Why Irish eyes are smiling Horizon 2020

This year's surprise success story of the European Union's Horizon 2020 program of four universities in an Irish entry into the list of top-performing 50 universities. But how did they do?

As the University World News analysis last week, NUI Galway in Ireland was the highest on the list of 25, University College Cork (30) together; University College Dublin (31) and Trinity College Dublin (38).

Together they received contracts worth € 62 million (US $ 66.6 billion) Horizon 2020, or H2020, as long as the funding decisions were taken on the 24th of June of this year. However, none of the four was in the Seventh Framework Programmed (2007-13), and also the top-performing 50 universities in FP7.

Skip forward to what lies behind the group? H2020 is the result of a national mobilization on the road? What strategies have been used by universities and how do you interact with the participation of other actors in the study increased competition in the European Union? What tools they use?

The answer can be found at various levels when looking at the organizations that set the agenda for Ireland's scientific policy. Our focus here is the role of universities in the "Horizon 2020 engine applications" - can give some clues transferable in the case of Ireland and the University of Horizon 2020 strategy, which is not primarily a research project on the border, but grandparents innovation research as a function?

Universities play a key role

H2020 318 organizations in Ireland to participate in the contracts, as listed in the E-CORDA database, July 2015. Among the 318, 164 at the end of the contract or 52% of Irish universities. Comparable percentage, Norway, while 26%, Finland 31%, Germany 30%, Sweden 49%, Denmark 55% and 40% in the Netherlands.

Therefore, it is evident that universities have an important role in securing contracts H2020 Ireland, Sweden and Denmark with regard to Norway, Germany and the Netherlands.

Irish universities chalked remarkable success of the European Research Council, or ERC, the program in 2014 - especially in the initial grant in the category - the column of "good science" has significantly expanded a portion of H2020. Irish institutions obtained 18 ERC grants worth more than € 30 million in 2014.

Ten of them from the fellowship, scholarship and grant an advanced seven consolidator Pour Holm, a professor of environmental history at Trinity College Dublin was awarded a project entitled "Assessing the significance of the revolution and the dynamics of fish in the North Atlantic in the 1500s and 1600s summed up the economic power, demographics and politics "alignments in that form.

In addition, ERC, four proof-of-concepts that a contract had already been awarded ERC grants to develop their ideas with researchers at Irish allows commercial directions.

Starting Grant in 2014 in the category, Ireland ranked second among the EU-28 countries, up from 20 in FP7.

Irish universities H2020 coordinate several cooperation projects. University College Cork coordinates - marine renewable energy, aquaculture, marine biotechnology and sub-seabed mining projects with the aim to promote business opportunities in "Unlocking the potential of our seas marine Marine Investment Blue Economy".

"Stakeholder Transition Action Energy System, the training and development", which was awarded € 3.46 million in mapping out the energy transition of the European Communities: Cork H2020 energy coordinator of a large project.

Another example of successful cooperation between classes Real Value involvement of University College Dublin is one of the lead academic partner in the project. Irish multinational chaired by Glen Dimple, and a consortium that includes the entire energy supply chain, the project of € 12 million (€ 7.2 million with an Irish partner) to improve the efficiency and value of the European energy market through the use of advanced information and communication aimed at technology, or ICT.

Trinity College Dublin coordinated "lined up, quality-centric Software and Data Engineering", a project awarded to ICT H2020 4 million €, universities and businesses in Leipzig, Oxford, Austria and Poland, and also coordinates the project swimming - Semantic Web for Energy Information Modeling efficient buildings - called Energy Efficient Buildings, and the Tyndall National Institute in Cork, which includes a national project funded by the partnership.

The new national ambition

the total EU contribution to Irish research was € 621.46 million and the total number of participants in FP7 budget was 1,939 as of 2014. In terms of shares, the total contribution of the EU, Ireland ranked 13th of all 28 EU States. The Irish investigation was € 621.46 million FP7 and the total number of participants was 1,939 as of 2014. In terms of shares of the budget, Ireland ranked 13th of all 28 states of the EU.

