Grant Scheme Research Articles

VC/PE Funds, Government Grants and Innovation in Newly Public Firms

We highlight the circular relationship between venture capital and private equity (VC/PE) investment, R&D grants, and innovation. We focus on Australia, which has low levels of innovation and VC/PE activity, but has a comparable legal environment to other developed, but high innovation markets. We show that government grants encourage VC/PE investment and that VC funds and government grants increase both innovation inputs (R&D) and outputs (patents and citations) in newly public firms. Buyout funds only increase outputs, and large funds and domestic funds are best able to induce innovation outputs. This highlights the importance of both grant schemes and VC/PE investment to innovation.

Policy and practice impacts of applied research: a case study analysis of the New South Wales Health Promotion Demonstration Research Grants Scheme 2000-2006.

BackgroundIntervention research provides important information regarding feasible and effective interventions for health policy makers, but few empirical studies have explored the mechanisms by which these studies influence policy and practice. This study provides an exploratory case series analysis of the policy, practice and other related impacts of the 15 research projects funded through the New South Wales Health Promotion Demonstration Research Grants Scheme during the period 2000 to 2006, and explored the factors mediating impacts.MethodsData collection included semi-structured interviews with the chief investigators (n = 17) and end-users (n = 29) of each of the 15 projects to explore if, how and under what circumstances the findings had been used, as well as bibliometric analysis and verification using documentary evidence. Data analysis involved thematic coding of interview data and triangulation with other data sources to produce case summaries of impacts for each project. Case summaries were then individually assessed against four impact criteria and discussed at a verification panel meeting where final group assessments of the impact of research projects were made and key influences of research impact identified.ResultsFunded projects had variable impacts on policy and practice. Project findings were used for agenda setting (raising awareness of issues), identifying areas and target groups for interventions, informing new policies, and supporting and justifying existing policies and programs across sectors. Reported factors influencing the use of findings were: i) nature of the intervention; ii) leadership and champions; iii) research quality; iv) effective partnerships; v) dissemination strategies used; and, vi) contextual factors.ConclusionsThe case series analysis provides new insights into how and under what circumstances intervention research is used to influence real world policy and practice. The findings highlight that intervention research projects can achieve the greatest policy and practice impacts if they address proximal needs of the policy context by engaging end-users from the inception of projects and utilizing existing policy networks and structures, and using a range of strategies to disseminate findings that go beond traditional peer review publications.

Does muscle inflammation influence recovery of muscle strength and function in patients undergoing total hip replacement?

BackgroundGenetic markers of muscle inflammation (eg, tumour necrosis factor α [TNFα] and interleukin [IL] 6 are downregulated following repeated transient increases after bouts of exercise. Total hip replacement (THR) typically resolves preoperative pain, although strength deficits of 10–21% persist in the affected hip at 1 year postoperatively. This study assessed whether mRNA expression of TNFα and IL6 in the vastus lateralis (VL) of the operated leg was related to changes in the strength of the operated leg quadriceps in patients following THR. MethodsTen patients were recruited prospectively after ethical approval. Distal VL (5 cm proximal to lateral suprapatellar pouch) biopsy samples were obtained intraoperatively and at 6 weeks postoperatively, with maximal voluntary contraction of the operated leg quadriceps (MVCOLQ) in Newtons (N), assessed preoperatively and at 6 weeks postoperatively. RT-PCR was used to assess mRNA expression in the biopsy samples and associations evaluated with Spearman's correlation coefficient. FindingsMean mRNA relative quotient (RQ) for comparison of 6 week intraoperative VL samples was 6·23 [SD 12·85] for TNFα and 17·10 [47·46] for IL6. Preoperatively, mean MVCOLQ was 188·90 N [76·84] and at 6 weeks it was 217·00 N [53·91]. There was no significant relation between TNFα or IL-6 RQ and absolute MVCOLQ at 6 weeks (r=0·115 [p=0·376] and −0·491 [p=0·075], respectively). No statistically significant relation existed between TNFα mRNA RQ and the improvement in MVCOLQ at 6 weeks (r=–0·498, p=0·071) nor with IL6 and the same measure (r=0·091, p=0·401). InterpretationThere is a trend to correlation that exists for improvement in MVCOLQ with a reduction in TNFα mRNA expression, as well as between absolute MVCOLQ and reduction in IL-6 mRNA expression at 6 weeks postoperatively. Improvement in muscle strength may be mediated by reduced muscle inflammation and the associated reduction in pain in patients with severe osteoarthritis. FundingWales Deanery and Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board Small Grants Scheme.

