Innovative Funding for Pathfinder Initiatives in Emerging Sciences

1. www.cordis.lu/nest FOCUSSED ACTIONS PATHFINDER Reference document: download from www.cordis.lu/nest

2. Open call (ADVENTURE, INSIGHT, Support) continued indicative budget €30m call deadlines 14 April, 15 September 2004 First PATHFINDER call launched topics “Tackling complexity in science”; “Synthetic biology”; “What it means to be human” indicative budget €35m call deadline 14 April 2004 NEST work programme December 2003

3. Build and consolidate European capabilities in promising emerging (interdisciplinary) areas with high future potential for Europe in the long term. Provide “early stage funding”: as ideas mature they should be translated into more conventional funding modes Actions of up to 10 Mio. EUR or more (for several STREPS + one or more CAs) Annual calls for proposals; several topics per call First call 17 December 2003, closure 14 April 2004 PATHFINDER: The mandate

4. Pathfinder initiatives will be composed of groups of STREP projects individually submitted (not as clusters) Full proposals have to be submitted in ONE STAGE (not in two step as in NEST-OPEN) Proposers need to make very clear which Pathfinder imitative they are addressing Proposals will be evaluated and selected on their individual merits Projects will be expected to develop a degree of interaction and cooperation after their funding Project size expected to be in the 1- 1.5 MEuro range; 4 - 6 partners STREP projects

5. Expect to fund one (exceptionally more) co-ordination action for each topic Co-ordination actions will be evaluated and selected at the same time as the STREP proposals Role of co-ordination depends on topic, as already mentioned An added task will be to provide a means and venue of interaction for the chosen projects Funding expected to be in the 0.5 to 1 MEuro range; 15 – 25 partners Coordination Actions

6. PATHFINDER initiative on: Tackling complexity in science

7. Complexity is a critical challenge towards progress in many areas of Science (e.g. biology, cognitive science) Increasing need to understand behaviour of ever more complicated man made systems (e.g. electrical grid) – Technological Systems Same is true of natural phenomena such as weather, geology, etc – Natural Systems Also true of understanding human networks (social, political, enterprise, etc) – Social Systems Common approach and techniques emerging to dealing with complex problems in science and technology Background / motivation

8. Bring together high level groups in Complex Systems Science and others in specific disciplines to tackle important problems where complexity is a key issue Extend and generalise techniques used in one area to other areas of science Help structure and co-ordinate the complexity field in Europe Objectives of initiative

9. Use of tools and techniques of complex systems science such as: Representing complex systems as networks, and networks of networks, etc “Emergence”: key characteristic of complex systems Predictability and extreme events Transfer or extension of successful techniques from one area of science to another Projects should take a practical problem solving approach, grounded in (experimental, real) data Emphasis and approach

10. Biology Bio-complexity Cellular signalling and regulation processes Social Sciences Emergence and robustness of social institutions Environmental Sciences Predictability and distribution of extreme events in natures (earthquakes, floods, weather, ecology) Particularly interested in projects that help bridge gap between physical sciences, and social and other natural sciences Some examples topics

11. Research of a purely theoretical nature ICT – IT related research (FET initiative) Purely industrial or engineering nature Financial research not related to social sciences (eg. Stock market analysis) Research of limited interdisciplinary nature Proposals whose primary focus lies in one of the other Pathfinder Initiatives Research in Thematic Priorities Examples of topics not included

12. Link together the PATHFINDER projects in the initiative Link the projects to the surrounding complexity community (eg information / data exchange) Bring together the community at large Possible Co-ordination Action

13. NESTPATHFINDER initiative onSynthetic biology

14. From systems biology to engineering systems, i.e. Engineering systems made from biological “building blocks” (functional proteins, sub-cellular machinery, organisms) Pervasive throughout industry (materials synthesis, energy production, bio-remediation, lubrication, monitoring and sensing, drug delivery…) Versatile and “intelligent” - combining different functions, changing parameters according to local conditions Industrial fabrication of systems “to order”, based on standard components and interfaces, using programmable “bio-fab” plants. Technologies based on biological principles

