Connect: Issue 66 by EPSRC

October 2008 Issue 66

Keeping you in touch with opportunities from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

www.epsrc.ac.uk

Communicating the EPSRC Delivery Plan THROUGHOUT 2008 the EPSRC Delivery Plan 2008-2011 has been communicated through a variety of routes to ensure that the messages within it reach as wide an audience as possible. The Delivery Plan describes EPSRC’s high level priorities, the approaches and principles that will be used to achieve these priorities and the key drivers and influencing factors. EPSRC’s head of communications, Lucy Brady, said: “It is vitally important that we communicate our plans and priorities to the academic community effectively because it is the academic community who will ultimately deliver the ongoing success we are seeking.” EPSRC chief executive Professor David Delpy formally launched the Delivery Plan at the Open Meeting at the Royal Society in March and this was followed by a series of individual and regional university meetings.

The format of these meetings varied from a single presentation covering the overall Delivery Plan to more comprehensive events with individual sessions on each of the priority areas. The events were positively received and well supported, enabling EPSRC to engage in debate with around 1,500 people across the UK. These forums have provided valuable feedback for EPSRC to take forward in future planning. Dr Brady added: “Discussing our plans with researchers was a key part of forming the Delivery Plan and these continuing discussions will help to shape our future priorities and goals.” The Delivery Plan can be viewed on the EPSRC website or a summary brochure is available by contacting Gemma Hyde, gemma.hyde@epsrc.ac.uk Further information: www.epsrc.ac.uk

Priorities Key messages within Delivery Plan •

Identification of key priority themes addressing important societal challenges

•

All research disciplines have an important role to play in these themes

•

The largest proportion of our budget will be invested in investigator led research and training

• •

We want to encourage researchers to be even more ambitious

ENERGY

NANOSCIENCE THROUGH ENGINEERING

£220m

£39m

SECURING THE FUTURE SUPPLY OF PEOPLE

TOWARDS BETTER EXPLOITATION

(TRAINING)

(KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE)

£592m

£482m

DIGITAL ECONOMY

OTHER CROSS COUNCIL THEMES

ESSENTIAL PLATFORM

£103m

£26m

(RESEARCH)

£866m

Need for us all to demonstrate the wider impact of science and engineering research on society and the economy

TOWARDS NEXT GENERATION HEALTHCARE

£36m

Inside Training 2 Doctoral Account Changes

Management 3 Identity Research Consortia

4 Physics/LSI Signpost

5 Calls

Forthcoming EPSRC funding opportunities

6 EPSRC Annual Report

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Establishment of an EPSRC – NPL Post Doctorate Research Partnership EPSRC and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have launched a post doctorate research partnership for technologies with real impact through measurement applications. Up to £13m will be available to support research at NPL, which will benefit UK economy through both research ideas and the development of post doctorate researchers with the skills required to deliver excellent applied science in a commercial or research environment. On June 16, Steve McQuillan, managing director of the National Physical Laboratory, and EPSRC chief executive Professor David Delpy signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Strategic Partnership between NPL and EPSRC. An initial call for proposals under this partnership opened in August for grants in the areas of energy, software security, quantum electrical standards and quantum terahertz detection. A further call will follow in November, when further opportunities will be advertised on the EPSRC website. The partnership provides for the award of up to 45, three-year grants for post doctorate researchers to work on projects in areas proposed by NPL over the next 3 years. Universities can apply for an overhead between 40% and 80% and NPL will provide £2,000 towards travel and subsistence through the requested resources. The researchers will be recruited by universities but spend half their time working at NPL on NPL project work. Contact: Alan Brewin, alan.brewin@npl.co.uk Robert Heathman, robert.heathman@epsrc.ac.uk

Above: Professor David Delpy (left), chief executive EPSRC and Steve McQuillan, managing director, NPL.

Changes to EPSRC Doctoral Training Accounts DETAILS of EPSRC’s Doctoral Training Accounts (DTA) allocations will be announced earlier in the academic year in future – giving universities more time to recruit. This was one of the recommendations of a recent review of the Doctoral Training Account mechanism. As part of a simplified process for 2009, universities will be provided with a grant letter with an institutional allocation broken down by the programmes that contribute to DTA funding. Departmental breakdowns will not be included, and earmarked funds will no longer be itemised, though it is expected universities will continue to honour existing commitments to earmarking within the research base programmes. Through these changes, DTA funding should be announced several months earlier than previously to bring it in line with the student recruitment cycle. Last year, EPSRC commissioned consultants DTZ to review how universities have used Doctoral Training Accounts. The report was delivered in April 2008 and a summary is available on the EPSRC website. The report found that universities valued the flexibility the DTA provided and were able to use it to attract high quality people, provide students for new appointments and to ‘seed’ new areas of research.

