Delivering sustainable business - 12 September

InCrops invites you to attend ‘Delivering sustainable business – Rio+20 and beyond’; a networking meeting to discuss the role of industry in maintaining ‘Natural Capital’. The event, featuring presentations from the United Nations Environment Programme-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), will take place on 12 September, 15:00 -18:00 at Wolfson Court, University of Cambridge, CB3 OHD.

In June, world leaders and stakeholders met in Rio de Janeiro for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), 20 years after the Rio Earth Summit that produced a series of high-level commitments to sustainable development that have shaped the biodiversity and development agendas.

The high level of business engagement at the Conference and the number of business-related commitments in the Rio+20 outcomes document serve as a reminder of the central role that business plays in delivering sustainability and in safeguarding our planet’s ‘Natural Capital’.

This FREE event is aimed at anyone interested in

• hearing more about the outcomes from Rio+20 and what they mean for business
• finding out about
  • commitments announced by business at Rio+20 (i.e. the Natural Capital Declaration; the Natural Capital Leadership Compact)
  • outcomes from the Rio+20 Corporate Sustainability Forum and the Business Action for Sustainable Development Rio+20 Business Day
  • the launch of new public-private partnerships for sustainable development
• discussing with other business leaders what we can do here and now, in the East of England, to grow a sustainable economy

Registration will open at 15:00, presentations and discussion will start at 15:30, and the event will close at 18:00.

To register to attend this event please email Adapt.events@uea.ac.uk or call 01603 591765

Events: July

Renewable Energy, Royal Welsh Show – 23-26 July, ADAS

ADAS will do an initial assessment of a farm’s potential for renewable energy projects for free. If the site is suitable they will develop and manage everything at no cost or risk to the farmer.
Come and see ADAS at stand CCA790 at the Royal Welsh Show to discuss their renewable energy development offers.
Further information

Diversity into industry – 26th July, NIAB-TAG

An interactive event focussing on sources of genetic diversity in cereals for exploitation in industry.
Further information

Funding & Jobs July

Funding

Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7): 2013 Calls for Proposals

As part of a €10.8 billion budget for research and innovation, the European Commission has announced a €8.1 billion package of calls for proposals for 2013 under the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7). This is the final and largest ever package of FP7 calls and includes 52 calls for proposals covering the Cooperation, Ideas (ERC), People (Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions) and Capacities pillars.
The majority of the funding (€4.8 billion) will continue to be invested in FP7’s thematic areas: health; food, agriculture and fisheries; biotechnology; information and communications technologies; nano-sciences, nanotechnologies, materials and new production technologies; energy; environment; transport; socio-economic sciences and the humanities; space; and security.
For 2013 there will also be nine cross-cutting thematic priorities, relevant to CPPS are:

• Oceans of the Future: supporting sustainable growth in marine and maritime sectors.
• Water: supporting innovative solutions for managing fresh water resources.
• Raw materials: maintaining a sustainable supply of raw materials for the EU.
• Secure, clean and efficient energy: to develop new green energy technologies and decrease dependency on energy imports.
• Bioresource efficiency: promoting efficiency in the processing of biological resources, ensuring a safe and plentiful food supply and supporting sustainable primary production from land, forests and oceans, while reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions.

FP7 funding will also continue to attract world-class researchers to Europe through individual grants from the European Research Council and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions for research training and mobility, as well as funding capacity-building, nuclear energy research, joint programmes between member states and collaboration with industry (including €1.2 billion to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to participate).
Further information on the 2013 calls and themes.
Browse current calls and download application materials

Capturing cropland and grassland management impacts on soil carbon in the UK land use, land use change and forestry inventory

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), GB
Research is required to develop a framework for capturing cropland and grassland management impacts on soil carbon in the UK LULUCF inventory and to populate this framework. The project is to start 10 September 2012 and last for 18 months ending 28 February 2014.
Award amount max: Not specified Closing date: 31 Jul 12
Further information

Darwin initiative - main projects

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), GB
The Darwin initiative aims to help safeguard the world's biodiversity by drawing on UK biodiversity expertise to work with local partners in countries that are rich in biodiversity but poor in financial resources. Defra would normally expect to fund projects in the range of £80,000 to £300,000 over three years.
Award amount max: Not specified Closing date: 13 Aug 12
Further information

DEFRA – Further calls

Honey bee health: mapping, analysis and improved understanding of stakeholder groups to help sustain honey bee health.
Closing date: 28 August 2012

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES)-PES pilot research projects services (2012-13)
Closing date: 13 August 2012

Jobs

BSPB: Administrator Vacancy

The candidate will carry out a broad range of administrative and accounting work relating to the collection of seed royalties. This will include database inputting, checking invoices and other documents, chasing declarations and payments, investigative work, dealing with enquiries and helping with office IT support. The candidate must have excellent communication skills and be confident in, and comfortable with, a large amount of telephone work. They must be numerate and organised, have good attention to detail, with IT skills in MS Office applications. Experience in accounts work, in the agricultural supply industry or a farm office environment and an understanding of IT systems would be an advantage. Apply with CV and a covering letter explaining your suitability for the role, including current salary details, to BSPB Ltd,Woolpack Chambers, Market Street, Ely, Cambs CB7 4ND or by e-mail to enquiries@bspb.co.uk by 10 August 2012. For further information call Grahame Stephens on 07920 238252.
Further information

