cc: rbattarb@geog.ucl.ac.uk, f.oldfield@btinternet.com, Keith Briffa , Dominique Raynaud , Laurent Labeyrie , Matti Saarnisto , Thomas Stocker , Bruno Messerli , sirocko@mail.Uni-Mainz.de, Vera Markgraf , Christoph Kull , Isabelle Larocque date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 10:26:08 -0800 from: Tom Pedersen subject: Re: Paleo network of excellence in EU Framework6 to: Keith Alverson Keith (et al). I think PAGES should take a proactive role. Last week, we had an EU-CANADA Cooperation Seminar (or some such title) here in VAncouver. I attended the presentations by the Research Director of the Nansen Centre in Bergen (Stein Sandven), and by the coordinator/promoter/organizer/front-person of the Framework 6 initiative, a young guy named Thomas Zergoi who is based in Vienna. I spoke to Sandven about establishing a paleo network in Europe and its prospects for funding by the EU. His sense was that since the actual F6 guidelines are not yet written (but will be soon), should Mr. Zergoi receive a letter from PAGES (soon) detailing what could be done, the final guidelines ( I was told to think of them loosely as being "areas for priority funding") could well include the prefix "paleo". So, I think PAGES should be very proactive in this, and I suggest you get in touch with Zergoi. I suspect that a single proposal that linked with the major paleo labs could well be a winner. It would be good if PAGES could coordinate a planning/writing group (maybe using a little bit of our discretionary funding to get people together, if necessary). I'd include Eystein Jansen in Bergen on the list of people with which to discuss this (Eystein is being proposed as the Director of the Bjerknes Centre of Excellence in Norway, now being reviewed as a 500 M NKR initiative over several years), as well as (in addition to those in the cc list above) Michael Sarnthein, Jean-Claude Duplessy, Colin Prentice...and others (the usual highest-quality suspects...you know the players). One other point: although the seminar was designed to encourage ties between the EU and Canada, I'm not at all clear as to how those would evolve. If, however, there was to be an advantage to have Canadian participation, you can count me in to help, but only if that would offer an advantage to the European case. Zergoi struck me as an approachable chap, willing to help, and can be reached at BIT, Bureau for International Research & Technology Co-operation Name: Mr. Thomas Zergoi e-mail: zergoi@bit.ac.at web server: http://www.bit.ac.at/ist.htm phone: +43 1 5811616-137 fax: +43 1 5811616-16 address: Donau-City-Strasse 1, A-1220 Vienna, Austria Best wishes, Tom. >Dear European PAGES SSC members (2001-2003), > > As you are no doubt aware the EU is tendering a call for letters of intent >to develop 'networks of excellence' as part of framework 6. As I understand >it these networks will be funded with substantial sums - roughly an order of >magnitude more money than the PAGES budget. Paleoscience was apparently one >of the 'poster cases' that was used in Brussels last week as an example of a >community that could benefit from creation of such a network. > > I have read through the working document 'provisions for implementing >networks of excellence' and have had scattered email contact with various >people planning initiatives and with Hans Brelen at the EU. I know of at >least four networks clearly within the PAGES remit that are being planned >for submission as letters of intent. These appear to be separated at present >(roughly) by ice, continent, ocean and timescale. > > It seems to me that PAGES would support all these initiatives and would >hope to work with any that get funded. Although one could take the view that >these network proposals should simply compete freely, it seems unlikely that >all will be funded (or even that more than one paleo-network will be >funded). This leads me to guess that some people will come out of such a >scenario very disappointed. Thus, I am tempted to believe that a single >large network, including all of these researchers - perhaps with a more >proactive engagement from PAGES - may be best. This would only be true of >course if funding would be proportionally higher to account for the larger >network. Also, if all the eggs get put into one basket there is also some >risk that no paleonetwork gets funded, obviously a scenario to be avoided at >all costs. > >If you, as PAGES SSC members, have some advice for me as to what course of >action you think I should be taking on behalf of PAGES, I would be happy to >hear it. Possibilities include: > >1) I, as a representative of PAGES, do nothing proactive and simply respond >to any requests that are made of me according to best judgement. > >2) I, as a representative of PAGES, try to take a more proactive role. This >might involve, for example, communicating directly with all the people I >know submitting plans for paleo-networks with some standard offers of PAGES >involvement (or otherwise) and communicating more proactively with Brussels >(in the first instance the only person I know there is Hans Brelen). > >Please let me know your thoughts on this matter as soon as possible. Thanks >for your guidance. > >Keith > >cc: Tom Pedersen, Chair > Vera Markgraf, Vice-Chair > Frank Oldfield, Christoph Kull, Isabelle Larocque, PAGES office >-- >Keith Alverson >Executive Director >PAGES International Project Office >Bärenplatz 2, 3011 Bern, Switzerland >http://www.pages-igbp.org >Tel (office): +41 31 312 31 33 >Tel (direct): +41 31 312 31 54 >Mobile: (+41) 079 641 9220 >Fax: +41 31 312 31 68 T.F. Pedersen Chair, PAGES (Past Global Changes), http://www.pages-igbp.org/ Professor, Oceanography, Earth and Ocean Sciences, 6270 University Boulevard, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6T 1Z4 Telephone: 604-822-5984 Fax: 604-822-6091 Email: pedersen@eos.ubc.ca http://www.eos.ubc.ca/ Associate Dean, Research, Faculty of Graduate Studies, 6371 Crescent Road, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z2 Tel: 604-822-8644 Fax: 604-822-5802 Email: pedersen@eos.ubc.ca http://www.grad.ubc.ca