ASO Call to Tackle Environmental Issues in WBC

The thematic focus of the Austrian Science and Research Liaison Offices (ASOs) for activities concerning South East Europe and the call for proposals 2007/2008 is “South Eastern Europe’s Scientific Response to: Biodiversity protection, climate change and energy scarcity”.
The main goal of this call is to promote networking and the exchange of scientific research results and knowledge, comparative studies, and know-how exchange on European standards and practices.
This year the focus is the issue of changes to our global and local natural environments i.e. cause and effects of and possible counter measures to reduction of biodiversity, climate change, and energy scarcity - topics which are also dealt with in FP7 Theme 5 Energy and Theme 6 Environment (including Climate Change).
In addition to the scientific work, the projects will discuss relevant policies and programmes on national and EU levels - with a specific focus on science policies. Projects also envisgae a mapping of activities (relevant policies, programmes, stakeholders, scientific projects, research institutes etc.) in their chosen field in South Eastern Europe and the main corresponding initiatives at EU level.
Universities, non-university research institutions and other tertiary education organisations from Austria, the ASO countries Slovenia and Bulgaria and South Eastern Europe (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia, including Kosovo/UNMIK) are invited to submit their proposals by January 31, 2008. Partners from Austria, Bulgaria or Slovenia are eligible as contractors. Ten to twelve projects will be funded to a maximum of EUR 12.000 per project.

Event Announcement

The Foresight Conference “Foresight & Policy Making in Relation to Climate Change 2008” will be held in Bled, March 6-8, 2008. Invitations have been sent also for the related press conference on December 5, 2007 in Ljubljana, Slovenia: /link/2570.html

Call for Proposals for the Stimulation of Research Cooperation between Austria, Kosovo/UNMIK and South East Europe

Within the framework of the “Multidimensional Project for Implementation of an Institutionalised Partnership between Austria and Kosovo in the Field of Higher Education, Research and Innovation” (see also /news/1050.html), the Austrian Science and Research Liaison Offices in Ljubljana and Sofia have launched a Call for Proposals for scientific networking and project cooperation between research institutions in Austria, Kosovo/UNMIK and in South Eastern Europe. Project leader of the Kosovo-Austria Partnership initiative “Higher Education and Research” is Johann Günther, working for the Agency for European Integration (AEI) in Prishtina.
Based on the objectives of this programme, the aim is to intensify and stimulate research cooperation between researchers from Austria and Kosovo/UNMIK, as well as from SEE (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia). The call should provide institutionalised researchers and scientists from the region with the opportunity to work together on scientific projects tackling current or future society driven problems in Kosovo/UNMIK in social and/or economic and/or ecological terms. Researchers and scientists from the target region are invited to send their proposals by January 31, 2008. The total budget for this call is 120,000 euro with a limit of EUR 12,000 per project.

Coordinator for both ASO Calls is Johanna Scheck at the Centre for Social Innovation.

Article published in see-science.eu eJournal fall/winter 2007.