HERA Matchmaking Event - Tallinn, 28-29 January 2014
Over 300 humanities scholars were selected to attend the so-called matchmaking event in Tallinn, with HERA (Humanities in the European Research Area) trying to assist the grouping of like-minded people to form Collaborative Research Projects for the 2015 Call on "Uses of the Past". The medieval representation was so significant that the "observers" remarked on this in their closing words. The Thursday evening involved a gala dinner in the national maritime museum (a converted flying boat hangar). The Friday morning comprised three introductions to the Call. The afternoon was set aside for match-making, which was effectively speed-dating, with eight 20-minute slots, to see if your pre-arranged "date" was a potential partner for a project. At least half a dozen CARMEN members were present: including Tallinn, CARMEN itself, Stockholm, Southampton and Glasgow; and a dozen more. Several medievalists are now in the process of co-ordinating project proposals for the 9 April deadline, for 3-year projects worth a maximum of 1.2m euro.