WSKEP news

NERC has launched three opportunities for policy placements:

NERC Welsh Government high level policy placement

NERC is partnering with the Welsh Assembly Government to seek a senior member of the environmental science community to take on a key role linking NERC science with policymaking at the highest level. The main purpose of the role is to strengthen the uptake of science into policy such that existing and emerging scientific knowledge is rapidly and effectively translated for Welsh national natural resource management policies. It will provide an important mechanism for Welsh Government research and evidence needs to feed back into NERC strategy and will assist in NERC's strategic planning and scoping of partnership activities.

NERC Scottish Government high level policy placement

NERC and Scottish Government RESAS will fund a senior member of the environmental science community to take up a high level policy placement post for 12 months. The senior Fellow will act as a conduit between NERC and the Scottish Government, working to improve knowledge exchange by developing and implementing processes to identify, translate and feed-in NERC's research to the Scottish Government policy and practice in a timely and appropriate manner, prioritising areas which will have most impact on policymaking and practice.

NERC GO-Science policy placement

The Natural Environment Research Council and the UK Government Office for Science are seeking a member of the climate science community to take on a key role advising the government’s chief scientific advisor. This 12-month post will not only support the CSA on issues related to climate change science but also develop strategic links between NERC and GO-Science to inform and help to maximise the effectiveness of science and innovation policy.

For more details on each opportunity please see the NERC website

NERC's Policy Placement Fellowship Scheme allows researchers and other staff involved in environmental science research to work closely with policymakers within government and other public and third sector organisations in the UK. The scheme also allows placements of government and third sector policymakers to work within NERC head office and research centres. The placements will be for 12 months initially.
The closing date for applications is 4pm on 8th July, interviews will be held the week commencing 27th July 2015.

Any queries regarding these calls please send to innovation@nerc.ac.uk

NERC are working with Arup through our strategic partnership to co-fund proposals through Arup’s annual Global Research Challenge around future cities, circular economy and evidence-based decision making in urban environments. 

The call focuses on four areas:

• Enabling the urban circular economy
• Evidence-based decision making in cities
• Low carbon multimodal mobility
• New approaches to financing city infrastructure

See information pack for further detail.

Arup anticipate funding between five and eight projects with budgets ranging from £30k to £50k. NERC will co-fund where there is an academic component focusing on translation of existing NERC-remit data, expertise and skills up to £25k. 

For further information on the topics and how to apply please follow the link Research Challenge

To submit your expression of interest, please email the completed application form to Jackie.Young@arup.com by 12 June 2015. Entries will be evaluated by the Arup Research Fund assessors and NERC and full applications will be due by 17 July 2015.

The EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) has developed into the largest general science meeting in Europe where scientists meet scientists, policy makers, media specialists, business leaders and the wider community. The home of ESOF 2016 is Manchester, UK - the city where Marx met Engels and Rolls met Royce. Similarly ESOF 2016 will be a meeting of minds, bringing together many of the world’s foremost scientific thinkers, innovators and scholars from 22 -27 July 2016.

2016 is a special year for science in Manchester, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the birth of John Dalton – the father of atomic theory. ESOF will be the culmination of an 18 month celebration of science in the city.

At this point, the Programme Committee is seeking session proposals to populate the science programme. Playing on Manchester’s unique history as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, the overarching theme for the event has been announced as ‘science as revolution’. As such ESOF 2016 will be an opportunity to discuss the socio-cultural and economic implications and impacts of scientific revolutions from regional, national, European and global perspectives.

The call for proposals is now open until 1st June 2015. Submissions for science-based seminars, workshops and debates on the latest research and policy issues are warmly welcomed. This is an open invitation to individuals and organisations alike and it is hoped that the call will inspire the foremost thinkers and researchers from across the global scientific community to take a unique look to share with us how science and technology has the potential to transform all our lives.

On behalf of ESOF 2016 and EuroScience we ask that you take a brief moment to bring the call for the science programme to the attention of your members and your network. A link to our website is included here where the call can be viewed in full.

April was dominated by anticyclonic conditions and was, for most of the UK, largely dry, warm and sunny; the sunniest April on record (from 1929) for the UK. The fine spring weather was bookended by cool and unsettled spells in the first and final weeks, and north-western areas experienced a stormy interlude mid-month. Overall however, April was warmer than average and saw some very warm spells. With climbing evapotranspiration rates, and much of southern Britain receiving little appreciable rainfall, soil moisture deficits (SMDs) increased markedly above the late April average.

Latest Hydrological Summary is available here.