Singapore's global schoolhouse strategy: retreat or recalibration?

In 2002 a high-level economic review committee recommended that Singapore position itself as a ‘global schoolhouse’. An ambitious target was set to attract 150,000 international students to Singapore by 2015 and to lift the education sector's contribution to GDP from 1.9% to 5% in the same timeframe. The global schoolhouse was viewed as producing a number of policy complementarities including addressing population, labour market and economic priorities. This article reviews the last 10 years of Singapore's global schoolhouse strategy from its inception until the present time. It examines the policy successes and setbacks, and present statistical evidence of its performance. In particular, the article examine the development of both the public and private higher education sectors in Singapore, the growth of the tuition grant scheme in the public universities and the introduction of the Private Education Act of 2009 in the private sector. It is argued that the 2011 general election in Singapore has proved to be an historic watershed and exposed considerable tensions between local needs and global ambitions in higher education.

Does Cluster Policy Trigger R&D Activity? Evidence from German Biotech Contests

This article evaluates the research and development (R&D) enhancing effects of two large public grant schemes for the German biotechnology industry (BioRegio and BioProfile). Both grant schemes are organized in the form of contents for cooperation and aimed at fostering the performance of innovative firms by their organization in research clusters. We apply a difference-in-differences estimation technique in a generalized linear model framework, which allows us to control for different initial regional conditions in R&D activity of the biotech sector. Our econometric findings support the view that winners generally outperform non-winning participants during the treatment period, thus indicating that exclusive funding as well as the stimulating effect of being a “winner” have positive effects on R&D activity in the short-term. Apart from this direct winner effect, for the non-winning participants no beneficial indirect effect due to a mobilization of local actors during the application phase could be detected. Finally, first attempts in estimating the long-term effects of the contests for cooperation approach on the winner regions' R&D activity in the post-treatment period show ambiguous results.

Binding colour to object surfaces in the human visual cortex.

Event Abstract Back to Event Binding colour to object surfaces in the human visual cortex. Kiley J. Seymour1*, Mark A. Williams1, 2 and Anina N. Rich1, 2 1 Macquarie University, Cognitive Science, Australia 2 ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition & its Disorders, Australia Background: Many theories of visual object perception assume that the visual system initially extracts borders between the object and its background through figure-ground segmentation and later binds colour to the resulting object surfaces. However the neural representation of surface colour in human visual cortex is largely unknown. Here, we tested which levels of the visual system contain specific information about the surface colour of objects. Methods: We used a 3T MRI scanner to collect fMRI data while participants viewed isoluminant red/green square-wave radial gratings. The two sets of stimuli varied only in whether the red or green part of the grating fell at a particular retinal location (e.g., 12 o’clock position) and whether it appeared as a red fan on a green background or a green fan on a red background due to a slight change of contextual information. We used multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to investigate in which visual brain areas a classifier could distinguish the colour (red vs. green) at a set location versus the object (red vs. green) independent of its position on the retina. We also determined whether brain signals in these areas were dominated by object position or surface colour information. Results: Our preliminary results show that classifiers are able to decode information about which colour was presented at a particular retinal location from early visual areas. Further classifier analysis also revealed that these areas contain strong colour-invariant information about object position to support the early extraction of object borders within a visual scene. Areas further along the ventral stream, in contrast, represent object surface colour, which is position-invariant. Discussion: These findings are consistent with theories of feature binding that suggest colour is bound to object surfaces after figure-ground segmentation. Acknowledgements This work was supported under the Australian Research Council (ARC)’s Discovery Projects funding scheme (ANR: DP0984494) and Macquarie University internal grant schemes. MAW and ANR are recipients of ARC Fellowships (Queen Elizabeth II Research Fellowship DP0984919, and Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship DP0984494, respectively). Keywords: visual feature binding, object perception, fMRI methods, Visual Cortex, Figure-ground Conference: ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, Clayton, Melbourne, Australia, 28 Nov - 1 Dec, 2013. Presentation Type: Oral Topic: Sensation and Perception Citation: Seymour KJ, Williams MA and Rich AN (2013). Binding colour to object surfaces in the human visual cortex.. Conference Abstract: ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2013.212.00028 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 23 Oct 2013; Published Online: 25 Nov 2013. * Correspondence: Dr. Kiley J Seymour, Macquarie University, Cognitive Science, Sydney, Australia, kileys@psych.usyd.edu.au Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Kiley J Seymour Mark A Williams Anina N Rich Google Kiley J Seymour Mark A Williams Anina N Rich Google Scholar Kiley J Seymour Mark A Williams Anina N Rich PubMed Kiley J Seymour Mark A Williams Anina N Rich Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