Operationally, universities reported that the relatively late notification of funding made it more difficult to recruit, and the flexibility of duration and stipend was not used as widely as might be expected or in the way intended. The report made a number of recommendations with regard to: • Making the DTA more strategically responsive • How DTAs operate to recruit and retain the best students EPSRC will be developing its response to this as part of its broader postgraduate training strategy. Targeted training support, associated with the EPSRC mission programmes and User led Knowledge and Skills, will be provided separately through Doctoral Training Centres and Knowledge Transfer Accounts. Proposals for the development of a more strategic approach to allocating DTA funds at the programme level will be discussed by EPSRC and its advisory bodies over the coming year. Contact: Neil Viner, neil.viner@epsrc.ac.uk Ben Rendell, ben.rendell@epsrc.ac.uk Further information: www.epsrc.ac.uk/PostgraduateTraining/ DoctoralTrainingAccounts/DTAReview.htm

Ensuring Privacy and Consent in Identity Management Infrastructures NEW research consortia will tackle privacy, consent and identity theft issues. EPSRC, the Technology Strategy Board’s Network Security Innovation Platform and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) are working together to invest in a number of new multidisciplinary research and innovation consortia. The resulting major multidisciplinary research programmes should enhance understanding and deliver solutions on how the next generation of identity management infrastructures can offer assured privacy, and depend on truly informed consent. These research programmes will enable UK industry, universities, local authorities, and other research and technology organisations to work in collaboration to address key research challenges. Over the next few years governments, including the UK Government, and businesses around the world will be making substantial investment in identity management infrastructures and supporting the implementation of initiatives to transform delivery of public and private sector services. In order to prepare UK businesses for competition in this global market, practical and cost effective solutions need to be developed

which inspire citizen confidence by improving privacy and enabling consent as an integral part of future procurements. The projects were developed as part of a 5 day residential interactive workshop involving more than 30 participants and a number of independent stakeholders. Five projects were generated ranging from deeply technical identity management infrastructures, sociological values and privacy visualisation techniques. Three were chosen, the first, ENCORE, deals with giving consent for the use, storage and sharing of personal data and suggests it would be easy as turning on a tap, and to make revoking it as easy as turning it off. Secondly, VOME is a research project that aims to reveal and utilise external representations of end users’ ideas and concepts surrounding privacy and consent. Finally, pvnets’ goal is to generate a detailed understanding of individuals’ and organisations’ conceptions of privacy and identity cross a range of contexts and timeframe. Participants had the opportunity to discuss the issues with representatives of the Home Office and the Identity and Passport Service as well as with a victim of identity theft. Further information: http://networksecurityip.wordpress.com

Outcome of Grand International Review of Challenges Consultation UK Materials Research EPSRC received a very positive response to its recent consultation

EPSRC’s draft action plan in response to the International Review of Materials Research is now available. The review took place in January 2008 as part of an ongoing series of international reviews organised by EPSRC in partnership with learned societies. The reviews provide an independent assessment of the quality and impact of UK research. In January, a panel of internationally-leading experts benchmarked the strength of UK materials research activity against world competitors and highlighted any gaps or missed opportunities. The draft action plan sets out responsibilities and actions in response to recommendations made in the review. This follows consultation on the review report published in April 2008. Interested parties are invited to comment on the draft action plan. Please email completed forms, available on the EPSRC website, to materialsintreview@epsrc.ac.uk by 31 October 2008. EPSRC will publish a finalised action plan in November 2008.

on Grand Challenges in chemical sciences and engineering. More than 150 ideas were submitted from 32 organisations and a report highlighting the outcomes and next steps can be downloaded from the EPSRC website. EPSRC is now organising a workshop, to be held in early November, to bring together a representative sub-set of the chemical sciences and chemical engineering research communities. The participants will exchange ideas about potential Grand Challenges; expanding on the outcomes of the consultation. A significant number of places at the workshop will be allocated following an open call for participants. Participants at the workshop will discuss Grand Challenges in eight themes that were proposed by the Advisory Group as a result of the consultation: • • • • • • • •

