5th INCO Conference, Athens, 2-3 June 2014

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please visit: www.inco-conference.eu for information about the Conference – PRESENTATIONS NOW ONLINE

Please visit the Conference Website for more up-to-date information on the conference. This wiki page will remain but will be updated at a slower pace.

5th INCO Conference “Addressing Future Challenges”, 2-3 June 2014

The 5th INCO conference took place on June 2-3, 2014 in Athens, Greece. The venue of conference was the Divani Palace Acropolis which is located below the Acropolis, very close to the old quarter of Plaka, the brand new archaeological Museum of Acropolis and the well known Herodion theatre.

The main objective of the conference was highlight the need for global cooperation for addressing common challenges to secure a better future. The conference also hosted the annual meeting of the national INCO experts as well as a special training session on international research collaboration.

This year’s regional focus was the European Neighborhood while most of the conference sessions will have a global focus. Discussions addressed critical issues such as the future of research in relation to the global challenges lying ahead in order to acquire insight for future coordinated actions. To this end, invited speakers from worldwide organizations funding research will share their experiences, best practices and obstacles.

The conference aimed to:

  • set the framework for international cooperation in H2020
  • collect the experiences of international organizations funding global research
  • highlight the link between research and societal challenges
  • underline best practices, and
  • provide insight to the future of interconnected research.The INCO conference taking place in Athens is the 5th consecutive conference organized under the INCO conference series of the INCONTACT project. It brings together the national experts for International Cooperation worldwide as well as other stakeholders engaging in international cooperation, to share their experiences and learn from each other.

Museum

Backround
The INCO conference series reflects the need to create an interconnected world, investing in a knowledge-based economy and coordinating global action to address key societal challenges in order to improve the lives of current and future generations.

The INCO conference series reflects the need to create an interconnected world, investing in a knowledge-based economy and coordinating global action to address key societal challenges in order to improve the lives of current and future generations. In this respect, the European Commission (EC) responding to the mandates of global concerns has specifically come forward with a Communication, the Strategic European Framework for International S&T Cooperation which identifies general principles and specific orientations for action: to strengthen the international dimension of the European Research Area (ERA); to improve the framework conditions for international S&T cooperation, and to promote European technologies in the world. This strategic framework reflects the 25-year commitment of the EC in the development of the International Scientific Cooperation (INCO) contributing to its citizens’ peace and prosperity Information on the event’s agenda, practical information such as and hotels as well as the reimbursement rules, will soon be announced.

Agenda

 

Day 1 – 2nd of June 2014

  • Session 1: International Research Cooperation to address global challenges
  • Session 2: Research cooperation in the ENP area
  • Session 3: Back to the FutureDay 2 – 3rd of June 2014
  • INCO Experts meeting
  • INCO Experts trainingDay 3 – 4th of June 2014
  • INCONTACT 2020 Project Meeting
  • INCO Satellite Meetings and Workshops

 

 

Topics particularly suitable for international cooperation

Horizon 2020, the Framework Programm for Research and Innovation, is open to international partners. Researchers from EU Member States/ Associated countries and third countries can cooperate in may topics. In addition, in the work programme 2016/2017, there is a range of topics in which the participation of entities from third countries is particularly suitable. It is important to note that the explicit mentioning of third countries in the work programme does not presuppose automatic funding for partners from industrialised and emerging economies.

International Co-operation with online casinos in 2018

As you know, gambling in European Union countries is not so easy when it comes to online casinos. For once, however, this is not due to the bureaucrats in Brussels, but to the completely different laws in the nation states themselves. Germany, Hungary and Austria in particular are extremely stubborn, making only the smallest concessions and trying in this way to keep the undoubtedly most interesting offers for many players outside on the Internet.

Of course, digital only works to a limited extent and it is not surprising that, despite all the hurdles and restrictions, people in Europe are extremely fond of gambling. If you want to register at an online casino, you should therefore take a close look at the conditions and, above all, at the test seals – otherwise there are still nasty surprises in the end when it comes to later payouts of winnings.

Focus on sports betting and slot machines

On some Austrian portals, here for example, you can read about the ambivalence of the Alpine Republic when it comes to online casinos: Although sports betting is permitted via a state-licensed provider, there are plenty of offers and operators on the net, which of course also offer slot machines, roulette, blackjack and countless other classic games of chance.

Absurdly, some companies even have to pay taxes, even though the actual range of games is strictly speaking illegal! The authorities in Austria are not too foolish to come here and keep finding new excuses for these shenanigans, which are close to complete arbitrariness.

