ACS (Australian Computer Society)’s Post

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (#EIT) is facing a major turning point as its Knowledge and Innovation Communities (#KICs) work towards becoming financially self-sufficient. A series of new reports shows good progress, but also raises concerns that the push for profitability could come at the cost of important #education and outreach programmes. As some KICs focus more on revenue, there is a risk that they will cut back on activities that have strong social value but do not generate income. #Research #innovation 🔎 More: https://lnkd.in/edieksdh

📰 𝗘𝗜𝗧 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝘀: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗣𝟭𝟬? The #European #Institute of #Innovation and #Technology (#EIT) is facing calls for reform as stakeholders and policymakers scrutinize its role and structure ahead of #FP10. Many stakeholders argue that the high bureaucratic burden and low funding returns discourage participation in EIT’s Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), making it difficult for smaller organizations to engage. Despite these challenges, #EIT has been named Europe’s top investor in promising start-ups by tech newsletter Sifted and recognized as one of the most efficient programs for “time-to-grant” under #Horizon #Europe, reflecting its impact on accelerating innovation. Critics, including Christian Ehler, contend that these achievements are largely due to the performance of KICs rather than the EIT central office. They advocate for reforms to streamline processes while empowering the KICs to maximize their impact. This conversation raises broader questions about the future of EU innovation policy. As FP10 discussions progress, the focus will likely be on balancing reduced bureaucracy with maintaining EIT’s strengths to ensure it remains a competitive force in Europe’s research and innovation landscape. 📖 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/dFR3AAh7 #HorizonEurope #InnovationPolicy #EIT #KIC #EUInnovation

The UK government is investing £500 million to fund over 4,700 new postgraduate places at UK universities, aiming to cultivate the next generation of engineers and scientists. 🌱🔧 This initiative will help develop talent in vital sectors like clean energy, health, and environmental sciences, leading to future advancements. 💡🌍 With new opportunities for budding innovators, it's an exciting time for engineering and science. At SIS Ltd., we’re ready to support the next wave of professionals driving real change and sustainability. 🚀 www.sis-ltd.org.uk #EngineeringExcellence #FutureOfScience #SustainableInnovation #NextGenEngineers #PostgraduateFunding #SISLtd

🔍 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐋𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡: 𝐀𝐒𝐏𝐈'𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 🔍 The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) may not be widely known, but it plays a crucial role in providing deep insights into global #technology trends. Their latest note offers a comprehensive look at two decades of critical technology development, highlighting global leadership, innovation, and emerging trends. 📊🌍 Key takeaways: 🔹 Detailed tracking of tech advancements over 20 years. 🔹 Insights into key players and rising leaders in critical tech fields. 🔹 In-depth analysis of innovation trends, R&D investments, and international collaborations. Let me quote this part of the study which is also particularly valid for the #quantum sector I am involved in : "The European Union, as a whole, is a competitive technological player: With members of the EU aggregated over the past five years, 𝐰𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐔 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 (𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥-𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧 30 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬. When counted as a bloc, the EU’s position as the first- or second-ranked ‘country’ can change the technology monopoly risk in those technologies because of its impact on the ratio of the lead country’s research share over that of the second-ranked country as well as the number of institutions. As a bloc, the EU’s stronger alignment on building and supporting S&T capability can be seen through programs like Horizon Europe, the EU’s key program that funds research and innovation (worth €93.5 billion in 2021–27), and fellowships which encourage and support the mobility of talent such as the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships. Many of the top performing European institutions in the Tech Tracker have long benefited (some substantially) from these generous funding schemes. Groupings like AUKUS and the Quad (US, Japan, India, and Australia) could learn a lot from such schemes as they increase investment in select critical technology areas." For #policymakers, #businesses, and #researchers, this report serves as an essential resource to understand where critical technologies are headed globally. Staying informed about these developments is crucial to staying competitive. 📈🌟 📖 Dive into the full report here: https://lnkd.in/edMK7Bpp #TechnologyTrends #Innovation #R&D #ASPI #CriticalTechnology #GlobalTech #quantum @multiversecomputing #sovereignty

Australia's outgoing Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley rightly asks how we can better measure success in the research sector, affirming that current measures of success are skewing outcomes. "The focus on numbers of papers and citations incentivises the wrong kinds of behaviour – first-author status, publish or perish, internal competition rather than cooperation." She says that this makes it harder for younger researchers or people from different backgrounds to get their feet on the ground. "It’s harder than it should be for new ideas and experimental approaches to get support. There’s not sufficient recognition of time spent outside universities, for example, in industry." Dr Foley also spoke of improving access to research literature and how to incentivise greater spending on R&D and research infrastructure as we prepare for technologies that are coming over the horizon Acknowledging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems as a foundational piece of Australia’s science and research system, Dr Foley said that Indigenous knowledge is a comparative advantage for Australia and can help drive new innovation. Thank you Australia's Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley for your contributions to Australian science.

