New and Emerging Science and Technology

1. New and Emerging Science and Technology NEST First call

2. Outline • Scope of New and Emerging Science and Technology within FP6 • NEST basic information and first call • Action lines (ADVENTURE, INSIGHT, Support actions) • Instruments • Evaluation • Timing and information sources

3. FP6Where does NEST fit in? Focusing and Integrating Community research Thematic priorities “Wider field of Research” Support to policies NEST SMEs Genomics IST Nanotechnologies. Food Citizens Aeronautics Sustainable dev. International co-operation JRCc Structuring the ERA Strengthening the foundations of the ERA

4. NEST objectives • Stimulate visionary long term research at the frontiers of knowledge, and at the interface between disciplines • Give researchers freedom to develop and prove their ideas without preconceptions and within the broadest possible limits • Respond rapidly to new problems and opportunities

5. What do we hope to achieve? • New scientific understanding, new theoretical and experimental principles in emerging fields; • Exploitable “basic technologies” • Intelligent signaling of key emerging research areas • New “communities of knowledge” across Europe, to enable quick take-off and exploitation of emerging science and technology • New visions of how science and technology will contribute to economy and society in the long term • Alert and evaluation of possible scientific problems and risks

6. Key characteristics of NEST projects • Open to any area • Research not falling within the Thematic Priorities: multi-disciplinarity • Novel and unconventional • Well focused objectives, which are ambitious but tangible

7. Two modes of operation • Bottom-up: • ADVENTURE projects • INSIGHT projects • Support actions 215 M € Overall Budget • Focused actions: • PATHFINDER initiatives

8. First Call • Call reference: FP6-2003-NEST-A • Call date: 27 Feb. 2003 • Area open: ADVENTURE, INSIGHT and Support Actions • Budget: 28 M € • Closure dates: 14 May and 22 October

9. ADVENTURE projects “research in emerging areas of knowledge and on future technologies, in particular in trans-disciplinary fields, which is highly innovative and involves correspondingly high (technical) risks.”

10. ADVENTURE projects The “spirit of ADVENTURE” • Exciting, pioneering research with the aim of opening up new avenues for progress in science and technology • Freedom for researchers to define new challenges and pursue new ideas • Across a wide scope of science and technology, but lying outside or cutting across the Thematic Priorities • With a special interest in novel multi-disciplinarity • High risk / high gain, with challenging and tangible objectives

11. ADVENTURE (non-exclusive) examples • A “first” in demonstrating a scientific phenomenon, enabling a range of subsequent developments • Development of a new mathematical technique, and proof of practical application in other research domains • Early development / proof of a novel research instrument, opening new prospects for analysis or control • Application of new science in a highly original tool / technique and proof in principle of its applicability • A highly original approach to a known problem, opening the possibility of a breakthrough

12. What ADVENTURE projects are NOT! • Research that falls within the scope of the thematic priorities • Research without clearly identifiable novel aspects • Open-ended research without tangible and challenging objectives • Technology demonstrations • Combinations of existing technologies • Research of interest to a particular industrial sector without broader applicability • Research related to implausible and hypothetical phenomena

13. ADVENTUREIf only ... • Neural networks had been the result of an ADVENTURE project • The atomic force microscope had been developed in an ADVENTURE project • The first in vitro demonstration of motor-proteins had been made in an ADVENTURE project • PCR had been developed in an ADVENTURE project • etc, etc, ...

14. ADVENTURE projects Evaluation criteria • Relevance to NEST objectives [4/5] • Scientific and technological excellence [4/5] • Potential impact [3/5] • Quality of the consortium (FULL proposal only) [3/5] • Quality of management (FULL proposal only) [3/5] • Mobilisation of resources (FULL proposal only) [3/5]

15. ADVENTURE implementation • Specific Targeted Research Projects STREPs • Project budget: indicative funding range from 800.000 to 3.000.000 Euro • Funding period: up to 3 years • Consortium: At least three independent partners from three member states or associated states - of which at least two member states or associated candidate states

16. INSIGHT projectsmandate “research to assess rapidly new discoveriesor newly-observed phenomena, which may indicate emerging risks or problemsof high importanceto European society, and identify appropriate responses to them.”

17. INSIGHT projects : project requirements • Projects should have an anticipatory function allowing the concerned actors to frame strategic choices about necessary future action • New phenomena; high potential risk; significant scientific uncertainties • Need for better scientific understanding at European level • May need to challenge orthodoxy and/or address complex or inter-disciplinary questions

18. INSIGHT projects : common approach • Projects should aim to achieve robust outputs for decision making through: • - Analysis of the new discovery or a newly observed phenomena • - Formulation of strategies for addressing the risk or problem • STREPs or Co-ordination Actions • Could cover many different fields

19. INSIGHT projects : hypothetical examples 1 • Discovery of potential faults to new medical or engineering practices or materials that could cause significant risk for humans in the future • A new chemical, pharmaceutical, bacteria or virus found in the environment or food that could have serious future consequences for humans, wildlife or plants • Elaboration of a new methodology that could prevent spread of newly-observed bacterial or viral infection between humans or livestock • A new phenomenon in genetics that indicates serious ethical or health-related problems in the future

20. INSIGHT projects : hypothetical examples 2 • Discovery of the means by which communication systems or machinery could inadvertently or deliberately be caused to suffer major failures • Discovery of possible impacts of an industrial practice that could have serious consequences for nutrition, the working environment, the environment or humans • Uptake of a new agricultural practice with potential for damaging consequences on international trade • Appearance of a new type of crime difficult to detect or combat - analysis of potential impact and strategies for prevention