In recent years, several university research centers of excellence focused on creating strategies for research. These are the critical mass of expertise is closely aligned with the key to the implementation of government policies and the EU is based.

These strategies include the National Research Priorities Exercise: First Progress Report (June 2014); Horizon 2020: Support for Excellence in Research and Innovation Report (December 2013) are; and the EU Framework Programmer for Research and Innovation (2014-2020) - Ireland's Strategy and Target Participation Report (December 2013).

The Science Foundation Ireland, or SFI, has a "SFI ERC Assistance Program," presented by Irish-based researchers are taking part in the schemes to increase the ERC and an ERC-funded research institutions to recruit Irish. ERC 2014, and there has already been awarded to the Irish host an additional amount equivalent to 20% of ERC award from an organization that provides the candidates, up to € 300,000; ERC 2015, and there has already been awarded with an Irish host institution, to € 150,000 given to the candidates.

The researchers gathered a group of the year that a foreign organization already hold Irish ERC can receive a prize, and € 1 million in funding through the scheme to work.

Dr. Michael Ryan, head of the European Science Foundation Ireland, told University World News that Ireland, a number of Member States, as a fact, recognizable from the ERC wins and coordinating large projects, the latter of which are off the back of large bids and offers are usually co-funded, is a key element.

"Science Foundation Ireland, we launched a few years ago,, two basic alignment of the ERC, the 'ERC Assistance Program' and the 'ERC Development Programmed' - both of which were put in place incentives for the research community to apply to the ERC.

"First overhead gives more universities / research project officer, or RPO, the ERC candidates who have won either Ireland or Ireland recently hired help. The latter, ERC applicants who were deemed to be funded by the ERC, but were not funded (usually As a result of the lack of available funds) for.

"We will fund a shortened version of ERC - on condition that the applicant reapplies - focusing on addressing the reviewer comments. Now we're seeing the labors of this strategy to bear fruit."

Drivers as centers of excellence

Ryan said SFI has invested since 2012, funding 12 research centers in several significant universities / RPOs based on inside. Finance is a requirement to receive funding - Research centers are also funded by the industry.

"We have put a significant Horizon 2020 [bad] on the basis of these centers," Ryan says. Each of them is dedicated to identifying opportunities for a manager and co-ordination of the EU Horizon 2020 and tasked with the implementation of the European Commission within the "We have installed. Each center KPI [key performance indicators] must comply with a number of metrics has strict back off.

"Each center universities / RPOs and cooperation with industry specialization is different."

In October 2014, the Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation, Damien Ingles, a new national initiative is a large-scale EU funding to Ireland launched a great victory.

15 senior scientists dedicated team led by Chief Scientific Advisor Professor Mark Ferguson SFI was established and € 1.25 million in EU funding from the H2020 to set an ambitious national goals.

High-level group tasked with monitoring progress within the framework of the Horizon 2020 Framework Programmer and the funding bodies and consists of representatives of the government. Strategic Research Group is an offshoot of this group of documents, consisting of a narrower group of agencies that have the potential to offer greater strategic importance and where Ireland can promote the development of its product offering and is tasked with identifying skills.

"This group has proved very effective," says Ryan, "a platform to bring together industry and academia, and government agencies to discuss potential strategies as it works."

Professor Mark Ferguson, chair of the High Level Group, said the EU Horizon 2020 research projects are intended to Ireland to win a major. "To achieve this goal, against stiff competition, to identify key areas, mobilize and Ireland to engage in academic and industrial research experience across all we need - multinational corporations, indigenous and SMEs - to carry the winning applications ecosystem.

"The experience of all departments and agencies across the government to take advantage of such opportunities to identify and promote the values ​​we hope to win. This is an important opportunity, especially when a large portion of the funding will go to the industry."

H2020 proposals after the first one hundred calls, said the minister Ingles significantly contributed to improving the success of Irish universities.

"The University of Ireland, NUI Galway has been a significant success rate, the highest in the Horizon 2020 funding appeal, to be reflected in the approach to cooperation projects," he said.

Sports Surgery Clinic in Dublin, the Irish SME to a project of large-scale clinical trials using adult stem cells to treat arthritis of the knee involves collaboration with the university.

