocrinology grantsThe British Society for Neuroendocrinol-ogy invites applications for its projectgrants. These provide support for con-sumables and other research costs toenable postdoctoral scientists or studentsto carry out neuroendocrine researchprojects. Awards are worth up to £5,000(€6,800) each.Web id: 1163782Email: a.j.fulford@bristol.ac.ukDeadline: 1 May 2015 [44]

Research Europe, 19 February 2015 funding opportunities 11

Radiology awardsThe Society for Radiological Protectioninvites applications for its research andinnovations grants. These support pro-

 jects in the field of radiological protec-tion. Three awards, worth up to £10,000(€13,500) each, are available every year.Web id: 1174264Email: admin@srp-uk.org

Deadline: 31 May 2015 [45]

Edinburgh humanitiesThe University of Edinburgh's Institutefor Advanced Studies in the Humanitiesinvites applications for its postdoctoralbursaries. These support research in anyarea of the humanities and social sci-ences. Bursaries are worth up to £10,000(€13,500) each, and are tenable betweenthree and nine months.Web id: 254612Email: iash@ed.ac.ukDeadline: 1 June 2015 [46]

Antarctic researchThe Scientific Committee on Antarctic

Research invites applications for its Ant-arctic research fellowships. These encour-age the active involvement of early-careerscientists and engineers in Antarcticresearch, and strengthen internationalcapacity and cooperation. Four to fiveawards, worth up to US$15,000 (€13,200)each, are available.Web id: 199203Email: info@scar.orgDeadline: 3 June 2015 [47]

Iranian studiesThe Iran Heritage Foundation invitesapplications for its grants. These sup-port projects on any aspect of Persian

and Iranian studies, including art andarchaeology, architecture, history andPersian language. Grants range between£500 (€700) and £3,000 and may beused for research, travel, conferences,workshops and publications.Web id: 189705Email: info@iranheritage.orgDeadline: 6 November 2015 [48]

CRUK fellowshipCancer Research UK invites applicationsfor its clinician scientist fellowship. Thisenables scientists to develop their clinicalacademic research career. The fellowshipprovides salaries for the fellow and oneresearch assistant, and associated run-

ning expenses for up to four years.Web id: 189108Email: rachael.panizzo@cancer.org.ukDeadline: 20 November 2015 [49]

Geography awardsThe Royal Geographical Society, with theInstitute of British Geographers, invitesapplications for the Ralph Brown expedi-tion award. This is offered to the leaderof an expedition involving the studyof inland or coastal wetlands, rivers orshallow marine environments. The awardis worth £12,500 (€16,900) for fieldworklasting from four to six weeks. Additionalfunding of £2,000 may be available if thefieldwork project includes a first-yeargeography undergraduate student.Web id: 211459Email: grants@rgs.orgDeadline: 23 November 2015 [50]

Researcher incentivesThe Netherlands Organisation for Scien-tific Research invites applications for itsinnovational research incentives schemeVici awards. These target senior research-ers who have successfully demonstratedthe ability to develop their own innovativelines of research, and encourage themto act as coaches for young researchers.Approximately 31 positions are expectedto be funded with up to €1.5m per grant,for a period of five years.Web id: 260546Email: vi@nwo.nl Deadline: 26 March 2015 [32]

Market research impactEuropean Society for Opinion and Mar-ket Research invites submissions for itsresearch effectiveness award. This aims toreward clients of research, in any marketand any field, who can prove the paybackof their research investment. The awardwinner will receive €4,000 and will bewidely publicised by ESOMAR.Web id: 1183090Email: customerservice@esomar.orgDeadline: 29 May 2015 [33]

Princess of Asturias awardsThe Princess of Asturias Foundationinvites nominations for the Princess ofAsturias awards. These recognise sci-entific, technical, cultural, social andhumanitarian work performed at an inter-national level by individuals or groups andinstitutions. Each award comprises a JoanMiró sculpture and €50,000.Web id: 1161516Email: fpa@fpa.esDeadline: 12 March 2015 [34]

Advancing knowledge

The BBVA Foundation invites nominationsfor its frontiers of knowledge awards.These recognise research and creativework that contributes to an improvedunderstanding of the natural, social andartificial or technological worlds andtechnological innovations and develop-ments. Awards are worth €400,000.Web id: 212505Email: awards-info@fbbva.esDeadline: 30 June 2015 [35]