LA FIGURA DEL TRADUCTOR-INTÉRPRETE EN PROCESOS DE INTERNACIONALIZACIÓN: EL CASO DE LAS CONVOCATORIAS DE BECAS DEL ICEX

During the last few years, translators and interpreters’ employability has been studied, especially when the education reform of the Bologna Process and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) seems to challenge universities to better respond to the professional prospects of graduates; guiding them towards a certain profession or field of professional performance. Many studies have addressed these issues, though with some critics in terms of representativeness of their conclusions (Calvo 2006). Nevertheless, it is true that a new educational paradigm was introduced in University education. However, this changing paradigm seems not to have reached yet other spheres, for instance, the labour market, as this paper will present.This paper aims at reflecting on the need of the labour market to better adapt to this change, taking as a starting point, and focusing on translators, interpreters and international communication experts, the recruitment policy of candidates for the internationalization grant scheme of the Spanish ICEX (Instituto de Comercio Exterior, Foreign Trade Institute). Finally, this paper aims at contributing to the reflection on the translators and interpreters professional profile, looking for a greater consolidation of the profession into the labour market.

The Design of R&D Support Schemes for Industry

Scant discussion exists in the literature about the relative design merits of various R&D schemes, and most authors treat programme design as a black box. In this article, we assess the design features of three major forms of R&D support: entitlement schemes, competitive grant schemes and industry R&D boards. We use a combination of evidence to comment on how well these schemes perform in terms of firm engagement (how does the scheme recruit business interest?), project selection (what criteria are used and who selects the projects?), payment structure (how is financial support structured?) and administrative costs (what is the burden?).

The effectiveness of investment incentives: the Slovenian FDI Co-financing Grant Scheme

This article analyses the effectiveness of the main instrument of Slovenian FDI policy, the 'FDI Co-financing Grant Scheme'. We look at the post-grant performance of foreign subsidiaries that received grants in 2000–09 using a double-track approach: calculation of performance premia of subsidised foreign subsidiaries, based on financial statements data, as suggested by Bernard and Jensen, and a questionnaire survey to tackle those qualitative aspects of subsidiaries' operations which are used in the official evaluation of grant applications. Subsidised foreign subsidiaries on average show better performance than comparable local companies and better qualitative characteristics than non-subsidised foreign subsidiaries. The main objectives of the scheme, creation of new capacity and jobs in export-oriented activities, have been achieved. The quality of this quantitative increase is more of a question; the data do not indicate any real breakthroughs in technological intensity, human resource development or productivity. In terms of technology and skills subsidised FDI projects remain more or less on the level of average Slovenian firms.

