[topicmapmail] Reminder - Topic Maps COST Action (European Research Funding)

Thu Mar 29 10:24:29 EDT 2007

Hi,

three weeks ago I sent the attached email about an European COST Action 
to you. In the meanwhile we have brought together 19 partners from 12 
different countries joining the proposal.

Furthermore, Rani Pinchuk and me have elaborated a proposal which will 
be submitted to the European Commission tomorrow. You still have the 
opportunity to get in.

For joining the proposal, your affiliation should be an institution (in 
Europe or elsewhere) which is focused on research (or advanced 
applications) in Topic Maps.

If you are interested, your are cordially invited to join the COST Action.

Greetings from Leipzig
Lutz

PS. I sent an email to all partners which are still at the list. If you 
assumed being on the list, but did not receive this email, please 
contact me.

-------- Original-Nachricht --------
Betreff: Topic Maps COST Action (European Research Funding)
Datum: Tue, 06 Mar 2007 17:34:55 +0100
Von: TMRA (Lutz Maicher) <tmra at informatik.uni-leipzig.de>
Organisation: Zentrum für Informations-, Wissens- und 
Dienstleistungsmanagement
An: TMRA NEWSLETTER <tmra-newsletter at lists.informatik.uni-leipzig.de>

==============================
Apologies for double postings.
==============================

Hi there,

this email might be especially interesting for you, if the institution
or company you are affiliated to is situated in one of the 35 European
countries listed below [1]. Otherwise, you are invited to read this
email, too.

The European Commission provides a very interesting funding scheme for
highly specialised research networks within Europe which are called COST
Actions. The COST website is available at [2].

The following citation from the current call [3] summarises the scope of
COST:
“COST brings together researchers and experts in different countries
working on specific topics. It finances networking of nationally funded
activities in supporting meetings, conferences, short term scientific
exchange and outreach activities. COST therefore doe not fund research
itself. Currently more than 200 scientific networks (Actions) are
supported.”

Instruments of COST Actions are:
* Travel and subsistence – reimbursements for scientists for their
attendance of meetings, workshops, conferences. (2 scientists per
signatory country)
* Support for Meetings/Workshops/Conferences up to EUR 10k per event
* Short-term scientific missions (STSM) from 1 to 3 weeks up to EUR 2.5k
* Training Schools – teaching new technologies less than 5 days, up to
30 persons
* Action General Support Grant – operational costs for website etc.
* Dissemination and Publications – funding of proceedings, website
content etc.
* High Level Research Conferences
* “Near Neighbours” – funding travel for scientists from Balkan,
Mediterranean Countries and Far Eastern Europe

Each COST Action will have a budget of around EUR 100k p.a. over 4 years
for these instruments. Full information about COST is available at [4].

Furthermore, I’d like to highlight the following citation: “COST Actions
are frequently the precursors for successful projects in the EU
Framework Programme, expecially the larger networking tools such
Networks of Excellence (NoE)” (or STREPs / IPs / etc.).

At the moment EU launches the FP7 (2007-2013) [5] with a substantial
increase in funding budget. In FP6 Topic Maps was not visible at all!
For the success of Topic Maps it is inevitable that this will change in
FP7. We need Topic Maps in STREPs and IPs! I assume, that a Topic Maps
COST-Action would be a very important piece in this puzzle. A Topic Maps
NoE graduating from a COST Action would be a great thing for topic mapping …

Besides this importance for further proposals in FP7 or in national
funding schemes, a Topic Maps COST-Action would provide important budget
to strengthen the industrial and scientific research in Topic Maps (at
least in Europe) – see the instruments of COST actions above. If there
is a COST-Action, EUR 100k p.a. are available for building the community.

Therefore we want to apply for a Topic Maps COST Action and we cordially
invite all interested researchers (in companies or at universities)
situated in COST countries [1] to join this proposal. In a first step, a
preliminary proposal of 1500 words (=3 pages!) have to be submitted
until 2007-03-30. In the proposal the following issues have to be described:
* Background and Problems
* Benefits
* Objectives, Deliverables and Expected Scientific Impact
* Scientific Programme and Innovation
* Organisation

For an eligible proposal we need participants from at least 5 different
COST countries [1]. But the more different countries we have, the
merrier for the proposal. Furthermore, institutions from Non-COST
countries (like US, South Korea, Australia, Japan) can join the COST action.

If you are interested in participating in the COST proposal, please send
an email to me (Maicher at informatik.uni-leipzig.de). We will discuss the
proposal internally via email with all interested parties within the
next two weeks. I foresee a goal driven and efficient setup for the
proposal, please do not hesitate to join.

In May 2006, out of 600 preliminary proposals around 40 have been
accepted. There is a chance, the effort for a preliminary proposal is
endurable and we can reuse it for other European funding schemes within
FP7-People (aka Marie Curie)!

I’m looking forward to hear from you,
Lutz Maicher

[1] Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland,
Ireland, Isreal, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, The Republic of
Serbia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

[2] http://www.cost.esf.org/
[3] http://www.cost.esf.org/fileadmin/cost_documents/general/Open_call.pdf
[4] http://www.cost.esf.org/fileadmin/publications/07-02.pdf
[5] http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/home_en.html