Briefing Events for Researchers Considering Applying for ERC Starting Grants

Following the launch of the latest Call for Starting Grants, on 30 July 2009, the UK Research Office (UKRO) is organising a series of information events for researchers who are based in the UK or moving to the UK and who are interested in applying for European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grants.

Each session is geared to providing participants with an overview of the ERC in FP7, focusing on the Starting Grant Scheme and the most recent call, and also to giving attendees a deeper understanding of the proposals format and the key issues in planning, writing and costing a Starting Grant proposal.

The sessions will be held in the following locations:

• University of Sheffield, 3 Sept 2009;
• Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, 7 Sept 2009;
• Royal Veterinary College, University of London, 14 Sept 2009;
• University of Cambridge, 21 Sept 2009;
• Brunel University, London, 22 Sept 2009.

Two identical sessions will be held at each venue, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It is only necessary to attend one session. Both sessions will provide an overview of the ERC and will focus on the application process for the ERC Starting Grants. There will be opportunities to ask questions during each session.

There is no charge to attend and places can be booked on-line at http://www.ukro.bbsrc.ac.uk/erc/events_ukro/

Background Information
The Ideas programme is one of the specific programmes of FP7. Implemented by the European Research Council (ERC) independently of the rest of FP7, individual projects of scientific excellence proposed by truly creative scientists, engineers and scholars can be funded. Activities of “frontier research” can be across disciplines, including engineering, social science and the humanities.

Two funding streams support researchers, namely the ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant (referred to as the Starting Grant) and the ERC Advanced Investigator Grant (referred to as the Advanced Grant). Application follows calls for proposals.

The ERC Starting Grants aim to provide critical and adequate support to the independent careers of excellent researchers, whatever their nationality, located in or moving to the EU Member States and Associated Countries, who are at the stage of starting or consolidating their own independent research team or, depending on the field, their independent research programme.

The ERC Advanced Grants aim to encourage and support excellent, innovative investigator-initiated research projects by leading advanced investigators across the EU Member States and Associated Countries. This funding stream complements the Starting Grant scheme by targeting researchers who have already established themselves as being independent research leaders in their own right.

Get the most out of the library - short training sessions for OU staff

The library is offering skills training for any OU staff. The training is taking place in Milton Keynes.

These are short generic training sessions to develop skills in using the types of online resources available via the Open University Library. They may be of use to new staff to familiarise themselves with these resources for the first time, or as a refresher for staff who have not used them for a while.

Further details of all these sessions are available at http://library.open.ac.uk/services/libcourses/ (need to logon with OU account) and can be booked via the Staff-LMS.

Finding your way around the Library website
Thursday 30th April, 3pm – 4pm
Information Literacy Suite (trainer: Geri Smith)

• Be aware of key information sources provided through the library web pages.
• Understand how to locate information for your subject on the library web pages.
• Know how to find out what library services there are for staff and students.

Finding full-text materials
Tuesday 5th May, 10am – 11.30am
Information Literacy Suite (trainer: Sam Thomas)

• Be aware of appropriate sources of full text materials.
• Be able to search for references to material by author, subject etc.
• Be able to browse the contents of the latest issues of a journal.
• Be able to manage search results.

Effective Internet Searching
Thursday 14th May, 10.30am – Noon
Information Literacy Suite (trainer: Katharine Reedy)

• Understand the basic concepts of searching the internet.
• Know how to use Boolean logic and any specialised search techniques of some of the popular search engines.
• Be aware of ways to search the internet without search engines.
• Understand the process of evaluating web sites.

Keeping Your Research Up To Date
Thursday 21st May, 2pm – 3.30pm
Information Literacy Suite (trainer: Christine Tucker)

• Be aware of the resources that you can use to find out about recently published books, journals and websites.
• Be aware of ways in which to find out about research before it is published. Be aware of a range of alerting services.

Adapted from email from Matthew Taylor, Library Assistant (Weds - Fri), Information Literacy Unit, Open University Library

EU funding for training and career development of researchers

The European Commission's Directorate-General for Research has published three calls for proposals under the 'People' programme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

Intended to provide support for training and career development of researchers, the calls include:

• Intra-European Fellowships (IEF);
• International Outgoing Fellowships (IOF);
• International Incoming Fellowships (IIF).

The Intra-European Fellowship scheme targets experienced researchers seeking to enhance their individual competence and acquire new skills at an interdisciplinary level.

International Outgoing Fellowships aim to reinforce the international dimension of European researchers by giving them the opportunity to work in a high-level research organisation in a third country.

By contrast, the International Incoming Fellowship scheme is addressed at top-class researchers active in third countries, who would like to work on research projects and share their knowledge with colleagues in Europe. Ultimately, the goal is to develop mutually beneficial research cooperation between Europe and third countries.

To see the full details of the call, please consult the following web address: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/calls/

The deadline for all 3 calls is 18th August 2009

Research Funding Bidding Training

Bidding for Funding Workshop: The Ongoing Bidding Process
Facilitators: Mike Stewart, Department of Life Sciences and ANO
Venue: Research Meeting Room, 2nd floor, Library
Date: Thursday 2 April 2009
Time: 10.00 am to 2.00 pm (tbc)

The workshop for OU staff will cover topics as diverse as:

• What makes a good bid;
• Building up and managing your bid portfolio;
• What stops you bidding;
• Building a support structure;

The target audience is Early Career Researchers, and all other researchers looking to build up their bid portfolio.

To register:
If you would like to attend, you can enrol directly by using the Staff Learning Management System (LMS): http://staff-lms.open.ac.uk/staff-lms/

Click on View my own Learning and Development.
Click on Search and register for scheduled learning events and waiting lists
Click on Strategy Unit classes.
Click on search
Look for code: SU/R/BID Date: 2/04/09
Title: Bidding for Funding : The Ongoing Bidding Process

Or alternatively please contact research-training-development@open.ac.uk.

The Bidding for Funding Workshop Series
The 2008-09 series of eight Bidding for Funding workshops will provide information and advice on grant writing to researchers at the OU. Each event is stand-alone, and the series will include sessions on the bidding process, identifying sources of funding, the writing process, Fellowships, and collaborative bids.