Players will find plenty of opportunity to gamble. In Austria there are not only famous manufacturers of slot machines, but also a very active community, which is not deterred from gambling by bureaucratic requirements and limits. Here lobby groups like Casinos Austria try to secure their ancient monopoly and this leads to a deadlocked, not very advantageous situation in the country.

The situation in Hungary is equally strange, there are only a very limited number of casinoswhich you can see at magyaronlinecasino.co.hu, with an actual licence given by the government.

Data and the question of player protection

But first a look at the statistics: At present more than 2000 online casinos are active and in Malta alone more than 300 of these Internet gaming halls are registered! A circumstance, by the way, that guarantees European legal certainty and that is worth more for gamblers than any licensing in a banana republic in the middle of the Caribbean! Malta earns a lot of money by auditing and controlling casino companies, which should guarantee a secure audit process in any case.

But once again a look back at the situation in Austria. At the moment, politicians of all colours are once again trying to change the situation and the main focus is on the possibility of legal action against illegal offers. Players should be able to claim losses at illegal online casinos for the last 30 years!

Logically, more and more providers are avoiding the players between Vienna and Salzburg, so that the lobby groups in the country have done a lot of work only by announcing such laws. Again and again at this point the word is spoken to a supposedly necessary player protection, knowing well that in the game libraries of Novomatic and the Casinos Austria the danger of pathological games is just as given as in the Internet.

Changes are not to be expected so quickly

Although European jurisprudence – the key word here is the freedom to provide services throughout the EU – requires uniform regulation, neither Austria nor Germany, which has similar problems, is bothered by this. This is clearly intended to protect the domestic vending machine industry and casino industry, which may sound noble, but looks quite hypocritical in the arguments used to protect players. Will the EU interfere at this point and ensure clear conditions per player and per economy? When it comes to cucumber curvature, this also worked – why not around the extremely popular online casinos?

3rd INCO Conference “Challenges and opportunities of International Cooperation in Horizon 2020”, Bonn, 18-20 June 2012

General information on the INCO Conference and NCP meeting 2012

3-Day International Conference Programme
“Challenges and opportunities of International Cooperation in Horizon 2020” – Report and conference presentations online now
The 3rd INCO Conference “Challenges and opportunities of International Cooperation in Horizon 2020” and the annual NCP meeting took place on 18 – 20 June 2012 in Bonn, Germany. The main topic of the conference was the future of international cooperation in Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation from 2014 to 2020. The event was part of the project “INCONTACT – one world” which comprises four conferences with different regional priorities. It had a regional focus on South East Asia providing a particular insight into international cooperation in Science and Technology.

The conference was attended by 150 international experts from politics, research and business spanning five continents and 60 different nations. A report on the 3rd INCO Conference and the presentations provide a valuable insight.

The conference was organised by the EU-Bureau of the German Federal Ministry of Research and Education (located at Project Management Agency of the German Aerospace Center.

Objectives of the conference:

  • share information on international S&T cooperation
  • examine experiences of international S&T partnerships
  • collect the views of third countries towards international cooperation
  • discuss challenges and opportunities of international cooperation in Horizon 2020
  • outline the frame for international cooperation in Horizon 2020

Participants

  • INCO NCPs
  • Representatives of EU member states
  • EU Commission
  • FP7 project coordinators with international partners

Venue: Universitätsclub Bonn e.V.
Konviktstr. 9, 53113 Bonn (Germany)

3-day Programme

18/06/2012

  • In the afternoon – open to project members only
    • INCONTACT consortium meeting
    • SEA-EU-NET consortium meeting
    • IncoNet EECA NCP workshop
  • in the evening – open to all stakeholders interested in international scientific cooperation
    • Welcome drink and poster exhibition (“Eye of the Sky” – satellite images of the human impact on ecosystems in South East Asia)

19/06/2012

  • Main day of the conference – open to all stakeholders interested in international scientific cooperation
    • During the day: 3rd INCO Conference
    • In the evening: Joint dinner

20/06/2012

  • open to the INCO NCPs only
    • annual INCO NCP meeting and INCO NCP training session

Conference schedule – Open Conference – 19/06/2012

The INCO Conference will be divided into 4 main sessions.

