New International Research Grants Open for Application

- The International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) has been a global non-governmental organization since 1961, representing the interests of over 95,000 neuroscientists. A significant portion of its funding for grants comes from the proceeds of its two peer-reviewed journals, *Neuroscience* and *IBRO Neuroscience Reports*. - The REMORA project is a €1.2 million initiative under the Horizon Europe framework, running from June 2024 to May 2027, designed to elevate the research and innovation capabilities of marine science institutions in Europe's Outermost Regions. Its official title is "Small fishes in a big pond," reflecting its goal to help these smaller institutions compete for Horizon Europe funding. - European public sector bodies are legally required to comply with the Web Accessibility Directive (EU) 2016/2102, which mandates that their websites and apps are "perceptible, operable, understandable, and robust." This is technically defined by the harmonised standard EN 301 549, which is based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. - Recent GovTech case studies in Europe offer models for multi-stakeholder service design; Finland's "zero-touch" services, for example, use a decentralized, API-driven architecture called X-Road to automatically trigger public services based on life events, shifting civil servants' roles towards designing seamless service journeys. - The EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which became fully applicable in February 2024, imposes new regulations on how online platforms moderate content and requires them to be more transparent about their algorithmic systems, impacting any public-facing digital service. - Researchers often face significant usability challenges with grant application portals, with studies identifying common pain points such as technical issues with submission portals, delays in receiving feedback from collaborators, and unclear communication about changes to the submission process. - The European Commission is actively promoting the use of AI in public services through its "Apply AI" strategy. Case studies include a virtual service assistant in the German Federal Ministry of the Interior and service robots in the Ludwigsburg Citizens Advice Bureau to greet visitors and guide them to the correct departments. - Service design in a government context requires navigating complex back-end legacy systems and regulatory demands that can hinder a positive user experience. Community platforms like "Service Design in Government" provide a space for public sector designers to share methodologies for addressing these specific challenges.