AN N U AL R E P O RT
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Contents Foreword 4 The Year in Review 5 Mission and Services 6 Introducing the UKRO Team
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Policy Developments and External Liaison
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Sponsors and Subscribers 12 Annual Conference 14 Training and Subscriber Engagement
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National Contact Points 16 The Office
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Foreword Great research needs intelligent, educated, and inquisitive people, and success is built on collaboration, which is becoming increasingly important for research. In today’s world, this means finding the best people to work with, wherever they are. The UK understands this. We are a world leader in science and innovation and have the most productive science base in the G7. We have three of the world’s top ten universities and in the last 13 years have won 13 Nobel Prizes in the sciences. It is therefore no surprise that we get more out of EU science funding than we put in – in recent years we have secured over 15% of the EU research budget compared to the 12% we have invested in the total EU budget. Under the last framework programme that equated to €7 billion between 2007 and 2013. For the UK to continue to thrive as a science and innovation powerhouse we
need to be open to the world, we need to be innovative, and we need to be building academic partnerships with the best minds. EU countries are among our most important partners, representing nearly half of all our overseas academic collaborators. UKRO plays an important role in supporting UK success in this area, including its work clarifying and promoting opportunities from the EU research and innovation funding landscape, providing hands-on support to research managers, training the trainers. It is also helpful to have a strong and intelligent voice from the research community actively supporting the Government in its drive
for a simpler research and innovation landscape and simpler administrative procedures for programmes. There is much to do in the year ahead, not least the forthcoming interim evaluation of Horizon 2020. I applaud UKRO’s work over the last year and look forward to another great year of collaboration.
Jo Johnson MP Minister of State for Universities and Science
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The Year in Review With the spotlight placed firmly on EU funding, UKRO has provided the stability and continuity of a reliable service while at the same time adapting and responding to the dynamic policy environment. UKRO specialises in providing information and guidance for funding managers across its member organisations. Members have access to the latest news and advice to enable them to make informed decisions about applying for funding and engaging in policy developments.
Demystifying the rules that govern EU funding for research, innovation and higher education has continued to be a core element of UKRO’s work. The new UKRO Portal, which launched on time and within budget in June 2015, ensures fast and easy access to the latest information to support engagement in EU programmes and policy developments. Demand for UKRO’s core services, such as enquiries, subscriber visits and the use of the meeting room, all remain high. The Office proudly welcomed nine new subscribers during the past year and successfully secured the contracts for the continued delivery of the Marie SkłodowskaCurie Actions and European Research Council National Contact Points (NCPs). Policy monitoring and liaison continue to be at the heart of the work of the Office. For example, last summer, UKRO quickly initiated work to raise awareness of Commissioner Moedas’ new priorities on Open Science, Open Innovation and Open to the World. Furthermore, UKRO mobilised expertise from across the seven Research Councils to pro-actively engage in the dialogue around these priorities.
Working in a constantly evolving policy environment underlines the importance and value of strong communication and effective interpersonal relationships. It is a privilege to be a part of such a vibrant team at UKRO and the Office’s achievements over the past year are a real testament to the dedication, professionalism and motivation of my colleagues. UKRO does not operate in isolation and the added value of our work results from strong collaboration and co-operation with sponsors, subscribers and stakeholder organisations. UKRO plays a facilitation role to ensure that UK expertise is represented across the whole ecosystem of research and innovation actors. The fast-approaching interim evaluation of Horizon 2020 will be an exciting opportunity to shape and influence the second phase of this programme and look ahead to the design of future programmes. During the coming year, UKRO will be supporting and encouraging the engagement of its subscribers and sponsors in this important consultation process.
to work together from our partners both in Brussels and back in the UK. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank friends and colleagues from across our networks for their invaluable and generous contributions to the success of the Office, and for an enjoyable year of collaboration.
None of this would be possible without the invaluable support and willingness Christina Miller Director, UK Research Office
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Mission and Services UKRO is the UK’s leading information and advice service on European Union funding for research, innovation and higher education.
