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National Coordinators Team Leader
Progress Reports Progress Report 1(*) [Comments of Principal Coordinator in blue] Suggestions and action taken before the meeting on 3/2/04: 1) The Malta website has been started. It will either reside under our own name that is www.acrosslimits.com/newpol or else we take a different domain like www.imnrc-malta.com
[I was going to ask your opinion on this.] 2) I have got in contact with a PR specialist who thinks that what we are doing has a news potential and therefore is willing to push this forward with various newspapers. A series of articles maybe written by some academics of the group could also be given. Again I think we can discuss this. The issue is of course financial as well as these PR specialists cost money! :( 3) I have started making contacts locally with companies in the medical field. You have to remember that I come from a more IT background so for now I am forging some ties and I hope to be able to rope them in as either sponsors or else as supporters and members. In fact I wanted to ask you whether there is already some sponsorship agreement that you might have already used with other people. Those were the 3 main points. Let's use them as an agenda for Tuesday and we take it from there. Is someone else joining us too? [Mail (part of) sent after the meeting:
> … (…) …
> You raised many interesting points.
> I also wish to help you understand what exactly we are doing and make a few suggestions as to how you could organise your NewPOL Consortium Network campaign in Malta.
> Now that we have met face to face, please first read through once more the general introduction AND the six files that were sent to you. [A good idea might also be to review www.infodiagnosis.com] This is quite a lot of work I know, but there is a good chance that many of your questions shall be answered.
> The main difficulty with the objectives of the Congress is that they can't be placed "in a box". All too many have been brought up to think in "boxes", in categories. This process is so "evident" or "natural" that most are unaware that they are the product (like in a factory) of their education and of a given social/cultural/political/philosophical system. We have been moulded to perhaps think/behave in a certain way. Another system shall create another mould, and so on. All these approaches are fragmented. And where there is fragmentation, there is disharmony. Where there is disharmony, is there intelligence?
> We live in a prison of our own making: you can extend the limits (=interfaces!), but it is still a prison.
> We are now living in an era where the human being is beginning to realise that he/she must think beyond the "box" stage. "Boxes" are artificial. They can even be an obstacle to communication and understanding. The more there are boxes, the more interfaces you are going to artificially create and the more energy you are going to lose (not to mention the expenses, and potential business loss). You must try to understand this point.
> The Congress shall be working on a new paradigm: "The search for a potential common denominator through the study of interfaces, networks and missing links in the Life Sciences may lead to a new paradigm for improving the Quality of Life and achieving harmony on this Planet" (cf. Introduction). [PS. This takes between 7-10 seconds... Angele shall tell you that 7 seconds is all you should need to convey your idea]
> The Congress shall raise some very important existential issues for all the human beings that are - believe it or not - living TOGETHER on this little planet Earth.
> Why couldn't sponsors be interested in contributing to this worldwide (or perhaps universal?) existential consciousness or awareness? This shall also be our job. Sponsors can change mentality too.
> The Congress includes the EU 6FP and not vice-versa. What characterises the Congress is its simplicity...(cf. Introduction) Also, many researchers in their focussed area are stuck: confronting cross-cutting research areas may help them go beyond deadlocks (cf. introduction).
> This said, for those who are interested in presenting a proposal to the Commission, customised EU 6FP administrative assistance in situ shall enable project submissions to be CORRECTLY presented to the Commission, thereby increasing the chances of success. There is the substance of the proposal and the presentation of the proposal: many can be turned down just because of the latter. If Evaluators have requested presentation A of your work, they shall reject a presentation B of your same work. It's as "simple" as that.
> Now, just how The Evaluators evaluate your ideas/work, however, is - as I have said before - a delicate issue.
> What the OC(...) meeting shall also help to determine is the schedule/time-table of the Congress. Some Workshops (PART I) may last one afternoon; some one day and some four. Each Programme Coordinator in PART II shall act as moderator for all the Workshop Conclusions that shall be presented for all to hear. One day could be given to think over all the conclusions and the 10 Programme Coordinators would then present their conclusions of the conclusions.
> I do feel that the notion of Intellectual Property, copyright, patents, ... is childish and narrow-minded. But we need money (but just WHY should everything always be so money oriented shall ALSO be discussed during the Congress...)...so these issues shall have to be dealt with in situ before collaborating with potential business partners. I am thinking of enrolling an office that specialises in patents for the Congress.
> Some solution shall also have to be found as regards the Public Participation. I do believe that, globally speaking, there is a potential Leonardo da Vinci in everyone of us and not necessarily where we might expect them...
> As for PART III of the Congress, the budget for the actual construction of the Center has a good chance of being very high. So more than one Center is unlikely to begin with. There shall of course be a complete commercial complex in the vicinity of the Center (including hotels, restaurants, markets, stores, theatres, etc...). The political importance of the location of the Center is not to be underestimated. I prefer an Island (...), but there have already been offers as you know... :-)
> Please read through the progress reports of the other NCs and discuss your views with them. Their efforts are also commendable.
> Your idea of suggesting commercial stands for the congress (cars, clothes, etc...) is excellent.
> I hope that the above has helped you clarify the "structure" of the NewPOL Consortium Network. It is in fact 'astructural' in the sense that its structure is restructured every time one adds another element to the edifice. You can't put it in a box.
> The PR you happen to know seems ready to help you. If you could somehow convince a third party in Malta to pay him/her, this would be one solution. Please also remember that inviting the general population (in Malta, France, UK, etc...) to take part in this initiative is another way of finding funds. But in order to do this, you need support/assistance from the media/press.
> Finally, as I told you before, NCs are of a different calibre. Taking up this post actively is not an easy task. The NewPOL Consortium Network is perhaps underestimating its influence already since there is pressure on colleagues in certain quarters NOT to accept this post.
> When you give your next lecture in Malta, think of me. The exchange of information between you and your students means interactive interfaces and ... neurosciences.
> ...(...)...
Please exchange your views between you. It is strange that even though we can reach the world through Internet, we are still so isolated behind our screens...in "boxes".]
(*) This first Progress Report was presented by Angele Giuliano. The NewPOL Network wishes to thank Mrs Giuliano for her initial contribution.
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