Mycobacteria scienceThe European Respiratory Society, withsupport from Insmed, invites nominationsfor its research award. This recognises a

 young scientist or clinician in the fieldof non-tuberculous mycobacteria sci-ence and medicine. The award is worth€10,000 and will be divided into two parts;€1,000 as a personal reward and €9,000as a research grant to the institution ofthe awardee.Web id: 1183561Deadline: 31 March 2015 [36]

Oncology fellowshipsThe European Society for Medical Oncol-ogy invites applications for the followingfellowships:

•clinical research fellowships, worth€35,000 for one year. Host institutionswill receive €1,000 towards administra-tion costs. Web id: 260981

•translational research fellowships,worth €35,000 for one year, with thepossibility of an additional €35,000 fora second year. Host institutes receive€1,000 towards administrative costs.

r e s t o f w o r l d

 Taxation and business lawThe University of New South Wales' Schoolof Taxation and Business Law invitesapplications for its research fellowships.These support international academicsand professionals keen to further theirresearch in the field of taxation, businesslaw and related disciplines. Fellowshipsare worth up to AU$7,500 (€5,100).Web id: 256315Email: b.tran-nam@unsw.edu.auDeadline: 31 March 2015 [55]

Spine motion assessmentThe Workers' Compensation Board of Brit-ish Columbia invites proposals for the pro-vision of a systematic review. This shouldrelate to a range of motion assessmentsfor spinal permanent functional impair-ment. Eligible costs include conferencetravel of up to CA$1,700 (€1,200) andsalary support for graduate students,postdoctoral fellows, research associates,technical and professional assistants.Projects must not exceed one year induration.Web id: 1183579Email: policy@worksafebc.comDeadline: 9 March 2015 [56]

Burney Centre archivesMcGill University's Burney Centre and theAmerican Society for Eighteenth-CenturyStudies invite applications for their fel-lowship. This enables scholars to travelto and establish temporary residence inMontreal in order to use the resources ofthe McGill University library. The fellow-ship is worth US$3,000 (€2,600) for aone-month stay.Web id: 255597

Email: burney.centre@mcgill.caDeadline: 30 November 2015 [57]

Holocaust studiesThe Yad Vashem - International Institutefor Holocaust Research invites applica-tions for its two-week research fellow-ships for PhD students. These supportPhD students who are writing a disserta-tion on some aspect of the Holocaust toenable travel to Israel in order to conductresearch in the Yad Vashem archives fortwo weeks. The fellowship includes fund-ing for travel and accommodation.Web id: 1173082Deadline: 18 April 2015 [58]

Biology prizeThe Japan Society for the Promotion ofScience invites nominations for its inter-national prize for biology. This recognisesan individual who has contributed to theadvancement of research in cell biology.The prize is worth ¥10 million (€7,400).Web id: 1172689Email: ip-biology@jsps.go.jpDeadline: 15 April 2015 [59]

Peace grantsThe Sasakawa Peace Foundation invitesapplications for its grants. These supportprojects in the fields of internationalunderstanding, exchange, and coop-eration. Most grants have previouslyfallen between US$20,000 (€17,600)and US$100,000 over one to three years.Web id: 207913Deadline: 31 October 2015 [60]

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analysis  13Research Europe, 19 February 2015

The shifting structureof scientific adviceThe European Parliament is revamping its science advice unit in the hope of makingthe advisers’ work more relevant to MEPs and the public. Safya Khan-Ruf reports.

‘Part of the

unit will focus

on foresight

studies—an

increasingly

fashionableapproach.’

i n s i d e r  

Since its foundation in 1987, the Science and TechnologyOptions Assessment office, or Stoa, has sought to pro-

 vide MEPs with information to help them legislate onsensitive technical issues.

The office has gained respect for the quality of itsassessments—but critics say it has mainly worked in areasof interest to the few MEPs who choose to take owner-ship of its work. Some of these, such as Malcolm Harbour,a British MEP who was a member of the EuropeanConservatives and Reformists group and chairman ofthe Committee on the Internal Market and ConsumerProtection, left the Parliament after the elections in May.