Established in Brussels in 1984, UKRO is the European office of the UK Research Councils. It delivers a subscription-based advisory service for over 150 research organisations principally in the UK, and provides National Contact Point services on behalf of the UK Government.
Mission UKRO’s mission is to maximise UK engagement in EU-funded research, innovation and higher education activities by:
Enabling sponsors and
Supporting UK input into European
Delivering a set of
subscribers to participate
research, innovation and higher
unique, specialised
confidently in EU
education policy development by
services that are tailored
programmes and fully
informing, advising and liaising with
to meet the evolving
exploit the opportunities
the appropriate bodies both in the
needs of sponsors
available to them;
UK and the EU;
and subscribers.
Vision During the period 2015-2020, UKRO aims to maintain its position as the leading provider of information and impartial support with respect to the EU’s research, innovation and higher education programming and policy, for the research and higher education sector both in the UK and beyond.
The objectives set out in UKRO’s Strategic Plan will enable the Office to build on the past 30 years of successful operation, while also allowing UKRO to adapt and respond to a rapidly changing landscape.
7 UKRO offers a suite of bespoke services. Open to subscribers: UKRO Portal: always up to date with the latest in EU funding and policy The UKRO portal provides tailored news articles, which communicate the latest EU funding and policy developments, as well as clear and accessible web pages on the different strands of EU research, innovation and higher education activities.
Enquiry service: individual support and advice, all year round All subscribers have a named contact at UKRO, who provides guidance, information, and advice on EU policies, programmes and funding opportunities.
Annual visit: a tailored event for your institution Each UK-based subscriber is entitled to an annual visit from their UKRO European Advisor, who will provide expert training, information, and/or one-to-one sessions tailored to the requirements of the institution.
Training and Development Programme: primarily designed to support European officers Specialist training courses, focus groups and information events, providing in-depth insight into EU programmes.
Meeting room in Brussels: a venue for your meeting in the centre of the EU quarter UKRO’s meeting room is located within easy walking distance of most European Commission buildings, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers. It is regularly used by staff from subscribing institutions, for example, for European project meetings. Subscribers can also use ‘hot desk’ facilities.
Open to everyone: Annual conference for European officers, with the latest information on programmes and policies presented by European Commission staff and other speakers.
UK National Contact Points for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) and the European Research Council (ERC), each providing a dedicated helpdesk, website and specialised information and training events.
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Introducing the UKRO Team UKRO is a friendly and dynamic team bringing together a wide range of skills and experiences from across the research and innovation community. Christina Miller
Inga Benner
Director
Deputy Director
+32 2 286 9054 christina.miller@bbsrc.ac.uk
+32 2 289 6123 inga.benner@bbsrc.ac.uk
European Advisors European Advisors provide expert advice and guidance to UKRO’s sponsors and subscribers on EU-funded research, innovation and higher education programmes and their accompanying policies. Liaison work in Brussels and the UK, and staying up to date on the latest policy developments are central to the work of the European Advisor team. Together, they ensure that subscribers and sponsors receive the best possible insights into future calls and high-quality
practical advice on all aspects of implementation. In addition to providing an email and telephone query service, UKRO’s European Advisors work closely with sponsors and subscribers to prepare and deliver bespoke training through briefing visits. Each sponsor and subscriber institution has a named contact within the UKRO European Advisor team.
