Image Courtesy: Delegation of the European Union to the United States (EUintheUS.org)

The European Commission presented for the first time today calls for projects under Horizon 2020, the European Union’s 80 billion euro research and innovation program.  Worth more than 15 billion euros over the first two years, the funding is intended to help boost Europe’s knowledge-driven economy, and tackle issues that will make a difference in people’s lives. International cooperation is a priority in Horizon 2020 with the program open to participation of researchers from across the world, including the United States.

“It’s time to get down to business,” said European Research, Innovation and Science Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn. “Horizon 2020 funding is vital for the future of research and innovation in Europe, and will contribute to growth, jobs and a better quality of life. We have designed Horizon 2020 to produce results, and we have slashed red tape to make it easier to participate. So I am calling on researchers, universities, businesses including SMEs, and others to sign up!”

The European Union Ambassador to the United States, João Vale de Almeida, highlighted the strong science cooperation between the EU and the United States. “Our economic, research and innovation relationship is of vital importance and this strategy will further strengthen transatlantic cooperation,” he said. “We have some of the best researchers in the world on both sides of the Atlantic and it makes perfect sense to bring them together to tackle the common challenges that we face.”

For the first time, the Commission has indicated funding priorities over two years, providing researchers and businesses with more certainty on the direction of EU research policy. Most calls from the 2014 budget are already open for submissions as of today, with more to follow over the course of the year. Calls in the 2014 budget alone are worth around 7.8 billion euros, with funding focused on the three key pillars of Horizon 2020:

• Excellent Science: Around 3 billion euros, including 1.7 billion euros for grants from the European Research Council for top scientists and 800 million euros for Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowships for younger researchers (see MEMO/13/1123).
• Industrial Leadership: 1.8 billion euros to support Europe’s industrial leadership in areas like ICT, nanotechnologies, advanced manufacturing, robotics, biotechnologies and space.
• Societal challenges: 2.8 billion euros for innovative projects addressing Horizon 2020′s seven societal challenges, broadly: health; agriculture, maritime and bioeconomy; energy; transport; climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials; reflective societies; and security.

For background and more information, please see:

MEMO/13/1085: Horizon 2020 – the EU’s new research and innovation program

Horizon 2020 website

Participant portal

Image Courtesy: Safe Routes to School National Partnership

Position:  Federal Policy Manager

Program:  Safe Routes to School National Partnership

Institution:  Bikes Belong Foundation

Employment and Classification:  “At will” employment status; full-time salaried position

Location: Your home office within the Washington, DC metro area

Applications: Applications are due on January 6, 2014 and must be sent to hr@saferoutespartnership.org. Specific details on application requirements are provided below. You are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as there will be rolling interviews.

Start Date: Late January or early February

Summary: Join the Safe Routes to School National Partnership (National Partnership) and use your professional talents and personal passion to advocate for safe walking and bicycling to and from schools, and in daily life, to improve the health and well-being of America’s children and to foster the creation of livable, sustainable communities.

Image Courtesy: Safe Routes to School National Partnership

The federal policy manager plays a critical role in representing the Safe Routes to School National Partnership on Capitol Hill and with federal agencies. The federal policy manager will regularly meet with Congressional offices and key federal agencies to convey the needs and importance of having Safe Routes to School and to advocate for policies and funding levels that are supportive of Safe Routes to School, active transportation and multi-modal transportation options. This position is also responsible for tracking the implementation of the recent MAP-21 transportation bill, researching and writing policy reports and papers on Safe Routes to School and related topics and producing blog posts and web content. The federal policy manager will collaborate closely with national and state coalition partners to advance active transportation policy and funding. The federal policy manager reports to the deputy director. 

For more information about the federal policy manager position, please see the detailed job description.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of four to five years’ proven experience in legislative or government affairs, with a strong preference for experience with federal transportation policy.
• Track record of analyzing and developing federal legislation and legislative campaigns.
• Experience in building coalitions and working with allied organizations to achieve policy change goals.
• Knowledge of Safe Routes to School programs or active transportation a plus.
• Effective public speaker comfortable presenting in front of large groups or one-on-one.
• Strong writing skills, including writing for legislative and non-legislative grassroots audiences.
• Ability to travel to group meetings and conferences as required. Anticipated travel to be approximately two to four out of state trips a year and regular travel (without overnight stays) in the DC region. Occasional work in the evenings or weekends to attend receptions or events.
• Ability to work from home, to work independently (self-starter) and as a team member with minimal supervision.
• Self-motivated, organized, strong attention to detail, creative and energetic.
• Ability to follow-up in a timely manner and to work under tight deadlines/schedules.
• Proficient with PCs and with MS Office software.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.