The Parliament, through the panel of 15 MEPs respon-sible for the office, is now reshaping how Stoa works.In September, the office was renamed the ScienceForesight Unit (although it retained its acronym) and

split in two. One part continues to produce studies forMEPs, as before, but the other will focus on conductingtechnology foresight studies, an increasingly fashion-able approach that has taken root in northern Europeancountries including the Netherlands and the UK.

Foresight exercises involve mapping out potentialfuture developments in science and technology thatmay affect policy. Stoa will employ external experts tohelp analyse technologies and create policies for differ-ent scenarios, focusing on the technologies’ potentialimpact on society. The quality of the people involved maydetermine the effectiveness of this approach, says KieronFlanagan, a specialist in science and technology policy atthe Institute of Innovation Research at the University ofManchester. “Foresight is more of an art than a science,regardless of what its practitioners will claim,” he says.

The foresight approach will help Stoa to deal withthe sheer complexity of science and technology policyissues, says Paul Rübig, an Austrian MEP and member ofthe European People’s Party, who was elected chairmanof Stoa by MEPs in October. Rübig has named five priorityareas for Stoa: mobility, resources, ICT, health improve-ments and science communication. He says that Stoa isusing social media, as well as research journals, to pushits work into the public domain. It is important that the

knowledge gathered can be used in society, he says.But more work will need to be done to make Stoa’s

 work relevant to the Parliament, says Peter Tindemans,

the secretary-general of Euroscience, a grass-roots sci-entists’ group. One approach, he says, would be for all ofthe panel members to try harder to link Stoa’s activities tothose of the parliamentary committees on which they sit.

Tindemans and other observers also suggest that it mightbe appropriate for Stoa to stop simply spelling out theconsequences of different policy options and start mak-ing firm recommendations. As things stand, he says, Stoa“doesn’t have a real relation with the policy discussion.”

This is an issue that has always dogged offices such asStoa. For example, perceived political bias led the UnitedStates Congress to close the unit on which Stoa was origi-nally modelled, the Office of Technology Assessment,in 1995. Unlike Stoa, the US office did offer recom-mendations for certain technologies. A past employee,Philip Shapira, who is now a professor of innovation

management and policy at the Manchester Institute forInnovation Research, says there is an ongoing discussionin the US about whether the office should be re-estab-lished. Technology assessment offices should be able tooffer recommendations if the evidence is clearly in onedirection, even if it proves controversial, he says.

But Fabian Zuleeg, the head of the European PolicyCentre, a Brussels-based think tank, says: “It becomes

 very difficult to have such bodies provide recommenda-tions, as you are entering political territory.”

The Stoa revamp isn’t the only change affectingscientific advice in Brussels: over at the EuropeanCommission, research commissioner Carlos Moedas ispreparing a set of options to replace the chief scientificadviser role vacated by the UK biologist Anne Glover.

“It is very important that we stay neu-tral,” says Lieve van Woensel, the headof Stoa. “We have to give independentadvice.” But that’s a fine line for any groupto walk, and only time will tell whether therevamped Stoa unit can succeed in boost-ing its profile while retaining a reputationfor neutrality.

“In practice,” Flanagan points out,“nothing is entirely neutral in the world of

policy-making and government.” So me th in g to ad d? Em ai l co mm en t@

 ResearchResearch.com

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Research Europe, 19 February 201514 news

u k & i r e l a n d

Academies warn of talent ‘exodus’The next UK government should double public fundingfor R&D from 0.5 to 1 per cent of GDP to retain the bestresearchers and compete with research-intensive coun-tries, according to the UK’s national academies.

 A statement by the Academy of Medical Sciences, theBritish Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering andthe Royal Society, published on 10 February, warns thata sustained drop in R&D funding in real terms will leadto an exodus similar to that seen in the 1980s. “High-quality researchers are looking elsewhere,” said AlexHalliday, the vice-president of the Royal Society, at abriefing to journalists. “There is not enough money inthe system to support them.”

“We can’t go on like that,” added Ann Dowling, thepresident of the Royal Academy of Engineering. Intheir statement, the academies argue that fundingfor research and innovation is necessary for economicgrowth. They add that investment levels need to beraised to keep up with those of other research-intensivecountries, noting that the UK spends a smaller propor-tion of its GDP on R&D than countries including Austria,Slovenia, South Korea and the United States.

