MARINE EVIDENCE (WALES) CONFERENCE – THANKS TO ALL DELEGATES!
- Submit your feedback, share your ideas
- It’s a wrap: some key takeaways from Marine Wales 2019
- Video slideshow highlights
We had some fascinating talks and great discussions at our very first national conference focusing on Marine Evidence. This was our first conference and over 180 people joined us as delegates, speakers, poster presenters and guests at our reception and dinner. We were also lucky enough to welcome the Skipper and researchers from Swansea University’s £1.3m research vessel: The RV Mary Anning.
Were you there? We’d love your feedback to make sure the next one is even better. Please take 5 minutes to fill out the feedback form here > https://bit.ly/2kUNaaT. You can also now access presentations and slides from the talks via our event webpage.
Not that we’re blowing our own trumpet (ok, maybe just a little!) but here’s what some delegates had to say about our first major event:
“You did an amazing job and can be justly proud of the event and the impact it has had. Well done to you all, I think people will remember this for quite some time…”
“Good representation from all sectors, and talks covering a range of relevant topics!”
“Varied talks and all backgrounds – really enjoyed!”
“A great event – and really valuable too. I had some interesting discussions following my discussion which are going to be useful and exciting…”
“A fantastic opportunity to get an insight into developments in Wales. A huge amount of excellent work is underway. It was a pleasure and a privilege to attend such a well organised and interesting meeting…”
Check the video slideshow of the conference and our key highlights in the EP Wales blog. We’re now in the early stages of planning next year’s conference, which is set to be 14-16th September 2020, so SAVE THE DATE TO YOUR DIARIES and keep an ear for future updates via our events page and social media channels.
EVENTS FOR YOUR DIARY
Oct 15th
Event: Plastic Pollution: From Research to Everyday Life, 6.30-8pm, Sir Martin Evans Building, Cardiff University. Learn more about plastic pollution, from current research on microplastics to daily swaps that you can make to reduce your impact on the environment with the Cardiff Water Research Institute and Refill Cardiff. Book here > http://bit.ly/2mUGRoN
Oct 17th
Event: Regrow Borneo – Balancing air travel carbon emissions, Thu, 17 October 2019, 5:30-7pm. Regrow Borneo is collaborative project between Cardiff University’s Sustainable Places Research Institute and Danau Girang Field Centre. The project aims to address the carbon impact of air travel by replanting tropical forest. We all know we should fly less, but sometimes, taking a flight is unavoidable. If you have to fly, Regrow Borneo offers an opportunity to make a donation, balance the carbon emissions of your flight and support tree planting in the Kinabatangan rainforest, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. More info >
Oct 22nd
Event: Research & Innovation Funding: Horizon 2020 Food, Agriculture, Bioeconomy. 9.45-2.30pm, IBERS, Gogerddan, Aberystwyth. This free to attend event is co-organised by Aberystwyth University, Innovate UK and Welsh Government, and focusses on ‘food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Marine, Maritime and Inland Water Research and the Bioeconomy’. Book here > http://bit.ly/2nPH1ht
Oct 22nd
Webinar: Water evidence needs – collaborative research opp, NRW
Our friends and partners in Natural Resources Wales are looking for your support. They are now highlighting collaborative research opportunities relating to the water environment in Wales. Evidence needs highlighted include water quality, monitoring, water resources, land management and eco systems. They are keen to hear of existing or planned research or on your views on priorities or evidence gaps in knowledge. Something to say on the subject? Read the draft guidance and contact the team.
Nov 6th
Event: Food systems resilience & transformations: industry and policy perspectives, Cardiff University, 5-8pm, Bute Building. Bringing together key actors in the agri-food sector this event will explore innovative new approaches to the challenges faced by the global food system. Book here > http://bit.ly/2nEuCNA
Nov 19-20th
Event: Planning for Success: Maximising Biodiversity Through Planning and Strategic Land Use Management, Venue Cymru, Llandudno. How can ecologists and environmental management professionals influence their development and delivery to achieve the best outcomes for biodiversity at a range of spatial scales? Hear ‘How Biodiversity Net Gain Can Support People’s Wellbeing’ from Balfourbeatty and DEFRA plus a range of other speakers and workshops. More info > http://bit.ly/2mg35RI
Nov 20th
Event: ‘Climate change: hope from despair?’, Bangor University Public Lecture by & Q&A in conjunction with the UNA with Professor Kevin Anderson; Professor of Energy and Climate Change; University of Manchester. Bangor University, Eric Sunderland Lecture Theatre (MALT), Main Arts Building, 17.30-18.30pm. More info > http://bit.ly/2LRMkpW
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
BEIS Strategic Priority Fund: Project Funding
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has approved funding for the second wave of the Strategic Priority Fund (SPF) as part of Government’s investment commitment to ensure a healthy, happy planet and population. The new SPF investment will cover five projects: Greenhouse Gas Removal Demonstrators (£31.52m – NERC), Clean Air- Future Challenges (£22m – NERC), A food systems approach for healthy people and a healthy planet (£47m – BBSRC), National interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research Programme (£30 million – EPSRC) Sustainable Management of UK Marine Resources to ensure sustainable societal and economic benefits (£12.43m – NERC). More information on this funding announcement is available here.
