June 2008 Issue 62
Keeping you in touch with opportunities from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
www.epsrc.ac.uk
A racing start New F1 car simulator launched VISITORS to Brooklands Museum can experience the thrill of driving a Formula One racing car – thanks to an EPSRC Partnerships for Public Engagement award. The McLaren F1 simulator has been developed by Dr Alan Packwood and his team at the University of Surrey, with support from EPSRC, XPI Simulation Ltd and Brooklands Museum, Weybridge. Opened by Fifth Gear presenter Tiff Needell, the simulator allows museum visitors to race around the original world-famous banked Brooklands circuit, the home of British motor racing in the early 1900s. Dr Packwood said: “It is rare indeed to be able to sit in a Formula One car, but unique to then drive it around a completely restored historic circuit that only exists today in small sections. We hope the exhibit will inspire youngsters and help them to see what performance improvements have been achieved by engineers.”
Dr Alan Packwood (University of Surrey), Alan Davenport (XPI Simulation Ltd.) and Allan Winn (Director of Brooklands Museum) with Tiff Needell, at the opening of the F1 simulator at Brooklands Museum.
The simulator is the first of two at the museum that will demonstrate the aerodynamic developments in high speed vehicle design. The second, to be opened later this year, will be a reconstructed Concorde flight simulator. Contact: Alan Packwood, A.Packwood@surrey.ac.uk
Funding for Knowledge Transfer IN OCTOBER 2009, EPSRC will start funding its new Knowledge Transfer Accounts (KTAs). KTAs are the successor to the existing Collaborative Training Account (CTA) scheme and will have a different focus. They will provide funding to help ensure the research EPSRC funds is fully exploited, as well as contributing to the creation of a culture of Knowledge Transfer. They will be open to all institutions eligible to hold EPSRC grants. The initial KTA call for proposals will be issued this summer, but institutions are being encouraged to start developing bids now. As well as inviting ‘core’ bids on an institutional basis, the
call is open to ‘plus’ bids which can operate across several centres and address strategic issues that cannot be tackled by a single institution. ‘Plus’ bids could be based on industrial sectors, disciplines or specific aspects of knowledge transfer. Each ‘plus’ bid will be accompanied by a single case for support covering all the institutions involved. To maximise the impact of the scheme, the minimum KTA bid will be £2m. It is possible this figure could increase in light of the recommendations of this summer’s review of existing CTAs. Contact: Alex Hulkes, alex.hulkes@epsrc.ac.uk
Inside 2 Materials review findings Findings and next steps
3 Inspiration award
Public Engagement mentor lands prestigious award
3 Calls
Forthcoming EPSRC funding opportunities
collaboration in Europe 4 Research Call for suggested themes
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Materials review findings THE MATERIALS International Review report has now been finalised and is available on the EPSRC website. Fourteen international panel members, chaired by Professor Jim Williams of Ohio State University, visited the UK in January to assess the quality and impact of the research base in materials. The review panel regarded the quality of the research, levels of international collaboration and multidiscplinarity as generally very positive and that knowledge exchange between academia and industry was impressive in terms of the extent and quality of the interactions. The panel also highlighted missed opportunities and weaknesses, many of which were not unique to the UK.