Alexandra Berry
Emma Carey
European Advisor
European Advisor
+32 2 286 9053 alexandra.berry@bbsrc.ac.uk
+32 2 289 6125 emma.carey@bbsrc.ac.uk
Malgorzata Czerwiec
Ian Devine
European Advisor
European Advisor
+32 2 286 9055 malgorzata.czerwiec@bbsrc.ac.uk
+32 2 289 6122 ian.devine@bbsrc.ac.uk
Helen Dewberry
Maribel Glogowski
European Advisor
European Advisor
+32 2286 9050
+32 2 286 9052
helen.dewberry@bbsrc.ac.uk
maribel.glogowski@bbsrc.ac.uk
Blazej Thomas
Ailidh Woodcock
European Advisor
European Advisor
+32 2 286 9057 blazej.thomas@bbsrc.ac.uk
+32 2286 9056 ailidh.woodcock@bbsrc.ac.uk
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Cindy Mertens IS Manager +32 2 286 9051 cindy.mertens@bbsrc.ac.uk
Sophie Newlands Office Manager +32 2 289 6124 sophie.newlands@bbsrc.ac.uk
Marta Hernández Ramón Administrative Assistant +32 2 289 6120 marta.ramon@bbsrc.ac.uk
Nashwan Salman IT & Administrative Assistant +32 2 286 9058 nashwan.salman@bbsrc.ac.uk
Office Management UKRO’s services depend on the smooth running of the Office, management of training events, and reliable information systems. Guests are welcome to use the meeting room or ‘hot desk’ facility, which are available free of charge to sponsors and subscribers. If you have any questions about training events, accessing the UKRO website or using the meeting room, please contact us at: ukro@bbsrc.ac.uk
Policy Developments and External Liaison
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Throughout the year, UKRO has played an important role in seeking out and providing intelligence on EU policy and programming developments relevant to emerging policy discussions in Brussels.
The team prides itself in delivering added-value updates on relevant EU policy developments to sponsors and subscribers via the UKRO Portal. Daily news articles, monthly bulletins and factsheets are tailored specifically to our core audiences – European Liaison Officers, funding managers and researchers across universities, research organisations and the Research Councils.
Horizon 2020 Preparing for the interim evaluation and learning from experience Horizon 2020 is now in its third year and work is already underway towards the interim evaluation. Following the ex-post evaluation of FP7 in 2015, the interim evaluation will officially start in autumn of 2016. A High Level Group will soon be established followed by a stakeholder consultation. The results of this important consultation will form the basis of a Commission Staff Working Paper, with conclusions expected in the middle of 2017. The interim evaluation will look back at objectives and milestones agreed in the legal text of Horizon 2020, identify potential gaps and examine where further simplification might be possible and necessary. Naturally, these discussions will lead to early speculation over what the ninth Framework Programme might look like.
The evaluation process requires the engagement of the entire community and UKRO’s activities have continued to support this. In 2015, UKRO co-ordinated work across the seven Research Councils to develop the Research Councils UK (RCUK) response to the FP7 ex-post evaluation in 2015. In close partnership with RCUK, work is already underway to ensure that there is strong Research Council and subscriber engagement with the interim evaluation. A recent UKRO workshop with experienced European Liaison Officers, as well as roundtable discussions at the UKRO Board and with the Research Councils International Network, have all contributed to the foundations of these early preparations. UKRO is also already engaging closely with Universities UK and the UK Higher Education International Unit to maximise engagement opportunities for UKRO subscribers to contribute to the interim evaluation.
Overcoming administrative challenges and barriers to participation As we entered the third year of Horizon 2020, the first generation of Horizon 2020 projects submitted their first reports. In times where we see ever increasing pressures on budgets, success rates and demand management have been the subject of much debate throughout the year. The simplification agenda remains a top priority for UKRO and its members. It has involves extensive pro-active work with UKRO’s subscribers and the UKRO Focus Group on legal and financial aspects of Horizon 2020. The past year has included detailed work on issues such as personnel cost reporting (the ’Last Closed Financial Year’ rule) and on internal invoicing. Drawing on the expertise of the Focus Group, UKRO identified the top
11 simplification issues and facilitated the joint RCUK/Universities UK response to the European Commission’s Simplification Survey in the autumn of 2015.