“Australia has the opportunity to step up and lead, if we’re prepared to question things that we have taken for granted, our ingrained habits, and even the things we think are sacrosanct.” Inspirational final speech from Australia's Chief Scientist Dr Cathy Foley. Great advice if Australia is to achieve its potential as a science and innovation leader.

UK-based organizations are eligible to apply for a portion of £3 million in funding for quantum research and innovation projects in collaboration with at least one European Union Member State organization. The competition is open from May 7, 2024, to August 28, 2024, at 11:00 am. The funding is provided by the UK Government's International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), managed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and delivered by leading research and innovation bodies in the UK. The aim is to foster cooperation between UK and international entities, particularly in the EU, to advance quantum technologies and overcome barriers to their commercialization and adoption. UK businesses must partner with a non-linked organization from an EU Member State and can involve other international partners. Applications must be submitted through the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) portal to Innovate UK, with international partners not receiving funding from Innovate UK. Due to funding limitations, not all proposed projects may be supported, even if they score highly. The competition deadline is at 11 am UK time, and it is advisable to refer to Innovate UK for accurate information. https://buff.ly/3WBCtJN #ukgrants #startupgrants #businessgrants #ukgovernmentgrant #sme #smegrant #businessfunding #smefunding #technologygrant #innovationgrant #capti #captiinnovation #gamechanging #gamechanginginnovation #disruptiveinnovation

📰 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗸 📰 On Monday, InnovationAus.com put a spotlight on the launch of the Tech Policy Design Institute - Australia’s first independent tech policy think tank. As Joseph Brookes highlighted, TPDi is backed by the Australian Government, leading tech companies, plus the tech sector’s professional society, and is focused on bringing the sector together to co-design tech policy solutions. TPDi CEO Johanna Weaver told InnovationAus.com that collaboration is key to the Institute's work, saying “We’ll work with everyone; we’ll harness the knowledge and expertise of everyone’. And this also applies to TPDi’s comprehensive approach to tech policy questions: “We’re looking at it from the security perspective, but also from the social perspective, from the political perspective, from the economic perspective”, said Johanna. 🌏 The article explores the international dimensions of tech policy. TPDi is headquartered in Canberra but collaborates with leading organisations around the world to deepen Australia’s position as a global leader in tech policy. Tech policy doesn’t happen in a vacuum – Australia must continue to be a leader in the region and shape important international conversations. 🚀 TPDi is excited to harness the power of policy to shape a positive tech future where innovation thrives. ⬇️ Read the full article to learn more about TPDi’s all-star board and group of special advisers at the link in comments #TechPolicy #Innovation #Collaboration #International 

Australia’s Economic Accelerator (AEA) has officially launched with the first round of grants now open. AEA INNOVATE AND IGNITE GRANTS AEA Innovate Innovate grants support mid-stage research commercialisation through competitive grants of up to $5 million for a maximum period of 24 months. These grants are available for researchers at Australian universities to collaborate with industry to advance projects that already have laboratory proof-of-concept. AEA Ignite How much: Up to $500,000. How long: Up to 12 months. Who to: An eligible higher education institution (Table A or Table B university, or ‘University College’). What for: Translation of early-stage research findings into products or services with commercial viability. https://lnkd.in/gmbyzuKs #research #innovation #university #accelerator

UK-based organizations are eligible to apply for a portion of £3 million in funding for quantum research and innovation projects in collaboration with at least one European Union Member State organization. The competition is open from May 7, 2024, to August 28, 2024, at 11:00 am. The funding is provided by the UK Government's International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), managed by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and delivered by leading research and innovation bodies in the UK. The aim is to foster cooperation between UK and international entities, particularly in the EU, to advance quantum technologies and overcome barriers to their commercialization and adoption. UK businesses must partner with a non-linked organization from an EU Member State and can involve other international partners. Applications must be submitted through the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) portal to Innovate UK, with international partners not receiving funding from Innovate UK. Due to funding limitations, not all proposed projects may be supported, even if they score highly. The competition deadline is at 11 am UK time, and it is advisable to refer to Innovate UK for accurate information. https://buff.ly/3WBCtJN #ukgrants #startupgrants #businessgrants #ukgovernmentgrant #sme #smegrant #businessfunding #smefunding #technologygrant #innovationgrant #capti #captiinnovation #gamechanging #gamechanginginnovation #disruptiveinnovation