Swiss Chemical Society - EuCheMS Brussels News Updates, February 2016

160219 EuCheMS BrusselsNewsUpdate

General European Highlights

EuCheMS Invites – Science: How Close to Open
On the occasion of the Open Science Conference organised by the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the EU, EuCheMS is organising the workshop "Science: How Close to Open?", taking place at the VU of Amsterdam on 5 April.
This event will look into the present and future of intellectual property boundaries in chemistry research and will debate questions such as: 1) Which model for peer-review publishing?; 2) Who owns research data and how to share it?; 3) Which approach is better for creating innovative products and services?
Together with researchers, publishers, EU and government officials EuCheMS intends to build bridges between all concerned and provide answers. Registration is available at http://bit.ly/20VF6AH.
Source: www.euchems.eu/

EuCheMS Response to the Public Consultation on Antimicrobial Resistance
EuCheMS has submitted its answer to the European Commission´s Public Consultation on antimicrobial resistance. In this answer, which is accessible online, EuCheMS calls for a two-fold solution: more awareness and more research.
This consultation aims to collect views on the EU’s Action Plan against risks arising from antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and is a part of a larger evaluation process which covers the period 2011-2015 in all 28 EU Member States and relevant third countries. The evaluation aims to assess: 1) Whether the key strategic actions contained in the Action Plan were the most appropriate actions to be taken to combat AMR; 2) Which elements worked well or not (and why); 3) Whether the objectives are still relevant to the needs of tackling AMR; and 4) Whether the approach was appropriately holistic.
Source: http://www.euchems.eu/

Ex-Post Evaluation of FP7
The European Commission has published its ex-post evaluation of the 7th Framework Programme (FP7), the EU's research funding programme between 2007 and 2013. The evaluation was based on a report by an independent group of high level experts, as well as the Commission's response to its recommendations published in two legal documents.
The main findings are that FP7 was effective in boosting excellent science and strengthening Europe's industrial competitiveness, contributing to growth and jobs in Europe. The evaluation also identified ways to improve how the EU funds research and innovation such as avoiding duplication or promoting large-scale simplification. According to the European Commission, many of these issues are already being taken up by Horizon 2020, the successor programme to FP7.
In its 25,000 funded projects FP7 had a vast group of participants with more than 134,000 participations from 170 different countries. The participations came in 86% of the cases from EU countries, 8% from Associated Countries and 6% rest of world.
Source: http://europa.eu/

Parliament Discusses Real Drive Emissions Tests
On the 23 February, the European Parliament Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
Committee (ENVI Committee) will hold a hearing on real drive emission tests. This hearing will host expert speakers, aiming to inform ENVI on the development of real driving emissions tests.
A key feature of ENVI's position is that test procedures for certain pollutant emissions should reflect real driving conditions instead laboratory emissions testing.
To further explore this topic there are a couple of interesting recent publication from the European Environment Agency, Explaining road transport emissions - A non-technical guide, and Explaining vehicle emissions – why do laboratory and road measurements differ?.
Source: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/

ERC Supports OAPEN Library for Open Access Books
The European Research Council (ERC) and the OAPEN Foundation have announced their cooperation in furthering open access to academic books and book chapters. With the help of an ERC grant OAPEN will develop a tailor-made deposit service for ERC grantees and their publishers. As part of the new project funded by the ERC, OAPEN will provide guidance and support to ERC grantees and their publishers to comply with ERC open access requirements for books. It will aggregate and allow the deposit of open access monographs and book chapters based on ERC funded research, provide quality assurance and dissemination of deposited publications and ensure their digital preservation.
Source: https://erc.europa.eu/

Info Cards on Chemicals
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published a series of info cards and brief profiles providing an easier way to find out about the chemicals we use on a daily basis. The information is available in three layers of complexity: the simple infocard, the more detailed brief profile and the full source data. The infocard gives a summary of the key information on a chemical substance in plain English; the brief profile goes deeper into the environmental, human health and physico-chemical properties of the chemical; and finally, at the third level, source data, includes the raw data submitted by companies to ECHA in REACH registration dossiers and notifications to the classification and labelling inventory.
Source: http://echa.europa.eu/

The Challenge of Circular Economy
The environmental benefits of adopting a circular economy in Europe could be considerable – reducing waste, and minimising the continent’s heavy dependence on imports of raw materials. A new report published by the European Environment Agency (EEA) draws attention to both the benefits and challenges of such an economic transition. The report also describes possible ways to measure progress and highlights the areas where more attention is required from research and policy in order to turn the concept into reality.
Source: http://www.eea.europa.eu/

Happy Birthday Erasmus+
With a budget of over €2 billion in its initial year, Erasmus+ has offered more than one million people the opportunity to take part in 18.000 funded projects. Over the seven years of Erasmus+ (2014-2020), the programme has a budget of €14.7 billion, a 40% increase compared to previous spending levels. Overall, Erasmus+ aims to provide opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain work experience and volunteer abroad. The programme also supports transnational partnerships among education, training and youth institutions to foster cooperation and bridge the worlds of education and work.
Source: http://europa.eu/

Introduction to the COST Framework
The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) is currently presenting the COST framework in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Montenegro. This initiative consists of a series of half-day events where national research communities are informed by representatives of the COST Association about the COST Framework’s policies, activities, and funding opportunities, with an emphasis on the Open Call for new COST Actions proposals, and COST Action representatives from the specific countries showcase the outstanding results of their participation in COST Actions and share their experiences and best practices. Attendance is open to national and local research communities, as well as industry, SMEs, private labs, academia and other interested groups.
Source: https://wbc-rti.info/