Last autumn, a report by the House of CommonsBusiness, Innovation and Skills Committee recommend-ed that 3 per cent of GDP be spent on R&D. And earlier

in 2014, a report commissioned by the Department forBusiness, Innovation and Skills (BIS) recommended2.9 per cent. Investment actually stands at 1.7 per cent,

 with public funding accounting for just 0.5 per cent. No

specific funding level is set out in the statement, butat the briefing the academies’ representatives said itshould double to 1 per cent. “We need to go from ring-fencing to an expansion,” said Halliday.

Only one of the three main political parties in Westminster, the Liberal Democrats, has set a target forR&D funding—saying it should be raised to 3 per centover inflation. James Wilsdon, a science policy research-er, has questioned the decision by the representatives ofthe academies to tie their target to GDP, saying that theacademies presented no evidence to support their call

for a doubling. Wilsdon says an annual budget increaseof 10 per cent in cash terms would be better.

The academies’ statement also calls on the govern-ment to make it easier for scientists and students tomigrate to the UK, and to promote government scienceadvice in regional, national and international arenas.

It is not clear who in Whitehall will help the academiesto build their case ahead of the general election in May,

 with John O’Reilly having recently departed the post ofdirector-general for knowledge and innovation at BIS.Nicholas Stern, the president of the British Academy,said the call was made to the incoming government,

not civil servants. However, Ric Parker, the director ofresearch and technology at Rolls-Royce, said that thegovernment’s chief scientific adviser Mark Walportshould be the first point of contact in government.

by Adam Smith asnews@ResearchResearch.com

War museum library savedThe Imperial War Museum’s libraryand research room are to stay openas the museum has found other

 ways to save and raise money—including charging usersof the research room. The library had been threatened

 with closure after projections showed that the museum would soon be running a £4-million (€5.4m) deficit.

Science museum to open research centreThe London-based Science Museum is to establish afacility to house its research and public history depart-ment and provide a space for public engagement. Theaim is to increase the use and understanding of themuseum’s collections by academics and the public.

Lobby group prepares pre-election action A grass-roots scientists’ group is launching a letter- writing campaign to MPs and may organise a march atelection time to demand that politicians protect the

research budget. Science is Vital will aim to galvanisethe 35,000 people who signed its petition when thebudget was threatened in the 2010 spending review.

Fears of funding concentrationOverall quality-related funding, which will be allocatedto universities based on their results in the ResearchExcellence Framework assessment, is to stay at the 2014-15level of £1.57 billion (€2.1bn) in 2015-16. Some vice-chancellors and pressure groups have warned that thisreal-terms reduction will lead to funding being even moreconcentrated at a small number of elite institutions.

Ireland sets target for 13,800 STEM graduatesThe Irish government has asked higher education insti-tutions to help produce 13,800 science, technology,engineering and maths graduates a year by 2018. Thegovernment specifies energy research, sustainable foodand manufacturing as particularly important areas.

Research council to block failed grant applicantsThe Natural Environment Research Council has capped thenumber of applications that institutions with poor suc-cess rates can make for its standard grants for discovery

science. Research institutions with a success rate of lessthan 20 per cent across the previous six rounds will berestricted in their bidding.

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Science council outlines accreditation

plan for private universitiesGermany’s science council has provided chancellor Angela Merkel with a set of guidelines for the accredita-tion of private universities.

 At its first session of 2015, the Wissenschaftsrat,a council of senior scientists that advises the govern-ment, met Merkel in Berlin to discuss how to ensure thatnon-governmental higher education institutions, suchas private universities and religious colleges, meet suf-ficient standards in their teaching and research.

The guidelines were drawn up last year after concerns were raised by academics and politicians about the qual-

ity of education at private universities, in particular atbusiness schools and art colleges, the council said.

 At the meeting, the council set out separate standardsfor teaching, research and governance that institutionsmust meet in order to be accredited by the government.For example, institutions must show that a minimumrequirement for the number of full professors is in place,and that their academic syllabus is not influenced in any

 way by external funders or commercial interests.

The Wissenschaftsrat also approved six private uni- versities to be accredited. These included the Apollonuniversity of applied sciences in Bremen, which teachesremotely only and has 1,800 students on its books, andthe International School of Management in Dortmund.The council said the Dortmund school was doing so wellthat its accreditation period should be extended by10 years if it maintains the same standards until 2020.

