Final Report Summary - BIO CIRCLE (Creating a circle by extending the BIO NCP network to Third Country NIPs)
To fulfil its main aim, BIO CIRCLE has carried out the following activities. On the one hand, the capacity of third country BIO national contact points (NCPs) was built. This was done through an initial NCP training and later through working visits of third country BIO NCPs to their European twin partners (France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands) or in other countries (Austria, Spain). During the working visits, third country BIO NCPs visited the offices of their European 'twins' while they also visited research organisations to get a better understanding of the research system and to establish contacts for future collaborations.
On the other hand, the (networking) capacity of third country researchers was built. To do this, third country BIO NCPs prepared dissemination action plans for the organisation of infodays / trainings for their researchers in their own countries. Successful brokerage events were organised on 7 October 2009 and 13 September 2010 in Brussels, together with the European infodays on 'Food, agriculture and fisheries, and biotechnology'. Each third country BIO NCP supported the travel costs of two researchers for both the events. The second year also saw the organisation of additional infodays and trainings in third countries - in time for the preparation of proposals for the 2011 call under the FAFB-theme. All the presentations are downloadable from the project website (please see http://www.biocircle-project.eu/ online). Most third country partners organised national roundtables for the identification of research lines of common interest and mutual benefit. The proposed research lines were the basis for the common roundtable that was organised on 15 September 2010 in Brussels, in coincidence with the second BIO CIRCLE brokerage event and the KBBE towards 2020 event organised by the European Commission (EC) in Brussels on 14 September 2010. The results were summarised in the recommendations for the EC for future work programmes. The overview of the most important research institutions in third countries has also been updated in the website. Currently, 288 profiles are visible in the online database (partner search) and more can be added at any time by individual researchers.
Capacity building of third country BIO NCPs has started from the very beginning of the project with an NCP training session in Brussels, that was part of the kick-off meeting. During the project, each third country BIO NCP was twinned to one of the five European partners whom they could contact for specific advice on NCP issues. To make them more familiar with the daily NCP activities in Europe, working visits of a couple of days were organised for third country BIO NCPs to the office of their European twin BIO NCP. This was helpful in understanding what tools, such as databases, skills, such as training skills, and knowledge are used by European BIO NCPs in their daily work. During the working visits, third country BIO NCPs visited research organisations to see examples of research infrastructure, to get to know the strengths in research of the hosting country, to establish links with researchers for future collaborations with researchers back home, or rather to meet researchers with whom they had already been in contact. In one case, arranged by the BIO NCP from Kazakhstan, a memorandum of understanding was signed for future cooperation between the Parco Tecnologico Padano, Italy and the Ministry of Industry of Kazakhstan. In another case, the working visit of the Canadian BIO NCP to the Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers (ICTP), Pozzuoli / Naples, Italy served as an opportunity to further strengthen collaboration already initiated under a COST initiative. In yet another case, the working visit of the Argentinean BIO NCP was combined with a summer school organised by the Greek BIO NCP. Some third country BIO NCPs brought along researchers (or are researchers themselves) which made working visits to research institutions the more interesting. Overall, the working visits have been perceived as very useful to establish meaningful, long-lasting contacts with European counterparts.
The work of the third country BIO NCPs has further been facilitated by the production of the good practices guide that summarises all basic information on taking part in Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and the 'Food, agriculture and fisheries, and biotechnology' (FAFB) Theme.
The consortium building has been improved thanks the organisation of two brokerage events: an international information day and brokerage events were held in Brussels. The objective of the events was to bring together research stakeholders, from both the public and private sectors from the European Union (EU) and third countries, together with EC officers, and provide information and ground for discussion and networking within the scope of the FAFB Theme. In both of the brokerage events, about 50 meetings were pre-arranged and many more were initiated by the flash presentations of project ideas and by personal meetings. In general, the participants evaluated the event as an informative and successful one which gave good opportunities to build project consortia for successive Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) calls. The third country representatives were able to find new contacts with EU Member State researchers and organisations, and form new relationships with the aim of joint proposals.
During the 28 months of the project, three trainings addressed to the third country BIO NCPs were organised in order to enhance their skills on FP7 issues. Almost all the third countries organised at least two training sessions for their researchers (in total 53 trainings). The training courses were advertised and were made broadly accessible to the relevant researchers and theirs institutions in the third countries or in the relevant regions via the efforts of the corresponding BIO CIRCLE partner. Announcements for the training courses were also placed on the BIO CIRCLE website (please see http://www.biocircle-project.eu online). It should be mentioned that the industrialised third countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand) were not obliged to organise trainings for researchers as long as there were not subsidized for these activities.
Each European partner was responsible for organising a three-day working visit (twinnings) for the third countries BIO NCPs. This activity was a great success for the capacity building of third countries BIO NCPs and the possibility to increase their opportunities of networking in the hosting country. Under the initiative of the EC and in close cooperation with the project coordinator it was decided to expand the working visit activity as described in the project description of work (DoW) into more scientific oriented event with an increased number of participants: this was the case of the summer school organised in Athens with PhD students coming both from Argentina and countries of the EU. The possibility to exchange experience ideas with colleagues and the possibility to interact with the rest of the participants were the mostly appreciated factors regarding the event. During the consortium meetings (six meetings in Europe), the partners had the opportunity to share their experience gained in the local environment with the rest of the third country partners.