Citizen Science Exploration Grant
Now open for applications! UKRI is offering the opportunity to apply for up to £20,000 (100% fEC) to allow researchers to develop pilot projects to build citizen science capacity into their work. Applications close on Nov 12th – go, go, go! More here > http://bit.ly/2nSZvh2
Landscape Decision Fellows: call to represent Wales!
As attendees of our recent conference will have seen during David Thomas’ talk on collaboration and network opportunities for researchers, proposals from Wales for large-scale research opportunities are too few. Environment Platform Wales is keen to support EP Wales members to submit high quality collaborative proposals to NERC’s Landscape Decision Fellows as part of the current round of SPF calls.
This call aims to support the development of a new Landscape Decisions community from diverse research base, facilitate multidisciplinary research synthesis across the Landscape Decisions Programme Work Packages, translate solutions and innovations in Landscape Decision support tools into the policy context, and/or engage a diverse cross-section of local communities in the thinking about future Landscape Decisions.
Individuals in approved UK Higher Education Institutions, Research Council Institutes, and Independent Research Organisations are eligible to apply for programme funds. Exceptionally, individuals from Public Sector Research Establishments (PSRE) with 10 or more researchers with PhDs (or equivalent) are also eligible to apply.
The deadline is February 2020, but if you have questions or need support with your proposal/application, please get in touch!
More information about Landscape Decisions Fellowships
Royal Society, GB – Research Grants
The society has announced their latest research grants scheme and application process. These provide seed-corn funding for newly independent researchers or principal investigators, and independent researchers or principal investigators returning from a career break, for research within the society’s remit of the natural sciences. Grants are worth up to £20,000 each over one year and cover equipment, consumables, travel expenses and subsistence for essential field research. Applications close on 11th Nov 2019 Find out more > http://bit.ly/2osgp6i
Pre-announcement: Transforming the UK food system for healthy people and a healthy environment.
UKRI will shortly announce a Call for research to fundamentally transform the UK food system, by placing healthy people and a healthy natural environment at its centre. Proposals will be invited for interdisciplinary consortia to take a food systems approach, linking healthy and accessible diets with sustainable food production and supply to help drive food system transformation. Two workshops will be held in October to communicate details of the research call and facilitate networking. More information > http://bit.ly/2osX4SA
Call for Evidence from National Food Strategy
Ideas needed from producers, processors, retailers, consumers, academics, policy specialists, inventors, farm labourers, factory workers, health care practitioners, charity workers and citizens for transforming our food system. Something to say or innovative idea to share? Get involved and find out more here > http://bit.ly/2n2hscN
Round F of CU Wellcome Trust ISSF3 schemes now launched
Please see the opportunities for different career stages interested in kick-starting interdisciplinary research linking water, environment and health aligned to Wellcome Trust’s “Our planet, our health” priority area. Deadline is Nov 4th. More information > http://bit.ly/2oqf1kB
Champion for the Sustainable Management of UK Marine Resources (SMMR) research programme
UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) are inviting applications for the role of Champion for the Sustainable Management of UK Marine Resources (SMMR) research programme. The £12.4m SMMR programme will be jointly delivered by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) on behalf of UKRI, and in partnership with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Marine Scotland.
If you would like to apply and would like support to get in touch with the relevant policy leads in Welsh Government please let us know.
Notification of Intent closing date: midday on 14 October 2019
Full proposal closing date: 16:00 on 14 November 2019
The Champion will act as thought leader, flag bearer and strategy owner for the SMMR research programme. The successful candidate will work with the wider research communities to aid in the development of the SMMR funding call and activities to ensure that the programme delivers its objectives. They will be responsible for working with the academic community to drive integration of research across the programme and providing leadership on the interaction of the programme with the user community, as involvement with these stakeholders from the outset will be important to the successful delivery of the programme.
It would be fantastic if we could get come applications in for this role from Welsh researchers! Please share this opportunity amongst colleagues in your Schools, Departments and Faculties. More info > http://bit.ly/31TgAX9
EP WALES BLOG
Marine Evidence Wales, 2019: Our Highlights
IN THE NEWS…
White House disbands advisory boards for marine life protection
Geoengineering: Sci-fi ways scientists could mimic volcanic eruptions to help avert climate disaster
Britain’s ‘underwater forests’ could be key to beating climate change says Sir David Attenborough
Environmental Monitoring Market Size Worth $26.7 Billion by 2025: Grand View Research, Inc. 
Studies link air pollution to mental health issues in children
Research: When Losing Out on a Big Opportunity Helps Your Career
What do we know about Ph.D. scientists’ career paths?
Giant exoplanet orbiting tiny star defies current theory of planet formation
Scientists create ‘impossible’ superconductor CeH9 after bending the rules of chemistry
Business Wales: Ideas and Innovation: University Wales Trinity St David & Aston Martin Partnership
PUTTING YOU IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Got an event, a new development, opportunity, recent success or opinion piece you’d like to share with us and our members via our newsletter, website and social media channels?
We’d love to hear from you and help you promote your work.
Submit your ideas to gemma.TF@epwales.org.uk and follow us on Facebook, Insta, LinkedIn and Twitter, we’d love to connect!