NEWS

EU provides €144 million for new research on rare diseasesOn 28th February, the European Commission announced €144 million of new funding for 26 research projects on rare diseases. The projects will help improve the lives of some of the 30 million Europeans suffering from a rare disease. The selected projects bring together over 300 participants from 29 countries in Europe and beyond, including teams from leading academic institutions, SMEs and patients’ groups. The goal is to pool resources and work beyond borders, to get a better understanding of rare diseases and find adequate treatments. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-169_en.htm?locale=en

President Barroso announces the creation of a Science and Technology Advisory CouncilThe President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso has announced on 27th February the creation of a Science and Technology Advisory Council. The creation of the Advisory Council follows the President’s appointment of Professor Anne Glover as the European Commission’s first Chief Scientific Adviser in January 2012, aiming at ensuring more evidence-based European Union policy-making, but also at promoting the uptake of science & technology in society, including a better transfer of knowledge from the scientific world to industry. The Science and Technology Advisory Council is an independent and informal group of outstanding science and technology experts from academia, business and civil society, covering a broad range of disciplines and uniting expertise from across the European Research Area. Its members have been selected by the President in consultation with the Chief Scientific Adviser, based on

their scientific reputation, experience at the science-policy interface and communication skills. The main aim of the Council is to provide advice directly to the President on how to create the proper environment for innovation by shaping a European society that embraces science, technology and engineering. http:/ /europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-168_en.htm?locale=en

The European Commission signs an agreement with EIB for breakthrough of Key Enabling TechnologiesAt the inaugural meeting of the High Level Group on Key Enabling Technologies on 27th February, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the European Commission and the European Investment Bank that will pave the way for improved access to finance for investments in key enabling technologies. KETs - nanotechnology, micro-/nanoelectronics, industrial biotechnology, advanced materials, photonics and advanced manufacturing technologies – are of exceptional importance for shaping the future innovation and competitiveness of the EU. The global market in KETs is forecast to grow from about EUR 650 billion in 2008 to over one trillion euro in 2015. World leading industries in fields of automotive, chemicals, aeronautics, space, health and energy are all users of KETs. To ensure the EU can fully participate in this growth and indeed continue its leading position, a new High-Level Group on KETs was launched to assist the Commission in the implementation of the European strategy to boost the industrial production of KETs-based products in Europe. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-150_en.htm

€50 million EU research grants in 2013 to develop ‘5G’ technologyEuropean Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes announced €50 million for research to deliver 5G mobile technology by 2020, with the aim to put Europe back in the lead of the global mobile industry. By 2020 worldwide mobile traffic alone will reach a 33 times increase compared to 2010 figures. In this time Internet access will become dominated by wireless devices such as smartphones, tablets, machines and sensors, requiring more efficient and ubiquitous technology to carry the data traffic. http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=6462&lang=en&title=Fresh%2D%E2%82%AC50%2Dmillion%2DEU%2Dresearch%2Dgrants%2Din%2D2013%2Dto%2Ddevelop%2D%275G%27%2Dtechnology

Results of the public consultation for a PPP on life sciences R&I under Horizon 2020The European Commission has recently published the results of the public consultation of the future Public Private Partnership on life sciences research and innovation, the successor of the current Innovative Medicines Initiative PPP (IMI). The respondents express their clear support for the establishment of a new PPP with an expanded scope and a simpler implementation model compared to IMI. A dedicated legal structure with a lighter approach is clearly preferred compared to the possibility of establishing a contractual PPP. The Commission is expected to present the proposals for the future PPPs under Horizon 2020 before the summer. http://ec.europa.eu/research/consultations/life_science_h2020/report_public_consultation.pdf

Consultation on Research Data Infrastructures: Framework for ActionIn preparation to H2020, the European Commission (DG CONNECT) has put together a Framework for Action addressing the area of Research Data e-Infrastructures. The “Action Fiches” propose concrete domains of action. They aim at realising the European vision for a global interoperable data e-infrastructure supporting open, digital-driven, science (note that High Performance Computing and Distributed Computing as such are outside the scope of this consultation). By means of a public consultation the European Commission would like to get reactions on strengths, coverage, gaps etc in order to improve and fine tune the framework for action. The consultation will be open until 27 March 2013.h t tp : / / ec .europa .eu /d ig i ta l -agenda /en /conten t /consultation-research-data-infrastructures-framework-action