On the other hand, the (networking) capacity of third country researchers was built. To do this, third country BIO NCPs prepared dissemination action plans for the organisation of infodays / trainings for their researchers in their own countries. Successful brokerage events were organised on 7 October 2009 and 13 September 2010 in Brussels, together with the European infodays on 'Food, agriculture and fisheries, and biotechnology'. Each third country BIO NCP supported the travel costs of two researchers for both the events. The second year also saw the organisation of additional infodays and trainings in third countries - in time for the preparation of proposals for the 2011 call under the FAFB-theme. All the presentations are downloadable from the project website (please see http://www.biocircle-project.eu/ online). Most third country partners organised national roundtables for the identification of research lines of common interest and mutual benefit. The proposed research lines were the basis for the common roundtable that was organised on 15 September 2010 in Brussels, in coincidence with the second BIO CIRCLE brokerage event and the KBBE towards 2020 event organised by the European Commission (EC) in Brussels on 14 September 2010. The results were summarised in the recommendations for the EC for future work programmes. The overview of the most important research institutions in third countries has also been updated in the website. Currently, 288 profiles are visible in the online database (partner search) and more can be added at any time by individual researchers.
Capacity building of third country BIO NCPs has started from the very beginning of the project with an NCP training session in Brussels, that was part of the kick-off meeting. During the project, each third country BIO NCP was twinned to one of the five European partners whom they could contact for specific advice on NCP issues. To make them more familiar with the daily NCP activities in Europe, working visits of a couple of days were organised for third country BIO NCPs to the office of their European twin BIO NCP. This was helpful in understanding what tools, such as databases, skills, such as training skills, and knowledge are used by European BIO NCPs in their daily work. During the working visits, third country BIO NCPs visited research organisations to see examples of research infrastructure, to get to know the strengths in research of the hosting country, to establish links with researchers for future collaborations with researchers back home, or rather to meet researchers with whom they had already been in contact. In one case, arranged by the BIO NCP from Kazakhstan, a memorandum of understanding was signed for future cooperation between the Parco Tecnologico Padano, Italy and the Ministry of Industry of Kazakhstan. In another case, the working visit of the Canadian BIO NCP to the Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Polymers (ICTP), Pozzuoli / Naples, Italy served as an opportunity to further strengthen collaboration already initiated under a COST initiative. In yet another case, the working visit of the Argentinean BIO NCP was combined with a summer school organised by the Greek BIO NCP. Some third country BIO NCPs brought along researchers (or are researchers themselves) which made working visits to research institutions the more interesting. Overall, the working visits have been perceived as very useful to establish meaningful, long-lasting contacts with European counterparts.
The work of the third country BIO NCPs has further been facilitated by the production of the good practices guide that summarises all basic information on taking part in Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and the 'Food, agriculture and fisheries, and biotechnology' (FAFB) Theme.
The consortium building has been improved thanks the organisation of two brokerage events: an international information day and brokerage events were held in Brussels. The objective of the events was to bring together research stakeholders, from both the public and private sectors from the European Union (EU) and third countries, together with EC officers, and provide information and ground for discussion and networking within the scope of the FAFB Theme. In both of the brokerage events, about 50 meetings were pre-arranged and many more were initiated by the flash presentations of project ideas and by personal meetings. In general, the participants evaluated the event as an informative and successful one which gave good opportunities to build project consortia for successive Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) calls. The third country representatives were able to find new contacts with EU Member State researchers and organisations, and form new relationships with the aim of joint proposals.
During the 28 months of the project, three trainings addressed to the third country BIO NCPs were organised in order to enhance their skills on FP7 issues. Almost all the third countries organised at least two training sessions for their researchers (in total 53 trainings). The training courses were advertised and were made broadly accessible to the relevant researchers and theirs institutions in the third countries or in the relevant regions via the efforts of the corresponding BIO CIRCLE partner. Announcements for the training courses were also placed on the BIO CIRCLE website (please see http://www.biocircle-project.eu online). It should be mentioned that the industrialised third countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand) were not obliged to organise trainings for researchers as long as there were not subsidized for these activities.
Each European partner was responsible for organising a three-day working visit (twinnings) for the third countries BIO NCPs. This activity was a great success for the capacity building of third countries BIO NCPs and the possibility to increase their opportunities of networking in the hosting country. Under the initiative of the EC and in close cooperation with the project coordinator it was decided to expand the working visit activity as described in the project description of work (DoW) into more scientific oriented event with an increased number of participants: this was the case of the summer school organised in Athens with PhD students coming both from Argentina and countries of the EU. The possibility to exchange experience ideas with colleagues and the possibility to interact with the rest of the participants were the mostly appreciated factors regarding the event. During the consortium meetings (six meetings in Europe), the partners had the opportunity to share their experience gained in the local environment with the rest of the third country partners.