Personalised healthcare and monitoring Sustainable and efficient synthesis and manufacture Clean energy Water for life CO2 capture and utilisation Chemistry of, for and from life Molecular systems engineering Synthesis, assembly and manufacture by design

Further information: www.epsrc.ac.uk/2008MaterialsIR

EPSRC would particularly like to encourage researchers in the areas of catalysis, modelling and simulation, measurement and analysis, chemical reactivity and fundamental chemical physics to apply to attend the workshop. The Advisory Group noted that there were some significant crosscutting scientific challenges in these areas which could aid progress in many of the highlighted themes. There will be a competitive process following the workshop to determine which Grand Challenges are taken forward by EPSRC. The workshop participants will be required to produce evidence as to the timeliness and impact of each challenge. Contact: Katie Daniel, katie.daniel@epsrc.ac.uk

Connect October 2008 Issue 66

Promoting Success: International Engagement EPSRC wants to enable the best UK research organisations to work

two or more international partners, the total grant value has been split equally between them for the purpose of creating the map.

with the best organisations from the rest of the world. As part of an ongoing commitment to this aim, it is consulting with the academic community to help to promote international opportunities and showcase success. EPSRC’s international manager Dr Hannah Foreman said: “To further enhance our international research analysis we would like to hear how you have used funding to collaborate overseas. Who are you working with, why have you chosen to work with them and what have you achieved?” EPSRC funds a wide range of research and training in collaboration with international partners and more than £400m is invested through our current grant portfolio in projects with an element of international collaboration. Funding for international collaboration is embedded in EPSRC’s programmes and UK applicants can use responsive mode and other routes such as Networks and Overseas Travel Grants to fund relationships with overseas partners. An analysis of this international portfolio has led to production of the EPSRC funding map. Every grant current on 1 March 2008 with an element of international collaboration has been counted. Where a grant has

Contact: Hannah Foreman, hannah.foreman@epsrc.ac.uk

Physics/Life Sciences Interface Signposting

Discontinuation of Free Membership of Professional Bodies Scheme

EPSRC’s Physical Sciences and Cross-Disciplinary Interfaces programmes have highlighted the Physics/Life Sciences interface as a priority area for funding. The Physics/Life Sciences interface signpost has been active since 1 April 2008, and up to £8m funding will be made available over the next year. The first Physics responsive mode panel to consider proposals on this signposting list was held in July and the results are available through EPSRC’s Grants on the Web. The signposting list allows proposals in priority areas to be ranked against each other, separate from the main responsive mode list, although the primary criterion for funding any proposal is research quality. Currently, Physics responsive mode panels are held in January, April, July and October. The Physics/Life Sciences interface signpost will operate at each of these panels and EPSRC continues to encourage the submission of high quality proposals in this area. In order to be considered for Physics/Life Sciences interface signposting, the physics component of a proposal must fall within the areas of physics covered under the remit of EPSRC’s Physical Sciences programme: atomic, molecular and optical physics, condensed matter physics, quantum information processing, optics, lasers, plasma physics, soft condensed matter physics and surface science. Within EPSRC, the Cross-Disciplinary Interfaces programme enables the engineering and physical sciences community to engage with the life sciences. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact EPSRC for advice regarding remit and whether their proposed project fits the signposted area.

EPSRC will discontinue support for its Free Membership of Professional Bodies scheme from 30 September 2008. Free membership of selected professional bodies for EPSRC-funded students was introduced in 2002 as a pilot scheme. The main objective was to determine whether such an incentive would enable EPSRC both to build a closer relationship with students and to track their career progress more effectively. The landscape has changed since 2002, and other sources of information regarding doctoral graduate destinations have improved. Support for students already signed up to the scheme will continue for the full duration of their membership – as per the current agreement. Contact: Anita Howman, anita.howman@epsrc.ac.uk

Naked Scientist Recognised by Royal Society THE ‘Naked Scientist’, aka Cambridge University’s Dr Chris Smith, has won the Royal Society’s Kohn award for science communication. His weekly BBC radio show, ‘The Naked Scientists’ was praised for bringing science to a wider audience. The show, which is also available to download via the BBC, features discussion and interviews with high-profile scientists and is aimed at non-specialist audience. The project is funded by EPSRC and the Wellcome Trust.

