Irish Universities Association’s Post

We are committed to keep supporting MT organisations, read the article below to learn more about our 5 support schemes 🌟

Participation of FEBA Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" in a two-day meeting held within the RTIT>> project A meeting and training program within RTIT>> the Knowhow Communities for Accelerating RTI Transfer in the Danube Region project was held in Nikšić, Montenegro, from 19 to 20 November 2024. The event brought together experts and partners from the Danube Region to discuss technology transfer, innovation policies, and the development of an action plan for advancing innovation, focusing on materials and materials technologies. The program included interactive and collaborative workshops, as well as presentations on European innovation policies and best practices. The event demonstrated how regional cooperation is crucial for accelerating innovation and implementing strategies that can contribute to the economic and technological progress of the Danube Region. Discussed methodological framework for action plan development and agreed steps provide a solid basis for the next project activities. The project is supported by the Interreg Danube Region Programme.

The association of higher education communicators in Europe, EUPRIO believes that research is one of the cornerstones of our progress as a society. However, as it usually happens, research is in constant need of funding. This needed to be communicated towards European leaders. The Right Street supported a campaign advocating for increased research and development funding in the EU budget. First, we developed a strategy framework in collaboration with the client. Based on that we helped create the campaign’s tools, including visuals, the tagline and the website. EUPRIO used these to bring together universities, research organisations, funding agencies, and industry partners to reach decision-makers and stakeholders at every level. The efforts helped set a new discourse for debate around research funding, exemplified by President Von Der Leyen endorsing the message that Europe needs new resources for R&D to strengthen its competitiveness: https://lnkd.in/efvZb8D7

We need much more MSCA! Unlocking MSCA’s full potential with more funding As Europe navigates unprecedented challenges and exciting opportunities, the need to invest in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions is clearer than ever. MSCA nurtures talent, fosters groundbreaking research, strengthens global collaborations, and therefore has a key role in driving economic growth and securing Europe’s competitive edge in a rapidly evolving global landscape. However, the current funding is insufficient to maintain the programme’s momentum and expand its reach. We therefore urge the European Commission, Parliament and Council to recognise the MSCA's invaluable contributions by increasing its budget, while maintaining its purely bottom-up research character. League of European Research Universities (LERU) Coimbra Group Marie Curie Alumni Association EUTOPIA European Commission

The MSCA Staff Exchanges call is a consortium research grant open to different types of organisations which funds international and inter-sectoral exchanges of staff who are involved in research and innovation activities.   On 09 October the Irish Marie Sklodowska-Curie Office held a webinar on the MSCA Staff Exchanges call. A recording of our Staff Exchanges webinar, along with the presentation slides from our presenters, are available on the Irish Universities Association event page: https://lnkd.in/ePNPrqJH The MSCA Staff Exchanges call is currently open with a deadline of 05 February 2025. See List of Participating Countries in Horizon Europe: https://lnkd.in/ei2qy-CM If you are considering involving entities from Brazil and India (both Third Countries who are not in the list of low to middle income countries automatically eligible for funding) in your consortium, you may also be interested in recent announcements from the Commission regarding the news that both countries have created calls that will allow them to fund entities from their countries participating in the MSCA Staff Exchanges 2024 call:   Brazil: https://lnkd.in/emwyzj-X India: https://lnkd.in/eF-Vd32g The Irish Marie Sklodowska Curie Office is supported by Research Ireland and jointly operated with Irish Universities Association.

The Marie Curie Alumni Association and Eurodoc have released a joint statement in response to the Horizon Europe interim evaluation report focusing on strengthening the #MarieSkłodowska-CurieActions (MSCA): 🔹 Increased Budget: A call for boosting the MSCA budget to reinforce the European Research & Innovation (R&I) landscape. 🔹 Maintaining Independence: Ensuring MSCA’s independence to uphold its effectiveness and credibility. 🔹 Improved Career Prospects: Advocating for initiatives that enhance career opportunities and working conditions for researchers supported by MSCA. 🔹 Simplified Research Assessment: Streamlining applications and adopting modern research evaluation methods in line with #CoARA principles to reduce administrative burdens and drive innovation. 🔹 Supporting COST-Action under FP10, recognizing it as a powerful tool for strengthening ERA space and supporting Widening countries. 🔗 Read more about the report: https://lnkd.in/dN5_nxPK #Research #Innovation #HorizonEurope #MSCA #CoARA #ERA #ResearchCareers #SciencePolicy  

