Space science themed student contest lifts off
Odysseus – the pan-European space-science contest for 14-18 year olds – has officially launched. Participants- in teams of up to five students and one teacher – are invited to design and demonstrate a space-themed project under one of the following three topics: “the solar system”, “spaceship – global cooperation” and “the co-evolution of life”.
The project aims to engage European students with the excitement of “the final frontier”, by combining creativity, innovation and intelligence…
Manifesto on the Gender Dimension in Research
Interested parties are encouraged to sign the Manifesto for Integrated Action on the Gender Dimension in Research and Innovation. The manifesto discusses potential actions to enhance research and innovation by addressing gender equality issues.
The manifesto follows on from the European Commission public consultation on the green paper “What actions should be taken at EU level to further strengthen the role of women in science and innovation?”, which received 300 responses…
European research pilots cloud computing resource
Leading IT providers have teamed up with three of Europe’s largest research centres this month to launch a new cloud computing system. CERN, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory and the European Space Agency will be the first to enjoy the processing power of the platform – which has been named “Helix Nebula – the Science Cloud” – for such activities as the search for the Higgs Boson, the study of geological disasters and unravelling the secrets of DNA.
This pan-European collaboration – which will offer flexible and robust computing services for research and innovation…
European contest to attract youths to space science
Odysseus is a contest for young students. Under the guidance of their teachers, students will prepare projects revolving around one of three major themes in space science: the ‘Solar System’; ‘Spaceship – global cooperation’; and ‘Co-evolution of life’.
The contest and project aims to inspire and engage European youth with the ‘final frontier’, by combining creativity, innovation and intelligence…
Call for abstracts for 2nd European Energy Conference
Abstract submission is open for the 2nd European Energy Conference, which will be held in Maastricht, on 17-20 April next year. Experts from the fields of chemistry, engineering, environmental science, material science and physics are invited to attend.
The conference aims to bring together experts, from various disciplines and background, to develop a vision on the future of energy in Europe. It will generate cooperation and communication across disciplines and will contribute…
FP7 publishes monitoring report for 2007-2010
The European Commission has published the fourth FP7 Monitoring Report, which covers the implementation of the Framework Programme during 2007-2010. It provides, among other items, a detailed analysis of participation patterns; implementation management and quality issues; and the current situation with regard to the simplification process.
The report has a number of features of interest to EPS members, including lists of top university participants and research organizations. The report calls attention to the magnitude of the FP7, with 245 calls, more than 77,000…
Physics World: reporting from the frontiers of science
e-EPS spoke with Matin Durrani, the editor of Physics World, the membership magazine of the UK Institute of Physics.
Who is Physics World aimed at?
The readers of Physics World, and its sister website physicsworld.com, all have one thing in common: a love and passion for physics – whether they’re using CERN’s Large Hadron Collider to search for the Higgs boson or building a new…
European Strategy in Particle Physics
Since 2007, the High Energy Particle Physics Board of the European Physics Society (EPS) and the European Committee for Future Accelerators (ECFA) have been organising jointly a half-day plenary session during the biannual EPS conference on High Energy Physics. This year’s session, which took place in Grenoble in the afternoon of 23 September, marked the start of the process for updating the European strategy in particle physics.
The first European strategy for particle physics was adopted by a special session of the CERN Council in July 2006. The Strategy was defined by 17 statements that were approved by Council and were contained in the Strategy Statement…
European Commission Prize for Women Innovators
A Prize for Women Innovators has been launched by the European Commission at the end of last month. The competition – which aims to highlight the successes of three women who have brought outstanding innovations to the market – is hoped will raise public awareness of the need for more innovation, and for more female entrepreneurs.
There are three cash prizes available to win – 100,000, 50,000 and 25,000 Euros respectively – which will be presented at an award ceremony during the European Commission’s Innovation Convention on 5 December this year…
First European Gender Summit
The first European Gender Summit is being held in the SQUARE – Brussels Meeting Centre on 8-9 November 2011. The summit will provide an arena for the discussion of how gender is viewed in the culture of research and innovation, and what potential changes could be made in this field.
The summit will also see the publishing of the Public Consultation on the Future of Gender and Innovation in Europe – which is hoped will create a better understanding of how Europe might benefit from a more effective mainstreaming of the gender dimension in research, innovation and scientific systems…
EC announces 7 billion Euro boost for 2012 R&D
A 7 billion Euro boost for research and innovation for 2012 has been announced by the European Commission (EC) last month. The funding package – which will be the ECs largest yet – is anticipated to promote both growth and new jobs.
“Today, Europe is again showing its commitment to putting research and innovation at the top of the political agenda for growth and jobs,” said Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, who announced the new funding boost. “EU-wide competition for these funds will bring Europe’s best researchers and innovators together to tackle the biggest issues of our time, such as energy, food security, climate change and our ageing population.” …
ESFRI releases new report on research infrastructures
The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) have released their Strategy Report and Roadmap Update 2010. The chair of ESFRI, Beatrix Vierkorn-Rudolph presented the roadmap to the European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, in Brussels on 3 May this year.
“Pooling national and EU resources to build pan-European research infrastructures – rather than each Member State simply going it alone – is common sense and a key part of the EU’s Innovation Union plan,” said Geoghegan-Quinn. “These collaborative efforts create economies of scale, boost EU competitiveness and deliver better value for money for…