Embracing the Open Agenda Three new priorities have shaped the European Commission’s work on Research and Innovation this past year – Open Science, Open Innovation and Open to the World. The new priorities have resulted in realignment of the Commission’s existing work, policies and programmes on research and innovation and will also lead to new initiatives, including the European Innovation Council (EIC), one or several Fund of Funds, global initiatives on food and water, a European Science Cloud and the promotion of open access and research integrity. Behind the scenes, UKRO has re-organised internal portfolios to ensure effective monitoring of these areas and provide detailed advice and guidance about the relationship between the EU research and innovation policies and programmes. The idea of creating a European Innovation Council (EIC), first announced by Commissioner Moedas in the summer of 2015, has sparked the imagination of the community. As part of its activities
to facilitate engagement, UKRO initiated cross-Council discussions to prepare for early reflections and the consultation on the EIC in spring 2016. UKRO has fostered even closer working between Research Council experts in the area of open science and has further strengthened its own links with the RCUK overseas offices.
UK. This includes sitting on many policy and advisory groups, such as the Horizon 2020 Network and the International Unit’s Strategic Advisory Board and Community of Practice, as well as extensive informal liaison. Such working enables the Office to forge partnerships between experts and practitioners and to maximise sharing of best practice and knowledge exchange.
External liaison The UKRO team is fully integrated into Brussels networking activities, through attending conferences and events, and initiating regular informal dialogue with officials working across the European Institutions. UKRO continues to actively participate in the Informal Group of RTD Liaison Offices in Brussels (IGLO) and chairs the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions working group. UKRO is a member of the Science Europe Horizon 2020 working group and supports wider RCUK engagement with Science Europe. UKRO has continued to provide a vital link between Brussels and the UK, working collaboratively and synergistically with RCUK and bilaterally with individual Research Councils. UKRO maintains a close working relationship with the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS) and strong links with a wide-range of stakeholders, both in Brussels and the
EU engagement Working in close partnership, UKRO and the Research Councils UK (RCUK) Executive Directorate ensure that the seven UK Research Councils are engaged in policy debates and that collective RCUK views are represented, be it through formal consultations or in other forms of dialogue. During 2015-16, this collaborative working resulted in RCUK responses to consultations and questionnaires including: the FP7 Ex-Post Evaluation; the survey on ‘A new start for Europe: Opening up to an ERA of Innovation’; the Open Survey on Horizon 2020 Simplification; and the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology ‘Call for Evidence: The Relationship between EU Membership and the Effectiveness of Science, Research and Innovation in the UK.’ Submissions are published on the RCUK website.
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Sponsors and Subscribers UKRO is sponsored by the seven UK Research Councils.
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Arts and Humanities Research Council
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Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
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Economic and Social Research Council
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Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
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Medical Research Council
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Natural Environment Research Council
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Science and Technology Facilities Council
Beyond this, the Office operates on a membership basis, receiving subscriptions from universities and other research organisations in the UK, as well as from some non-UK organisations. The opposite 152 institutions, nine of them new, subscribed to UKRO in 2015-16.
Subscriber Representatives
Angela Noble
UKRO would like to thank its Subscriber Representatives for their continuing work and commitment during 2015-16. They play a key role in the management of the Office and recruitment of UKRO staff. A special thank you to Angela Noble, whose term as UKRO Subscriber Representative will come to an end in summer, and who will be replaced by a new Representative elected during the 2016 UKRO Annual Conference.
University of Edinburgh
Subscriber Representatives have an opportunity to shape the development of services provided by the Office and can be contacted by those wishing to provide feedback, or input into these developments.
Philippa Shelton
The University of Edinburgh has always been an active user of the services offered by UKRO and we very much value the excellent support and in-depth insights provided. With that in mind I decided to nominate myself as Subscriber Representative to contribute to the further development of UKRO by representing the views of the subscriber community.