Elsoms: Vegetable Seeds Crop Manager Vacancy

http://www.elsoms.com/News.aspx
Download pdf with further details

News: July

Partner News

NIAB-TAG: Soil management project to support sustainability

A four-year, £644,000 research project commissioned by the HGCA and carried out by the James Hutton Institute and NIAB TAG will establish best practice for the sustainable intensification of agricultural production. Key objectives are increased cereal yields for UK farmers and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Further information

John Innes Centre: Major investment to persuade bacteria to help cereals self-fertilise

The John Innes Centre will lead a $9.8m research project to investigate whether it is possible to initiate a symbiosis between cereal crops and bacteria. The symbiosis could help cereals access nitrogen from the air to improve yields. The five-year research project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, could have most immediate benefit for subsistence farmers.
Further information

Anglia Farmers Limited (AF): Waitrose Farming Partnership - AF membership launched

Waitrose Farming Partnership – AF membership, is open to all Waitrose UK-based farmers, giving them access to significant savings on all farm supplies. Clarke Willis, CEO of the AF Group said: "This new initiative extends our range of professional buying services to members of the Waitrose Farming Partnership and provides a cost effective membership to farmers supplying Waitrose. We are able to provide procurement expertise and combine volumes to deliver significant savings on farm supplies and services and look forward to working with producers who are part of the Waitrose Farming Partnership to reduce their costs".
Further information

General News

Bioenergy Strategy

Department of Energy and Climate Change has published a bioenergy strategy that sets out a framework for ensuring that biomass powering our homes, businesses and transport delivers benefits to businesses and consumers in a drive to meet the UK's low carbon objectives.
Further information

BBSRC NSF Ideas Lab: Nitrogen: improving on nature

BBSRC and NSF have launched a joint Ideas Lab and are particularly keen to have Chemists participate in a five-day Ideas Lab to develop innovative and transformative ways to reduce inputs of nitrogen fertilizers to non-leguminous crops whilst maintaining or increasing yield, through a multidisciplinary approach.
The Ideas Lab will develop outline proposals that will subsequently be developed into full proposals and submitted for consideration by the funding agencies and a team of mentors. Successful proposals developed through the Ideas Lab will be jointly funded by BBSRC and NSF, and up to $12M ($6M or equivalent each from the US and the UK) is available subject to proposals.
Further information

Algal technologies workshop 23 July Cambridge

InCrops, PatentYogi and Basck invite you to attend ‘Cost effective IP Protection’; a workshop to discuss how best to capture innovation in algal technologies. The event will take place on Monday 23 July 15:00 -18:00 in the Seminar Room of the Sanger Building, Department of Biochemistry, 80 Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1GA.

This FREE event is aimed at anyone interested in commercialisation opportunities in the algae sector.

Programme

15:00       Registration & coffee

15:15       Commercialisation potential of algal technologies in the UK– Beatrix Schlarb-Ridley, InCrops

15:30       Trends in the IP landscape and innovation tools – Christian Bunke, PatentYogi

• Understanding the technology landscape
• What are your competitors up to?
• Innovation Management and how to capture your inventions
• Protecting inventions, designs and brands

15:50       Effective IP protection and commercialisation – Tim Norris, BASCK

• Best practice in strong IP protection
• Protecting Algae and Plant technologies
• Patent Box lowers your tax
• Licensing IPR

16:10       Discussion

16:30       Optional 1:1 surgeries for participants with PatentYogi and BASCK; networking

18:00       Close

Registration - please contact Beatrix Schlarb-Ridley, InCrops Business Innovation Manager, before 19 July 2012, by email b.schlarb-ridley@uea.ac.uk or call 01223 333956.

Bioenergy Seminar: 10 July 2012, 2-4pm

Attlee Suite, Portcullis House

Bioenergy is the use of renewable natural material for electricity, heat and liquid fuels. Currently, the UK sources approximately 3% of its primary energy from bioenergy feedstocks. Its relative cost-effectiveness compared with other renewable technologies makes it an attractive option for contributing towards the delivery of renewable energy targets, such as those set by the EU Renewable Energy Directive. However, growth of bioenergy both in the UK and abroad is reliant on the availability of affordable, sustainably-sourced biomass, as well as the development and uptake of second generation technologies. Sustainable approaches to producing bioenergy on existing cropland include using waste, by-products and dedicated energy crops. Intensification of agriculture and changes to forestry practice can also yield the necessary biomass, but may have negative impacts if not appropriately regulated to ensure sustainability, such as a net gain in greenhouse gas emissions from land use change. This seminar will look at developments in the recent science behind sustainability criteria and consider the opportunities and challenges anticipated as bioenergy markets and technologies grow.

More information.