15. Components and interfaces (genes, proteins, molecular machines, signalling pathways, carrier organisms…) Design tools (computational analysis, methods for functional protein design, systems modelling…) Control systems (genetic circuits, communication methods) Production methods (programmable high throughput DNA/protein production) The (main) elements

16. Encourage a serious strategic effort to anticipate the “biology revolution” in technology/industry over the long term (opportunities, needs, management, regulation; …) Stimulate “Entrepreneurial transdisciplinarity” - a culture of engineering in biology; insertion of biological principles in engineering; focus on applications Develop intellectual and material infrastructures available at European level Enable better communication between teams working in relevant/related areas and “connectivity” with work around the world What should be done in Europe?

17. Stimulate forward-looking, cross disciplinary research to demonstrate key principles and generate tools, building blocks and generic “platform technologies” for synthetic biology It should: Build on existing work (FP6 and elsewhere) for “systems biology”, “computational biology”, “nanobiotechnology”, “biomimetic chemistry” etc. Work towards a “community of knowledge” which crosses the various disciplines, and communicates internationally, enabling the emergence of a strategic agenda for synthetic biology in Europe Finance radical, application-focused research which have both strategic interest and will create “project-by-project” payoffs, feeding back into the science base. Overall objective of the PATHFINDER initiative

18. Projects should focus on design and engineering of new biology-based systems with substantially different characteristics from natural systems They can address different biological processes (genetic circuits, metabolic pathways, signal transduction) and components They should have clear applications in mind They should aim for tangible outcomes, demonstrating engineering control over biological processes, or “platform technologies”. Requirements for projects

19. NESTPATHFINDER initiative on What it means to be human

20. Overall objectives • This initiative aims to investigate why humans are different: • what features make our cognitive abilities unique? • what are the origins of these features? • Why this question? Because: • a better understanding of the specific features of the human mind and its evolution will help build a more integrated picture of the mind • it provides a way to bring together different disciplinary areas that can all contribute to the development of cognitive science

21. Projects may have different individual objectives.  However, they must: address “what features make human cognitive abilities unique, and what are the origins of these features?” focus on higher cognitive faculties, (thinking, reasoning, using language) and individual cognitive development (in the context of social and cultural factors) take a comparative and evolutionary perspective be highly interdisciplinary In all cases however, the research must address the key question: why are humans different? Scientific objectives

22. What should projects look like? • NEST is looking for multi-disciplinary proposals that bring together scientists from different disciplines ranging from anthropology, biology, genetics, linguistics, neuroscience to psychology to combine the scientific expertise from across Europe • The proposers themselves are free to determine what precise objectives their projects have. However theses objectives must provide real insight into the question “Why are we what we are?”

23. PATHFINDER Practical Aspects and Frequently Asked Questions

24. Reference documents available on NEST Web Site for each topic Generated following iterative consultations with experts Provide further practical guidance to proposers in terms of the scope, objectives, partnerships, etc Proposers are strongly encouraged to consult and read over the documents prior to preparing proposals Pathfinder Reference documents

25. Pre-proposal check service available up to 3 weeks prior to the deadline (that is: 24 March 2004) Forms to do so at the end of the Guide for proposers Requested: brief summary of the project and partnership Before submitting ideas and partnership should be pretty clear and stable NEST will give guidance regarding suitability of scope and eligibility, based on information submitted Responses from the EC are simply for guidance and do not commit the Commission either way Final decision on proposals made by external expert evaluators Not a discussion forum! Pre-proposal check service

26. Evaluation will be performed first by sending proposals to remote referees for detailed technical evaluation Following that, a Panel with wide ranging expertise will be brought together to choose the most outstanding proposals, and that form a complementary set Evaluation expected to take place in June 2004, and initial results available before the end of July Expert referees on these topics always needed / welcome (include NEST activity code) (http://www.cordis.lu/experts/fp6_candidature.htm) Evaluation

27. http://www.cordis.lu/nest/home.html Call text (FP6-2003-NEST-Path ) NEST Work Programme 2003 Guide for proposers for Pathfinder (STREP or CA) Reference documents by topic National Contact Points Further practical information