Annual Report on Article 36 Activities ‐ Evaluation of the use of the grant and procurement schemes

EFSA Supporting PublicationsVolume 9, Issue 6 291E Technical reportOpen Access Annual Report on Article 36 Activities - Evaluation of the use of the grant and procurement schemes European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)Search for more papers by this author European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)Search for more papers by this author First published: 25 June 2012 https://doi.org/10.2903/sp.efsa.2012.EN-291 Published date: 25 June 2012 Question number: EFSA-Q-2011-00177 AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume9, Issue6June 2012291E This article also appears in:Scientific cooperation RelatedInformation

Repositioning professionalism: teachers, mentors, policy and praxis

This article reflects on the interplay between the recommended policy of providing mentors for PCET ITT (Post-Compulsory Education and Training Initial Teacher Training) students and the praxis or application of this policy. The findings are based on questionnaire data that has been gathered from 80 PCET ITT students and their mentors alongside semi-structured interview data from eight mentors. The research has been funded by the UK Higher Education Academy via ESCalate’s Developing Pedagogy and Practice research grant scheme. There appears to be a repositioning of professionalism because the ideal of a mentoring relationship that is developmental may become in reality a process that is judgemental in nature. The research data sheds new light on the work of Michel Foucault by viewing PCET ITT mentoring through this theoretical lens.

European Research Council scheme offers opportunities for Africa

European Research Council (ERC) secretary-general Donald Dingwell visited South Africa in March to promote its grant schemes, which are open to top researchers from any discipline and of any nationality who are prepared - in the event of being funded - to base their research programme at a European institution, and spend at least 50% of their time there. But Dingwell emphasises that while applicants need to find a European institution prepared to host them, they do not have to have a post there, as salary costs can be included in the grant. The ERC is part of the EU's seventh research framework programme and has a total budget of €7.5 billion for 2007-2013.

Appraisal of the research grant schemes of the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean: the way forward

One way that the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) promotes the important area of health research is by providing research grants within the Region. A desk review of 2 of the EMRO-supported research grant schemes was done to assess: the selection process ofthe research proposals, the priority areas, country data and information on the principal investigator. The 2 schemes were: EMRO grant for Research in Priority Areas of Public Health, started in 2002, and the EMRO and Organization of Islamic Conference Standing Committee for Science and Technological Cooperation Grant for Research in Applied Biotechnology & Genomics in Health, started in 2004. The paper proposes the following recommendations to enhance benefit from the grant process: create a critical mass of researchers through joint collaboration in proposals and mentoring; instigate a more rigorous process to disseminate the call for proposals more widely and effectively; and include relevant stakeholders in the identification of priority areas for research and overall monitoring of the process.

SRJ23, a potent inducer of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in prostate cancer cells

SRJ23 exhibited selectivity against prostate cancer cells in the USA NCI in vitro anticancer screen (Jada et al., 2008. Br J Pharmacol 155: 641–654). MTT assay was used in assessing in vitro growth inhibition of compounds against PC‐3, DU‐145 and LNCaP cells. Flow cytometry was used to analyse cell cycle distribution whereas fluorescence microscopy was performed to determine morphological cell death. DNA fragmentation and annexin V‐FITC/PI flow cytometry were performed to confirm apoptosis induced by SRJ23. Quantitation of cell cycle and apoptotic proteins were determined by immunoblotting. SRJ23 exerted selectivity towards PC‐3 cells. Mechanistically, SRJ23‐treated PC‐3 cells down‐regulated CDK1 without affecting levels of CDK4 and cyclin D1 to induce G2/M arrest which led to apoptosis. Apoptosis was further confirmed by DNA fragmentation and annexin V‐FITC which displayed inhibition in the presence of caspase 8 inhibitor (Z‐IETD‐FMK). Apoptosis was associated with increase in caspase 8 expression and activation. This thought to have induced cleavage of Bid into t‐Bid. Additionally, expression and activation of caspase 9 and Bax proteins were apparent, with concomitant down‐regulation of Bcl‐2 protein. Taken together, these support the potential of SRJ23 as a new anti‐prostate cancer agent. This research project is supported by Universiti Putra Malaysia via RUGS grant scheme.

Design and fabrication of a high frequency annular array for medical ultrasound systems

Most high frequency (>15MHz) medical ultrasound systems are based on single element transducers mechanically scanned. These systems can provide images with excellent resolution. However, single element transducers are often limited by the fixed focal point and small depth of field. High frequency medical ultrasound annular arrays consisting of concentric rings of elements are focused electronically. These arrays are desirable to avoid the fixed focal point of the single element transducers and improve the depth of field. This paper demonstrate an over 10MHz annular array transducer with novel piezoelectric single crystal. This transducer exhibits good energy conversion performance with a very low insertion loss at the center frequency. The transducer is promising for intravascular ultrasonic imaging and other applications. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 10904093 and 61031003), the Science and Technology Grant Scheme funds from Shenzhen Government (No. 08CXY-23).