Background:  The Safe Routes to School National Partnership was founded in 2005 and is a network of more than 600 organizations. Its mission is to advance safe walking and bicycling to and from schools, and in daily life, to improve the health and well-being of America’s children and to foster the creation of livable, sustainable communities.  The National Partnership is hosted by the non-profit Bikes Belong Foundation.

Annual Salary:  This “at will” position offers a starting annual salary of $48,000 to $60,000/year, depending on experience, plus health insurance benefits, paid time off and optional participation in a deferred compensation plan. A PC computer, telephone and internet access will be provided. All Safe Routes to School National Partnership personnel are employees of the Bikes Belong Foundation and work from home offices.

To Apply: Interested applicants should submit (via email) a cover letter, resume and three writing samples in one PDF file to hr@saferoutespartnership.org. The PDF file shall be named as follows:  [LastName]_FederalPolicyManager.pdf.  Ensure that the subject line of your email includes the text “Federal Policy Manager.” We are not accepting email or telephone call inquiries.

Receipt of applications will be acknowledged with an email reply.  Applications will be accepted until January 6, 2014.  Applications must be submitted in the format indicated in order to be considered.  Applying soon is encouraged as the position will be open until filled, and interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.

Visit www.saferoutespartnership.org for more information about the Safe Routes to School National Partnership

Brilliant… and everything about Tesla Model S sounds better when the narrator sounds like Jason Statham (or is it Jason himself  narrating it?).  A bit of research showed that it is a part of NatGeo (UK)’s Megafactories Show, which has a ton of more such awesome things.. Check out the program’s website.

We all know our “developed” societies have way too many cars and often choke up our streets and take up valuable space, resulting in terrible congestion and chronic bottle necks.. If a lot of people chose to leave behind their cars and instead opt for public transportation, it will be a perfect anti-dote for the chronic congestion that plagues our streets. So, how do you tell this story effectively? Here is one way to do it.. I call this the mother of all sustainable transportation images (courtesy of The Atlantic)

Let me tell ya.. The amount of road space saved when a few dozen people switch from driving cars to riding the public transport is ENORMOUS.

via Mashable

• Tech startup NeXt built a product called HeadsUP!, a visual display that projects often-used cellphone features, such as texting, voice calls, and email, onto the windshield of a car. This allows users to engage with their smartphones without needing to look down, or fumbling with them while driving.
• HeadsUP! enables voice dictation and touch-free swiping to let users interact with the screen.
• NeXt is seeking a patent for the technology, and is asking donors on Indiegogo to pay $299 for the earliest version of its HeadsUP! device.

Click here to read more.

Of course, the biggest question is how much of this new tech will add to driver distraction, a hot topic that often pits tech/gadget makers against the regulators and policy-makers who fret about road safety.

via WSB-TV

A sleeping driver was caught on camera slumped over asleep in his pickup truck causing a traffic jam on a busy Atlanta highway when he suddenly woke up, then crashed his truck into several vehicles before fleeing the scene. Yeah.. And it was all caught on camera by a local reporter. Click here to read more.

Here is AP report on the incident:

And here is the video from WSB-TV which shows a bit more of this bizarre mayhem..

via Jalopnik

Chanced up upon this awesome video on /Drive’s YouTube channel, with some of my favorite automotive writers (Travis Okulski and Mike Spinelli of Jalopnik with Andrew DelColle from Popular Mechanics) talking about the nagging questions many of us have about autonomous vehicles. I’d say that this video  is more like a e-Primer for all things on autonomous vehicles for those interested (and some more) but offered in a nice, and conversant package without getting you all bored. Check it out.

Video description: When are the first self-driving cars coming, how will they work and — the most important question — will I be able to take a nap in traffic? All of those questions and more will be answered. With Andrew Del-Colle, associate editor of Popular Mechanics magazine and Travis Okulski, senior writer at Jalopnik.

Related resources

• Read The 12 Most Important Questions About Self-Driving Cars” (Popular Mechanics)
• Self-Driving Cars on Reddit

via Popular Science

Slowly but steadily coast-to-coast travel in an electric vehicle is inching closer to reality. Though not as ubiquitous as the gas stations on the highways and arterial, the growing number of charging stations indicate a big shift coming our way. An interesting data nugget – more than half of the nation’s 8,051 electric-vehicle charging stations have opened since 2012.

Data Source: Alternative Fuels Data Center, U.S. Department of Energy; Image Courtesy: Popular Science

Legend:

• Each hexagon represents the number of stations in that area.
• Blue hexagons—mostly outside major cities—indicate those built in 2012 and 2013.
• Orange hues show older and newer stations.