The project, which is Frank Institute for Regenerative Medicine, or REMEDI, coordinated by Professor Barry at NUI Galway, the value of nearly € 6 million will be financed and trials underway across Europe are expected by the end of 2015.

Professor Tim O'Brien multi-million REMEDI and NUI Galway center at the head of the medical devices in the field of diabetic complications in a separate clinical trial, orbs based therapies Galway, NUI Galway is a spin-out, is also a key role in the project, which is in Northern Ireland and between partners in Europe will have to play.

Both projects, the Dublin-based small and medium enterprises, in Pintail Ltd, will ensure effective cooperation between the partners, and to support the management and delivery of projects funded.

"NUI Galway has ranged from strong performance across many sectors, from life sciences to the social sciences," the minister said.

Doris Alexander, research, development manager, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin University, said at Trinity University World News that the "very challenging goals" set H2020 and his research between the industry and its diversification strategy "as a result of the commitment and vision of enabling global relations strategies symbiosis" .

He said: "Trinity's main mechanism to extend our participation in the university as well as the underlying basis for the design and roll-out of the ERC applicants and coordinator of the university's initiatives, particularly the proposal for a boot camp 'focused on providing support through the internal."

These initiatives, one-on-one basis, to offer innovative research projects focus on ensuring that the outcome / impact will be driven.

"H2020 early, but preliminary indications show that our approach is successful, the Trinity Institute of Ireland a higher level than any other to date more Erase a guarantee," Alexander says.

Professor Orals feely, research, innovation and impact, Vice President for University College Dublin, told University World News UCD progress towards its commitment to research and innovation, Horizon 2020 in accordance with the requirements that the maps very well helped.

"Our academic community has been very strongly attracted to Horizon 2020 and the thematic areas and, at the same time, we have to build support for the internal alignment of our talent development pipeline. We are involved in a creative way and some light industry, delivered through a partnership of success."

Dr. Imelda LAMBKIN, Horizon 2020, the national director of Enterprise Ireland, said the Irish approach to providing assistance to applicants in Horizon 2020, and this level of support, to build national research and innovation investments paid off.

"Irish researchers and companies respond that they can compete with the best international showing," she says.

Performance

Irish Universities Association, the university can take to improve their performance under the Horizon 2020 outlined a number of actions:

• Foster and exploitation of research and innovation to facilitate the cross-border institutional expertise to promote greater competitiveness;
• industry associations that represent (IBEC, ISME etc.) in order to seek partnerships with the private sector to join with the "industrial leadership" to maximize the return;
• Work 2020 national technology transfer infrastructure projects, which will strengthen the establishment of the Office of Technology Transfer for Central Horizon maximize the opportunities arising from the market;
• universities and businesses in Northern Ireland, InterTradeIreland and Invest NI, more collaborative ventures for the development of Horizon 2020, working in partnership;
• targeted Horizon 2020 / EU funding strategies for large-scale facilities;
• European Research Council funding to attract great people, a great capacity to target those already here and feed them to develop successful applications ERC. These numbers are not funded and re-application to promote a high score, but it does not examine the quality of the applications financed by the candidates;
• Institutional Business incentives to attract and retain the ERC grant holders of the award;
• Target COFUND Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions under the co-financing programs structured doctoral and postdoctoral fellowship positions, providing an important opportunity;
• Encourage staff to propose themselves as an expert (Horizon 2020 calls for the evaluation of financing and advisory groups to participate in Horizon 2020), and that the impact of the program content, such as technology platforms of major groups;
• Set a policy and a subgroup of the Irish Universities Association Research Officers Group vice president / dean of research and to assist in the implementation of its Horizon 2020 strategy as a team strategy.

Michael Ryan said the funding for the National Science Foundation Ireland and the EU believes that the funding will be synergistic and complementary, that is to say, one does not replace the other.

"Ireland's Europe in a wider range of products to promote can be very effective in drawing EU funding. In Ireland, and particularly in the SFI, the industry's significant leadership to catalyze a larger project, as well as to maintain the performance of all programs aimed at high-school level, we have a commitment to focus on."