Research Newsletter – Issue 73: Information and Updates

We are delighted to announce that the CTLS2023 Congress will be hosted in Croke Park in June 2023.

The CTLS (Core Technologies in Life Sciences) is a networking non-profit association that brings together scientists, technical and administrative staff working across the world in core facilities, research infrastructures and other shared resource laboratories. 

The bid was led by a small team of DCU personnel and representatives from 9 other HEI’s across the island of Ireland.   A core motivation for needing this congress in Ireland resides in the very particular position that core technologies currently occupy on the island of Ireland. While Ireland has a very well established life sciences landscape, and there has been widespread interest in the core facilities concept (including some high profile examples of its elaboration and operation, such as the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute in Trinity College, the Conway Institute in UCD, the Bernal Institute in the University of Limerick and the Nano Research Facility in DCU), as an ecosystem, we remain on the cusp of significant understanding - and therefore roll-out of - the core facility model. It is our belief that hosting the CTLS congress in 2023 will come at a particularly timely juncture for Irish facilities insofar as exposure to internationally-leading practitioners will allow key Irish stakeholders and policymakers to more fully understand the benefits of the model and thereby help inform infrastructure investment strategies. In short, it will catalyse a step-change in utilisation of the core technology model on the island. Relatedly, it is axiomatic that such exposure will also make an invaluable impact on operational processes, networks, and skills of core facility managers, technical specialists, and core facility support staff.

Contracts are now in place, we will have the congress website published in the next 2-3 weeks and we have already begun making contact with potential exhibitors and sponsors.

We will keep everyone up to date with regular communications through the schools and the Research newsletter.

Export Controls and Dual-Use Research is an area that now features more prominently in the terms and conditions of funded research, and therefore requires compliance on the part of research teams. 

Dual-use research is research that is used to produce new knowledge that could easily be misused in harmful ways. Dual-use items cover both technology and software and can include items that could be used for the design, development, production or use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons or their means of delivery, as well as technologies that can monitor individuals or be used in surveillance etc. Dual-use items can be subject to export controls. As a researcher, you have a responsibility to consider whether your research activities could be subject to export controls. 

In order to raise researcher awareness of this area, we have made available an Export Controls specialist training module via Loop. We also have a researcher overview of the area available online for further guidance.

We would strongly encourage researchers whose research may fall into this area to explore this content and consider what actions may need to be taken to remain compliant with export controls laws.

The ERA4Ukraine portal is a one-stop-shop for information and support services to Ukraine-based researchers and researchers fleeing Ukraine.

The portal brings together initiatives at EU level, per country and from non-governmental groups. It aims to help affected researchers find housing and job opportunities, facilitate the recognition of their diplomas, and offer other services.

EU-funded projects are encouraged to post their vacancies for Ukrainian researchers through the "Science4Refugees" tab in the portal.

All MSCA beneficiaries are encouraged to take measures to facilitate the participation of researchers at risk, including Ukrainian scholars.

If your project and/or centre is considering to host researchers at risk, these guidelines provide useful background and recommend ways to improve their recruitment. They have been developed by the Commission with the Inspireurope project, a Europe-wide initiative to support researchers at risk funded by the MSCA.

For more details please see here.

As part of the European Year of Youth 2022, the European Commission (EC) is offering a professional development opportunity to Masters students to become "Young Observers" in Horizon Europe proposal evaluations. The selection process is open now and will close in December 2022. 

Students currently enrolled in a master’s programme (research or taught), in any discipline, at a university in an EU Member State can apply to this initiative. Students from disadvantaged and diverse backgrounds or belonging to vulnerable and marginalised groups are particularly encouraged to apply.  

During evaluation the Young Observers will have the following roles:

• observe the conduct of the evaluation process

• participate in a dedicated seminar on the evaluation process as well as practical and ethical issues around your participation

• take part in consensus and panel meetings, as an observer

• draft a short report, describing your perspective of the evaluation as a Young Observer

The selection process for the Young Observers is continuous, from the opening of the call (1st April 2022) to call closure (14th December 2022). Young Observers will be invited at different times, according to the timetable of the evaluations. 

For more information and details on how to apply, please visit the EC website here.