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Instruct plans for the future in Horizon2020

28-May-2013

Instruct is working with a number of bodies to clarify the funding opportunities that will be relevant for Instruct in the Horizon2020 workprogramme. In preparation for this, Instruct continues to develop new relationships with potential members and work with national and regional groups to organise structural biology communities which will provide strategic input to Instruct for future planning.

Instruct has been active in the following areas in the last six months:

  • Instruct has been proactive in establishing MOUs to define collaborative relationships with Slovenia and Greece and is preparing similar documents defining common interests and activities with non-European countries.
  • Instruct is working with representatives of the UK Medical Research Council and the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills to write an ERIC application. The timetable for this is at present to aim for ERIC status in Q4 2014.
  • Instruct supported an application for a large infrastructure bid in the UK and is supporting an application for UK partnership in the Free Electron Laser (FEL) located at Hamburg.
  • Instruct Centres have extended their access to infrastructure to non-Instruct member scientists on a collaborative basis. Non-member scientists may submit a proposal  clearly stating that this work will be undertaken at no cost to Instruct, although the facility will be supported as part of their national Instruct contribution to accommodate this access work. Collaborative users will negotiate with their scientific collaborators and the facility of choice to cover consumable, travel and accommodation costs as appropriate. This extended access will be useful in determining the demand for Instruct infrastructure in the Europe-wide Structural biology community.