Securing Horizon 2020 Funding

to Deliver Research Excellence:

A Perspective from Cardiff University

Dr David Bembo

Deputy Director, Research & Innovation Services

Summary

• Introduction to Cardiff University, research quality and

impact

• Focused and selective investment in URIs

• Track record in European Research Funding

• Context of HE research in Wales

• European Structural & Investment Funds ESIF and Horizon

2020

• The partnership approach – KU Leuven, Vision 2020

Network, Academia Europaea

• Acting as Expert Evaluator, H2020 Evaluation Criteria

Cardiff University – a Summary

Cardiff University – Research Quality

Cardiff University – Impactful Research

Cardiff University – Research Awards by Funder

EC >£11m pa

EC £3-4m pa

Cardiff’s FP7 and Horizon 2020 figures to date

• 7th Framework Programme: 162 projects awarded, worth £57.4M to Cardiff

University

– 3 Colleges (Physical Sciences & Engineering; Biomedical & Life Sciences; Arts,

Humanities & Social Sciences) with 25 Academic Schools

• FP7: PSE, 77 projects: £24M (42%); BLS, 66: £26M (47%); AHSS, 19: £7M

(11%)

• 2014-15 Horizon 2020 research applications value £34.5M in first 6 months

• Horizon 2020 total research awards from start of programme to date: value

circa £15M

URIs University Research Institutes

URIs University Research Institutes

URIs University Research Institutes

URIs University Research Institutes

Innovation System

Innovation System & Innovation Campus

February 2016 – successful bond issue providing £300m

of future capital investment (and match funding).

Innovation System & Innovation Campus

Innovation Campus at Maindy. The following major capital projects

are completed or underway:

• Optometry & Vision Sciences Building

• Hadyn Ellis Building (Two URIs in Biomedical & Life Sciences,

including an MRC Centre)

• CUBRIC Brain Imaging Centre. Major investment of c. £45M.

Construction complete mid-2016. £4.5M ERDF support.

• A: Translational Research Facility (Compound Semiconductor

Research and Catalysis URI), 12,000 m2, £77M (seeking ERDF

support)

• B: Innovation Building (Innovation Centre and Social Science

Park), 12,000 m2, M£50 (seeking ERDF support)

Welsh Science Strategy and Capacity

• First CSAW 2010 Prof John Harries, succeeded by Prof Julie Williams

• Build capacity: £50M SêrCymru programme -attracting major talent (research chairs)

• National Research Networks NRNs in grand challenge areas: Life Sciences & Health; Advanced Engineering and Materials; Low Carbon, Energy and the Environment. £7M per NRN.

Sêr Cymru Research Chairs

Prof Yves-Alain Barde

Neurobiology

Biozentrum, University of

Basel

Prof Diana Huffaker

Compound Semiconductors

Director, NSF IGERT Clean

Energy for Green Industry at

UCLA

Welsh Science Strategy and Capacity

• Wales has 4.8% of UK population

• Comparatively under capacity in STEMM researchers by 600+

• COFUND (Horizon 2020) and Sêr Cymru II (ERDFEuropean Structural Funds) programmes to attract talent:– 120 3yr Research Fellowships

– Recapturing Talent, 12 fellows

– 20-30 Rising Stars @ £1M

– Chair packages

Cardiff University

Research Strategy: The Way Forward

2012-2017 (refresh 2016)

Realising the opportunities of Horizon 2020

• Horizon 2020 is a priority area, and is seen as an important

mechanism for delivering first-class research and innovation

• University level research KPI for European Research Income:

growth of 12.5% pa (within overall target of 10% pa)

• Significance of Horizon 2020 as a global programme with

opportunities to develop world-wide collaborations & partnerships

• International collaboration and cross-disciplinary research activity

are key elements of the research strategy

• Performance indicators at University, College and School levels

Accessing Horizon 2020

Modifying approach to take account of changes in Horizon 2020 (cf FP7):

• Increased emphasis on collaboration with industry

• Exploitation of research through innovation, which links to impact

• Need for closer alliances and partnerships through GW4 and Vision

2020: The Horizon Network. Pre-formed relationships & consortia.

GW4 Alliance brings together the South West and Wales’ four leading, research-

intensive universities: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter

• Hold our own Horizon 2020 events, attracting EC speakers and bring

together academic and research staff from all four universities

• Our respective European Research Offices meet on a regular basis,

sharing good practice, identifying potential collaborations and seeing

where they can add value

• Developing individual researchers’ capabilities, e.g. ‘social science-led’

research

KU Leuven partnership

• Cardiff and University of Leuven signed a co-operation agreement in

September 2014.

• Aims include:– create new research collaborations

– offer more opportunities for students and staff to study and teach abroad

• Funding offered by each partner to support staff in building

relationships

• Increased Horizon 2020 consortium participation is a major aim

• Both Cardiff and Leuven are Vision 2020 members

KU Leuven partnership

Academia Europaea

• The object of Academia Europaea, a European Scientific Academy, is the

“advancement and propagation of excellence in scholarship in the humanities,

law, the economic, social, and political sciences, mathematics, medicine, and all

branches of natural and technological sciences”. Founded recently, in 1988.

• AE Cardiff Knowledge Hub. Aim is to signpost excellence within the region

throughout Europe, by hosting meetings and workshops and assisting the

Academy in providing scientific advice to European Institutions (particularly the

European Commission, ref. the EC’s updated Scientific Advice Mechanism).

Vision 2020: a Collaborative Network for H2020

Vision 2020: Forthcoming Event

• Cardiff leads the Vision 2020 Energy Cluster

• Important not to underestimate the level of commitment and

resources required to fully participate fully

Collaboration

National (Wales)

• Welsh Government

• Welsh HEIs

• Welsh Business/Industry

National (UK)

• Deepen and widen the range (HEIs and business)

• GW4 Alliance

International

• Multinationals, e.g. Airbus

• Vision 2020

• High quality collaborations – strong partnerships for

the pursuit of major research investments

• Need to i) spread your investment and ii) be prepared

to commit to these relationships

Acting as an Expert Evaluator

• Anyone can register. Free online on the Participants Portal

• Time consuming process but gives valuable insight

• Remote phase of evaluation followed by Consensus and

Panel meetings in Brussels

• Rigorous; oversight from EC officials; scores and comments

from experts are challenged

Evaluation Criteria

• Evaluation criteria under Horizon 2020 are Excellence, Impact and

Implementation. (Emphasis differs for various instruments (e.g. Research

and Innovation, SME measures, Co-Fund.) Default is equivalent weighting

across the three.

1) Excellence: Clarity and pertinence of the objectives; Credibility of the proposed

approach; Soundness of concept; Ambition and beyond the state of the art

2) Impact: Meets the expected impacts listed in the Work Programmes under the

relevant topic; Enhancing innovation capacity and integration of new knowledge;

Strengthening the competitiveness and growth of companies by developing innovations

meeting the needs of European and global markets; environmental and socially

important impacts; Exploitation & dissemination

3) Implementation: Coherence and effectiveness of the work plan; Complementarity of

consortium participants; Appropriate management structures and procedures, risk and

innovation management

Cardiff University

Thank you