Contact: Zoe Brown, zoe.brown@epsrc.ac.uk Amanda Chmura, amanda.chmura@epsrc.ac.uk Further information: www.epsrc.ac.uk/signposting

Connect October 2008 Issue 66

Senior Media Fellowships – Extensions Call 2009 Closing date: 11 November 2008 We invite current Senior Media Fellows to apply for an additional two years to build on their achievements in their current fellowship. Contact: Joanna Coleman, joanna.coleman@epsrc.ac.uk Katherine Miller, katherine.miller@epsrc.ac.uk

Calls Research Councils’ Energy Programme Sandpit in Airport Operations Closing date: 2 October 2008 Call for participants to attend a five day residential event to be held in Manchester, 10-14 November 2008. Contact: Gareth Buchanan, gareth.buchanan@epsrc.ac.uk Richard Bailey, richard.bailey@epsrc.ac.uk

Senior Media Fellowships 2009 – Call for Proposals Closing date: 11 November 2008 We invite applications for Senior Media Fellowships from leading academic researchers with media experience who wish to spend time working more proactively with the mass media. Contact: Joanna Coleman, joanna.coleman@epsrc.ac.uk Katherine Miller, katherine.miller@epsrc.ac.uk

Joint EPSRC and POST Postgraduate Initiative 2009 Closing date: 3 October 2008 A 3 month secondment opportunity to the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) open to EPSRC funded PhD students. Contact: Karen Manning, karen.manning@epsrc.ac.uk

Partnerships for Public Engagement – 13th Call for Proposals Closing date: 11 November 2008 This call is for public engagement projects that communicate the excitement of fundamental and applied research in science and engineering. Contact: Katherine Miller, katherine.miller@epsrc.ac.uk

Integrated Biorefinery Technologies Initiative Research and Technology Club Closing date: 15 October 2008 Research underpinning the development of biological processes for the production of chemicals, materials and polymers to replace petrochemical derived sources has been identified as an area where increased investment in research is required to underpin the needs of industry. Contact: Kristine Cherry, kristine.cherry@bbsrc.ac.uk

MRC, EPSRC and BBSRC Discipline Hopping Grant Scheme Closing date: 12 November 2008 The scheme is designed to encourage researchers to develop imaginative ways of using techniques or expertise from the engineering and physical sciences to tackle biological or medical research questions Contact: MRC – Paula Clements, Paula.Clements@headoffice.mrc.ac.uk EPSRC – Caroline Batchelor, caroline.batchelor@epsrc.ac.uk BBSRC – Liz Hayes, elizabeth.hayes@bbsrc.ac.uk

Thermal Management in the Process Industries – Call for Full Proposals Closing date: 29 October 2008 The Research Councils’ Energy Programme is seeking to support research concerned with the efficient use of thermal energy in existing process industry plants and in the design of new plants. Contact: David Holtum, david.holtum@epsrc.ac.uk

Decentralised off-grid Electricity Generation in Developing Countries Closing date: 13 November 2008 This call is designed to address issues of rural electricity generation, or electricity coupled with complementary energy vectors such as heat and energy storage. Contact: Neil Bateman, neil.bateman@epsrc.ac.uk

Focussed-Ion-Beam Nanofabrication – Open Call for Access Closing date: 1 November 2008 Researchers from UK higher education institutions can apply for free access to use the focussed ion-beam nanofabrication facilities at the London Centre for Nanotechnology. Contact: Paul Warburton, p.warburton@ee.ucl.ac.uk

Diet and Health Research Industry Club Closing date: 14 November 2008 Second call for applications that fall within the remit of BBSRC, but may also include aspects of MRC’s and/or EPSRC’s remit. Contact: Emma Feltham, emma.feltham@epsrc.ac.uk

Knowledge Transfer Accounts (KTAs) Closing date: 5 November 2008 We are inviting business cases from any organisation eligible to receive EPSRC grants but, to be successful in the competition, applicants will need to be able to point to a significant base of high-quality, EPSRCfunded research on which the proposed KTA will be able to draw. Contact: Alex Hulkes, alex.hulkes@epsrc.ac.uk

New Materials Research Equipment Services – Open Call for Access Closing date: 22 November 2008 Researchers from UK higher education institutions can apply to use equipment at seven new services. These services provide free access at point of use to UK academic researchers, including travel and accommodation. Contact: www.epsrc.ac.uk/ResearchFunding/ FacilitiesAndServices/MatsEquipment/default.htm

Carbon Capture and Storage Closing date: 6 November 2008 Call for consortium proposals in underpinning research in Carbon Capture and Transport. Contact: Jacqui Williams, jacqui.williams@epsrc.ac.uk