Issues included concerns over people flow, including numbers choosing materials at undergraduate level; attracting non-UK students/ researchers; the nature of the industrial base and the extent to which there are UK companies in key areas; closure of university materials departments eroding the core curriculum; scope for greater emphasis on deliverables which will meet national goals (e.g. energy, security, health, and ageing society, etc.); identification of potential future leaders and providing them with sufficient resources to establish their research; mechanisms for sustaining large-scale, long term funding of materials research laboratories including facilities; development of better links with the rising Asia-Pacific research base. An action plan is now being developed which will include the other relevant stakeholders (including the academic community) who will also need to be involved as not all of the challenges identified can be solely addressed by EPSRC.Dr Clive Hayter, Associate Director of Programmes, is coordinating production of the action plan. Contact: Clive Hayter, clive.hayter@epsrc.ac.uk
Professor Jim Williams, Ohio State University and Professor David Delpy, Chief Executive, EPSRC
Further information: www.epsrc.ac.uk/InternationalReviews
HPCx phase four
Chemistry International Review 2009
UOE HPCx LTD
and EPSRC are pleased to announce that the contract for the HPCx ‘national supercomputer’ service will be extended until the end of January 2010. The current system will be upgraded to faster, 1.9 GHz processors and consist of a cluster of 120 IBM System p5 Model 575+ servers; each node comprising 16 x 1.9 GHz processors. 118 nodes will be equipped with 32 GB memory, with the remaining two nodes (32 processors) able to access 128 GB memory to facilitate large memory applications. Much of the existing phase three infrastructure will be retained to ensure current levels of reliability. The decision to extend HPCx is in response to consultations with HPC users that highlighted the need for a more flexible provision of HPC resource in the UK. HECToR will now become the UK’s ‘Leadership Facility’ and provide top-end capability services, with HPCx becoming a ‘National Supercomputer’, trading overall utilisation in favour of a more flexible service. The advantages of this complementary approach will allow for a more varied number of application types to be accommodated, for example: • • • • • •
EPSRC is seeking panel member nominations for the International Review of Chemistry in 2009. Planning for the review has commenced and is being guided by a steering committee representative of all stakeholders. International Panel members will be selected through a nominations process. Nominees should hold senior positions, be active in their field and be highly effective in team-working situations. They should be non-UK based and nominations are open to both academics and non-academics. International Reviews consist of a period of extensive planning, consultation and evidence gathering. This is followed by an intensive week in which the International Panel visits the UK to assess how UK excellence compares with the best internationally. It is hoped to host the chemistry review week in March/April 2009. As for previous international reviews, EPSRC is running an electronic nomination process. Please go to: www.survey.bris.ac.uk/epsrc/chemirnom to complete your nominations. The closing date is 4 June and any nominations submitted after that date will not be considered. A full panel membership list will be published closer to the review date.
very long jobs real-time computing data-intensive jobs interactive computing, including debugging, computational steering and visualisation shared-memory large memory jobs
Contact: Rebecca Steliaros, 01793 444054, rebecca.steliaros@epsrc.ac.uk
New Council Members
A number of the above applications are now supported, with others such as ‘large memory’ becoming available with the new hardware. More information on changes to the service can be found at the HPCx website (www.hpcx.ac.uk) or by contacting HPCx User Support directly to discuss application needs (support@hpcx.ac.uk).
EPSRC has announced its latest appointments to Council, the senior decision making body responsible for determining its policy, priorities and strategy. Three new appointments have been made: Professor Anne Anderson, Mr Mike Carr and Professor Roy Sambles. The appointments are for a period of 3 years from 1 April 2008. Members of Council are appointed by the Minister for Science and Innovation and are drawn from both the academic and industrial communities. Membership is reviewed each year.
Contact: Dai Jenkins, dai.jenkins@epsrc.ac.uk
Further information: www.epsrc.ac.uk
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Connect June 2008 Issue 62
Inspiration award AN EPSRC public engagement mentor has been recognised as an inspirational role model to women in science. Multi-award winning science communicator, Wendy Sadler, has been named one of the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology’s Women of Outstanding Achievement. Wendy is an EPSRC Partnerships in Public Engagement mentor and runs her own innovative science communication company, ‘Science Made Simple’, which aims to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. She said: “I’m delighted to be seen as an inspiration to others as my ultimate goal through my work is to inspire and engage youngsters and show them what a fascinating subject science is.” Now in its third year, the award is designed to profile pioneering women in science, engineering and technology – a sector in which only 18.5% of employees are female. The aim is to create a collection of portraits that inspire more women to pursue careers in this area. Wendy is a previous winner of the European Descartes Prize for Innovation and Science Communication, joining a prestigious list including Bill Bryson and Sir David Attenborough.
