EU funding call for Reinterpreting Europe's cultural heritage

Funding scheme: FP7 Collaborative project (small or medium-scale focused research project) - Activity 8.5: The Citizen in the European Union - Area 8.5.2 Diversities and commonalities in Europe - SSH.2010.5.2-2 Reinterpreting Europe's cultural heritage: towards the 21st century library and museum?

National museums and galleries emerged in the context of the consolidation of the nationstate in Europe from the 18th century onwards. At the beginning of the 21st century, the intellectual underpinnings of many of these institutions are being questioned, while at the same time, new forms of interaction with the publics are formed. The purpose is to develop a new role for national museums and libraries that allows them, in an innovative way, to adequately reflect past trends and processes that are not constrained by national borders, engage the interest of new social groups and audiences, while simultaneously acting as agents of social cohesion and stability in Europe.

Research could look at the impact of museums, galleries and libraries (including virtual libraries) on identities and values through time and in Europe today, including research on memorialisation and the institutionalisation of cultural memory, as well as on how to best coordinate the activities and collections of museums galleries and libraries across Europe for the benefit of a European and global audience.

Research should also look at how contemporary research in the social sciences and the humanities can be applied in the re-evaluation and re-interpretation of collections and archives in museums, galleries and libraries; this will imply linkages between researchers and archivists in the museum, gallery and library sectors and the academic sector. The increased role of Information and Communication Technologies in museum and gallery displays or in virtual libraries, as well as scenarios for the organisation and content of post-national museums could be looked at.

For these collaborative projects there needs to be at least 3 partners located in 3 different member states. The maximum requested EU contribution under this scheme is EUR 2.7m.

Deadline: 2 February 2010 at 17.00.00 Brussels local time

For more information see: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.CooperationDetailsCallPage&call_id=254 or contact Arts-REST

ESRC new strategic plan increases focus on impact

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) released its Strategic Plan for 2009-14 on 21 July. It outlines the research council’s goals and objectives for the next five years, including a greater concentration on the impact of its research.

"The social sciences are essential to developing the international competitiveness of UK business and the wellbeing of citizens in the UK and beyond. Providing a high quality social science knowledge and evidence base, which is at the heart of the ESRC's mission, is fundamental to addressing a range of economic and social issues within the UK and globally. To achieve this, active two-way dialogue and collaboration between social scientists and potential users throughout the research process and beyond is crucial."

For more information and to download a full copy of the Strategic Plan go to: http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/strategicplan/

European Science Foundation Research Networking Programmes - 2009 Call for Proposals

The European Science Foundation (ESF) are inviting Proposals for new Research Networking Programmes. An ESF Research Networking Programme is a networking activity bringing together nationally funded research activities for four to five years, to address a major scientific issue or a science-driven topic of research infrastructure, at the European level with the aim of advancing the frontiers of science.

Key objectives include:

• creating interdisciplinary fora;
• sharing knowledge and expertise;
• developing new techniques;
• training young scientists.

A successful Programme proposal must show high scientific quality and also demonstrate added value by being carried out at a European level rather than by individual research groups at the national level.

Proposals may be submitted in any or across several of the following broad scientific fields:

• Biomedical Sciences
• Life, Earth and Environmental
• Physical and Engineering Sciences
• Humanities
• Social Sciences

Science driven issues of Research Infrastructures in any of the above fields

Deadline 22 October 2009, 16.00hrs CET

For more information see: http://www.esf.org/activities/research-networking-programmes/rnp-call-for-proposals.html#c15761

Deadlines for Digital Economy Research in the Wild

(This story was originally posted on 27 April 2009)
The Digital Economy Programme invites applicants to apply for short-term funding to perform their ‘Research in the Wild’. This call is about allowing researchers in the Digital Economy to expose and test their research ideas with potential beneficiaries – for example, the individual, business and/or society – in order to get closer to achieving a viable proposition with potential for transformational impact.

