UCCRI Newsletter 5th June 2015

NEWSLETTER

5th June 2015

Research Funding Opportunities

Talks and Events (Internal)

Talks and Events (External)

Research Papers

News

Research Funding Opportunities

The Food Standards
Food and You Survey – waves one to three evaluation.
Tenders to carry out an independent evaluation of waves one to three of the Food and You survey. Closing date 15^th June

EPSRCSUPERGEN Marine Challenge 3 - Research on Marine Energy Development
Expressions of interest for funding under the SUPERGEN marine challenge. This supports collaborative, fundamental research that investigates novel concepts for marine energy development, with a specific focus on wave and tidal energy development from a global perspective. Closing date 16^th June 2015

Newton Research Collaboration Programme
Funds international exchanges lasting from three months to one year. The funding on offer is a flat rate of £2,000 per month. The exchanges can be either two- or one way but they must support collaborative research and dissemination activities. The partner countries are: Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, Vietnam Closing date: 18th June 2015

ESRC Commissioning of Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs)
In September 2015 ESRC will be commissioning two Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) one in the area of Biosocial Research and the other in New Forms of Data. The methodological areas of focus are defined but the substantive area of enquiry can be determined by the applicant(s). Closing date 29th June 2015

OpenPlant Fund
The OpenPlant Fund will support innovative, open and interdisciplinary projects relevant to plant Synthetic  Biology over 2015-19. Around 20 six-month projects per year will receive £4k each, with an  additional £1k awarded on completion for follow-on and outreach. The first round of applications will close on 30 June 2015.

Norman Borlaug award for field research and application
World Food Prize Foundation
This is awarded for an exceptional, science-based achievement in international agriculture and food production by an individual under the age of 40 who has clearly demonstrated intellectual courage, stamina and determination in the fight to eliminate global hunger and poverty. The award is worth US$10,000. Closing date: 30 Jun 15 (Forecast)

Frontiers of knowledge awards
BBVA Foundation
These recognise research and creative work that contributes to an improved understanding of the natural, social and artificial or technological worlds and technological innovations and developments. Awards are worth €400,000.Closing date: 30 Jun 15 

Expedition award
African Bird Club
This award is for larger conservation projects on ornithology in Africa. One award of up to £3,000 is available each year. Closing date: 30 Jun 15

Conservation, Food and Health Foundation
These support non-profit, non-governmental organisations to build capacity within the developing countries in the fields of conservation, food, and health. The average award amount is US$17,000 and grants rarely exceed US$25,000. Closing date: 01 Jul 15 

ESRC/DFID growth research programme – financial sector development and growth
Funding supports research on financial sector development and growth in low income countries. One grant, worth between £1.5 million and £2m, is available, covering 80 per cent full economic cost for UK-based researchers and 100 per cent full economic cost for non-UK researchers. Projects may last up to four years.  Closing date: 02 Jul 15 

Researcher links workshop in Kazakhstan on clean energy promotion 
British Council
This workshop enables UK and Kazakh researchers to attend a workshop in Astana, Kazakhstan from 17 to 19 August 2015 on clean energy promotion. All travel, food and accommodation expenses are covered. Closing date: 07 Jul 15 

Industrial CASE studentships
Natural Environment Research Council
This promotes collaboration between the research community and the end users of research. The CASE partner is expected to supplement the student's maintenance grant by paying at least £1,000 per year directly to the student, during to the duration of their studentship, and will meet the extra expenses incurred by students visiting and working in their establishments. They are also expected to contribute in cash or in kind towards necessary materials. Closing date: 08 Jul 15 

NERC joint programme on understanding and representing atmospheric convection across scales
Projects should work to make significant improvements in the representation of convection in the UK’s weather, climate and Earth system models across a range of spatial scales. This call is for the exploratory phase of the programme, in which five to eight projects may be awarded between £200,000 and £800,000 each, over a period of three years; the total budget for the exploratory phase is £3 million. Closing date: 09 Jul 15 

Research in sustainable solid waste management
Environmental Research and Education Foundation
Funding supports projects related to sustainable waste management practices in the areas of waste minimisation, recycling, waste conversion to energy, strategies to promote diversion to higher and better uses and landfilling. Previously grants have ranged from US$15,000 to over US$500,000 with the average grant amount being US$160,000. Closing date: 15 Jul 15 

ESRC/National Research Foundation Newton call for collaborative research urban transformations in South AfricaThis supports collaborative projects between UK and South African researchers which may offer additional value to existing programmes of urban research, and contribute to the economic development and welfare of South Africa. ESRC has allocated up to £1.5 million and NRF has allocated up to ZAR4.5m for this call. Applicants may request between £300,000 and £500,000 and up to ZAR1.5 million per project. Closing date: 16 Jul 15 

