[Pw_forum] Proposal to establish a liaison office in Brussels representing the QE community to attract EU funding

[Gabriele Mogni]

Dear members of the Quantum Espresso community,

I have a PhD from Oxford University in the field of ab-initio study of 
crystalline solids under extreme pressures, and at present I'm working 
as an independent freelance consultant in Brussels together with my 
father who has a long (about 30 years) professional experience working 
in the European Commission, including a deep knowledge of the European 
Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.

Our proposal is to set up a liaison or a contact point office in 
Brussels in order to facilitate access to the European research funds 
for members of the Psi-k and QE community. In particular we propose to 
provide the following services:

-Hold regular contacts with the EU Commission department in charge of 
research and innovation to explain the importance of the ab-initio 
computational material science field of research for European growth, 
innovation and competitivness. In practice this means that we hope to 
convince  the EU Commission to issue calls for proposal and/or calls for 
tenders in this field under the annual implementation program of Horizon 
2020.

-Inform members of the Psi-k and QE community on EU tenders and other 
financing opportunities relevant for their work.

-Helping the Psi-k and QE community to create international consortia, 
prepare offers and finalise proposals for possible financing by the 
Horizon 2020 program.

-Hold contacts with members of the European Parliament working in 
relevant committees (R&D, innovation, industry etc....).

-Hold contacts with other European associations, foundations, consortia, 
companies, universities, research centres and industries with a 
representation office in Brussels for which computational physics and 
other activities of the Psi-k and QE community are relevant.

-Offer training, seminars and information sessions on a regular basis on 
Horizon 2020 programs for members of the Psi-k and QE community.

-Preparation of conferences and other specialised events on 
computational physics in Brussels.

-Organise high-level visits of EU institutions for interested members of 
the Psi-K and QE community.

Please let us know if you would be interested in this initiative and if 
you would be willing to support us in this endeavor. If we receive a 
significant manifestation of interest and support by the Psi-k and QE 
community we will proceed further with the following activities:

-Preparation of a website where you will find all the necessary contact 
information and references to start collaborating with us.

-Preparation of a monthly newsletter.

-Some proposals for activities that could be implemented in the near 
future.

-Assessment of the costs and fees associated with the above-mentioned 
services.

We look forward to receiving your feedback.

Best regards,

Gabriele Mogni and Andrea Mogni