Discipline Hopping in Information and Communication Technologies – Open Call Open Call This is an open call for discipline hopping awards to provide ICT researchers with an opportunity to experience research in another discipline and vice versa. Contact: Claire Hinchliffe, claire.hinchliffe@epsrc.ac.uk

EPSRC-NPL Post-Doctoral Research Partnerships Closing date: 6 November 2008 An initial call for proposals under this Partnership is now open for grants in the areas of energy, software security, quantum electrical standards and quantum terahertz detection. Contact: Robert Heathman, robert.heathman@epsrc.ac.uk Alan Brewin, alan.brewin@npl.co.uk

For up to date information and details of how to apply see www.epsrc.ac.uk

Collaborative Research with China on Cleaner Fossil Fuels Closing date: 11 November 2008 Funding is available for UK-based researchers to build collaborations with researchers in China, where possible following on from earlier project missions, visits and discussions. Contact: Hayley Dash, hayley.dash@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

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 and 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 Susan Morrell 01793 444462 susan.morrell@epsrc.ac.uk

EPSRC Annual Report EPSRC’s Annual Report and Accounts 2007-08 is now available from the EPSRC website. The report reviews the research council’s work and achievements throughout the year, illustrating how it has continued to build on its reputation for funding world-class research in engineering and the physical sciences. It also contains EPSRC’s annual accounts. Further information: www.epsrc.ac.uk/annualreport

Head of Digital Economy John Hand 01793 444394 john.hand@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Nanotechnology and 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 and 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 Interfaces Kedar Pandya 01793 444317 kedar.pandya@epsrc.ac.uk Head of User Led Knowledge and Skills Alan Thomas 01793 442806 alan.thomas@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Infrastructure and International Jane Nicholson 01793 444065 jane.nicholson@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Physical Sciences Andrew Bourne 01793 444358 andrew.bourne@epsrc.ac.uk

Are you engaging? ARE YOU a Researcher or PhD student looking for funds to support your public engagement activities during National Science and Engineering Week 2009? If you are funded by one of the seven Research Councils you could be eligible for a RCUK National Science and Engineering Week Award 2009. National Science Week is an excellent opportunity to reach both the public and academic audiences. Funds of up to £2,000 are available per project to successful applicants working in any academic discipline who wish to engage the public with issues relating to science and engineering. The scheme is open to grant holders and postgraduate students funded by any one of the seven Research Councils. Individuals working in Research Council Institutes and Centres may also be eligible. The closing date for applications is Monday 13 October 2008. Contact: Kate Miller, katherine.miller@epsrc.ac.uk Further information: www.rcuk.ac.uk/scienceweek

Head of Policy and Relationships for People Support Andrew Bourne 01793 444358 andrew.bourne@epsrc.ac.uk Head of Business Relationships Emma Feltham 01793 444321 emma.feltham@epsrc.ac.uk Associate Director Research Capability Neil Viner 01793 444310 neil.viner@epsrc.ac.uk Associate Director Mission Programmes Alison Wall 01793 444176 alison.wall@epsrc.ac.uk Associate Director Research Base 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

Periodic Table of the Videos A COMPLETELY new experiment in science communication is aiming to promote Chemistry and Chemical Engineering to a wide audience, particularly younger people. The Periodic Table of Videos is an on-going collaboration between Nottingham-based video journalist Brady Haran and Professor Martyn Poliakoff and colleagues at the University of Nottingham. They have recorded 118 videos, one for each chemical element, and posted them on www.periodicvideos.com as well as on YouTube. The project was funded by EPSRC’s Driving Innovation in Chemistry and Engineering (DICE) initiative, together with support from the University of Nottingham. Shooting started in June and the project was complete by mid-July. By early August it had already attracted nearly 1.5m ‘hits’ and the video on sodium had been viewed more than 100,000 times on YouTube. There has been extensive media coverage and enthusiastic comments have been posted on the YouTube pages and on blogs across the world. Interaction with UK schools and teachers will begin in September and plans are well advanced for updating the videos and ensuring continued public interest in the project.

Engineering Chris Elson 01793 444504 chris.elson@epsrc.ac.uk Technology Valerie Hibberd 01793 444560 valerie.hibberd@epsrc.ac.uk Science Jo Garrad 01793 444348 jo.garrad@epsrc.ac.uk 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.