The other private institutions that received a positive

 vote were the Merz Academy, a college of design, artand media in Stuttgart; Bochum University of AppliedSciences; and the Dekra and SRH Universities in Berlin.

The Wissenschaftsrat also confirmed the re-election ofManfred Prenzel, an education researcher at the LudwigMaximilian University of Munich, as its chairman. He

 will be assisted by Antje Boetius, a deep-sea researcherat the University of Bremen, and Hans Pape, a physiolo-gist at the University of Münster.

German foundation to fundRussia-Ukraine ties

The Volkswagen Foundation haslaunched a programme to fundresearch collaborations between scientists in Germany,Russia and Ukraine. The foundation will provide up to€250,000 for projects involving at least one participatinginstitution from each country. The aim of the initiativeis to build “rapprochement, confidence and understand-ing” between the countries, the foundation said.

Researchers oppose decentralisation of power The SNCS, a French researchers’ union, has expressed itsopposition to draft legislation that would give Frenchregions more power over higher education, research andinnovation policies. The bill being considered by theFrench parliament focuses on reforming regional terri-tories’ jurisdiction and increasing their responsibilities.But the SNCS said the proposed amendment could sig-nificantly diminish national policies.

Bavaria promotes online teachingThe government of Bavaria has made €2.5 million avail-able under its Digital Campus Bavaria programme to funddigital technologies at universities. The programme isintended to increase the digitisation of teaching andresearch by funding computing infrastructure, online

learning tools and data exchange services. The govern-ment also promised to increase the funding to €5m next

 year, to help universities hire IT professionals.

Sciences Po plans work with EU bankThe European Investment Bank and Sciences Po, a

French research institute, have signed a five-year dealto increase economics-related research and arrange stu-dent and staff exchanges. Research themes will includeclimate change, big data, smart cities and crowdfund-ing. Sciences Po researchers and lecturers will be able tomake contributions on specific topics at the bank, andEIB staff will give lectures to Sciences Po students.

Rectors reject IT criticismGermany’s rectors have hit back over claims that a newcomputer system to assess university applications is not

 working, after some courses started without being full.The HRK, Germany’s association of rectors, admitted thatthere had been issues in rolling out the DoSV system, butsaid it was not to blame for the empty places.

CEA names next director France’s council of ministers has named Daniel

 Verwaerde as the head of the CEA, France’s commissionfor atomic and alternative energies. Verwaerde, an engi-neering graduate, began working for the CEA in 1978.

 Vaccine collaboration between France and US A long-term collaboration has been agreed betweenFrance’s not-for-profit Pasteur Institute and the

 American biotechnology firm Moderna Therapeutics, which specialises in treatments exploiting mRNA. Thecollaboration will focus on viral and bacterial diseases.

by Inga Vesper news@ResearchResearch.com

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Finnish academics float vision to increase

resources for evidence-based policyThe incoming Finnish government should set up com-mittees of academics across its ministries to providescientific evidence for policy, the Tutkas association ofMPs and academics has said.

The group suggests that five to eight committeesshould be established, in areas including taxation andinnovation policy, to advise the government and preparebackground documentation. The committees shouldcomprise independent researchers from universities andgovernment research agencies, Tutkas said.

Similar systems are already in place in Sweden and

Norway, and Finland should keep pace with its Nordicneighbours, Tutkas said.

“Resources to ensure research for policy-makingshould be strengthened so that research can help thegovernment to react quickly to changing conditions,”the group said in a statement on 29 January, ahead ofthe country’s parliamentary election on 19 April.

Finland does not have a structured system for scienceadvice, leaving the government to commission studieson an ad hoc basis. Only two policy fields are informed bypermanent panels of advisers: the environment has hada panel since 2012 and the economy since 2014.

Kari Raivio, a former rector of the University ofHelsinki, says that having multiple committees wouldaid preparatory work but lead to a clunky advisory struc-ture that might not be able to respond quickly to urgentmatters. “There are issues that come up quite suddenly,in times of crisis, that need an answer before you caneven convene a committee,” he says.

 According to Raivio, the government should insteadappoint a chief scientific adviser to support the prime

minister’s office. He outlined this idea in a report toprime minister Alexander Stubb in October.