angela.noble@ed.ac.uk
Xavier Rodde University of Birmingham
University of West of England
x.rodde@bham.ac.uk
philippa.shelton@uwe.ac.uk
I have very much enjoyed my time in the role and would encourage others to nominate themselves in future. The role has offered me insights and networking opportunities I would not otherwise have had. In particular the opportunity to represent subscribers on the UKRO Board and interview panels, and to see changes implemented.” Angela Noble, University of Edinburgh
13 UKRO subscribers and non-UK associate members A University of Aberdeen Abertay University Aberystwyth University Anglia Ruskin University Universiteit Antwerpen Arctic University of Norway University of the Arts London Aston University B Babraham Institute Bangor University Bar-Ilan University University of Bath Bath Spa University University of Bedfordshire Universitetet i Bergen Birkbeck, University of London University of Birmingham Birmingham City University Bournemouth University University of Bradford University of Brighton University of Bristol British Academy Brunel University Vrije Universiteit Brussel Buckinghamshire New University C University of Cambridge Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff University University of Central Lancashire University of Chester City University London Coventry University Cranfield University University of Cyprus D De Montfort University Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs University of Derby University of Dundee Durham University E University of East Anglia University of East London Edge Hill University University of Edinburgh Edinburgh Napier University University of Essex The European Bioinformatics Institute University of Exeter F Francis Crick Institute G GÉANT Genome Analysis Centre Universiteit Gent University of Glasgow Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow School of Art
Goldsmiths, University of London University of Greenwich H Harper Adams University Universiteit Hasselt Helsingin yliopisto Heriot-Watt University University of Hertfordshire Higher Education Funding Council for England University of Huddersfield University of Hull I Imperial College London Institute of Cancer Research Institute of Education Institute of Food Research ISERD - The Israel-Europe R&D Directorate J John Innes Centre K Keele University University of Kent King’s College London Kingston University L Lancaster University University of Leeds Leeds Beckett University University of Leicester Katholieke Universiteit Leuven University of Limerick University of Lincoln University of Liverpool Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine University College London London Business School London School of Economics & Political Science London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine London South Bank University Loughborough University M University of Manchester Manchester Metropolitan University Middlesex University London N National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) Natural History Museum Newcastle University Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet Northumbria University University of Nottingham Nottingham Trent University O Open University Universitetet i Oslo Oulun yliopisto University of Oxford Oxford Brookes University
P Pirbright Institute Plymouth University University of Portsmouth Public Health England Q Queen Mary University of London Queen’s University Belfast R University of Reading University of Roehampton Rothamsted Research Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Central School of Speech and Drama Royal College of Art Royal Holloway, University of London Royal Society Royal Veterinary College S University of Salford The Scottish Government University of Sheffield Sheffield Hallam University SOAS, University of London University of Southampton Southampton Solent University University of South Wales University of St Andrews St George’s, University of London University of St Mark and St John Staffordshire University Universitetet i Stavanger University of Stirling University of Strathclyde University of Surrey University of Sussex Swansea University T Teesside University U Ulster University Universities UK W University of Wales Trinity Saint David University of Warwick Weizmann Institute of Science Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute University of the West of England University of West London University of the West of Scotland University of Westminster University of Wolverhampton Y University of York
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Annual Conference The 2015 UKRO Annual Conference, entitled ‘Horizon 2020 - Bridging Research and Innovation’ was organised on 18 and 19 June in Birmingham.
The conference, organised in co-operation with Aston University, attracted almost 250 delegates from European research support teams in universities and research institutes, the Research Councils, and government departments. The delegates came from eleven countries, including Belgium, Finland, Germany, Israel, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the Republic of Ireland and South Africa.
2015 Annual Conference UKRO’s Annual Conferences tackle topics put forward by its subscribers and sponsors. In 2015, the focus was on showing how to better respond to the research and innovation agenda of Horizon 2020, how to work with business and most importantly, how to adapt to new approaches and policy orientations in EU research funding. The UKRO team was delighted to welcome excellent speakers representing the EU institutions, UK Government and key stakeholders from across the UK. The Conference commenced with an opening plenary session, during which Chris North from the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission presented the Commission’s view on the evolving research and innovation landscape in Europe, in light of the priorities of the newly elected College of European Commissioners. His opening speech was followed by that of Professor Nigel Gilbert from the University of Surrey who focused on reviewing the current state of Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) in Horizon 2020, as well as on speculating about the future of FET and
possible links with the planned European Innovation Council.
Access and Open Innovation and specific Societal Challenges.
