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URGENT - MSCA-ITN-2018: Innovative Training Networks - two separate non-academic partners sought

Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Reference Number: RDUK20181123001
Publication Date: 23 November 2018

Summary

A UK university are seeking two separate companies to join their Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network bid to explore strategies for understanding intermittent rivers under multiple stressors. Two partners are required, to contribute expertise in either 1) assessing molecular response of freshwater communities (biofilm, macroinvertebrates) to environmental stressors, or 2) assessment of ecological status of intermittent running waters using macroinvertebrate communities.

Description

Department of Life and Environmental Sciences at a UK University, Department of Biology at Faculty of Science and a Croatian university and institute are seeking two separate non-academic partners (companies, agencies, etc.) to join their Marie Sklodowska- Curie Innovative Training Network bid to explore strategies for understanding intermittent rivers under multiple stressors. To confirm, partners are required in two separated research themes on the same project, so if a company only fits well with one criteria below, they don't have to consider or have expertise in the other.



The project is dealing with rivers in Europe and how they respond to pollutants and focuses on solving present and future challenges related to science and management of intermittent rivers and streams (IRIS) and multiple stressors impact on water bodies. Challenges like: system understanding of receptors in IRIS under multiple stressors and assessing the impact on aquatic environment will be achieved through integrative interdisciplinary approach. In order to tackle such challenges, several postgraduate doctoral degree (PhD) projects with complementary objectives are planned.  For instance, one of the PhD projects would deal with assessing intermittent river biofilm response and assessing intermittent aquatic macroinvertebrates response during different environmentally relevant (e.g. long-term low-dose) multiple stress events. The second would work on development of novel metrics and indices using taxonomy-based and functional traits-based information of macroinvertebrate communities in IRIS.



Two partners are required, ideally this would be:



1)	a company/agency that works in some sort of analytical/instrumental development and biotechnology, 

2)	a company/agency that works in some sort of  environmental research and monitoring. 



However all partners will be considered, therefore this is not a must.  



They seek companies in Europe with expertise in either:

 

1)	Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR, high-throughput sequencing, proteomic and metabolomics sample preparation and advanced hyphenated mass spectrometry techniques; 

2)	Methods for assessment of ecological status of running waters using macroinvertebrates, i.e. experience in development/application of metrics based on macroinvertebrate communities (perennial and/or intermittent running waters), database searching and data processing, metrics testing and statistical analyses.



The project has a specific requirement where a researcher goes and works for the non-academic partner for 18 months to learn new skills and to add an applied segment to their postgraduate doctoral degree (PhD). The total costs for the researcher (salary and research costs) are covered by the project. However, the non-academic partner is free to involve them in any activity/job that would be beneficial for the PhD (but hopefully for both).  The non-academic partner is expected to contribute their expertise to the project via a research collaboration agreement.



H2020-MSCA-ITN-2019 TOPIC: Innovative Training Networks “Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks" 



Call deadline: 15 January 2019



The deadline for expressions of interest: 10 December 2018.

Advantages and Innovations

At researcher level:



•	Increased set of skills, both research-related and transferable ones, leading to improved employability and career prospects both in and outside academia (leading in the longer-term to more successful careers)

•	Increase in higher impact R&I output and more knowledge and ideas converted into products and services

•	Greater contribution to the knowledge-based economy and society



At organisation level:



•	Enhanced cooperation and better transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines

•	Improvement in the quality of training programmes and supervision arrangements

•	Creation of new networks and enhanced quality of existing ones

•	Boosting R&I capacity among participating organisations

•	Increased internationalisation of participating organisations



At system level:



•	Increase in international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility of researchers in Europe

•	More structured and innovative doctoral training, enhanced implementation of the European Charter and Code and the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training

•	Stronger links between the European Research Area (ERA) and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), notably through supporting the knowledge triangle between research, innovation and education

•	Improvement in the working and employment conditions for doctoral candidates in Europe

•	Increased societal and economic relevance of European higher education

•	Strengthening Europe's human capital base in R&I with a new generation of more entrepreneurial and highly-skilled early career researchers

•	Increase in Europe's attractiveness as a leading research destination, accompanied by a rise in the numbers of talented researchers attracted and retained from abroad

•	Better quality research and innovation contributing to Europe's competitiveness and growth

Stage Of Development

Proposal under development

Requested partner

Non-academic partners must be from a Horizon2020 eligible country (excluding UK) and be of any size e.g. SME, medium, large or R&D institute, agencies.



Two non-academic partners are required. They should be able to contribute mostly in expertise in 1) assessing molecular response of freshwater communities (biofilm, macroinvertebrates) to environmental stressors, and in 2) assessment of ecological status of intermittent running waters using macroinvertebrate communities, and this would be done under a research cooperation agreement.



Ideally this would be a company/agency that works in some sort of 1) analytical/instrumental development and biotechnology, and 2) environmental research and monitoring. However all partners will be considered, therefore this is not a must.