European City of Science – Manchester, 2016 Horizon 2020

Newsletter Issue 4 - 2015

Email: europedirect@manchester.ac.uk Telephone: +44 (0)161 27 58275 Ground Floor, Arthur Lewis Building, University of Manchester, M13 9PL www.europedirectmanchester.co.uk

European City of Science – Manchester, 2016

Manchester has been named European City of Science 2016 and will play host to the largest science conference in Europe in 2016. Manchester takes over from Copenhagen, Denmark.

As part of this, the EuroScience Open Forum will also take place in July 2016 and registration for participation is already open here. The theme for the forum will be ‘Science as Revolution’, encouraging debate and exploration of how science and technology transform our lives, constantly challenging how we think and act and is a recognition of Manchester's heritage as a science city. Over 4,500 are expected to attend from over 90 countries to discuss current and future breakthroughs in contemporary science.

Speaking at the handover ceremony in Copenhagen, Manchester Lord Mayor Susan Cooley said: “We're thrilled that Manchester is now recognised as the European City of Science and will be pulling out all the stops to build on the incredible effort that has made ESOF 2014 such a huge success here in Denmark….Manchester has a long and proud association with scientific achievement from the work of John Dalton on atomic theory to the first programmable computer and the recent discovery of the advanced material, Graphene…and with Manchester presently making significant progress across numerous exciting areas of discovery including artificial intelligence, smart textiles, and acoustics technology, there has never been a better time for the city to be recognised in this way.”

“The University of Manchester is proud of its scientific heritage but ESOF will help us to look to the future and the ways in which breakthroughs in research can revolutionise the economy and make a real impact on the challenges facing our society.” Horizon 2020 – Funding for Research & Innovation

Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) – in addition to the private investment that this money will attract. It promises more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market.

By coupling research and innovation, Horizon 2020 is helping to achieve this with its emphasis on excellent science, industrial leadership and tackling societal challenges. The goal is to ensure Europe produces world- class science, removes barriers to innovation and makes it easier for the public and private sectors to work together in delivering innovation.

British universities in 2014 secured 13% of the total allocation (second only to Germany) and universities in Manchester are using Horizon 2020 to drive forward their research. However, it’s not only the money that is important. Working collaboratively with other institutions across Europe enables universities to find new solutions and bring additional innovation and this is seen by many as one of the most valuable reasons to engage with the programme.

More information on Horizon 2020 is available here.

Manchester is short-listed for European Youth Capital 2018

Manchester continues to be recognised as a truly European and international city and with 40% of its population estimated to be under 25 years old, it is also a city that values the input of young people in driving the city forward. 105,000 students at any one time are also studying in Manchester and this has a huge impact on the culture of the city which is constantly seeing fresh ideas and new opportunities develop across the city.

The city is on the shortlist along with four other leading European cities - Cascais (Portugal), Kecskemet (Hungary), Novi Sad (Serbia), and Perugia (Italy).

Being awarded European Youth Capital provides a platform for the winner to showcase the youth related cultural, social, political and economic life of their city, and to develop new innovative and sustainable ways to increase the active participation of young people in the life of the city, as well as linking policies and actions at a European level.

If Manchester's bid is successful it will see a two year programme of events and activities in the run up to the year of office in order to get as many people involved as possible. Young people will be central to the design and delivery of the programme of events and will work in partnership with lead agencies to shape activities and decide on content.

To show your support for Manchester's European Youth Capital 2018 bid send a tweet using the hashtag #eyc2018 ERASMUS+ A funding programme to support Training, Education and Youth Work

Erasmus+ is the European Union programme for education, training, youth and sport. It runs for seven years, from 2014 to 2020. Public, private and community and voluntary organisations are able to apply for a range of actions that support learning.

Many of the activities involve exchanges of staff or learners to bring additional learning, improve opportunities and also bring innovation to the organisations involved through the identification of new ideas and approaches to service delivery.

In the UK, the programme is managed by the British Council and Ecorys. A number of deadlines for project applications are spread throughout the year. For youth activity there are three deadlines per year. The next deadline is in February 2016 for activity taking place in 2016.

For a full list of possible activities please visit the UK programme website.