Page 25 - CIBERES2016-ENG

Internationalisation Programme
Coordinator: Cristina Rodríguez
Last 11 May 2015 the CIBER Platform for Assistance for Internationalisation was set up. The Platform for Assistance for Internationalisation (PAI) came about as a joint initiative of the Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine areas (CIBER-BBN), Rare Diseases (CIBERER) and Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES), of the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBER), with the aim of underpinning and coordinating endeavours intended to promote its researchers’ participation in European programmes and creating a common structure to further internationalisation and leadership of research and innovation in these three thematic areas.
In 2016 the platform focussed its work on two main areas: fostering the participation of CIBER groups in international projects and improving the international visibility of the CIBER.
As regards fostering the participation of CIBER groups in international projects and, in order to improve the quality of the proposals put forward, the PAI has carried out 4 specific events for disseminating the advantages of internationalisation and given 3 specific courses on drafting and managing European projects intended for researchers and managers in the CIBER environment (Aspects of relevance in presentation and justification of European proposals in the CIBER environment” (April 2016, with 70 persons attending) and “Drafting successful cooperation proposals in the framework of H2020” (Madrid edition. June 2016, with 40 attending, and Barcelona edition, September 2016, 44 attending) both a great success for all those taking part.
In order to raise the quality of the proposals and improve returns the PAI got under way a Service for editing proposals which has carried out the following activities: 1) Solving doubts and positioning of proposals (contrasting the scientific idea with that of the call and issuing a grounded report with recommendations on how to adapt the idea, need for strategic partners, etc...) the PAI has received over 27 enquiries in this respect. 2) Edition of proposals (PAI has edited over 20 proposals). 3) Evaluation of results (in previous proposals or those not sent through the PAI), giving a grounded criticism of the result and proposing where there is room for improvement (12 requests in the period). 3) Search for strategic partners (6 requests in this period, plus 6 external partners who got in touch with CIBER to propose joint cooperation).
Thanks to this, in 2016 CIBER put forward 36 new proposals, 4 new projects being granted. Expressions of interest were received for the presentation of 10 new proposals. In this field it should be stressed that CIBER has received 5 new contacts from research groups or companies in order to set up agreements for joint presentation of proposals in the H2020 setting, and currently 2 of these contacts have materialised in the real presentation of two H2020 proposals.
In the field of the CIBER’S international visibility, the CIBER has done some intensive work by attending over
18 events (including informative sessions, infodays and events for seeking partners). The platform also placed special stress on establishing a smooth relationship with the different national representatives, national
points of contact, by means of specific meetings, acting as a point of contact on the institutional level. In order to improve international presence, specific meetings were held with NCPs and with the head of the H2020 programme in order to establish smoother relations. Thanks to this increase in communication, CIBER was invited to the Forum for strategic definition of the Wp2018-2020 and took an active part in defining the 2017 work programmes and IMI calls as scientific experts. It was also decided to include postulating CIBER
for participation in joint measures JA-01, 02, 03, 04, 05-2016 in which it was offered the possibility to take part in measures as associated centres. It should be stressed that thanks to the campaign for recruiting experts promoted by the PAI, CIBER has included over 15 new profiles in the Cordis database and has promoted updating the existing ones. As a result of this work CIBERER researcher Carmen Ayuso was selected to form part of the group of experts in ethics and scientific integrity, in the framework of the programme Science with and for Society of the 2020 Horizon (SwafS-ethics), while researchers Mercedes Serrano and Isabel Varela, recently created profiles, were contacted to take part as assessors.
RES
Transversal programmes 25