British Council Science Dr Claire McNulty Director of Science Aston University, 27 th Jan 2014

British Council work We are the UK’s international cultural relations organisation, and have been working for 80 years to forge links between people in the UK and other countries Our main purpose is to build engagement and trust through the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people worldwide We have 218 offices in 109 countries around the world

Charitable purposes Our Royal Charter sets out the purposes for which we are established. These are to: promote cultural relationships and the understanding of different cultures between people and peoples of the United Kingdom and other countries; promote a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom; develop a wider knowledge of the English language; encourage cultural, scientific, technological and other educational cooperation between the United Kingdom and other countries; or otherwise promote the advancement of education

UK Science is world-leading Science is a strong UK asset No. 1 ranking in the G8 (just overtaken the US) in one measure of quality of research (Field- Weighted Citation Impact) UK has just 0.9% of world population but produces 16% of most highly cited papers BIS International Comparative performance of the UK Research base, 2013

UK research is international Approx 40% of researchers in the UK are non- UK nationals 48% of UK articles in 2012 resulted from an international collaboration Internationally collaborative research is more highly cited The Researchers Report, Deloitte 2012, BIS International Comparative performance of the UK Research base, 2013, The Shape of Things to Come, British Council 2012

Researchers benefit from mobility Only 28% of UK researchers have not published in another country between Mobile researchers were shown to be more productive on average ‘Partnership networks are forged early in a researchers career’ ‘Finding the right partner is critical’ Online tools are very useful but personal contact is still important for cementing relationships From: International Comparative Performance of the UK Research Base, BIS, 2013

Value of international collaboration Strong research base Increased international collaboration Production of high quality research Attract talented students and researchers Virtuous Circle

Do we need to adapt our international outlook? Patterns of mobility still driven by familiarity (Nature Survey: 80% of UK researchers who go abroad, go to US, Canada and Australia) Culture, language, and academic freedom barriers – 59% of researchers surveyed thought that China would have the most scientific impact in 2020, but only 8% would consider moving there – Similar for India – 29% and 9% respectively Van Noorden, Nature, 490, ; Franzoni et al, Nature Biotech 30(12):1250-3

Rising publications from OIC countries Atlas of Islamic world science and innovation From: Atlas of Islamic World Science and Innovation

What do researchers need to broaden horizons? Information Funding Practical Support Skills

Information Mapping studies – Shape of things to come series – Atlas of Islamic World Science and Innovation Going Global – International Higher Education Conference – Miami, April 2014 Bilateral or Regional policy Dialogues – Eg. East Asia Policy Dialogue series. Including ‘Co- Innovation for Social and Economic Growth, Thailand, February 2014.

Funding opportunities Global, multilateral, and bilateral initiatives Focus on initial links and partnership building Opportunities for individuals, research groups, and institutions

Researcher Links Focus on early career researchers, with input from more senior researchers Thematic workshops and travel grants Open call; selection on the basis of mutual benefit, research quality and potential for sustained interaction Encourage interdisciplinary interactions and inclusion of social sciences and arts and humanities researchers

Which target countries? 2013/14 Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Morocco, Egypt, Qatar, South Africa, Nigeria, Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan Pakistan, Bangladesh Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, Vietnam, US (travel grants only) Workshops: 400 applications; 49 selected Travel Grants: 380 applications; selection Jan 2014 New calls coming out in Spring and Autumn 2014 Aston had two successful workshop proposals: Russia and Vietnam

BIRAX BIRAX Regenerative Medicine Initiative In partnership with FCO Five-year programme Funding for teams in UK and Israel to carry out joint research (First call: maximum funding £400,000 over 3 years) Second call to be announced on th March 2014 at BIRAX Conference (free accommodation and registration) Funding for short term fellowships, to or from Israel (1-6 months). Open for applications now. Supported by Pears Foundation, UJIA, BIS, FCO, Ministry of Science and Technology (Israel)

Global Innovation Initiative Trilateral UK/US/third country partnerships (India, Brazil, Indonesia, China) £150k grant for networking and mobility Themes: – Energy, environment and climate change – Agriculture, food security and water – Global health and wellbeing – Urbanisation Call now closed but potential for new call in 2014

Other Research Opportunities UK-China partnerships in education UKIERI (India) Exploratory grants (e.g Turkey, Ukraine, Hong Kong) – small amounts of funding to initiate partnerships All opportunities advertised through HE Digest and Euraxess newsletters

Euraxess – practical support for mobile researchers Practical support EURAXESS – support for mobile researchers in 40 European countries Euraxess Links in USA, China, Japan, Singapore (for ASEAN), India, and Brazil Promotes rights for researchers HR Excellence in Research recognition

International funding search – by career stage, discipline and region Information on Research landscape in UK, practical info, jobs, careers, funding Downloadable guide for researchers and can order hard copy online

Science Engagement Café Scientifique Thailand National Science and Technology Fair Inspiring young people to take up science Universities of Bristol and Durham exhibited

FameLab International Science Communication competition 20 countries, millions of viewers Longer term impacts – Science Festivals, TV shows etc

British Council Science Information on all our science and research initiatives British Council Higher Education News and opportunities for the HE sector EURAXESS-UK Practical support for international researchers moving to the UK. Sign up for the newsletter to get up to date news and opportunities CUBED Magazine highlighting UK breakthroughs in science and innovation European RTD Insight We sponsor this monthly online publication which provides the latest news on European Union policy; research; education, training and culture; external collaboration; events and awards; new publications and online resources British Council Online Resources

Any Questions?