Theory and practice of the European research area

1
Theory and practice of
the European research area

• By
• Rayner M Mayer
• Sciotech Projects, Reading, United Kingdom

2
Theory and practice of
the European Research Area
- climate change -

• The ultimate goal of the UN climate change
  convention is the stabilisation of greenhouse
• gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level
  that prevents dangerous anthropogenic
• interference with the climate system within a
  time frame that would allow
• Eco-systems to adapt naturally to climate change
• food production is not threatened and can be
  adapted
• economic development to proceed in a sustainable
  manner
• gtgt crucial need to reduce environmental impact
  of energy usage

3
Theory and practice of the
European Research Area
- energy security -

• The EU green paper correctly Identifies the risks
  associated with resource availability but it
• does not recognise the physical limit to supply
  on a world wide scale
• If one considers all the physical constraints one
  can predict that conventional oil will peak
• Within 10 years and gas within about 20 years
• On a technological scale 10 years is a very short
  time to initiate the transformation away
• from a hydrocarbon dependence .

4
Theory and practice of the
European Research Area
- energy sustainable Europe -

• The EU will initiate a new program to raise
  public awareness of the potential of each
• citizen to save energy, save money and save the
  environment
• Coordinate activities to think globally and act
  locally such as EU mobility week, green week
• and energy efficiency week
• Encourage the uptake of best ideas from anywhere
  in the EU 30 such as the human bus
• Encourage provision of information and education
  to enable citizens to make rational
• decisions based on lifetime costs and emissions
  

5
Theory and practice of the
European Research Area
- European products for European markets -

• Eurobogie
  project (E! 1841)
• . is developing the generic technology of
  vehicle suspensions using fibre reinforced
  plastics
• Components designed in the UK and Latvia
• Knitting machinery manufactured in Switzerland
• Materials manufactured in France and UK
• Components moulded in Denmark
• Vehicle testing and UIC certification in Czechia
• Service evaluation in Czechia and possibly
  Germany

6
Theory and practice of the
European Research Area
- EU framework program -

• Advantages
• Large scale funding available
• Appropriate for good science
• All partners funded from a central source
• Project can start and finish at the same time
•  
• Disadvantages
• Call for proposals defines subject areas eligible
  for funding
• Application and procedures are complex
• Timetables and work programs difficult to alter
• Not necessarily suitable for small projects

7
Theory and practice of the
European Research Area
- Eureka framework -

• Advantages
• Application can be submitted at any time
• No restriction on product types
• Flexible timetable and work program
• Add partners as required
• Eureka NPC network provides support and advice to
  projects
•  
• Disadvantages
• Multiplicity of potential funding sources, not
  necessarily easy to identify
• Funding does not cross national boundaries
• Partners cannot necessarily start and finish at
  the same time
• Technology transfer from Universities to industry
  not always supported
• Coordinator cannot order partners only ask

8
Theory and practice of
the European Research Area
- selecting ERA route -

• List the project objectives
• Identify likely partners and route to market
• Identify route(s) that best fit project profile
  and spend
• Discuss with Eureka office or Framework help-line
• Be prepared to modify your objectives to meet
  relevant criteria

9
Theory and practice of the European Research Area
- CCC rule -

• Clarity write out your idea clearly
  distinctly
• do not assume evaluator has any prior knowledge
  of your idea
• Concisely describe briefly what you plan to do
  and how
• Convincing identify who will benefit from your
  ideas and why

10
Theory and practice of the European Research Area
- PPP rule -

• Patience be willing to explain to everyone who
  is interested be they stakeholder or budget
  holder
• Persistence do not be discouraged by lack of
  interest try some other way of presenting your
  idea
• Perserverance do not take no as being the
  final answer
• ask what you can do to improve your chances of
  success and try again
• Some projects take years to finance but if your
  idea is good enough, it is worth waiting.

11
Theory and practice of the European Research Area
- synergy funding -

• ERA encourages and facilitates synergy funding
• Common work program and timetable
• Separate set of deliverables and beneficiaries
• Clear separation of who funds what parts of the
  work
• Good understanding of the similarities and
  differences of each program
• Clear guidelines to evaluators on how to evaluate
  such proposals

12
Theory and practice of the European Research Area
- Footprint and ERRVIN -

• Footprint is a Eureka project E! 2462 whose aim
  is to determine the environmental footprint of a
  road or rail vehicle
• This involves developing a sensor array to
  measure the audible noise, ground borne vibration
  and dynamic loading of a road or rail vehicle
  with its infrastructure on passing the site of
  the measuring station
• Participants include CZ, HU, UK, NE, SW, BE, FR
  other countries with a high proportion of
  transit traffic should be taking part such as
  AU.
• ERRVIN is a Framework 5 funded Network to
  develop concensus building on -
• inputs to Footprint such as automatic vehicle
  identification and costs and .....
• outputs such as allocating social and
  environmental costs to specific vehicle types
• Needs a broad concensus to help member states
  implement EU legislation like road and rail
  pricing

13
Theory and practice of the European Research
Area- project TRUS -

• TRUS is an amalgamation of Tram and bUS and this
  vehicle can be either regarded as a rubber tyred
  tram without any overhead wires or an electric
  bus
• TRUS vehicles stop at bus, tram and TRUSstopsat
  which TRUS vehicles will be able to recharge
  their electrical storage systems whilst
  passengers get on and off so extending the range
  of the electric bus
• The projects aim is to demonstrate that electric
  buses can be cost competitive with diesel
• In order to reduce local and global pollution and
  noise in urban areas
• Awarded Eureka status in January 2001 we have had
  one rejection for Framework funding as
  yesterdays technology even though no one has
  demonstrated this concept.
• Some national budget holders are unconvinced of
  the potential of TRUS to reduce local and global
  pollution as well as noise in urban areas
• To transform the market it will almost certainly
  be necessary to seek EU funding for a Network to
  disseminate and implement the outputs yet
  another form of synergy funding

14
Theory and practice of the European Research
area- conclusions-

• Success will come to those who understand how the
  ERA can work
• No inherent problems only a vast range of
  opportunities
• Combination of patience, persistence,
  perseverance and common sense
• Informed dialogue with stakeholders and budget
  holders to identify common interests
• Sufficient flexibility in all current schemes to
  allow synergy proposals to succeed