  • First, different presentations will allow an overview on the current state of the internationalisation of the European Research Area.
  • In the second session, perspectives and expectations for international cooperation in Horizon 2020 will be analysed. The conference participants will be divided into breakout groups, dealing more closely with the proposed priorities in the programme. By focusing on “Excellent Science”, “Industrial Leadership” or “Societal Challenges”, it will be discussed how international cooperation should be promoted efficiently within these priorities, which specific themes should be tackled and which mechanisms should be further developed.
  • The third part is a poster session about good practices of international cooperation in Science and Technology with South East Asia. It will be organised in cooperation with the INCO-Net SEA-EU-Net.
  • In the final session, a panel discussion will provide answers on challenges and opportunities of international cooperation in Horizon 2020. Thereby, it will also be examined to what extent it can contribute to solving global problems.

4th INCO Conference, Marseille, 17-19 June 2013

General information on the INCO Conference and NCP meeting 2013

The 4th INCO Conference, “Strengthening international cooperation in Research & Innovation Experiences from Latin America and the Caribbean, and Mediterranean Partner Countries”, and the annual NCP meeting took place on 17-19 June 2013 in Marseille, France. The event focused on the future of international cooperation in Research and Innovation in Horizon 2020. It was held as a part of “INCONTACT-One World” project which is the official network of the FP7 INCO NCPs. Since the beginning of the project, four conferences were held in Athens, Johannesburg, Bonn and Marseille. It was organized by the Europe Department of the Institute of Research for Development (IRD).

Topic

At the bridge between the ending FP7 and the coming H2020, the main topic of the 4th INCONTACT conference was the future of international cooperation in Research and Innovation between Europe and third countries. The event displayed two geographical focuses: Latin-American and the Caribbean, and Mediterranean Partner Countries. The conference outlined opportunities for developing and emerging countries in Horizon 2020 and other funding sources for projects of mutual interest between EU and the focused regions by the conference.

Objectives

The objectives of the INCO Conference 2013 were to:

  • Share information on international R&I cooperation
  • Examine experiences of international R&I partnerships
  • Collect the views of developing and emerging countries towards international cooperation in research and innovation
  • Discuss opportunities and challenges for third countries in Horizon 2020 and other programmes
  • Outline the frame for international cooperation in European and other programmes

Participants

The event brought together a diverse range of experts working in the field of International research co-operation from all over the world. It was attended by 157 participants from 68 countries

  • INCO NCPs
  • Representatives of EU member states
  • EU Commission (DG RTD, DG DEVCO, EEAS)
  • FP7 project coordinators with international partners
  • Researchers involved in FP7 projects comprising partners from developing and emerging countries

The 3 days programme

17 June 2013

  • Project meetings and other side events (open to project members only)
    • ESASTAP Plus WP Leaders meeting
    • LAC – Bilats meeting
    • INCONTACT consortium meeting
    • INCONTACT Regional Dialogue Platform
  • In the evening: Welcome drink and poster exhibition “Water at the Heart of Science” (open to all stakeholders interested in international scientific cooperation)

18 June 2013

  • Main day of the conference(open to all stakeholders interested in international scientific cooperation)
    • During the day: 4th INCO conference “Strengthening international cooperation in R&I: Experiences from LAC and MPC”
    • In the evening: Dinner in Marseille

19 June 2013

  • NCP Networking Day(open to the INCO NCPs only)
    • In the morning: NCP meeting
    • In the afternoon: NCP training

Conference schedule – Open conference – 18th June 2013

The main day of the conference, the 18th June 2013, was the highlight of the 3-day conference and provided a platform for discussions about the future of international cooperation in Horizon 2020. The conference was divided into 3 main sessions:

  • The first session presented an overview on the current state of international cooperation in FP7 and underlined the main perspectives of international cooperation in Horizon 2020.
  • The second sessions, geographical workshops, emphasized experiences of cooperation from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPC). These parallel sessions were the opportunity to tackle some cross-cutting issues, identifying best practices and needs for the coming programme.
  • The final session, a high panel discussion, provided answers on challenges and opportunities of international cooperation in Horizon 2020 more particularly with emerging and developing countries.

Argentinean-European Union Liaison Office: 10 years of Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation

On the occasion of the celebration of the 10th Anniversary of the Argentinean-European Union Liaison Office in Science, Technology and Innovation, the National Directorate of International Relations of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation (MINCyT) organized, from 9th to March 17th, a set of activities open to the Argentinean and European scientific community, that involved science policy makers, as well as researchers, scientists, administrators, managers of public and private organizations and other relevant actors of the scientific community.

Find more information on Argentinean-European Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation on http://abest.mincyt.gob.ar/index.php