21. What INSIGHT projects are NOT! • Policy evaluation studies • Technology foresight studies or technology assessment studies • Research that legitimately falls within the scope of the thematic priorities • Research addressing topics in on-going “risk debates”, which are “open-ended” or projects without plausible or convincing evidence to their real or potential existence

22. INSIGHT projects Evaluation criteria • Relevance to NEST objectives [4/5] • Scientific and technological excellence [4/5] • Potential impact [3/5] • Quality of the consortium (FULL proposal only) [3/5] • Quality of management (FULL proposal only) [3/5] • Mobilisation of resources (FULL proposal only) [3/5]

23. INSIGHT projects : project characteristics • Implementation mechanism: STREPS and CA’s • Project budget: up to 800.000 Euro Commission funding • Funding period: 1 - 2 years • Consortium: At least three independent partners from three member states or associated states - of which at least two member states or associated candidate states

24. Support Actions: The mandate • … to assist in the development and exploitation of NEST activities • attracting good proposals • shaping and refining modalities • establishing future actions

25. Support Actions: Wide range of possible actions Supply of necessary services Development of ideas Provision of advice Networking scientists Monitoring of NEST activities

26. Support actions: The instrument • Specific Support Action (SSA) - it covers a variety of different activities: • studies and analysis • surveys • seminars • expert groups • operational support • information and dissemination

27. Support Actions: The specific areas • Promotion of interaction with the research community and the identification of opportunities for research under NEST • Analysing the conduct of highly advanced science and technology in the European context, and on a comparative basis, and the specific socio-cultural and economic factors affecting its performance • Analysing the dynamics of scientific and technological change, and management issues specific to high risk and interdisciplinary research • Improving the methodological basis for addressing systemic and societal vulnerabilities to science-based hazards

28. Support Actions: evaluation criteria • Objectives: relevance for the activity [threshold mark 4 of 5] • Quality: Sound approach and methodology, high professional competence [3/5] • Potential impact: Contribution to progress - Europe-wide impact [3/5] • Quality of the management [3/5] • Mobilisation of resources [3/5]

29. Support actions: project characteristics • Implementation mechanism: SSAs • Project budget: from 50.000 - 200.000 Euro Commission funding • Funding period: 1 - 2 years • Consortium size: At least one eligible partner from a member state or an associated state

30. Different actions require different Instruments • Specific Target Research Projects • for ADVENTURE and INSIGHT • Co-ordination actions • for INSIGHT • Specific Support Actions

31. Specific Targeted Research Project (STREP) in NEST • Targeted, well-defined research and technology development • Minimum of three partners from three different Member States or Associated States, of which two must be Member States or Associated Candidate Countries • Typical duration of 2 to 3 years • Typical 50% funding (or 100% additional costs)

32. Co-ordination Actions (CA) in NEST • Aim to promote and support the networking and coordination of research activities • Can include activities such as workshops, conferences, meetings, studies, exchange of personnel, the exchange and dissemination of good practices, common information systems and expert groups • Typical duration of 1 to 2 years • Grant to the budget up 100% of actual costs • Up to ~ 400k euro • Minimum of three partners (cf STREPs)

33. Specific Support Actions (SSA) in NEST • Main purpose: to support the implementation of FP6 • May cover information and communication, conferences, seminars, expert groups, operational support…. • Typical duration up to 2 years • Grant to the budget up 100% • Scale ~ 50 - 200k Euro • Minimum of one partner from a Member State or Associated State (but generally more)

34. Instruments - Overview

35. Evaluation of ADVENTURE and INSIGHT STREPS - Outline Proposals Outline proposals Remote referees Optional “relevance”panel Anonymous Stage 1 panel Prepare full proposal in ~ 2 months NO

36. Evaluation of ADVENTURE and INSIGHT STREPS - FULL proposals Remote referees Full proposals Non-anonymous Stage 2 panel contracts NO

37. Evaluation of Coordination and Support actions - FULL Proposals Full proposals Remote referees Optional “relevance”panel Non-anonymous Expert Panel contracts NO

38. Your trial period is over Please register now OK Proposal pre-registrationis strongly recom-mended http://www.cordis.lu/fp6/pre_registration. Before April 23

39. A Deadline is a deadline ! Cut-off dates: May 14 & Oct 22

40. NEST needs evaluators The success of NEST will depend on the success of its projects - the selection is crucial • Specialists for remote refereeing - in all relevant fields • Generalist scientists, with a broad overview and an open eye for high risk, multi-disciplinary research • Potential beneficiaries: from industry, regulatory agencies, policy makers, ... Please Register, or nominate experts, through:www.cordis.lu/experts/fp6_candidature.htm

41. Information sources • Info on contracts: www.cordis.lu/fp6/instruments.htm • NEST Web-site: www.cordis.lu/nest • CORDIS: www.cordis.lu • NEST helpdesk: rtd-nest@cec.eu.int • Evaluators: www.cordis.lu/experts/fp6_candidature.htm

42. Important NEST documentation • Documentation available via NEST web-site: • - NEST Brochure • - Work programme • - Reference documents: • - ADVENTURE projects • - INSIGHT projects • - Support Actions • - Guide for proposers (STREP, CA, SSA) • - Guidance documents on evaluations • - Guide to evaluators (available soon)