Research Newsletter – Issue 68: Information and Updates
Yerun Open Science Award
As a partner university of the Young European Research University Network (YERUN), DCU researchers and staff are eligible to apply for YERUN’s inaugural Open Science Award.
The award is aimed at encouraging and rewarding open science (also referred to as open research or open scholarship) initiatives and practices across the YERUN network and across all disciplines.
“We are excited to see applications that demonstrate and/or support the practice of varying aspects of Open Science, such as: FAIR and open data, Open Access publishing, recognition and rewards, public engagement, citizen science, open education, open science skills development, etc.”
There are two awards: one for researchers (individuals or teams), and one for professional services or administrative staff (individuals or teams). The winners will receive €5,000 to further enhance their existing open science initiative or implement a new initiative. The two awardees will be invited to present their work at a future YERUN event. All other eligible initiatives will be showcased via the YERUN website.
Applicants are asked to submit a case study (1,000 – 1,600 words). For more information, read the full call details. Applications should be submitted via the dedicated online application platform (registration required). The deadline for submissions is 14th December 2021 at 22:59 (23:59 CET)
Enquiries to:
Silvia Gomez Recio, YERUN Secretary General: secretarygeneral@yerun.eu
DCU’s representative on the YERUN Open Science Group: Ellen Breen, Associate Director, Research & Teaching (Library) ellen.breen@dcu.ie
Creating Our Future
You are invited to take part in Creating our Future, which is a national conversation on Research in Ireland. It is an opportunity for everyone in Ireland to give ideas on how to make our country better for all. It is being run by Science Foundation Ireland on behalf of the Government. From science, the environment, health and education to poverty, the arts, diversity and inclusion - all ideas are welcome that can inspire researchers to help make a better future for Ireland.
You can submit your ideas on the Creating our Future website by the end of November. You can add your personal details or submit ideas anonymously. In a single submission you can add up to 5 ideas. Your idea could be based on:
- an opportunity or challenge you see for yourself, your community, Ireland or the world
- a topic you are curious or passionate about and would like researchers to explore
- if you need more guidance on what your idea could be go to the Inspiration page
A panel of research experts will review all the ideas submitted and prepare a report for submission to the Government in March 2022 to inspire future research in Ireland.
DCU Erasmus+ Webinar - Recording and Slides
The Erasmus+ Webinar Series 2021/22 launched on 27th October with A Beginner’s Guide, designed as an introduction to the Erasmus+ programme. A copy of the slides and a recording of this session can be accessed here.
At the next event of the series, planned for Tuesday 7th December, a guest speaker from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture will discuss the key policies that underpin the Erasmus+ programme. The aim of this webinar is to provide prospective applicants with background information about these priorities and objectives in order to support successful application writing.
The Erasmus+ Call 2022 is expected to be published later this month. When the details are released, Dr Sophie Ball, Erasmus+ Development Officer, will prepare and record a webinar to provide prospective applicants with an overview of Key Action 2: Cooperation among Organisations and Institutions
Adding your Research Area or SDG affiliation in Research Engine
Research Engine, DCU’s researcher profile system, was upgraded in September. This was a technical and functional upgrade that made the system more secure but also streamlined connections to external publishing databases. A key aspect of the upgrade has been the addition of the Institutional Research Priority Areas (RPAs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to the system. In the Settings (User Preferences) area of the system, staff can now align their profiles with one or more RPA and/or SDG, as relevant.
Aligning your profile with a Research Priority Area (RPA) and/or SDG will help increase the visibility of your profile.
RPAs are listed on our Research Portal search tool and staff affiliated to these areas will be returned in any searches by an external (or internal) audience, potentially seeking collaborators or supervisors.
Alignment with an RPA or SDG area will also assist in identifying staff with expertise in these priority areas to evidence capacity, target communications appropriately and to leverage expertise across the institution when opportunities arise.
Hosting a Fulbright U.S. Scholar or Student in 2023/2024
The Fulbright Commission Awards Team have launched their programme for hosting Fulbright U.S. Scholar and / or Students in the academic year 2023–2024.
Hosting a Fulbright U.S. Awardee is a creative and cost effective way to:
- Draw from a deep reservoir of U.S. expertise to advance educational, professional and organisational development
- Capitalise on Fulbright’s international reputation for excellence
- Create links with current or future leaders in relevant disciplines
- Create strategic alliances with U.S. institutions and individuals in relevant disciplines, skills and policy areas
SUMMARY OPTIONS:
- Host a U.S. Scholar – Design a specific Award
- Host a U.S. Student on a Masters / PhD programme, or complete part of their PhD research
HOW TO APPLY:
- FOLLOW THIS LINK to general information and hosting applications for U.S. Scholars and Students
- If you would like to host a U.S. SCHOLAR / STUDENT 2023 - 2024 fill out the relevant application.
- Completed application forms submitted by Friday 3rd December 2021. One application should be completed for each Scholar or Student being requested.
Tips for avoiding problems in the EU Funding & Tenders online proposal submission system
The EU has reported recently that applicants using the electronic proposal submission system under the EU Funding & Tenders Portal had encountered some difficulties with the drafting and submission of proposals. EU’s advice on these issues is as follows:
- SUBMIT a (next to) final version of your proposal SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE THE DEADLINE!
- AVOID editing (your part of) the proposal with MORE THAN ONE USER from your organisation at the same time
- DO NOT edit the proposal in MORE THAN ONE BROWSER TAB/WINDOW at the same time
- SAVE your changes FREQUENTLY! No data is saved until you click on SAVE.
- DO NOT USE file names containing SPECIAL CHARACTERS for files you upload. Only alphanumerical characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, _ (underscore), - (dash), . (dot) or space are allowed.
- DO NOT ENCRYPT or DIGITALLY SIGN your PDF files.
- DOUBLE-CHECK AFTER UPLOAD of files whether they can be opened without problems.
Research Professional Funding Insight articles
Research Professional have developed a suite of useful Funding Insight articles - they include interviews with funders, previous winners, members of assessment panels and experts in a range of fields and are packed full of top tips, advice on what not to do and further information on calls.
Some recent articles that may be of interest are below:
What are the basic grant-writing errors that everyone can avoid?
DCU researchers can log into Research Professional and sign up to receive weekly Funding Insight bulletins.