A new meaning for ‘going Dutch’

I was fortunate enough to spend 2 weeks at a practice in Veghel, a small town situated in the southern Netherlands, on exchange through an EU Leonardo Grant Scheme for AiT's (GPs in training) and First5 GPs (those within 5 years after qualification). I had chosen the Netherlands on the basis of my command of the Dutch language and in recognition of the subtle cultural and language nuances within every general practice consultation. The Leonardo da Vinci Programme is part of the European Commission's Lifelong Learning Programme which funds organisations in the vocational education sector to work with partners from across Europe. As part of this, the RCGP Junior International Committee had been awarded funding for up to 30 young GP participants. Apart from ‘surviving’ cycling on the ‘wrong’ side of the road, Dutch general practice is an excellent example of an alternative primary care …

Funding Innovation at Regional Level: An Analysis of a Public Policy Intervention in the Piedmont Region

Cannone G. and Ughetto E. Funding innovation at regional level: an analysis of a public policy intervention in the Piedmont region, Regional Studies. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the attractiveness and efficiency of the public financing programme DOCUP 2000–2006 (Documento Unico di Programmazione) in the Piedmont region of Italy. The dataset consists of 1235 firms that applied for public funding to Finpiemonte S.p.A. First, the determinants that lead firms to apply for public funding are examined. It is found that leveraged firms are more likely to ask for public subsidies. What drives Finpiemonte in selecting the firms to be subsidized is then analysed. Results for Measure 2.1b point to lower levels of firm leverage, lower costs and a higher life cycle of the projects to be financed. If the grant scheme under Measure 2.6b is considered, the selection process seems to be influenced by firm profitability. Finally, the efficacy of the programme on firm performance in the years following the granting of the subsidy is estimated. It is found that subsidized firms show an increase of indebtedness and of total fixed assets, while there is no evidence of any impact on firm profitability.

Gender equality in science: Mainstreaming the issue

As the Biochemical Society launches a new grant scheme for Gender Equality in Science this year, we look at the recent history and current thought on this long-standing and important issue.

Does Cluster Policy Trigger R&D Activity? – Evidence from German Biotech Contests

This paper evaluates the R&D enhancing effects of two large public grant schemes for the German biotechnology industry (BioRegio, BioProfile). Both grant schemes are organized in the form of contents for cooperation with the goal to foster the performance of innovative firms by their organization in research clusters. We apply a Difference-in-Differences estimation technique in a generalized linear model framework, which allows us to control for different initial regional conditions in R&D activity of the biotech sector. Our econometric findings support the view that winners generally outperform non-winning participants during the treatment period, thus indicating that exclusive funding as well as the stimulating effect of being a “winner” have positive effects on R&D activity in the short-term. Apart from this direct winner effect, for the non-winning participants no beneficial indirect effect due to a mobilization of local actors during the application phase could be detected. Finally, first attempts in estimating the long-term effects of the contests for cooperation approach on the winner regions’ R&D activity in the post-treatment period show ambiguous results.

Migration and Distributive Politics: The Political Economy of Mexico's 3×1 Program

AbstractMexico's 3 × 1 Program for Migrants is a matching grant scheme that seeks to direct the money sent by migrant organizations abroad to the provision of public and social infrastructure and to productive projects in migrants’ communities of origin. To this end, the municipal, state, and federal administrations match the amount sent by hometown associations by 3 to 1. This article explores the impact on the operation of the 3 × 1 of a particular facet of Mexican political life: its recent democratization and the increasing political fragmentation at the municipal level. The study finds a lower provision of public projects in jurisdictions where a high number of political parties compete. This finding casts doubt on the claim that policy interventions such as the 3 × 1 Program actually improve local public goods provision at the local level under increasing political competition.