In its vision for the next government, Tutkas alsocalled for a dedicated minister for research and tech-nology, a role that for now is overseen by the ministryof culture and education. Raivio agrees that this couldgive science and research a higher standing in gov-ernment, but he warns that it must not be allowed toresult in science being neglected by other ministries.“It would be good to address the question of policy forscience through a single ministry, but science for policyis required in every ministry,” he says.

by Jenny Maukola  jemnews@ResearchResearch.com

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In 2008, a year before Copen-hagen hosted the 15th UNFramework Convention onClimate Change conference,five Nordic prime ministersdecided to launch a joint research programme on cli-mate, energy and the environment. The topic was aburning political issue, and it was relatively easy forleaders to justify taking money from national budgetsto create a common pot for research.

The result was the Top-Level Research Initiative,a programme funded with 400 million Danish kroner

(€54m) by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway andSweden. Despite its relatively small budget, the five-

 year initiative was the largest joint effort by the Nordicnations in research—and the first with the combined

 weight of the countries’ leaders behind it.In January, the Nordic research consultancy Damvad

published its assessment of the programme. The reportsays there was a significant increase in scientific publi-cations by researchers funded by the initiative between2010 and 2013, and that the quality of the programme’soutputs was “well above average” compared with otherNordic research in the same areas.

But despite these successes, the programme wasnot continued after 2013—a development the reportattributes to a complicated and inefficient programmestructure, waning political will and concerns over thesharing of national resources.

The programme was led by three organisations: theresearch funder Nordforsk, the trade agency Nordic

Innovation and the research organisation NordicEnergy Research. This, it seems, posed a real structur-al challenge. “The initiative cut across the interests ofthe ministries and the other actors,” says Erik Arnold,the director of the UK consultancy Technopolis andauthor of a 2009 evaluation of the initiative. “It didn’tfit into the boxes we’re used to working with.”

The management board featured three repre-sentatives from each of the five countries, and sixprogramme committees assessed applications. “The

construction was much too complicated for a relativelysmall amount of money,” says Nicolai Zarganis, the

 vice-president of the Danish Energy Agency and a for-mer board member. “Kr80m per year, and more than50 people handling it—it was too much.”

The initiative undoubtedly produced positiveresults, but many people agree that it used too largea proportion of the money available for Nordic col-laboration to become a regular fixture. “There simplyisn’t budgetary headroom to do this more than once ortwice,” says Arnold.

 And Nordic leaders are increasingly placing more

emphasis on Pan-European, rather than Pan-Nordic,cooperation, in an attempt to increase their participa-tion in Horizon 2020.

It is likely that another burning issue, with thesame political impetus, would be needed for the primeministers to undertake a similar venture again. Fornow, it seems their attention has shifted elsewhere.

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  analysis 17

Researchers call for PhD capThe Finnish Union of UniversityResearchers and Teachers hascalled for a limit on the number of

PhD places offered in fields that are suffering from highunemployment, including biology and biochemistry. Theunemployment rate among PhD holders grew by 30 percent between 2013 and 2014, from 685 to 886.

Copenhagen pushes for female applicantsThe University of Copenhagen has made it mandatory forboth female and male applicants to be considered for allpositions during recruitment. The university says it will

 wait to receive at least one application from each genderbefore filling a position. It will also be mandatory for allselection committees to be gender-balanced.

Neutron source gets Swedish money Vetenskapsrådet, Sweden’s research council, has com-mitted £1.1 million (€1.5m) to the UK’s Isis neutron and

muon source, located near Oxford. The contribution willhelp to fund the construction of a £10m neutron imag-ing and diffraction research instrument at the facility.Swedish scientists will gain access to Isis for four years.

Environmental foundation puts spotlight on banksMistra, the Swedish environmental research founda-tion, has set up a programme to research how financialinstitutions could become more ecofriendly. Mistra willprovide 30 million Swedish kronor (€3.1m), with con-tributions also expected from participants. All projectsshould involve people from the financial industry andmake recommendations for institutional reform.

Finnish government names collaboration obstaclesDifferent labour rules and data systems are hinderingcollaboration between universities and public research

centres in Finland, a government report has said. Thereport says that a lack of trust is also a problem, and thatmore face-to-face meetings could help to resolve this.

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