AUS-ACCESS4EU

Overview

Project title: Supporting EU access to Australian research programmes
Web page: http://www.aus-access4.eu/
EU Funding: Grant agreement no.: 244485
Start of the project: October 2009
Duration:  24 months
Project Coordinator: Dr. Hans-Jörg Stähle 
Contact person IB (DLR): Dr. Gerd Rücker / Claudia Gruner

Partners

• International Bureau of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) (IB), Germany
• Australian National University (ANU), Australia
• British Council (BC), United Kingdom
• Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia

Objectives

The specific aims of the AUS-ACCESS4EU projects are:

• To inform European researchers and research organizations of opportunities for taking part in Australian funding programmes  
• To provide information on internationally competitive Australian research areas 
• To identify and classify relevant joint fields of research by recording how many EU scientists take part in Australian research programmes and how many Australian participants take part in European and international funding programmes
• To identify the most important obstacles to participation of European scientists in Australian programmes 
• To create the basis and framework conditions for joint project developments that open up new cooperation opportunities and provide improved instruments for long-term collaboration 
• To support the intensification of the ongoing policy dialogue between the EU and Australia by identifying joint research priorities and developing a joint research agenda 
• To support new cooperation opportunities and secure collaboration results in the long term by disseminating information in a targeted way among National Contact Points of EU Member States, creating dedicated websites, and organizing information events in Europe about Australian funding programmes 
• To measure and gauge the reciprocity or openness of different national funding organizations for international research and innovation

All project activities are divided into four work packages (WPs):

WP1 – "Inventory and monitoring"

• Take stock of Australian funding programmes that are open to researchers from EU countries 
• Compile and analyse access conditions 
• Provide information on the project’s interactive website 
• Record participation among EU researchers in Australian funding programmes

WP2 – "Awareness raising and profile building"

• Raise awareness among Australian funding institutions and draw attention to the benefits of participation of European researchers 
• Organize joint workshops of Australian and European R&D funding organizations with the aim of opening up more programmes to European researchers

WP3 – "Information dissemination/outreach"

• Draw European researchers’ attention to funding opportunities of Australian organizations and increase participation in open programmes through targeted information and advice 
• Create links between AUS-ACCESS4EU and ongoing bilateral projects 
• Create links to other ACCESS4EU projects with the aim of creating a joint internet platform and database

WP4 – "Project coordination and management"

• Coordination of all activities of the AUS-Access4EU project and project management

Activities

The kick-off meeting for the project took place in Bonn on 24 November 2009.

Launch of the AUS-ACCESS4EU website on 18 February 2010.

The first meeting with the participation of Australian programme owners to make them aware of the project and to discuss their contribution to the RTDI programme database was held on 4 March 2010.

The discussion paper “Enhancing reciprocity in international cooperation in research: issues and metrics“ was published in June 2010.

At the following events AUS-Access4EU has been promoted:

22.-24.06.2010: 22nd KoWi Annual Conference on European Union Research Funding in Nuremberg
02.-07.07.2010: ESOF in Torino
21.-23.09.2010: 28. DECHEMA annual meeting of biotechnology in Aachen
27.-29.09.2010: ICT in Brussels, joint activity with Access4EU:NZ (New Zealand)
On 5th July 2010 the second Consortium Meeting of AUS-Access4EU was held in Canberra.

The first AUS-Access4EU newsletter was published in August 2010.

Beginning of September the AUS-Access4EU-project flyer was printed.

End of September the common newsletter for all Access4EU-projects was prepared by AUS-Access4EU and published.

From 8th up to the 11th November the first infotour to promote the Australian RTDI programmes will be held in Europe:

London – 8. November 2010
Paris – 9. November 2010
Bonn – 11. November 2010

Two more „Infotours“ each covering three different European countries are planned for 2011.

On 12th November 2010 the third AUS-Access4EU Consortium Meeting will be held in Bonn.

The „Guide for European researchers on how to participate in Australian programmes“ is in preparation.