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From: EUA Info [mailto:info@eua.be]
Sent: Friday, March 24, 2017 4:06 PM
To: Helen Bahtsavanopoulou – Kotsaki
Subject: EUA Newsletter 6 – 2017

EUA Newsletter 6 | 24/3/2017

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European Research Council: Ten years of research excellence for Europe

The European Research Council (ERC), the EU’s flagship for cutting-edge blue sky research, celebrated its tenth anniversary with a high-level conference in Brussels on 21 March 2017.

Since its set up in 2007, some 7 000 top researchers have been awarded the highly-competitive and much sought-after ERC grants, creating career opportunities for about 50 000 scientists. Six grantees went on to receive the Nobel Prize and ERC funding has led to more than 800 patent applications, along with uncountable scientific discoveries. More than 180 researchers have also moved to Europe with an ERC grant, bolstering the attractiveness of the European university landscape.

Many researchers from EUA member universities have benefited, such as Barak Kalir (Universiteit van Amsterdam) who studied the plight of undocumented migrants in Greece, Spain, Israel and Ecuador. Ali Salanti (Københavns Universitet) serendipitously discovered a potential cure against cancer in his research on malaria, while Michaël Gillon (Université de Liège) found planets that might be habitable and recently made headlines around the globe. Moreover, these examples demonstrate that ERC funding is filling a gap for young, aspiring researchers as two thirds of its grants go to early- and mid-career scientists with two to twelve years of postdoctoral experience.

The conference in Brussels showcased numerous examples of research projects funded by the ERC across all scientific disciplines. Martine Rahier, EUA Vice-President, incoming Chair of its Research Policy Working Group and former Rector of University of Neuchâtel, attended the event.

“The ERC is, indeed, a European success story. Its bottom-up, curiosity-driven approach combined with rigorous peer review contributes continuously to strengthening fundamental, high-risk/high-gain research in Europe,” said Rahier. “It is also worth noting that ERC grants help in speeding up the transition of young researchers to tenured positions.”

More information, including details about the anniversary celebrations, can be found on the ERC website.

Policy and Projects News

EUA, CESAER, LERU and Science Europe call for new momentum for the ERA

EUA has joined forces with three other key representative organisations of European universities and research-performing and -funding institutions to congratulate the European institutions on the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome and to call upon them on this occasion to overcome complacency, to take responsibility, and to provide new momentum, dynamism and equity to the European Research Area (ERA).
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EUA and UUK welcome EU ambitions for research and innovation after Brexit

EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier outlined his view on the approaching negotiations with the UK in a speech in Brussels on 22 March 2017. Barnier explicitly stated that the EU was ambitious regarding a post-Brexit relationship with the UK in the areas of research and innovation, even if this happens in a new legal and financial framework.
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EUA responds to EC consultation on Smart Specialisation

On 24 March 2017, EUA issued its response to a European Commission public consultation on Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3). The EUA Expert Group on RIS3 and the Research Policy Working Group (RPWG) worked in collaboration on the response.
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Efficiency in higher education: Call for participation in peer learning seminars

The USTREAM (Universities for Strategic, Efficient and Autonomous Management) project partners have launched a call inviting senior university managers and public administrators to participate in a series of peer learning seminars on various aspects of efficiency and effectiveness in the higher education context.
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EFFECT academic staff development workshop addresses inclusion and citizenship skills

Inclusion and citizenship skills as grand challenges for academic staff development was the subject of a workshop at Loránd Eötvös University in Budapest, Hungary on 20 March 2017.
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EUA special update on CETA trade agreement

EUA has published another special update on the EU’s trade agreement initiatives, this time on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada.
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Events News

EUA Annual Conference: Watch live on Facebook

Bergen-Harbour-at-sunset (Copyright Bergen Reiselivslag Willy Haraldsen - visitBergen.com) EUA will host two live events on Facebook during the EUA Annual Conference “Autonomy and freedom: The future sustainability of universities.” These include the first plenary session on university autonomy, which is scheduled for 6 April and will feature the presentation of EUA’s updated Autonomy Scorecard. The second live will cover the Hot Topic Session on European universities’ initiatives in welcoming and integrating refugee students and researchers. It will take place on 7 April and showcase the EUA Refugees Welcome Map.

The EUA Annual Conference will be hosted by the University of Bergen in Norway. More information, including the conference programme, can be found on the event website.

EQAF 2017: Call for contributions

The call for contributions is now open for the 12th European Quality Assurance Forum (EQAF), which will be hosted in Riga by the University of Latvia from 23 to 25 November 2017.
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EUA-CDE Annual Meeting: Registration open

The EUA Council for Doctoral Education (EUA-CDE) is now accepting registrations for its 10th Annual Meeting. Under the theme “Doctoral Education and Harnessing Digital Possibilities,” the event will be hosted by Tallinn University in Estonia on 15 and 16 June 2017.
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Brussels News

RESAVER pension fund for researchers now operative

The first pan-European pension fund for researchers, RESAVER, is now operational. The European Commission is inviting organisations across Europe employing mobile researchers to join the multi-country and multi-employer pension arrangement.
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