The two-day programme of presentations, practical workshops and discussions covered a wide range of topics, including evaluation of proposals, innovative aspects of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions and ERC, preparation for the 2016 call for new EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities, research infrastructures, working with SMEs, Open Science, Open
The event would not have been possible without the invaluable contributions made by the speakers and delegates, nor the support received from Aston University before and during the conference. UKRO would like to thank the University for sponsoring the networking reception, colleagues from the Research Support Office for their support, as well as all speakers and delegates for making this a highly successful event.
2016 Annual Conference The 2016 UKRO Annual Conference will take place at Glasgow Caledonian University on Thursday 30 June and Friday 1 July 2016. This year’s programme, designed in collaboration with sponsors and subscribers, will focus on the current hot topics concerning EU research and innovation funding. The event will be an opportunity for reflection on the first two and a half years of Horizon 2020, its implementation, upcoming opportunities and policy developments, including the plans towards establishing a European Innovation Council.
Training and Subscriber Engagement
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The Office continues to offer a well-established, unique approach where subscriber and sponsor organisations work with their dedicated European Advisor to create a ‘tailor-made’ programme for their annual briefing visit. This type of training enables organisations to integrate the UKRO visits into their wider support and training programmes and meet individual organisational needs. Drawing on continual feedback from past UKRO training events, the Office has designed an annual training programme that retains successful sessions and adds new areas to provide European Liaison Officers with a number of opportunities to learn, reflect and exchange best practice. UKRO’s Brussels-based training in 2015-2016 saw the continuation of the well-established ‘New European Liaison Officers’ workshop, during which participants received a comprehensive introduction to EU research, innovation and higher education programmes, as well as the introduction of a new workshop on engaging with EU funding, which gave participants the chance to discuss in detail their institutional approaches to research funding in Europe, and to hear from the Commission speakers on new simplification measures and the upcoming interim evaluation of Horizon 2020. Following the success of previous events for subscribers on legal and financial matters, held in the UK, UKRO organised a further two in 2015, attracting
approximately 150 delegates. The events provided an extensive overview of legal and financial issues, including important updates that UKRO had gleaned from the Commission in recent months. In addition to providing the numerous training possibilities, UKRO also provided an opportunity for selected UK experts to engage in discussions on the implementation of Horizon 2020 to date by inviting them to the ‘ERA in Action’ workshop on grant agreement preparation and evaluation of proposals, co-organised by UKRO together with other RTD Liaison Offices in November 2015, thus ensuring that the voice of the UK research community is heard in Brussels.
A very worthwhile and valuable workshop that was well scheduled, on time and with appropriate level of information. It was also very beneficial to be able to interact further with our UKRO European Advisor. I am looking forward to taking the information and what I have learnt back to my university.” Fiona Millar, University of Stirling
UKRO would like to thank all external speakers for their contribution to the Office’s training programmes, subscribing organisations for their active participation and generosity in hosting UKRO events, and national experts for their participation in the ERA in Action workshop.
The ‘ERA in Action’ workshop was a very valuable and timely experience to be able to discuss experiences with colleagues from other countries in working groups and identify similar challenges regarding the practical implementation of Horizon 2020’s Grant Agreement Preparation and Evaluation processes. I appreciated the opportunity to be able to feed back to the group and be involved in the identification of key messages, which have subsequently formed part of the response to the
European Commission. I also gained a wider understanding of the context behind the European Commission’s processes related to Horizon 2020, as a result of the discussions held with representatives of the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation and the Research Executive Agency, and their reflections on the presentation of our initial key messages developed from the meeting by the Group Chairs.” Vicky Byers, Queen Mary University of London
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National Contact Points European Research Council and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions National Contact Points.
UKRO is contracted by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills to run the UK National Contact Point (NCP) service for the European Research Council (ERC) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) in Horizon 2020. These are particularly important funding streams for the UK, with around 40% of both, FP7 and Horizon 2020 funding received to date coming from these programmes alone (€2.79 and €0.78 billion respectively).1
ERC NCP highlights Helpdesk Activities in 2015-2016 •
Answered 1768 queries.