Open Call: Clusters and Entrepreneurship in support of Emerging IndustriesThe DG ENTR published a call for proposals to support regions to adapt and change their industrial structures to

unlock the potential of clusters and entrepreneurship for regional economic development and for addressing societal challenges such as reducing CO2 emissions, improving resource efficiency and environmental protection. The aim is in particular to better capitalise on all forms of creativity, new technologies and the transformative power of innovation to shape new globally competitive value chains that may help to foster the development of emerging industries in Europe. By supporting the development of more fertile environments in which small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can combine creativity with the use of new technologies and more resource efficient solutions, new business opportunities may arise that result in smarter and more sustainable growth. The deadline for submission is 17th April 2013.http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=6475&lang=en&title=Clusters%2Dand%2DEntrepreneurship%2Din%2Dsupport%2Dof%2DEmerging%2DIndustries

Horizon 2020 advisory groupsThe European Commission has launched a call for expression of interest for the selection of the Horizon 2020 advisory group. These groups will provide high quality and timely advice for the preparation of the Horizon 2020 calls for project proposals. Experts can register their interest through the dedicated webpage on the Horizon 2020 website at the following link: http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/index_en.cfm?pg=h2020-experts

EVENTS

Launch of the CommHERE health research web portal, 21/03/2013, Brussels

On Thursday 21 March in Brussels, the EU project Communicating European Health Research-CommHERE organizes an event to present a new health research web portal. The portal will put European citizens in touch with research by presenting FP7 Health research in an attractive and inspiring way and enabling dissemination of research at European level. CommHERE aims to improve communication on the outcome of EU funded health research projects to the media, general public and other target groups, including the EC in all of Europe and beyond.http://www.commhere.eu/web/page.aspx?sid=8559

PartnerSHIP Stakeholder Workshop, 27/03/2013, BrusselsThe event aims at presenting the scientific and technical programme, and the governance of the future PartnerSHIP initiative. The event is prepared by the Waterborne Technology Platform for the maritime stakeholders. There is adequate time allocated for open discussion.http://seaeurope.eu/partnerSHIP/

Info Day « Towards World-Class Clusters: Promoting Cluster Excellence” and “Clusters and Entrepreneurship in Support of Emerging Industries”, Brussels, 20/03/2013On 20 March 2013, DG Enterprise and Industry will organise an information day on the Calls for Proposals on “Towards World-Class Clusters: Promoting Cluster Excellence” (62/G/ENT/CIP/13/C/N04C031) and “Clusters and Entrepreneurship in Support of Emerging Industries” (64/G/ENT/CIP/13/C/N04C02). http://www.errin.eu/content/info-day-towards-world-class-clusters-promoting-cluster-excellence-clusters-andEBN Annual Policy Conference, Brussels, 20/03/2013The aim of the 2013 EBN Annual Policy Conference is to discuss how professional networking and international collaboration can be further developed to increase the competitiveness of European SMEs and how EBN’s members – the Business & Innovation Centres (EC-BICs) – drive innovation towards start-up creation and high-growth companies. http://ebnpolicy.youreuevent.eu/home

JRC Conference on “Scientific Support to EU Growth and Jobs: Efficient buildings, vehicles and equipment”, Brussels, 26/03/2013The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre is launching an initiative on scientific support to growth and

jobs, starting with a conference dedicated to “Scientific support to EU growth and jobs: Efficient buildings, vehicles and equipment”. Europe faces unprecedented challenges, and the need to return to economic growth and job creation is critical to recovery from the current crisis. European efficient buildings, vehicles and equipment are three key sectors that present a real opportunity to boost Europe’s competitiveness and contribute to economic development while promoting long-term sustainability at the same time. They have the potential to trigger investment and innovation, leading to economic growth and jobs. However, on the way to shifting to a more efficient approach, there is still a need for additional scientific support from the public as well as the private sector. The main aim of this event is to identify where scientific support is needed. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/index.cfm?id=2470&obj_id=4330&dt_code=EVN&lang=en

For additional events please refer to:http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=events&lg=en&period=2013&theme=0&future_epage=1