Today’s post comes from a guest-blogger, Inga Benner of the UK Research Office in Brussels, who has some helpful advice on how to make the most of their services. Thanks Inga!
“The UK Research Office is the European office of the UK Research Councils in Brussels and the team offers a range of useful services to researchers and research administrators in UK universities and other research institutions who subscribe to UKRO. UKRO’s team is based in Brussels and its mission is to promote effective UK engagement in EU research, innovation and higher education activities. Subscribing institution has a dedicated UKRO European Advisor who can be contacted with queries on a wide range of issues including European funding streams, research policy and advice on European project implementation. The office also monitors relevant policy developments on an EU level, including those of interest to the arts and humanities research community.
The UKRO Portal is a useful tool to ensure that you stay up to date with European funding, especially through the UKRO Portal News. Entering the subscriber pages and signing up to the Portal News is free of charge for researchers and administrators in subscribing institutions. Via the Portal News, UKRO disseminates information on calls for proposals and deadlines, background information on the development of new programmes, including the next EU funding programme for research and innovation Horizon 2020, but also on other EU streams such as the Creative Europe programme or Erasmus for All. To give an example of how you could benefit from receiving UKRO News, the team is currently providing regular advice and updates on the upcoming deadlines for the Marie Cure Individual Fellowship calls, the last set of deadlines under the EU’s 7th Framework Programme. UKRO also keeps an eye out for relevant European networking events and informs researchers of opportunities for feeding into programme development, for example through providing input to European Commission consultations.
Even if your institution is not an UKRO subscriber you might still be able to benefit from UKRO, as the office runs the national contact points for the UK for the Marie Curie Actions and the European Research Council. The national contact points offer a general query service on the two funding schemes, a website and runs regular event in advance of major deadlines for calls for proposals. In addition, UKRO publishes European RTD Insight, a publication on developments in EU research and policy funded by the British Council.”
· To find out whether your institution is an UKRO subscriber go to http://www.ukro.ac.uk/aboutukro/Pages/subscribers.aspx
· Signing up to the UKRO Portal is easy and quick, and once an account is created it can be personalised and tailored to your specific areas of interest. To sign up, go to http://www.ukro.ac.uk or follow the guidance provided in this flyer: http://www.ukro.ac.uk/Documents/120828_ukro_portal_brief_guide_subscribers.pdf
Source: Research beyond borders