The outlook for May suggests normal river flows are likely in northern Britain, and normal to below-normal flows further south. This reflects the notably low April rainfall across England and Wales, with less than half the monthly average received in most areas; however, early May has been very wet in all regions, which decreases the likelihood of very low flows and increases the chances of above-normal flows in the north. The groundwater outlook is for a similar picture to April, with mostly normal and below-normal levels. Over the next three months, flows and groundwater levels are likely to be normal or below normal across the UK, with an increased likelihood of notably low groundwater levels in some areas.

The latest Outlook and outputs can be found here

We would like to invite you to the upcoming Emerging Technology 'EMiT' conference to be held on 30th June and 1st July 2015 at the University of Manchester. EMiT 2015 is a ground-breaking conference on how emerging computational technology is helping to accelerate today’s research, including areas relevant to NERC funded science. With sponsors including Nvidia, Intel, HP, OCF, Polyhedron, STFC, and the EAO Manchester-Liverpool DTP, the aim of EMiT is to bring together leading key figures in the computing communities, the end users of new software & hardware in industry and universities along with the vendors from across the international arena to address the following objectives:

- identify latest trends in hardware development for novel computing;
- share how best to exploit Emerging Tech for application;
- focus on new techniques, their development and transfer to new areas.

Confirmed Keynote speakers:

- Prof. Stephen Furber, "SpiNNaker and Human Brain Project"
- Prof. Laura Grigiori, "Communication avoiding algorithms"
- Dr John Linford, “Kppa: A high performance source code generator for chemical kinetics”
- Dr Filipo Mantonvani, “High Performance Computing based on mobile embedded processors”

The exciting FULL PROGRAMME is available on the website. To attract younger researchers from all current NERC funded DTPs, the first 15 students to register can do so at a reduced price of £100. For everyone else, there is still time to take advantage of the early registration rate of £150, please Register here. The conference fee includes conference dinner, stalls including Intel, NVIDIA, etc. Please send questions to these to emit@manchester.ac.uk.

NERC studentships can be delivered in collaboration with non-academic partners from the private, public and third/civil sectors; where studentships are delivered in collaboration they are referred to as 'CASE studentships'. CASE studentships provide the PhD students with enhanced training opportunities by ensuring they spend between three and eighteen months in total with their CASE partner in a workplace outside the academic environment.

This call is now open. The closing date is 16:00 Wednesday 8 July 2015.

Applications will be assessed on the following criteria:

• research excellence (30%)
• training excellence and multidisciplinary training environments (30%)
• collaboration and impact (20%)
• student recruitment, monitoring and management (20%)

For further information visit the NERC website.

DFID and NERC invite interested parties to a workshop on June 4th 2015 at etc.Venues in Paddington, London. The outputs of this workshop will inform a call for proposals that will be announced under the SHEAR programme in June 2015. This one day event will give attendees the opportunity to consider the scope of the call announcement. It will also facilitate networking and discussion, thereby enabling researchers to share ideas on key research questions relevant to the call. The workshop may also generate ideas for potential future areas of research collaboration.

SHEAR - Science for Humanitarian Emergencies and Resilience is a new international research programme jointly funded by the UK’s Department for International Development and Natural Environment Research Council. SHEAR focuses on four areas: disaster risk assessment (mapping and analyses), sub-seasonal to seasonal forecasting, disaster risk monitoring, and the integration of these into practical decision making. The programme is targeting lower and lower-middle income countries across sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, focusing on the co-production of knowledge using a multi-disciplinary and problem-centred approach. Further information, including the specific themes to be addressed by the call, can be found here.

The workshop is open to members of the research community, both UK and non-UK. Researchers in non-HE institutions, for example from government departments or from the third sector, are also invited to attend. NERC and DFID would also welcome attendance from members of the stakeholder and end-user communities.

Interested parties should email SHEAR@nerc.ac.uk by May 25th 2015 in order to secure a place at the workshop. The organisers reserve the right to select participants should places become limited. Attendance at the workshop does not automatically enable project bids to be submitted, or guarantee funding. Conversely, absence does not preclude bidding into the call.

The central focus of this new book is a critical comparative analysis of the key drivers for water resource management and the provision of clean water - governance systems and institutional and legal arrangements. Through a series of case studies it is shown how decision-making and implementation at the appropriate geographic and governmental scales can resolve conflicts and share best sustainable practices.

More information can be found here.

The next BiodivERsA call, cofunded by the European Commission will cover the two following themes:

• Theme #1: Understanding and managing the biodiversity dynamics of soils and sediments to improve ecosystem functioning and delivery of ecosystem services
• Theme #2: Understanding and managing biodiversity dynamics in land-, river- and sea-scapes (habitat connectivity, green and blue infrastructures, and naturing cities) to improve ecosystem functioning and delivery of ecosystem services

The call is planned to be launched in May 2015, with a closing date in early November 2015.

The indicative global budget for this call is ca. 30 million euro.