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Held four information and proposal writing events around the UK for 344 participants.
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Held a focus group session at the 2015 UKRO Annual Conference.
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Attended the ERC Programme Committee meetings alongside the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
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Attended the ERC NCPs meeting held in June 2015.
UK Success in 2015 ERC Calls2 •
Some 61 Starting Grants, 67 Consolidator Grants, 65 Advanced Grants, and 22 Proof of Concept Grants were awarded to UK host institutions (respectively 17.4%, 22.2%, 24.1%, and 16.1% of all awards in each call).
1: Information from the EU Open Data Portal as of 13 April 2016
2. Information as of 8 April 2016
17 The main role of the NCPs is to inform and advise UK applicants on submitting applications for funding under each scheme, as well as on results and grant management issues. This includes keeping up-to-date web pages for both programmes, maintaining an efficient and proactive helpdesk which responds to queries by telephone or email, and running a series of information and proposal writing sessions around the UK which coincide with the launch of each major ERC and MSCA call. UKRO has established strong links with ERC and MSCA NCPs across Europe and contributes to joint activities with other UK National Contact Points covering all aspects of Horizon 2020. Furthermore, the Office has recently been nominated to chair the MSCA Working Group of Brussels-based Informal Group of RTD Liaison Offices (IGLO).
MSCA NCP highlights Helpdesk Activities in 2015-2016 •
Answered 2500 queries.
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Held five information events around the UK for 440 participants and facilitated three MSCA focus group meetings.
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Attended the MSCA Programme Committee meetings alongside the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).
UK Success in 2015 MSCA Calls3 •
The UK has the highest number of successful Individual Fellowships – 412, and co-ordinated RISE projects – 22 (respectively 35.4% and 24.7% of all awards in each call).
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The UK also had the highest number of successful partner organisations in the ITN scheme - 118. Additionally, 28 projects were co-ordinated by UK organisations.
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50% of UK submissions to the COFUND Fellowship Programmes were successful.
3. Information as of 5 April 2016
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The Office Development of the UKRO Portal In June 2015, UKRO launched its new Portal. The Portal offers a simpler and more accessible interface for UKRO’s sponsors and subscribers, and a number of attractive new features. The Portal features a library of UKRO’s factsheets and provides a dedicated area containing information specifically tailored to European Liaison Officers’ needs. Since the launch, user numbers have increased considerably with over 1800 new users since June alone. UKRO’s articles were downloaded 41,500 times. Besides the daily articles and monthly updates, UKRO
factsheets have proven to be the most popular among users with just under 4000 downloads. Factsheets available to sponsors and subscribers cover a range of areas, including the different parts of Horizon 2020, other European funding mechanisms of relevance to research and innovation, as well as practical advice on issues, such as consortium building, application writing, engagement and the wider policy background.
positive and encouraging, and also resulted in a number of interesting suggestions from users which UKRO will develop and incorporate into the Portal in the coming year.
UKRO will continue to develop the Portal and had conducted a survey on user satisfaction in early 2016. The result of the survey was very
A snapshot of UKRO activities in 2015-16 •
Produced over 1300 articles covering EU funding opportunities and insight into policies and programmes.
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Received 152 subscriptions from higher education institutions and other research organisations.
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Carried out 106 briefing visits to subscribing organisations and sponsors.
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Received around 1000 visitors to the Office.
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Ran four UKRO training courses for European Liaison Officers, five information sessions for the MSCA NCP and four information sessions for the ERC NCP.
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UKRO was sponsored by the seven UK Research Councils.
Income and expenditure 2015-16 Total Expenditure £1,011,706
Total Income £1,010,554
Staff Costs
Office Costs
Subscription & Sponsor Income
ERC & MSCA NCP Contracts
£759,321
£252,385
£862,954
£147,600
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UK Research Office
Tel: +32 2 230 1535 / 5275
Rue du Trône 4
Fax: +32 2 230 4803
B-1000, Brussels
Email: ukro@bbsrc.ac.uk
Belgium
Web: www.ukro.ac.uk