On 17 and 18 March, the European Union Programme at CONICYT’s Department of International Relations, sponsored by the Delegation for Regional Cooperation at the Embassy of France, will conduct a training session for National Contact Points (NCPs) and National Information Points (NIPs) of Chilean universities at the facilities of the EuroChile Business Foundation. This event will be organised jointly with Dr. Paul Jamet, National Contact Points Coordinator in France.
The purpose of this event is to provide NCPs and NIPs with the necessary tools for disseminating and supporting a successful application of Chilean researchers for calls for contest annually open by the European Commission through its Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7). This programme is the European Union’s lead instrument for support of research both in Europe and outside of it, granting about 50 thousand million Euros for the period between 2007 and 2013.
NCPs are renowned experts from different thematic areas who are responsible for supporting the work conducted by the Liaison Office at CONICYT in order to disseminate opportunities offered by FP7 and provide support to those interested in participating in this programme.
NIPs, on the other hand, are representatives from prestigious Chilean universities who are appointed by Research Directorates to strengthen the support provided by the universities to the experts who want to apply for FP7.
GREAT INTEREST
The training has generated a great interest in Chilean and Latin American scientific community. To date, 40 noted participants have confirmed their attendance, which include Research Directors from distinguished Chilean universities and the NCPs from Chile, Paraguay and Peru.
Dr. Paul Jamet has great experience in international cooperation. Among other activities, he was in charge of European Affairs at the French National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA) from 1996 to 2001. In 1999, he was nominated as the NCP of the area “Quality of Life and Management of Live Resources”, in the Fifth Framework Programme, and he has been the coordinator of all NCPs in France since 2002, based in the Ministry of Higher Education and Research of France. He is also in charge of the EUROSFAIRE site, which is devoted to the FP7 and research in Europe. As NCP Coordinator for France, he conducts trainings such as the one to be carried out in Chile and later in Buenos Aires, and which have already been held in Taiwan.
THE TRAINING
In the sessions to be held at the facilities of the EuroChile Business Foundation, Dr. Jamet will offer a European perspective of the support system for cooperation between European and Non-European countries. He will present on the NCP system in France and the other NCP systems around the world, such as in Austria, Israel and Turkey. Likewise, he will provide practical tools for NCPs’ every-day work and useful tips for developing successful project proposals.
“My goal is to provide participants with a clear perspective on what are the activities conducted by an NCP”, comments Paul Jamet. “NCPs keep close contact with the European Commission and with the national scientific community, which enables them to be facilitators of cooperation between both parties”.