Scientific teams will be invited to form transnational research consortia with teams from minimum 3 countries participating in the call.

For more information visit the BiodivERsA website.

Applications for the second edition of Water Innovation SME awards are still open . The main objective of the call is to boost economic opportunities for the European water sector and especially for the small and medium enterprises. Commitment to the SMEs is renewed and they are invited to submit their innovative breakthrough solutions or technologies for the 2nd Water Innovation SME Awards. All submissions will be evaluated on the basis of their innovation, market potential and exploitation strategy. Entries will stay open until 22nd May 2015.

For further information visit the Water Innovation Europe 2015 website.

• Expert report calls for long term integrated planning to protect the future of food and water supplies in the UK.
• Pressure on water and food supplies will increase due to larger populations, changing diets and climate change
• Report recommends preparing for a greater frequency of extreme weather, better advice for farmers, investing in modelling water systems and improved communication of the issues

The UK needs to formulate long-term plans to protect both water and food supplies here and across international supply chains, as water usage and availability change in coming years.

That’s the conclusion in a new report from an expert group, led by the Global Food Security programme as part of the UK Water Research and Innovation Partnership (UKWRIP). Farming and Water: Facing the Future Together was written by a collaboration of scientists, policy experts and specialists from the water industry.

Agriculture, food and water supplies are more intimately connected than is often appreciated.  As demand for both food and water increases, there is a growing need to recognise the inter-connections and integrate long-term planning for the “agri-water” system rather than thinking about water and food systems separately.

World demand for food is expected to rise by 60-100% by 2050, driven by a growing population and changing diets globally. In addition climate change will undermine the resilience of some food supply chains.

Both of these factors are likely to create strong pressure on UK land and water resources. New approaches will therefore be needed, to manage land appropriately and determine trade-offs, so that water, food and environmental systems remain sustainable in the future.

Farming is dependent on water supplies. It takes about 10 tonnes of water to produce a kilogram of beef, or 1.6 tonnes to produce a kilogram of wheat.  Eight of the top 10 countries we import food from are drought prone.

The report studies the links between water, food and the environment and includes detailed assessments of:

• the link between farming and the availability of water
• the link between agriculture and water quality
• how to understand and manage the availability of overseas water which has been used to produce the food we import.

The authors make five main recommendations for policy makers, researchers and the food industry

• Better long term planning for changes in water usage and availability – giving equal emphasis to trends in average conditions, and the extremes, such as floods and droughts – in the future, in the UK and in our overseas’ supply chain. For example public water supply reservoirs can take up to 10 years to get planning permission, which can be a major long term barrier.
• Public and private investment to identify and predict risks and consequences of changes in water usage and availability. For example, supermarkets increasingly need to be forward-looking to protect their supply chains.
• Forming a knowledge network for academics, industry and policymakers to exchange expertise and ideas, identify knowledge gaps and act as a hub of best knowledge. This is important to prevent expertise being siloed across sectors, disciplines and regions.
• Empowering farmers to make the best decisions to improve water quality and availability on their land and in their catchment, through building peer-to-peer networks between farms and other stakeholders within an area.
• The complexities around food and water need to be communicated, to improve consumer understanding of food and water.

The vision calls for aligned planning over both the short and long term, a greater awareness of the value of water and food and a closing of knowledge gaps in order for the UK food and water systems to meet the demands of the future sustainably.

As part of the Environmental Risks to Infrastructure Innovation Programme, NERC is launching an innovation call in this area by inviting expressions of interest (EoI) for short-term feasibility studies and longer-term translational projects. Successful applicants at EoI stage will be asked to submit a full proposal.

NERC has a budget of up to £1m to fund proposals on the following themes:

• Identifying, understanding and quantifying environmental risks to the infrastructure system.
• Likelihood, effect and impact of multi-hazard combinations on the infrastructure system.
• Dealing with uncertainty in design, operational and investment decisions.

The timetable for the call is as follows:

• Deadline for Expressions of Interest - 16:00 28 May 2015
• Brokerage workshop - 15 May 2015 • Closing date for full proposals - September 2015 (date TBC)
• Successful projects start - January 2016.

For full details and guidance visit the NERC website

ACQUEAU Open Call supports projects with the potential of developing breakthrough innovations in the water sector. ACQUEAU Open Call is a two-stage submission and evaluation process.

Funding areas:

ACQUEAU Open Call is  open to any project idea in the context of the water cycle and the Blue Book.

Eligibility criteria:

Proposals must involve at least two partners from two different participating countries. Proposals must have a strong market and exploitation orientation. The contribution from any given country must not exceed 70% of the total budget. In parallel, the contribution from any one partner (affiliated organisations count as one partner) must not exceed 70% of the total budget either.

