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

The ESF is inviting Proposals for new EUROCORES Themes

The European Science Foundation (ESF) European Collaborative Research (EUROCORES) Programmes offer a flexible framework for researchers from Europe to work on questions which are best addressed in larger scale collaborative research programmes. The EUROCORES Programmes allow excellent researchers from different participating countries to collaborate in research projects ‘at the bench’. They also allow, when appropriate, colleagues from non-European countries, for example the US, to participate. The Programmes encourage and foresee networking and collaboration of researchers to achieve synthesis of scientific results across the programme, to link to related programmes, and to disseminate results.

EUROCORES Themes are "bottom-up" proposals for the creation of new collaborative research programmes dealing with broad and complex topics which are best addressed through multinational cooperation. Through its annual call for theme proposals, ESF solicits new ideas from the scientific community with a view to creating large-scale European Collaborative Research (EUROCORES) programmes in and across all scientific domains. In 2008, 6 out of 38 EUROCORES Theme Proposals were invited to be developed into EUROCORES programmes.

Theme Proposals must be submitted online.

Deadline for submission: 29 May 2009 (noon CET).

More information on website: http://www.esf.org/index.php?id=50

Free teaching and learning resource for anyone interested in Welsh history

The Open University Arts Faculty has launched a free teaching and learning resource website as part of the OpenLearn initiative. It is aimed at anyone interested in Welsh history. It contains study materials, links to some of the most important institutions that contribute to our understanding of the history of Wales, and a pool of resources that can help you understand Welsh history and the way it is studied.

The site includes videos from the BBC Coast series, audio recordings of seventeen BBC Radio Wales programmes, a case study of David Lloyd George, a glossary of Welsh history and a Welsh history timeline. Some of the material comes from the Open University course, 'Small country, big history: themes in the history of Wales' (A182).

Rob Humphreys, Director of The Open University in Wales said, "This is an open access website available throughout the world. It compliments the Open University’s history of Wales course, and it also fulfils a much wider educational role."

Link to Welsh History and its sources web pages: http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3805

Le Corbusier Open University Study Day at the Barbican

Le Corbusier Open University Study Day
21 March 2009 11am-5pm
At the Barbican, Redgrave Suite, Level 4

Tickets: £20/£15 OU concessions

OU staff and students qualify for a reduced price, which includes admission to the Barbican show: Le Corbusier – The Art of Architecture

Le Corbusier repeatedly asserted that his innovations as an architect depended on his passion for the fine arts and his practice as a painter, sculptor and designer. Is this true and what was the nature of the relationship between art and architecture in his work?

Chaired by Tim Benton, Professor Department of Art History, Open University. Speakers include Christopher Green, Professor Emeritus, Courtauld Institute of Art, Stanislaus von Moos, exhibition curator and Professor Emeritus, Department of Art History, University of Zurich, Caroline Maniaque, Associate Professor at the Ecole nationale supérieure d’architecture et de paysage de Lille and artist Simon Starling.

This event is open to all and the ticket price includes entry to the exhibition.

Part of Le Corbusier: Schools and Families
Part of Le Corbusier: The Art of Architecture

Tickets can be booked on-line.

For more information about Le Corbusier at the Barbican see: http://www.barbican.org.uk/lecorbusier

Art History Study Day at Tate Modern - Constructivism and the Art of Everyday Life

Saturday 28 March 2009, 11.00–17.00

This study day explores some of the issues raised by the Rodchenko and Popova exhibition, including the relationship between art and every day life in post-war Russian constructivist art. Contributors investigate the languages of 'construction' and the move from abstraction in art to social forms in every day life, architecture, theatre, product and graphic design.

Speakers will consider debates about different modes of production in art and design, their role in the construction of social space, and the continuing relevance of many of these themes to the work of contemporary artists.

Speakers include curator Margarita Tupitsyn, art historians Christina Lodder, Brandon Taylor, Steve Edwards, Alexander Lavrentiev and artist Dave Mabb.

In collaboration with The Open University and the Research Forum, Courtauld Institute of Art

Tate Modern Starr Auditorium
£15 (£12 concessions), booking recommended
Price includes entry to the exhibition

For tickets book online or call 020 7887 8888

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.

ESF Exploratory Workshop call open - deadline 30 April 2009

Each year, the European Science Foundation (ESF) supports approximately 50 Exploratory Workshops across all scientific domains.

These small, interactive group sessions are aimed at opening up new directions in research to explore new fields with a potential impact on developments in science. The workshops, which usually last 1-3 days, have a wide participation from across Europe and involve mature scientists as well as young, independent researchers and scholars with leadership potential. The relatively small scale (in terms of people involved) provides an ideal platform for focus on the topic and for all participants to contribute to discussions and plan follow-up collaborative work. Interdisciplinary topics are greatly encouraged.

Awards will be up to a maximum value of 15000 EUR.

Exploratory workshop awards are for events with a maximum number of 30 participants (including speakers and convenors).

ESF funds are intended to cover the costs of workshop activities and travel, accommodation and subsistence for participants.

For workshops to be held in 2010 - Deadline on 30 April 2009 (16:00 CET).

For details of how to apply see ESF website: http://www.esf.org/activities/exploratory-workshops/ew-call-for-proposals/ew-call-for-proposals-submission-details-and-procedure.html