Exciting Update on the RIS4SEB Project! 🚀 I'm thrilled to share that I recently had the opportunity to give my first-ever interview with none other than Science Business. A big thank you to Florin Zubascu for reaching out to us. I hope our discussion provides valuable insights and inspiration to those embarking on their own project journeys. 🌟 Additionally, RIS4SEB now has its own LinkedIn profile! Follow us for the latest updates and developments. Stay tuned! #RIS4SEB #Innovation #FirstInterview #ScienceBusiness #ProjectJourney #FollowUs

Those within the R&I community would agree that #Research & #Innovation are on everyone's lips nowadays. We welcome this focus but we need to ensure we focus on increasing possibilities to let R&I create its value and not instrumentalise programmes to fulfil other political priorities. 🔔 Following Enrico Letta report and Draghi report, today the High Level Group on the interim evaluation of #HorizonEurope, chaired by Manuel Heitor Manuel Heitor gives again a boost to focus on what is important and enable R&I to work at its best. See YERUN - Young European Research Universities reaction to the report: 👉 https://lnkd.in/eaG3mdYe 📗 And check here for the report itself: https://lnkd.in/ezmhEarH Iliana Ivanova Ursula von der Leyen

Doing interdisciplinary research well is challenging but has great potential for innovation and insight, hence this call. I would like to highlight a couple of projects from the list that focus on areas I have had many conversations about with fellow researchers and that may therefore be of interest to colleagues, e.g. Jessica Ozan; Gayle Munro; Kully Kaur-Ballagan; Martin Wood; and others, I am sure. GRASPING DATA: co-creating physicalisations to empower young children to interact with, understand, and benefit from their personal data Led by Andrew Manches, The University of Edinburgh Professor Andrew Manches from The University of Edinburgh will lead a project to change perceptions about children and their personal data through the creation of cutting-edge, child-centred tools and teaching practices. The project will work with 270 children aged three to eight in schools, Edinburgh Zoo and Glasgow Science Centre to construct physical representations of personal data that children can touch, explore, talk about and learn with. It will contribute knowledge to early learning, cognitive psychology, child-centred design, data ethics, data visualisation and computer science. The greatest impact of this project will be on children, who will be able to engage, enjoy and understand their data-saturated world better. It will give them greater confidence that they should and can play a role in the design of their future. ANIMATING MINDS: triangulating the age-appropriate impact of children’s media Led by Tim Smith, University of the Arts London Professor Tim Smith from the University of the Arts London will lead a team across four research organisations to build an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can predict a video clip’s potential impact on children’s ability to learn, understand and develop self-control. The AI tool will be used by media creatives to check whether content is developmentally appropriate for their target audience, aiding in the creation of higher-quality content and allowing parents to make more informed decisions on content selection. This project will specifically focus on the impact of children’s media on children aged three to six, a key stage in neurocognition development. It will bring together a unique team of researchers from: children’s animation practice media theory developmental psychology neuroscience AI CHAILD: Children’s Agency In the age of AI: Leveraging InterDisciplinarity Led by Nigel Shadbolt, University of Oxford

🌍 Sustainable Funding for a Sustainable Future of EUAs 🌍 At the ENHANCE Alliance, we believe that the key to a thriving future for European University Alliances lies in sustainable funding. Our recent statement underscores the importance of establishing a robust funding pathway that supports the long-term success of the European Universities Initiative (EUI). The EUI is key to driving innovation, inclusion, and mobility across Europe. However, the realisation of its ambitious goals depends on adequate financial support. We are advocating for a funding mechanism that reflects: 🔹 The long-term nature of the European university alliances 🔹 Support for the four key missions of universities: education, research, innovation, and societal service 🔹 Flexibility to harness each alliance’s strengths while minimizing administrative burdens 🔹 Complementarity with other EU funding sources By empowering alliances with proper funding and the freedom to innovate, we can foster a truly transformative impact on European education, research, and society. As discussions on future financial frameworks unfold, we are committed to shaping these conversations to ensure that our alliances are equipped to drive innovation, inclusion, and mobility across Europe. We invite policymakers, stakeholders, and partners to join the conversation as we shape the future of European university alliances together. Read our full statement: https://lnkd.in/enJjSF9p European Commission Iliana Ivanova Vanessa Debiais-Sainton #ENHANCE #EuropeanUniversitiesInitiative #HigherEducation #Research #Innovation #SustainableFunding