BBSRC/NERC/Newton Fund call for virtual joint centres with Brazil, China and India in agricultural nitrogenThis enables UK researchers to establish virtual joint centres with Brazil, China and India in agricultural nitrogen, with a focus on the themes of agronomic nitrogen use efficiency, biological nitrogen use efficiency and biological nitrogen fixation. The budget for UK components of bilateral projects is worth approximately £10 million. Projects may last for up to three years. Closing date: 22 Jul 15 

Agriculture-nutrition impact studies
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
These medium to long-term research studies and evaluations will deliver robust evidence on the impact of agriculture on nutrition and health outcomes. Funding for interventions and study designs that are fully supported by existing formative and feasibility research is worth up to US$3.5 million per proposal over five years. Funding for proposals that are not supported by formative and feasibility research is worth up to US$100,000 over six to 12 months. Closing date: 08 Aug 15 (Forecast)

Policy internships
Natural Environment Research Council
Each award enables PhD students funded by BBSRC, AHRC or NERC to gain three months’ experience of working in science policy. Successful applicants will receive a three-month extension to their PhD funding. Closing date: 18 Aug 15 (Forecast)

Sustainable future programme grants
Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
These support projects on developing and promoting sustainable, low-carbon alternatives to the current consumerist and growth-based paradigm. The grants have a nominal average value of £50,000, but in actuality grants may range from a few hundred pounds to £100,000 and last up to three years. Closing date: 01 Sep 15 

Small grantsEstuarine Coastal Sciences Association

These grants enable students to attend academic conferences, travel for research purposes, visit libraries or other collections of research materials, visit laboratories or conduct fieldwork. Grants are worth up to £500 each. Closing date: 01 Nov 15 

All-discipline postgraduate student awardsFulbright Commission

These support UK citizens with the first year of their postgraduate study, doctoral study, visiting student research or special student research in any subject and at any accredited US university. Approximately 10 awards are available for a one-year period. Closing date: 06 Nov 15 

Fulbright/Elsevier data analytics award
Fulbright Commission
This is offered to a UK citizen for the first year of their postgraduate study in any field requiring data analysis to advance understanding of research in any field or across fields.One award is available for a period of one year.Closing date:06 Nov 15 

Prize essay competition
Agricultural Economics Society
This recognises a suitable essay on any aspect of agricultural economics.The prize is worth £1,000. Closing date: 30 Nov 15 

Young scientist research award
Commonwealth Forestry Association
This supports students undertaking forest-related research in pursuit of an academic qualification. The award is worth up to £500. Closing date: 31 Dec 15 

The 2015 PublicHealth@Cambridge Network showcase
8th June, Kaetsu Centre, Murray Edwards College

The CNHS Conversazione
Department of Zoology
Friday 12th June 1pm-6pm and Saturday 13th June, 10am – 5pm

Food for Life (Cambridge)
8th June to 11th June 2015

Don’t forget - BioBlitz 2015 - Cambridge University Botanic Gardens
Starts at 5pm on Friday 12th and runs through to 5pm on Saturday 13th June 2015

OPUS - keep track of your research data
Wednesday, June 17, 12:30pm to 1:30pm

What does business need to know about food, energy, water and the environment?Nexus2020: the most important questions for business - UCCRI hosted workshop
13 July 2015 – 12:30-13.15 | Room 101 Hardy Building, Downing Site

Talks

Domesticating pre-installed low and zero carbon energy technologies, Dr. Lise Andreassen.

Why fracking works and why not well enough, Zdeněk P. Bažant, McCormick Institute Professor and Walter P. Murphy Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Material Science and Engineering, Northwestern University.

Health, climate change and unsustainable development – head in the sand or line in the sand?, David Pencheon, Director of NHS Sustainability Unit:.

Connecting Biology to Mathematics by way of Symbolic Computing, Professor Eric Mjolsness, Leverhulme visiting Professor.

Control of growth and pattern formation in the early plant embryo, Professor Dolf Weijers.

Games Animals Play, Professor Nick Davies, University of Cambridge.

Health research in the context of rapidly emerging public-health threats
Professor Jeremy Farrar OBE, Director of the Wellcome Trust
The Huxley Lecture Theatre, ZSL London Zoo
Tuesday 16 June 2015, 18:30

Watercolour- Elements of nature
Tue 16 June - Sun 27 September
Fitzwilliam Museum

“Sustainable Buildings and Cities: Supporting climate mitigation through resource efficiency”
UNEP-SBCI and GI-REC joint Symposium 25th and 26th June in Nice, France

Bees, flies and flowers: the ecology of pollination and why it matters
Cambridge Weekend course 26th to 28th June 2015

UKERC Annual International Energy Summer School
5th to 10th July, Wyboston Lakes, Bedfordshire

Cambridge

The role of agri-environment schemes in conservation and environmental management

Biodiversity collision blackspots in Poland: Separation causality from stochasticity in roadkills of butterflies

Conservation in Europe as a model for emerging conservation issues globally

The role of wild canids and felids in spreading parasites to dogs and cats in Europe: Part I: Protozoa and tick-borne agents.

