ESOF 2016 – Call for Session Proposals

esof-2016-2Manchester are to hold European Science Open Forum Conference 2016. ESOF 2016  will take place during the 250th anniversary of the birth of John Dalton, Manchester resident and founder of modern atomic theory. The event will draw upon the scientific heritage of Manchester from Dalton, through Rutherford and Turing to the present day graphene Nobel Prize winners. ESOF are requesting session proposals on a variety of topics in preparation for the Science programme, allowing you opportunity to give a talk at ESOF 2016 and share your latest findings with the ESOF public. A topic of note that may be of interest is the below:

Turing’s legacy – data and the human brain: Turing’s legacy – data and the human brain: In the city of Alan Turing we put forward a theme which combines his direct legacy in artificial intelligence and the interface of humans with machines, together with the wider issues posed by data, online information exchange and communication in our society. As major projects address the nature of the human brain and our ability to simulate it, we ask where this is taking us? In the world of big data, what is the significance of the new analytics for scientific and citizen activities? What ethical, social and legal challenges are raised? Communication and learning as a sub-theme opens up issues of human development.

The closing date for proposals in the 2nd June 2015, with the event running in Manchester the 22nd-27th July 2016.

Find out more – Click Here
To submit a proposal – Click Here

EC FET Open 2015 – Information Day

logo_enThe FET Open call will open in the next few months, offering a total of 37.5 million EUR for early-stage joint science and technology research towards radically new future technologies. Being entirely non-prescriptive with regards to the nature or purpose of the technologies that are envisaged, this call targets the unexpected. It is open to collaborative research that satisfies the FET-Open ‘gatekeepers’: long-term vision, ambition of the scientific and technological breakthrough, foundational character, novelty, high-risk and deep synergistic interdisciplinary approach. FET-Open aspires to be an early detector of new and promising ideas, but also of the new high-potential actors in research and innovation (such as young researchers and high-tech SMEs) that may become the scientific and industrial leaders of the future.

In preparation for this call release, an Information Day is being organised, offering the opportunity for attendees to learn about the H2020 proposal guidelines and submission procedures and about the FET-specific procedure and criteria for evaluation. There will be ample time for questions and for networking among the participants.

The registration will open during the week of 25 May. The event is free of charge but prior registration is compulsory. Attendants will have the possibility to upload up to 3 slides if they wish to present their research topic to network with other participants.

Date: 6th July 2015
Location: Brussels, Belgium

The attendance is limited to 200 participants. Live webstreaming will be available and provided on this page the day of the event. Registration will open on the 25th May 2015.

To find out more about the information day – Click Here
To view the agenda – Click Here (PDF)
To find out more about FET Open – Click Here

Oxford Sparks – AI Podcast with Nando de Freitas

OxfordSparksOxford Sparks have released their new podcast, with this one focusing on Artificial Intelligence, and specifically, ‘how to make machines that learn’ with Prof Nando de Freitas from Computer Sciences.

In episode 7, we ask whether machines are really all that clever. How can artificial intelligence (AI) be used as a tool to help humanity face its grand challenges? How can AI help us understand how we learn language? And what does it take to get a machine to learn?

In Part 2 with Professor Nando de Freitas, he explains that understanding how our brains work has helped us create machines that learn, and how these learning machines can be put to completing different tasks.

To find out more and have a listen – Click Here

New EPSRC Data Policy and ORA Data – Information

oramainlogoThe EPSRC announced at the start of May changes to their policy framework on research data. This policy framework sets out EPSRC’s expectations concerning the management and provision of access to EPSRC-funded research data. Although EPSRC recognises that a range of institutional policies and practices can satisfy these expectations, it encourages research organisations to develop specific approaches which, while aligned with EPSRC’s expectations, are appropriate to their own structures and culture

This is where ORA Data comes in. The Bodleian Libraries have developed the ORA Data service for Oxford researchers wanting to deposit their research datasets in Oxford’s own data archive. Datasets are issued with a permanent DOI (Digital Object Identifier) and have a catalogue record to DataCite standards to ensure proper citation and acknowledgement.

To view the new EPSRC Policy Framework – Click Here
To find out more about ORA-Data – Click Here
To view the ORA-Data preservation policy –  Click Here

EPSRC Singapore-UK Cyber Security – Call

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EPSRC have released a call in search of 3 collaborative projects between the UK and Singapore on the subject of Cyber Security. Up to £1.2 million is to be split between these 3 projects, with the aim to foster stronger research links between Singapore and the UK, and to strengthen collaboration between the nations’ best cyber security researchers.

This call is open to proposals, in any area of research, which have real potential to enhance the understanding of cyber security and strengthen relationships between researchers in Singapore and the UK. In particular projects are welcomed which address shared challenges in:

• Intrusion: Malware, exploits, intrusion detection and protection
• Data Analytics: Algorithms, machine learning, privacy, trust, and personal/aggregated data issues (‘Big Data’)
• Human Factors: Usability, behaviours, incentives, and more general economic, social and legal concerns
• Policy Aspects: Issues that directly affect policy, government or business
• Sectors and applications (e.g. Internet of Things (IoT)): Targets the concerns of particular sectors or applications.

The closing date for applications is the 30th July 2015 – please contact your research facilitation team as soon as possible if you intend to apply.

To find out more – Click Here