Calls Enhancing Damage Tolerance through Materials Science Call for Outline Applications Closing date: 28 May 2008 EPSRC invites outline proposals for the Enhancing Damage Tolerance through Materials Science call. Proposed projects should study the properties of materials under high rate dynamic loading, with the aim of enhancing their damage tolerance. This could include fundamental work on novel materials development, modelling of materials under high strain or experimental work into structure response of materials, for example, investigating impact resistance. Up to £6m (£3m each from EPSRC and Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) has been allocated towards this call. Contact: Sophie Oldham, sophie.oldham@epsrc.ac.uk
The aim of this call is to increase the volume of research and training in flow chemistry and to provide opportunities for technology and knowledge transfer between academia and industry. £5.5m is available to support proposals which must have been discussed and approved with GSK/Pfizer before submission. Applicants are only permitted to submit one proposal to this call in the role of Principal Investigator. Contact: Mark Hylton, mark.hylton@epsrc.ac.uk Talit Ghaffar, talit.ghaffer@epsrc.ac.uk Adaptation and Resilience to a Changing Climate Call for Outline Research Proposals Closing date: 26 June 2008 Living with Environmental Change is a ten-year programme, spanning Research Councils, governments and business, which will provide decision makers with the best information to effectively manage and protect vital ecosystem services. It will improve the tools and knowledge needed to build resilience, mitigate problems and adapt to environmental change. There will be a total of £6m available from EPSRC to fund research under this initiative. The initiative is being taken forward in collaboration with the UK Climate Impacts Programme and a number of Living with Environmental Change partner organisations, including the Economic and Social Research Council. Applicants successful at the outline stage will receive further guidance on submission of full proposals. Contact: David Holtum, david.holtum@epsrc.ac.uk
New Technologies for Active Control: The Active Aircraft Call for Outlines Closing date: 29 May 2008 EPSRC and Airbus have formed a strategic partnership to jointly fund high quality strategic and applied research. This call seeks outline proposals that will lead to the development of one year research proposals, drawing upon a range of academic disciplines, with the aim of creating a ‘nervous system’ for aircraft, enabling airflow control, load control, health monitoring and a short to medium term aim of in-flight testing by 2010. We would be particularly pleased to see proposals which adapt or develop non-aerospace technologies in addressing this call. Contact: Simon Crook, simon.crook@epsrc.ac.uk
New Dynamics of Ageing Programme – Fourth Call Closing date: 26 June 2008 The New Dynamics of Ageing (NDA) is a seven year multidisciplinary research programme concerned with improving the quality of life of older people. The ESRC, EPSRC, BBSRC, MRC and AHRC invite applications within the programme. The programme aims to develop practical policy and implementation guidance and novel science and technological responses to help older people enjoy better quality lives. At this fourth stage of the Programme, the Research Councils will be commissioning Programme Grants. Details are available from the Economic and Social Research Council website. Contact: Nafeesa Simjee, nafeesa.simjee@epsrc.ac.uk
Wellcome Trust and EPSRC Medical Engineering Centres Call for Preliminary Proposals Closing date: 30 May 2008 The Wellcome Trust and EPSRC are inviting preliminary proposals for centres of excellence that integrate physical, engineering, chemical, mathematical or computational sciences with clinical or biomedical research aimed at delivering innovative solutions for healthcare. Proposals can be submitted by institutions, or consortia of institutions, within the UK. Contact: John Wand, john.wand@epsrc.ac.uk Research in Flow Chemistry (continuous processing) Closing date: 24 June 2008 The EPSRC, in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer, has announced a call for collaborative research proposals in the area of flow chemistry (continuous processing).