The IPBES Conceptual Framework — connecting nature and people

Extinctions. Paleontological baselines for evaluating extinction risk in the modern oceans

Links between atmospheric carbon dioxide, the land carbon reservoir and climate over the past millennium

Global

Delayed biodiversity change: no time to waste

Grand Challenges in Urban Ecology

Community-based conservation in Madagascar, the ‘cure-al l’ solution?

Renewed hydropower investment needs social and environmental safeguards

Smart Grids in Distribution Networks – International Energy Agency

Ecological Connectivity Research in Urban Areas

REDD+ and Biodiversity Conservation: A review of the biodiversity goals, monitoring methods and impacts of 80 REDD+ projects

Nature in Indian Philosophy and Cultural Traditions

Achieving sustainable nutrition together in the post- 2015 development agenda

The implementation of Natura 2000 in forests: A trans- and interdisciplinary assessment of challenges and choices

Detecting and understanding non-compliance with conservation rules

Repertoires: How to Transform a Project into a Research Community

Nurturing communities of practice for transdisciplinary research

Uncovering hidden worlds of ocean biodiversity

Loss of biodiversity and hydrologic function in seasonal wetlands persists over 10 years of livestock grazing removal

Natural disturbance impacts on ecosystem services and biodiversity in temperate and boreal forests

Biodiversity conservation under energy limitation: Possible consequences of human productivity appropriation for species richness, ecosystem functioning, and food production

Human–Wildlife Conflicts in Brazil: A Fast-Growing Issue

Modelling biodiversity distribution in agricultural landscapes to support ecological network planning

World Oceans Day on 8th June - World Oceans Day event will examine the potential of oceans and coasts
The ocean is the heart of our planet. Like your heart pumping blood to every part of your body, the ocean connects people across the Earth, no matter where we live. The ocean regulates the climate, feeds millions of people every year, produces oxygen, is the home to an incredible array of wildlife, provides us with important medicines, and so much more! In order to ensure the health and safety of our communities and future generations, it’s imperative that we take the responsibility to care for the ocean as it cares for us.

World Oceans Day 2015 Celebration
8 June 2015, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France
Realising the potential of our oceans and coasts
International Institute for Environment and Development, The Prince's Charities' International Sustainability Unit, UCL, WWF
Royal Geographic Society, Monday, 8 June 2015 from 18:30 to 20:45

Postdoc positions: global food production/agriculture’s environmental impacts/land use change
Global Landscapes Initiative is hiring one or more postdoctoral research fellows to study how the connections between land use change, agriculture, and the environment affect risks to the global food system

New Books from Routledge
Water, Power and Identity: The Cultural Politics of Water in the Andes

Water and Cities in Latin America, Challenges for Sustainable Development

Research News

Critically endangered species should be left to

breed in the wild

New tropical tree species await discovery

Global marine data to become unified, accessible

Largest turtle breeding colony in the Atlantic discovered

Companies have critical role in creating a better food system

We can't divest from fossil fuels unless you tell us, says UK's largest pension assets manager

How to clean up the murky world of palm oil - video

Global Sanitation Fund Progress Report 2014

Seven new miniaturized frog species found in the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest

Can bladeless wind turbines mute opposition?

Why I’m sailing to the Arctic in search of missing mercury

Bad air day? Low-cost pollution detectors to tackle air quality

UN climate talks increasingly favour people alive today over future generations

Sensor Equipped Seals are Collecting Distant Ocean Data

Re-use of paper sludge via pyrolysis

Bee warned: Study finds pesticides threaten native pollinators

Tanzania elephant population declined by 60% in five years, census reveals

UN Provides “Illustrative Compilation” of Possible SDG Review Mechanisms
Ecosystem management that ignores "taboo tradeoffs" is likely to fail
Switching to biofuels could place unsustainable demands on water use

Growing Near Net Shape Components from Renewable Materials 

Air quality and health resolution adopted at the sixty-eighth World Health Assembly

Countries Get Serious About Wildlife Crime, Pledge Tougher Penalties for Traffickers and KingpinsBig compromises needed to meet carbon-emissions goal

Researchers solve another piece of the puzzle how forests can affect our climate

New kind of wood chip: Biodegradable computer chips made from wood

Changes in forest structure affect bees, other pollinators
African Women Mayors Join Forces to Fight for Clean Energy

UN-REDD Rolls out Benefits and Risks Tool (BeRT)
Tightening Environmental and Energy Efficiency Policies Drive the European Smart Grid Market

Deciphering clues to prehistoric climate changes locked in cave deposits

Environmental group hopes 'living shoreline' protects Halifax coast

Kids can be taught to care for environment

Groups prepare to help promote pope's environmental message

Protect Europe’s laws for nature

Ecomodernism and the Anti-Politics of Prometheus

Biodiversity: Eleven new species come to light in Madagascar