Projects are limited to up to 18 months in duration and this call will be open for 12 months after which it will be subject to review.

Proposals will go through an Expression of Interest stage before full proposals are invited. Expressions of interest will be assessed internally on a quarterly basis. Deadlines for Expressions of Interest are:

• 15 May 2009 (passed)
• 14 August 2009
• 13 November 2009

The Digital Economy is an RCUK Cross-Research Council Programme involving EPSRC, ESRC, AHRC and MRC, hence challenges in the Digital Economy will require multi-disciplinary input across a broad spectrum of subjects including researchers from the arts and humanities, economic and social scientists, medical sciences, in addition to engineering and physical sciences.

This call is being administered by EPSRC and all application details can be found on their website at http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/CallsForProposals/RiTW.htm Applications are made through the Je-S system.

AHRC Knowledge Transfer Fellowship scheme - next deadline 12 November 2009

The Knowledge Transfer (KT) Fellowship Scheme is designed to support academics to undertake a programme of knowledge transfer activity in a flexible way. The knowledge transfer project should be planned around an existing piece of arts or humanities research which has the potential to make a significant difference beyond the world of academia. KT Fellows may work either on their own or as part of an academic team, to collaborate with, and bring tangible benefits to, non-academic organisations through a process of knowledge exchange. These benefits may be economic, social or cultural in nature.

Researchers can apply to work on the project on either a full time or part time basis for between 4 months and 3 years. The award can be between £5,000 and £1 million on a full economic cost basis.

The Knowledge Transfer Fellowships scheme has two closing dates each year, in November and May. The next closing date will be 12 November 2009, at 4pm. A revised scheme guide will be available in August, and the J-eS system will open for applications to this round at the same time.

For more information see: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Pages/KTFellowshipScheme.aspx

For more general information about Knowledge Transfer see the RCUK Knowledge Transfer Portal: http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/innovation/ktportal/default.htm

International fellowship programme for New York Public Library resources

15 fellowships of up to $60,000 are awarded each a year to outstanding scholars and writers – academics, independent scholars, journalists, and creative writers - by the Cullman Center’s Selection Committee.

The Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers is an international fellowship program open to people whose work will benefit directly from access to the research collections at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street (formerly the Humanities and Social Sciences Library). Renowned for the extraordinary comprehensiveness of its collections, the Library is one of the world's preeminent resources for study in anthropology, art, geography, history, languages and literature, philosophy, politics, popular culture, psychology, religion, sociology, and sports.

Foreign nationals conversant in English are welcome to apply.

The Cullman Center looks for top-quality writing from academics as well as from creative writers and independent scholars. It aims to promote dynamic communication about literature and scholarship at the very highest level – within the Center, in public forums throughout the Library, and in the Fellows’ published work.

Exclusions
Candidates who need to work primarily in The New York Public Library's other research libraries – The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and the Science, Industry and Business Library – are not eligible for this fellowship, nor are people seeking funding for research leading directly to a degree.

Deadline
Completed applications and letters of recommendation for the Cullman Center fellowship must be received by Friday, September 25, 2009. Candidates will learn the results of the competition in early March.

For more information and application form, see:
http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/scholars/fellowship.html

Launch of OU's new Research and Enterprise Hub

Finding research-related information on the intranet has been made a whole lot easier thanks to a new Research & Enterprise Hub (http://intranet.open.ac.uk/research/) - launched on the OU intranet this week.

The site performs a signposting function, making it easy to find research-related content wherever it may be across the university. The target audiences are researchers, research students, research managers, research administrators and other support staff as well as staff in service units supporting research.

The Hub project team, led by Mark Wight, would like to thank all those who have contributed to its development, especially Pat Grace in the Strategy Unit (who built the site), Research Administrators and Research School teams.

The site will be maintained by the Research School (email Research-Publicity).

Edited from email from Mark Wight, Senior Manager (Research Degrees) 13/07/09