Welsh Higher Education Brussels EU Funding Seminar Cardiff School of Social Sciences Berwyn Davies, Welsh Higher Education Brussels (WHEB)

Presentation outline About WHEB Networking and transnational funding opportunities An approach to engaging with these opportunities How WHEB can help you

WHEB is located in Wales House, Brussels

Why WHEB? Promote the interests of the Welsh Higher Education sector in Europe Enable the sector to engage more fully with European priorities such as the EU2020 Strategy – Innovation Union/Youth on the Move and the Bologna Process Facilitate stronger relationships between Welsh HEIs, European Institutions and Regional Partners from the EU, and beyond

How we support the HE sector in Wales – re UKRO We do: -Advise potential applicants on coming opportunities -Enable European officers to bring policy context into applications -Support applicants to build their political profile in Brussels We dont: -Provide funding alerts -Give technical advice on applications and contracts

Who we work with in Wales and Brussels In Wales: -European Officers -Academic Registrars -HEI management -Lecturers/researchers -HE sector bodies in Wales -Welsh Assembly Government In Brussels -EU officials -Sector groups e.g. European University Association -Networks

European Regions Research and Innovation Network Over 90 regions Thematic working groups Horizontal working groups ERRIN project involvement Brokerage events for project applicants – e.g. INTERREG IVC, Intelligent Energy Europe calls in December 2010

EU Transnational Funding Focus of WHEBs work: -Give advanced warning to enable HEIs to plan – call schedule, briefings in Wales, relation between funding streams -Inform applicants of relevant EU policy and previous projects -Identify/create networking opportunities for applicants to raise their European profile e.g. expert groups

EU transnational funding programmes relevant to most academic staff (I) Research Framework Programme 7 (FP7), composed of: –Cooperation –Ideas –People –Capacities Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP), composed of: –Comenius –Leonardo –Erasmus –Grundtvig –Transversal (e.g. ICT, languages, policy analysis, dissemination)

Erasmus Centralised Programmes Erasmus Multilateral Projects – 2011 changes –Social Inclusion in Higher Education –Mobility strategies and removal of barriers to mobility in HE –Fostering the excellence and innovation in HE –HEI-Enterprise Cooperation –Modernisation of HE incl. curriculum, governance, funding reforms Erasmus Academic Networks Erasmus Accompanying Measures

Other EU programmes relevant to most academic staff EU-global higher education cooperation programmes EU-US (Atlantis) –Joint degree projects –Excellence mobility projects –Policy-orientated measures –Schuman-Fulbright action EU-Canada/Austr./NZ/Japan/Asia/Latin America Tempus –Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, North Africa and the Middle East –Curriculum development, HEI modernisation

Common features a general approach Usually partnership of at least three actors from three EU Member or Associated States Usually some degree of co-financing required (e.g. up to 75% of costs covered by EU) Themes agreed by the Commission and European governments, but applications reviewed independently Competitive bidding: well-ranked projects are not always funded Main benefits to funded organisations are European profile and access

An approach to engaging with these opportunities Early preparation helps to maximise chances of success –Understand the policy drivers (talk to Commission officials and UK contact points) –Possibly: Write (well in advance) with suggested topics for funding –Be a project evaluator first –Identify and contact the European leaders in the field –Possibly: Inform WAG & UK Government See it from the Commissions point of view –Policy impact and management of project as are as important as technical prowess –Inspire confidence that the partnership will deliver the desired results e.g. with a track record of previous cooperation Useful documentation: ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/ssh/docs/guide-communicating-research_en.pdf

How WHEB can assist with this preparation What funding opportunities are in development and when the deadlines will be e.g. –FP7 Cooperation themes/Capacities – mostly July 2011 –FP7 ERC Advanced Grants – Nov 2010 –FP7 People – some in March 2011 –Lifelong Learning Programme – Oct 2011 –PROGRESS – Spring 2011 Arrange initial meetings for potential applicants with Commission officials Research the policy objectives towards which the funding should contribute Identify active/successful European universities etc. in the field Signpost to sources of more specialised help as required

Contact details Berwyn Davies Head of Office/Pennaeth Swyddfa Welsh Higher Education Brussels/Addysg Uwch Cymru Brwsel Wales House/Tŷ Cymru 11 Rond-Point Schuman 6th Floor/6ed llawr B1040 Brussels/Brwsel Belgium/Gwlad Belg Telephone (direct)/Llinell uniongyrchol: +32(0) Fax/Ffacs: +32(0) /e-bost: Web/Gwefan: