UK Solar Physics Newsletter Lyndsay Fletcher & Duncan Mackay, Editors January 2008 o UKSP Announcements o STFC Funding Cuts Update o Trial of twice-monthly UKSP Newsletters. o News, Views and Gossip o International Heliophysical Year o THEMIS call for proposals o STEREO Space Weather Group and Events Website o Solar IAU Reports on Astronomy Now Available o Observations with the SST under the OPTICON programme o Hinode special PASJ issue published o The Wind/WAVES Type II Burst Catalog Available Online o Notice of Book Publication o New RHESSI Science Nugget o New Highlight of Solar Radiophysics o Meetings, Conferences and Workshops o UKSP/NAM 2009 web site live o Workshop on "Solar Kinetics and MHD", 25-27 Feb 2009. o KITP DYNAMO CONFERENCE o EGU - First science results from the International Heliophysical Year o Solar Workshop: "New Physics in the Sun" o Heliophysics Summer School 2008 o Asian Solar Physics Winter School Update o Employment Opportunities o Postdoctoral position at the University of Glasgow within the SOLAIRE network o ESA Research Fellowships in Space Science o Five positions at IAA (Granada, Spain) o UCL Fellowship in Solar Physics o STFC Science in Society Fellowships o International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES) under FP7 Dear Colleague, First off, there are a couple of announcements we would like to make. (i) Regarding the STFC cuts, we have had the following communication from Prof Keith Mason, Chief Executive of STFC, via a couple of senior members of our community (to whom we are grateful for taking up the issue directly and communicating the result to us). In reply to a query about why Solar Physics finds no explicit mention in the STFC Delivery Plan, Prof Mason writes: "Rest assured that the questions listed in the Delivery Plan are examples only and not intended to be exhaustive. We simply cannot include the full breadth of the new Council in any reasonable length list in the same way as we used to in PPARC. The list of PP & A questions, as given on http://www.so.stfc.ac.uk/roadmap/rmHome.aspx remains unchanged however. While the Sun (and a number of other topics) are not mentioned in the delivery plan explicitly, Solar missions are contained in generic statements re ESA and post-launch support etc. You are correct to infer that there was a strict page limit to the plan, and there was a set list of topics that we had to cover in order to gain the funding allocation that we did which left limited room for a description of the programme. We concentrated on those areas where there is explicit change. " (ii) In response to 'customer feedback' that the UKSP newsletter in its current once-monthly form is too long to be able to absorb properly, and is often followed up by a mid-month issue anyway, we are going to start issuing twice-monthly newsletters, around the 1st and the 15th of every month. We look forward to hearing your reactions. Now, here are a few items which have come to our attention since the last Newsletter. You can find this newsletter also at the UKSP website: http://www.uksolphys.org Lyndsay (lyndsay@astro.gla.ac.uk) Duncan (duncan@mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk) ********************************************************************* * * * News, Views and Gossip * * * ********************************************************************* From: Lucie Green International Heliophysical Year A series of events celebrating the science of IHY have been organised around the country since its launch in February this year. Following these events there are now some resources that are available for use by the community. These include: - A stand alone exhibit looking at the Sun and its effects on the Earth (including spacecraft models, UV and magnetic field interactives, 3D videos and more). - A stand alone booth which shows 3D movies of the Sun and solar eruptions, and the aurora on Earth. This comes with banner displays talking about the science. - Activity ideas including a Sun-Earth connection pack for use in schools which is available at http://www.sunearthplan.net/media/9984_IHY_activities.pdf. - Sun posters available from STFC IHY actually continues into 2009 and if you would like to borrow any of the items for public or schools events please contact Lucie Green (lmg AT mssl.ucl.ac.uk) From: Nicolas Labrosse Hi colleagues, A message from the director of THEMIS to solar observers for possible inclusion in UKSP newsletter cheers, nic Dear friends solar observers, The Call for Proposals for observing at the THEMIS solar telescope in 2008 is now open. Deadline for applications is Jan 15th, 2008. The observing campaign will take place approximately from Apr 1st to Oct 30th, 2008. You can find all the details on eligibility, how to apply, news from the instrumentation, and practical info on our web site at: http://www.themis.iac.es. We are looking forward to see you at THEMIS next year. Kind regards, Bernard Gelly ************************************ From: David Webb STEREO Space Weather Group and Events Website The STEREO Space Weather Group website has a new URL and has been updated. On the left side are links to Group topics, STEREO team sites, STEREO SWx data, and other SWx links. Newly added is an EVENTS page which features the first STEREO SWx event, 13-15 December 2006. The next event to be added will be May 19-22, 2007. Please contact me if you have pertinent data sets for these events that can be added to the site, or if you general comments on the STEREO SWx site. ************************************* From: David Webb Solar IAU Reports on Astronomy Now Available The IAU REPORTS ON ASTRONOMY 2002-2005 (Proceedings IAU Symposium No. XXVIA, 2005, O. Engvold, ed.) pertaining to Division II Sun and Heliosphere are now available as pdf files for free download from the link below. There are four reports highlighting the divisions activities over this 3-year period and scientific topics from each of its three commissions: 10 Solar Activity, 12 Solar Radiation and Structure, and 49 Interplanetary Plasma and Heliosphere. Each report has extensive references. ************************************* From: Takaaki Yokoyama Hinode special PASJ issue published The special issue featuring the "Initial results from Hinode" has been published as a part of the Publication of the Astrnomical Society of Japan (PASJ). You may access the on-line version of this issue at the URL http://pasj.asj.or.jp/ The contents are the PDF files of the manuscripts and the corresponding movie mpeg files. The access to these files is free for a while to all. ************************************* >From : Nat Gopalswamy The Wind/WAVES Type II Burst Catalog Available Online The CDAW Data Center announces the availability of a new catalog of type II radio bursts detected by the Radio and Plasma Wave (WAVES) experiment on board the Wind spacecraft and the associated coronal mass ejections ( CMEs) observed by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). The catalog also contains information on the associated flares (X-ray importance, and NOAA active region number). The CME sources are also listed, as derived from the Solar Geophysical Data listing or from inner coronal images such as Yohkoh/SXT and SOHO/EIT. The type II bursts are also linked to Javascript movies made with the radio dynamic spectrum and SOHO/LASCO/EIT images. Finally, the type II bursts are linked to three-day overview plots of solar energetic particle events (protons in the >10, >50 and >100 MeV GOES channels), GOES soft X-ray light curves, and CME height-time history. The CMEs in this catalog are called radio-loud CMEs because of their ability to produce type II radio bursts. For questions and comments, please contact Nat Gopalswamy (gopals at ssedmail dot gsfc dot nasa dot gov). URL: http://cdaw.gsfc.nasa.gov/CME_list/radio/waves_type2.html This work was supported by NASAs Virtual Observatories for Heliophysics Data Program. *************************************** From: Steven Suess Notice of Book Publication A principal objective of space research has been to increase understanding of the way the Sun changes through its 11-year sunspot cycle, and how these changes affect the space around the Sun - the heliosphere. "The Heliosphere through the Solar Activity Cycle" (Springer-Praxis, 2007) is the first book to describe and analyze ground and space-based data on the three-dimensional heliosphere taken as the Ulysses spacecraft made orbital passes of the sun's north and south poles in 1994-1995 and again in 2000-2001. The chapters explain the many different aspects of changes in the heliosphere in response to solar activity, and describe the rise in solar activity from the last minimum in 1998 to its maximum in 2000, and subsequent decline. "The Heliosphere through the Solar Activity Cycle" was written by leading scientists directly involved with the Ulysses mission and edited by André Balogh, Louis J. Lanzerotti, and Steven T. Suess. It provides the definitive discussion of the subject to date and looks forward to discoveries to be made by follow-on missions to Ulysses. Contents: 1. The heliosphere: Its origin and exploration: A. Balogh & L. J. Lanzerotti. 2. Solar Cycle 23: D.H. Hathaway & S. T. Suess. 3. The solar wind throughout the solar cycle: R. von Steiger. 4. The globa helispheric magnetic field: E. J. Smith. 5. Heliospheric energetic particle variations: D. Lario & M. Pick. 6. Galactic and anomalous cosmic rays through the solar cycle: New insight from Ulysses: B. Heber & M. S. Potgieter. 7. Overview: The heliosphere then and now: S. T. Suess. Published in November 2007, the book has 328 pages, with full color. The hardback price is ¤119.95, ISBN: 978-3-540-74301-9. Copies can be ordered direct from Springer http://www.springerpub.com/ *************************************** From: Steven Christe A New Highlight of Solar Radio Physics, Synchrotron Radio Emission from a Fast Halo Coronal Mass Ejection by Tim Bastian is announced and can be found at http://www.lesia.obspm.fr/cesra/highlights/ On behalf of the CESRA board I wish all Highlights authors and readers a Very Happy New Year 2008! Silja Pohjolainen, Highlights editor ********************************************************************* * * * Conferences, Workshops, Meetings * * * ********************************************************************* From: Mihalis Mathioudakis The website for UKSP2008 (jointly with UKNAM and MIST) is now live. Please visit http://www.nam2008.qub.ac.uk for more information. From: Thomas Neukirch Workshop on "Solar Kinetics and MHD", 25-27 Feb 2008, RAL Cosener's House There are still places available for the workshop on "Solar Kinetics and MHD" to be held at Cosener's House (RAL) on 25 - 27 Feb 2008. For more information see http://www-solar.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/~thomas/kineticMHD Anyone interested in participating should email Thomas Neukirch (thomas@mcs.st-and.ac.uk). ****************************************** From: C A Jones Dear Colleague, KITP DYNAMO CONFERENCE This is a first announcement for a conference on 'Magnetic Field Generation in Experiments, Geophysics and Astrophysics' at the KITP in Santa Barbara from Monday July 14th - Friday July 18th 2008. More detailed information about the conference programme can be found on http://www.kitp.ucsb.edu/activities/auto2/?id=838 If you are interested in attending, please let us know informally, responding to cajones@maths.leeds.ac.uk preferably before the end of the year, and we will keep you on the mailing list for this meeting. If you want to come, please register now on http://www.kitp.ucsb.edu/activities/auto2/?id=915 Limited financial support is available from KITP for speakers at this meeting. A second announcement with more details will be sent in January. Please forward this message to any colleagues who you think may be interested. Hoping to see you in Santa Barbara in July, Chris Jones (Conference cooordinator) Dan Lathrop Steve Tobias Ellen Zweibel ************************************ From: Andy Breen We would like to invite you to participate in the EGU session IS65 - ST11/PS6.3/AS4.05 "First science results from the International Heliophysical Year" at the 2008 EGU general assembly in Vienna. Session information is available from: http://preview.tinyurl.com/ywncva and submission information from: http://meetings.copernicus.org/egu2008/ The session is intended to showcase the first science results from the International Heliophysical Year (and associated International Polar Year programmes). We look forward to receiving your abstracts. Andy Breen and Lucielle Alfonso, session co-ordinators. ********************************************** From: Stella Malaroda WORKSHOP NEW PHYSICS IN THE SUN The Workshop New Physics in the Sun was organized as an initiative of Universidad de La Punta, San Luis, Argentina, with the aim of presenting the most recent advances in solar physics and related solar-terrestrial subjects in order to motivate and attract scientists and students primarily from the NW cities of Argentina (that include Mendoza, San Juan and San Luis). The most important solar related facilities of Latin America are installed in that area, such the heliogeophysics laboratory at Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito that includes the Solar Submillimeter-wave Telescope (SST), solar Mid Infrared photometer/imager, cosmic-ray monitors, VLF tracking stations, and the H-alpha and coronograph at Carlos Cesco Station of the Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Partially related are observations carried out at Pierre Auger cosmic rays large array, at Malargüe in the nearby state of Mendoza. The Workshop will be attended by a number of well known international scientists that will present comprehensive talks on results recently obtained by the state of the art instruments and on the new observational and theoretical challenges to be explored along the next solar cycle. The workshop will be held at Universidad de La Punta, San Luís, on February 25 27, 2008 and then there will be a visit to the Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito, San Juan, from February 28 to March 1st. More information in www.palp.edu.ar/Cielos_asp/SolarWorkShop2008 ************************************************* From: Karel Schrijver The second of a three-year NASA-sponsored Heliophysics Summer School will be hosted by the UCAR Visiting Scientist Programs in Boulder, CO, 23-30 July 2008. The summer school has two principal aims: 1) to deepen the appreciation of the basic science of heliophysics for a select group of students as teachers take them through highly interactive seminars and hands-on working groups, and 2) to produce a series of textbooks from which heliophysics may be taught at universities worldwide. The three-year program comprises three thematic clusters that together cover the scientific basis of the physical processes that play a role in coupling the Suns interior to the planetary environments and atmospheres through the vast heliosphere. The second year of the program will focus on explosive energy conversion and energetic particles. The third year will focus on long-term processes, from the Sun's modulated activity to its influences on the climate systems of the heliosphere, Earth's atmosphere, and planetary environments. The first year covered the plasma physics of the local cosmos, i.e., the science that is uniquely enabled by our existence within an environment of ionized gases. Thus, the three-year program of the summer school encompasses the entire scientific discipline that is now called heliophysics, which was borne out of the need for interdisciplinary research in the context of NASA's Living With a Star (LWS) Program. Approximately 30 students (chosen from graduate students through first or second year postdoctoral fellows) will be selected each year through a competitive process to participate in the summer school. Each participant will receive air travel, lodging and per diem. Attendants will be selected for the 2008 summer school independent of their participation in 2007. Drs. Karel Schrijver (Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center) and George Siscoe (Boston University) are the Deans of the summer school. Teachers and guest speakers will be identified by the Deans in the coming months. The summer school is sponsored by the Living With a Star program of the Heliophysics Division in NASAs Science Mission Directorate. The UCAR Visiting Scientist Programs office administers the summer school. The deadline for application submission by students is 1 April 2008. Please see www.vsp.ucar.edu/HeliophysicsSummerSchool for additional information. ***************************************** >From : Takashi Sekii Asian Solar Physics Winter School Update As has already been announced, NAOJ is organizing GUAS Asian Solar Physics Winter School (4-7 March 2008, NAOJ Mitaka). The registration deadline has been set to 4 Jan 2008. If you are interested in, please visit our website at http://solarwww.mtk.nao.ac.jp/Asian_WS/ which is now (more or less) operational. *********************************************************************** * * * Positions Vacant * * * *********************************************************************** From: Lyndsay Fletcher POSTDOCTORAL POSITION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW WITHIN THE SOLAIRE NETWORK In the framework of the SOLAIRE Marie Curie Network, the following position is available to carry out research at the postdoctoral level: 18-month contract at the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, financed through the Solaire European Commission funds. Job Description: You will carry out research within the Astronomy and Astrophysics Group, on one or more of the following topics: - Particle acceleration and transport in solar flares - Magnetic energy build-up and release in solar flares - Radiation signatures and mass motion in solar flares The Astronomy and Astrophysics Group is part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. The Group conducts research in a wide range of topics, including solar, stellar and plasma physics, cosmology, and radio astronomy. We are Co-Is on NASA's award winning RHESSI satellite solar flare mission. The holder of this position will benefit from the SOLAIRE research network, which has the explicit aim of fostering research collaboration among its participant institutions and its five collaborative work packages. The activities of the network include network meetings, postgraduate schools and complementary-skills courses. Nature of the Appointment and Salary: The appointment is a full-time, fixed-term, 18-month contract, funded by the SOLAIRE EC Network and commencing March 1 2008 or as soon as possible thereafter. The gross annual salary is fixed at 52,875 Euros (to be paid in pounds sterling at the going exchange rate). In addition, the appointees will receive a mobility allowance of between 500 and 800 Euros per month depending on their family circumstances, an annual travel allowance and a one-off career exploratory allowance, in accordance with the European Commission's rules for Marie Curie Networks. Who can apply: At the time of appointment, applicants must be in possession of a PhD and have between 4 and 10 years of research experience after obtaining a degree that gives access to doctoral studies in the country in which the degree was obtained. Under the EC mobility rules, the position is open to nationals of any state other than the United Kingdom (although UK nationals may apply if they have spent at least 4 of the last 5 years in a state other than an EU Member or Associate State). Additionally, at the start of their appointment, the candidate may not have resided or carried out their main activity in the UK for more than 12 months in the previous 3 years. Application Procedure: Eligible applicants must provide the following information: - A letter of application including a statement of suitability for the position and of future research plans if awarded the position - A full CV (including dates/locations of employment) - List of publications - Photocopy or digital scan of PhD certificate and passport photograph page /identity card Additionally, they must provide for two letters of recommendation to be sent directly by the persons recommending the candidate. All documents must be sent by airmail or email to Dr. Lyndsay Fletcher, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom. Email address: lyndsay@astro.gla.ac.uk All material must arrive by 18 January 2008 For further information (description of the positions, application procedure, address for submission, etc) visit the Solaire web page: http://www.solairenetwork.eu Contact email addresses: Further details about the position: Lyndsay Fletcher, lyndsay@astro.gla.ac.uk General information about the Solaire Network: F. Moreno-Insertis, solaire @iac.es ************************************ >From : Daniel Mueller ESA Research Fellowships in Space Science The European Space Agency awards several postdoctoral fellowships each year. The aim of these fellowships is to provide young scientists, holding a PhD or the equivalent degree, with the means of performing space science research in fields related to the ESA Science Programme. Areas of research include solar and solar-terrestrial physics, planetary science, astronomy and astrophysics, plasma physics and fundamental physics. The fellowships are tenable at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, Netherlands, or at the European Space Astronomy Centre (ESAC) in Villafranca del Castillo, near Madrid, Spain. Applications are now solicited for fellowships in space science to begin in the summer or fall of 2008. Preference will be given to applications submitted by candidates within five years of receiving their PhD. Candidates not holding a PhD yet are encouraged to apply, but they must provide evidence of receiving their degree before starting the fellowship. The deadline for applications is 21 January 2008. More information on the ESA Research Fellowship programme in Space Science, on the conditions and eligibility, as well as the application form can be found on the world-wide web at this address: http://www.rssd.esa.int/fellowship Questions on the scientific aspects of the ESA Fellowship Programme in Space Science not answered in the above pages can be sent by e-mail to the fellowship coordinator, Guido De Marchi, at the address fellowship@rssd.esa.int ************************************ >From : Jose Carlos del Toro Iniesta Five positions at IAA (Granada, Spain) Five positions will soon be opened at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia (IAA - CSIC) in Granada, Spain, to work within the Solar Physics group. The group is responsible for the control electronics and software of the Imaging Magnetograph eXperiment (IMaX) that will fly as a post-focus instrument of the DLR-NASA-PNEs Sunrise balloon telescope. The group belongs to the European consortium for the Visible-light Imager and Magnetograph (VIM), a payload instrument of the ESA-NASAs Solar Orbiter mission, as responsible for the Electronic Box. Besides, an extensive basic, observational solar research is carried out by the group members by using both ground-based facilities (VTT, Themis, SVST in the Canary Islands observatories; DST in Sac Peak Observatory) and space-borne instrumentation (Hinode). The description, tasks, duration, and requirements are as follows: 1. Digital design junior engineer (DDJE) Under the direct supervision of the chief engineer, and in collaboration with another member of the team, the DDJE will develop the conceptual design for an electronic inverter of the radiative transfer equation, heart of the scientific analysis system of the VIM instrument. The inverter will be based on FPGA(s) so that programming this type of devices will occupy most of the time of the appointee. Formation and/or expertise in electronic digital design, VHDL language, Handle C, Simulink, or Xilinx design tools will be appreciated. A degree in physics or an engineering degree in telecommunications, electronics,or informatics is required. 2. Analog design junior engineer (ADJE) Under the supervision of the responsible engineer, the ADJE will carry out tasks related to the analog design for the control of mechanisms, liquid crystal variable retarders, and housekeeping of the VIM instrument. Formation and/or expertise in electronic analog design are highly desirable. A degree in physics or an engineering degree in telecommunications, electronics, or electricity is required. 3. Quality assurance junior engineer (QAJE) Under the direct supervision of the assistant project manager, the QAJE will be in charge of the component procurement, quality and documentation control, and tests design. Knowledge of component procurement, system engineering, and project managing will be appreciated. A degree in physics or an engineering degree in industry, telecommunications, or electronics is required. 4. PhD grant (PhD) A grant will be available to carry out the research and follow the academic requirements by the University of Granada in order to obtain a PhD degree in physics (astrophysics). The thesis is aimed at investigating the magnetic coupling of the solar atmosphere, with special emphasis on the study of magnetic reconnection processes that occur in sunspots and the quiet Sun. With this goal, spectropolarimetric observations of the photosphere and the chromosphere will be used, obtained from both ground-based facilities (in Tenerife, La Palma, Sacramento Peak) and space-borne instrumentation (Hinode, Sunrise). The thesis work will imply photospheric/chromospheric magnetic field determinations through inversion techniques (under non-local thermodynamical equilibrium conditions) and the extrapolation of these magnetic fields up to the solar corona. A degree in physics or mathematics is required. 5. Post-doc scientist (PD) The appointee will have the opportunity of carrying out his/her own research plan, preferably in close contact and collaboration with the IAA staff. Some work related to the (scientific aspects of the) VIM instrument design is also expected to be developed. A PhD degree in physics, astrophysics or related sciences is required. Position Duration (years) Renewal possibility DDJE 1.5 Additional 3-year renewals ADJE 3 Depends upon financing QAJE 3 Depends upon financing PhD 4 Not possible PD 3 Depends upon financing* * A number of other, regular post-doctoral programs apply to the Spanish R&D+i system to which the candidate may apply at the end of this post-doc period. Candidates are asked to send a vita, list of publications, and a summary of professional achievements and interests to Dr. J.C. del Toro Iniesta ( jti@iaa.es) in electronic format. Candidates for the scientific positions should also arrange for two letters of recommendation to be sent directly to Dr. del Toro Iniesta. Review of applications will start on January 1, 2008 until the positions are filled. **************************************** From: Libby Daghorn UCL Fellowship in Solar Physics A new UCL fellowship in solar physics has been created within the Solar and Stellar Physics group at UCLs Mullard Space Science Laboratory. The job will entail undertaking internationally regarded research and taking an involvement in project work, aiming to lead international projects in the future. Such projects will in general be related to space missions. For example we are currently proposing instruments for the Solar Orbiter mission. The successful candidate will have a demonstrated track record in Solar Physics research, have an understanding of instrumentation and its development, and be able to work effectively with and lead engineering teams both within MSSL and in external collaborations. The post is available immediately and is for a period of 3 years in the first instance with a lectureship available following a review after 2 years. The salary will be in the fellowship range: 30,012 to 40,335. The appointment grade will be commensurate with accomplishment and experience. To apply please send a CV, publication list and details of three referees to Mrs. E. Daghorn (ead@mssl.ucl.ac.uk). For further information please contact Prof. Louise Harra (lkh@mssl.ucl.ac.uk) or access our website at http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/www_solar. The deadline for applications is 20 January 2008. **************************************** From: Melanie Illsley STFC announces the 2008 round of Science in Society Fellowships. This annual funding scheme is to provide time and space for potential champions of STFC science, technology, engineering and maths areas to public audiences. Applicants should have a track record both in their research area and in public engagement. STFC-funded researchers are eligible to apply, as are users of STFC facilities who could champion generic facility programmes to the media, schools and the general public. (For users, examples should be linked to work at STFC-funded facilities in the UK or overseas and might include energy research; how neutrons or light sources are used to probe materials; high performance computing, etc). Fellowships are awarded as grants to Research Organisations. The 2008 closing date is 26 February 2008, with results by late April 2008. Full details are at www.scitech.ac.uk/Grants/Fells/SandS/contents.aspx Robin Clegg, STFC Science in Society Programme **************************************** From: Melanie Illsley Dear Colleague Please find below a flyer with further information on the new International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES), which is a new scheme being introduced as part of the FP7 Marie Curie Actions in 2008. As you will see from the flyer, the scheme aims at enhancing and creating links between institutions in the EU/Associated Countries, and partners in selected third countries. The Commission will pay for the European partners to go on secondment outside the EU/AC for up to twelve months. Third country participants are expected to find alternative funding elsewhere, in most cases. Further information on IRSES, including the Guide for Applicants, can be found on the UKRO website. ================================================= Marie Curie Actions - International Research Staff Exchange Scheme The Marie Curie Actions (MCA) provide funding for both individuals and groups, including funding for research organisations to support PhD and other graduate students, fellowships for postdoctoral and other experienced researchers, support for industry-academic exchanges, and now also research staff exchanges between European and non-European research organisations. The schemes are funded by the European Commission (EC) under Framework Programme 7 (FP7) for European Research & Technological Development (2007-2013) Outline of the International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES) The IRSES scheme is a new instrument which aims to strengthen research partnerships through staff exchanges and networking activities between European research organisations and organisations in 29 non-European countries. Unlike many other Marie Curie Actions this scheme does not have a training element but provides support for an exchange programme. The joint exchange programme should be a balanced two-way exchange between organisations in an EU country or Associated Countries, and one or more third countries. Staff can be seconded for up to one year, and can include researchers, management and technical staff. Eligible Participants The partnership should include a minimum of two independent research organisations, not including commercial enterprises, from two different EU or Associated Countries, and one or more organisations in a third country. The eligible third countries are: o Countries with EU S&T agreements: Argentina*, Australia, Brazil*, Canada, China*, Chile*, Egypt*, India*, Japan, South Korea, Mexico*, Morocco*, New Zealand, Russia*, South Africa*, Tunisia*, Ukraine*, USA o European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) countries: Eastern Europe and Central Asia (Armenia*, Azerbaijan*, Belarus*, Georgia, Moldova*, Ukraine*) - Mediterranean Partner Countries (Algeria*, Egypt*, Jordan*, Lebanon*, Libya, Morocco*, Palestinian-administered areas*, Syria*, Tunisia*) *International Cooperation Partner Countries (ICPC) Financial Issues The EC contribution will be a fixed amount of Euro1800 per seconded month to cover the cost of mobility (not salary costs) for outgoing EU/AC staff. Third country partners are expected to fund their own participation in the network. In exceptional cases, the EC may provide funding for International Cooperation Partner Countries and to partners from European Neighbourhood countries. Further Information The closing date for the 2008 call for proposals is 28th March 2008 at 17:00 Brussels time. Further information is available from the UK National Contact Point for the Marie Curie Actions, please visit www.ukro.ac.uk/mariecurie, or if you have questions contact: Mariecurie-uk@bbsrc.ac.uk phone number +32 2 230 5275