Funding Updates and Awards

Contest – PHOTOCHIMICA 2016
The European Young Chemists’ Network has launched the first edition of the European Photography Contest – PHOTOCHIMICA 2016. Under the theme “Chemistry is Everywhere” chemists and not chemists under 35 who are passionate about photography and chemistry are invited to participate. EYCN wants to promote chemistry through the power of visual arts, by showing its presence in all of our everyday activities.
Deadline: 6 March 2016
Source: http://eycn.eu/

LRI Innovative Science Award 2016
The LRI Award offers a €100,000 prize to support promising new research in the field of novel approaches to the characterisation of molecular initiating events, or other key events, in pathways of human and environmental toxicity.
Deadline: 18 March 2016
Website: http://cefic-lri.org/

Individual Support to ESFRI and Other World-class Research Infrastructures
Deadline: 30 March 2016
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/research/

Policy and International Cooperation Measures for Research Infrastructures
Deadline: 30 March 2016
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/research/

Towards globalisation of the Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance
Deadline: 13 April 2016
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/research/

Research and Innovation Staff Exchange
Deadline: 28 April 2016
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/research/

Consultations and Roadmaps

Roadmap: Energy Union Integrated Strategy on Research, Innovation and Competitiveness
The Strategy should provide input to the review of Horizon 2020 and the development of a research & innovation framework programme post - 2020. It should also provide extensively evidence - based advice that could feed in to future policy orientations and regulatory action in the Energy Union con text, and will rely on the identification and the design of credible and feasible decarbonisation pathways to 2050 and beyond. The integrated research and innovation approach should be reflected in future Horizon 2020 Work Programmes (WPs), the next opportunity being the 2018 - 2019 Work Programmes.
Source: http://ec.europa.eu/

Roadmap: Mid-term Evaluation of Erasmus+
The Erasmus+ mid - term evaluation will assess the effectiveness of the Erasmus+ actions to achieve the programme's objectives and evaluate the efficiency of the Programme and its European added value. The report will also address the Programme ’s internal and external coherence, the continued relevance of its objectives, and the scope for simplification. Additionally, it will assess the long - term results and impact of the predecessor programmes (Lifelong Learning, Youth in Action, Erasmus Mundus , ALFA, Tempus, Edulink, Sport preparatory actions).
The results of the evaluation will be used to feed into the impact assessment for a possible successor programme for Erasmus+. They will also be used to improve implementation of Erasmus+ during the current Multiannual Financial Framework period.
Source: http://ec.europa.eu/smart-regulation/

Inception Impact Assessment: Possible Amendments of Annexes to REACH for Registration of Nanomaterials
There is a lack of clarity of REACH registration requirements for nanomaterials. In line with the aim of the legislation, the general objective of this initiative is to ensure clarity on how nanomaterials are addressed and safety demonstrated in registration dossiers, thus allowing REACH to be fit for the purpose of dealing with nanomaterials. This objective does not imply developing EU policy in new areas as they are already established acquis in the EU.
Source: http://ec.europa.eu/

Preparation of a sustainable bioenergy policy for the period after 2020
The objective of this survey is to consult stakeholders and citizens on an updated EU policy on sustainable bioenergy for the period 2020-2030, as part of the EU renewable energy package foreseen before the end of 2016.
Deadline: 10 May 2016
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/

EU Public Survey on Alternatives to Animal Testing
Following the European Commission's Communication published in response to the European Citizens' Initiative "Stop Vivisection", the JRC's Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM) has launched a public survey to solicit input from individuals and organisations to identify all types of knowledge sources that might be relevant for Replacing, Reducing or Refining (the '3Rs') the use of animals for scientific purposes. The objective of the survey is to understand how such knowledge is currently disseminated and to highlight what could be done to fill knowledge gaps and enhance knowledge sharing.
Deadline: 11 March 2016
Source: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/

Open Public Online Consultation: PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) in Horizon 2020
The purpose of this open public online consultation it to collect views and opinions on the scope, objectives, and expected impacts of the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) initiative. It specifically seeks input in relation to the preparation of a potential EU contribution to PRIMA.
Deadline: 24 April 2016
Source: http://ec.europa.eu/research/

Upcoming EuCheMS Recognised Events

I Convegno del Grupo Interdivisionale di Chimica per le Energie Rinnovabili - ENERCHEM-1
Florence, Italy
18 – 20 February 2016
Website: http://www.enerchem-1.it/

13th Chemistry Conference for Young Scientists - ChemCYS 2016
Blankenberge, Belgium
16 – 18 March 2016
Website: http://www.chemcys.be/

Bruner Workshop 2016 - Fabrizio Bruner Memorial Workshop on Environmental LC-MS
Urbino, Italy
6 – 8 April 2016
Website: http://brunerworkshop2016.uniurb.it/

11th DA - 11th Delegates Assembly of EYCN
Guimarães, Portugal
26 – 30 April 2016
Website: http://11da.eventos.chemistry.pt/

Analytica Conference
Munich, Germany
10 – 12 May 2016
Website: https://www.gdch.de/index.php?id=2918

Forthcoming Events

Information Day for the 2016 Call for Knowledge and Innovation Communities Proposals
Brussels, Belgium
18 February 2016
Website: http://europa.eu/

European Science and Technology Network on Unconventional Hydrocarbons Extraction - Annual Conference
Brussels, Belgium
23 February 2016
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/

Parliament Hearing - Real Driving Emissions Tests
Brussels, Belgium
23 February 2016
Website: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/

New Currents in Science: The Challenges of Quality
Ispra, Italy
3 – 4 March 2016
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/

The Future of Higher Education
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
9 March 2016
Website: http://europa.eu/

Launch of the ESFRI Roadmap 2016
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
9 March 2016
Website: http://europa.eu/

Launch of the EU-CELAC Joint Initiative on Health Research and Innovation
Brussels, Belgium
15 March 2016
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/research/