For up to date information and details of how to apply see www.epsrc.ac.uk
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Connect June 2008 Issue 62
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
EPSRC Contacts Head of Materials Mechanical and Medical Engineering Annette Bramley 01793 444398 annette.bramley@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Information & Communications Technology Peter Hedges 01793 444217 peter.hedges@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Energy Multi-Disciplinary Applications Rachel Bishop 01793 444241 rachel.bishop@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Peer Review and Output 2 Susan Morrell 01793 444462 susan.morrell@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Digital Economy John Hand 01793 444394 john.hand@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Nanotechnology & Next Generation Healthcare John Wand MBE 01793 444335 john.wand@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Knowledge Transfer John Baird 01793 444047 john.baird@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Mathematical Sciences & Public Engagement David Harman 01793 444304 david.harman@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Energy Research Capacity Jason Green 01793 444208 jason.green@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Engineering for Sustainability Philippa Hemmings 01793 444378 philippa.hemmings@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Cross Disciplinary Research Kedar Pandya 01793 444317 kedar.pandya@epsrc.ac.uk
Research collaboration in Europe UK ACADEMICS have the opportunity to submit research theme proposals for the 2009 European Collaborative Research Programmes (EUROCORES). The EUROCORES scheme, operated by the European Science Foundation (ESF), provides an opportunity for researchers across Europe to collaborate on projects with ‘at the bench’ funding from one central body – avoiding the ‘double jeopardy’ funding issue for international collaboration. EUROCORES programmes run in three phases. Phase 1: theme selection, phase 2: project selection and phase 3: research, dissemination and networking. The recent call issued by ESF falls into phase 1. The ESF is requesting proposals for broad research themes from academic groups across Europe. Approximately five will be selected for the 2009 EUROCORES project call in phase 2. Proposing groups, in all phases, must include scientists and/or representatives from at least 4 different countries within ESF membership. EPSRC is a contributing Member Organisation of the ESF and is committed to international engagement. EPSRC is encouraging UK academics to consider submitting EUROCORES theme proposals in line with EPSRC priority research themes; ‘Energy’, ‘Digital Economy’, ‘Nanoscience, through engineering to application’ and ‘Towards Next-Generation Healthcare’. ESF call for EUROCORES theme proposals, closing date: 2 June 2008 Contact: Hannah Foreman, hannah.foreman@epsrc.ac.uk Further information: www.esf.org/activities/eurocores.html
Head of User Led Knowledge & Skills Alan Thomas 01793 442806 alan.thomas@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Physical Sciences Neil Viner 01793 444310 neil.viner@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Infrastructure & International Jane Nicholson 01793 444065 jane.nicholson@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Policy and Relationships for People Support Andrew Bourne 01793 444358 andrew.bourne@epsrc.ac.uk Associate Director Mission Programmes Alison Wall 01793 444176 alison.wall@epsrc.ac.uk Associate Director of Programmes Clive Hayter 01793 444440 clive.hayter@epsrc.ac.uk Associate Director Economic Impact Vince Osgood MBE 01793 444084 vince.osgood@epsrc.ac.uk Senior Manager International Edward Clarke 01793 444438 edward.clarke@epsrc.ac.uk Senior Manager Public Engagement Joanna Coleman 01793 444209 joanna.coleman@epsrc.ac.uk IDEAS Factory Contact Susan Morrell 01793 444462 susan.morrell@epsrc.ac.uk
For current grant maintenance and grant assessment enquiries Engineering Chris Elson 01793 444504 chris.elson@epsrc.ac.uk Technology Sarah Cooper 01793 444422 sarah.cooper@epsrc.ac.uk Science Jo Garrad 01793 444348 jo.garrad@epsrc.ac.uk
Vacation, vacation, vacation UNDERGRADUATE students at more than 30 UK universities are set to benefit from EPSRC’s Vacation Bursary scheme. The popular scheme provides funding for undergraduate students to gain positive and practical experience of university-based research. This year’s funding, totalling around £800,000, has now been agreed. The emphasis of the programme is on employing the most able students. The expectation is universities will use bursaries to engage students in research within the identified ‘Roberts shortage areas’ (Statistics and Operational Research, ICT, Engineering or Materials) or in research that has strong industrial links or is internationally leading. Many students, who had not considered postgraduate training before undertaking the vacation bursary, have gone on to study at PhD level. Bursary students should be registered for a first degree in a subject that falls within the remit of EPSRC and must be in the middle years of their degree. Proposed research projects must be within EPSRC’s remit and should not be part of the student’s normal degree course. Each bursary will last an average of 10 weeks and must take place during the summer vacation. Contact: Valerie Hibberd, 01793 444560, valerie.hibberd@epsrc.ac.uk
Email alerts Register to receive latest funding opportunities You can now register on our website to receive a weekly alert containing details of our latest calls for proposals. To register visit: www.epsrc.ac.uk/emailalert
EPSRC, Polaris House, North Star Avenue, Swindon SN2 1ET Telephone: 01793 444000 www.epsrc.ac.uk Editor: Christopher Buratta, christopher.buratta@epsrc.ac.uk Circulation amendments: connect@epsrc.ac.uk © Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council 2008. ISSN 1476-6485 Material may be reproduced providing the source is acknowledged.
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