Keys to success :

Contact and start negotiations with your National Funding Authorities in parallel to the Open Call process. Make sure your proposal is complete and respect ACQUEAU eligibility criteria Pay attention to the style of your proposal – it should be easy to read, clear, comprehensive and reflect the degree of innovation evident and the potential for successful exploitation.

Project outline deadline: 15 May 2015

Full project proposal deadline: 3 July 2015

Label Assessment: Mid-July 2015

For further information visit the ACQUEAU website.

In March 2015, Securing Water for Food announced its third call for innovations. This $12.5 million call for proposals focuses on identifying market-driven, low-cost, and scalable solutions that will enable us to improve water efficiency and wastewater reuse; enhance water capture and storage; and reduce the impacts of salinity on aquifers and food production.

The third call has an increased focus on cutting-edge, advanced technologies and business models, as well as those that prioritize the engagement of women. Up to an additional $2.5 million is expected to be available for innovations implemented in the MENA region as part of USAID’s new Middle East Water Security Initiative. The focus of the Challenge is to support game-changing innovations at two stages, both of which must be post-pilot and present viable business models:

Stage 1: Market-driven product in the process of business development

Stage 2: Established innovations ready for scaling and commercial growth

The first call for proposals will close on May 22, 2015 at 5 PM EST. Winners will be announced in October 2015. Up to 30 innovators are expected to receive between $100,000 and $3 million in funding and acceleration support.

Review the Request for Applications for the third call for proposals here.

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), the Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), are planning a major new investment as part of the Valuing Nature Programme.

The new call will provide an opportunity for natural and social scientists, and arts and humanities researchers to form substantial interdisciplinary research collaborations which aim to increase understanding of the role biodiversity and ecosystem processes play in human health and wellbeing. The focus of the call will on the themes of:

• Natural hazards and extreme events;

• The exposure of people to vector-borne diseases and marine toxins;

• Health improvements associated with urban ecosystems.

Further details are available on the NERC website.

The 2030 WRG was formed by a number of leading corporates including Nestle, Coca Cola, Pepsi Co, IFC and the World Economic Forum. It is working to help address water scarcity problems in different parts of the world.

In 2013, Arup produced a Catalogue of Case Studies on Managing Water Use in Scarce Environments, which was positively received by industry. The catalogue is available online. 

Arup is now identifying a further 40 case studies to be launched at World Water Week 2015, in Stockholm. In this extension of the existing catalogue, we are looking for best practice examples of water saving solutions from the agricultural and industrial sectors.

This is an excellent opportunity for projects, their implementers and sponsors to tell their story of success and demonstrate specific solutions to the stresses presented by increasing water scarcity.

If you are aware of a good case study, please get in touch. Alexa Bruce, Water Engineer

The Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA) are hosting an event in London on 12 May 2015 that fits within the Future Cities agenda.  The event will describe a number of biodiversity enhancements and show how, by ‘working with nature’:

• hard infrastructure assets can be part of an integrated green infrastructure scheme 
• hard infrastructure assets can have improved multifunctionality and service-life
• asset owners, developers and designers can deliver multipolicy benefits
• research discoveries could be taken up through product design and construction details on-site, using often minor alterations to standard products and detailing.

Further details can be found here.

Decision-makers are increasingly faced with the challenge of making our infrastructure resilient and mitigating the effects of extreme weather events and climate change. There is a wealth of data, knowledge and expertise in the UK research base that could address this challenge, but this valuable resource is often difficult to access and requires translating to be more readily used. NERC is investing £5 million into an Innovation Programme driven by the needs of business and decision makers. For more information on the Programme visit the NERC website. 

NERC will be launching an innovation call in this area by inviting expressions of interest (EoI) for short-term feasibility studies and longer-term translational projects. Successful applicants at EoI stage will be asked to submit a full proposal. There will be a brokerage event to encourage collaboration between academics and industry.

NERC has a budget of up to £1m to fund proposals on the following themes:

1. Identifying, understanding and quantifying environmental risks to the infrastructure system.

2. Likelihood, effect and impact of multi-hazard combinations on the infrastructure system.

3. Dealing with uncertainty in design, operational and investment decisions.

Expressions of Interest: End of March/April to May 2015

Brokerage workshop: April/May

Closing date for full proposals: September 2015

Successful projects start: January 2016.

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is inviting proposals to its International Opportunities Fund (IOF). The IOF scheme provides resources to NERC-supported researchers to allow them to forge long-term partnerships with overseas scientists that add value to current NERC-funded science. IOF grants are pump-priming, to help stimulate novel research collaborations. Mature research collaborations should apply to NERC's Standard or Large Grant schemes, which allow for overseas project partnerships, or to other appropriate sources of funding.

Please visit the website for full details.