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The FRIENZ project will provide funding to assist selected European delegates to participate in a Study Group tour through New Zealand for approximately 5 days beginning February 9, 2015.  The task of the delegation is to promote opportunities for collaboration in research and innovation with New Zealand; strengthen existing relationships; and stimulate new collaboration with New Zealand research organisations and innovation partners. 

 Key actors:

Successful delegates in this call are expected to be aligned with the Horizon 2020 programme SPIRE or similar initiatives. 

The overall interdisciplinary theme of the tour is sustainable process industries.  Manufacturing is increasingly based on globally distributed resources to make, assemble and distribute a wide range of goods. Customers are also becoming more diverse with a wider range of needs to be satisfied more rapidly and suited to their needs, including environmental, and they have greater ability to seek out information and make comparisons on alternatives.  New technologies are required that allow manufacturers to use less resources and reduce costs.  New Zealand has, or is establishing, a range of existing and new entities to help support manufacturers including:

• the Science for Technological Innovation National Science Challenge whose objective is to enhance the capacity of New Zealand to use physical and engineering sciences for  economic growth, this is a collaboration across a wide range of institutions actively involved in physical and engineering sciences, and the study of research and innovation practices themselves.
• three Centres of Research Excellence: (the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, hosted by the Victoria University of Wellington, The Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies, hosted by the University of Otago, and a Medical Technologies CoRE hosted by the University of Auckland.

The tour programme will allow participants to share research and establish, renew or extend their relationships with counterparts in New Zealand.  The tour will take place in New Zealand’s summer and in some of New Zealand’s best scenic locations across both the North and South Islands culminating in a joint session in Wellington, the capital city.

Potential tour destinations and visits:

Representatives from the European Union research, university and innovation sectors can apply for travel and accommodation support up to the value of EUR4200 to participate in this FRIENZ study group tour.  The travel policy, in line with European Commission, requires the prudent use of public funds.  This precludes premium economy or business class travel.  Where travellers would like to book (or upgrade) their tickets, the FREINZ project may reimburse the traveller to the value of an economy airfare.  The FRIENZ Project Officer, Michelle Wickens will assist with booking your travel arrangements.

 Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria for applicants are that they are either:

• A European Science Leader or Industry Leader who could benefit from linkages to potential commercialisation partners in Europe and New Zealand through which New Zealand companies and/or organisations can benefit from establishing or strengthening this relationship; or 

• Considered to be European researchers/managers, in a position to develop new proposals (to New Zealand, Horizon 2020 and Member State programmes) to formalise knowledge sharing between Europe and New Zealand; and

• Aligned to the topics below.

Assessing Applications to select Participants

• Applications must align with the following topic(s):  Sustainable Process Industries (SPIRE) – topic areas 2,4 and 7 of the Horizons 2020 Work Programme 2014-2015
  • SPIRE 2 – 2014: Adaptable industrial processes allowing the use of renewables as flexible feedstock for chemical and energy applications
  • SPIRE 4 – 2014: Methodologies, tools and indicators for cross-sectorial sustainability assessment of energy and resource efficient solutions in the process industry
  • SPIRE 7 – 2015: Recovery technologies for metals and other minerals 

• Applications will be considered by a Selection Panel in order to ensure a representative mix. 

• Preference will be given to key actors of Research or Industry who are able to demonstrate a strong bilateral involvement and potential benefit to both Europe and New Zealand.

• The FRIENZ Sectoral Contact Point (SCP) and FRIENZ Consortium partners reserve the right to nominate European science leaders to be considered for this call.

Please fill out the application form and email to Michelle Wickens (michelle.wickens@royalsociety.org.nz), Project Officer FRIENZ before Wednesday 8^th October 2014 (New Zealand Time).  Successful applicants will be notified by Wednesday 22^nd October 2014.