Information about ERC – Information about ERC – the European Research Councilthe European Research Council

• What is ERC?• Call for Advanced Investigator Grants• Outcome first call for Starting Independent Researcher Grants

Why ERC?Why ERC?

Initiative came from researchers in Europe Enforce basic research in Europe (retain,

repatriate, recruit) Increase quality by competing on an

international level Raise the level of ambition Complement national support for basic research On the basis on excellence as the sole criterion First pan-European funding agency for frontier

research

FP7 FP7 IdeasIdeas Programme ProgrammePart of the Seventh EU Research Part of the Seventh EU Research Framework ProgrammeFramework Programme (FP7(FP7

Creates the ERC (new “institution”) – Feb 2007: Scientific Council (ScC) Dedicated Implementation Structure (DIS)

Provides funding – € 7.51 bn (2007-2013): around 15% of FP7 budget average budget: € ~1 bn per year

Sets overall objectives for researchand operating principles

Development of the budgetDevelopment of the budget

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ERC ActorsERC Actors

The Scientific CouncilIndependent scientific governance

Consists of 22 eminent researchers (incl. 3 Nobel laureates)

The Agency (Dedicated Implementation Structure, ERC-DIS)Practical implementation and management of operations

The European UnionProviding the financial means, guarantor of ERC’s autonomy

OrganisationOrganisation

ERC Board(5)

President2 Vice Presidents

Secretary General

Director EA

Executive Agency (EA)

EA Director

EuropeanCommissionCommissioner

Director General

ERCScientific Council

22 membersPresident

2 vice presidents

SeniorEC Officials

IdentificationCommittee

The ERC BoardThe ERC Board

• Prof. Fotis KafatosERC President and Chair of the ScC

• Prof. Helga Nowotny, Dr Daniel EsteveERC Vice-Presidents and Vice-Chairs of ERC ScC

• Prof. Ernst-Ludwig WinnackerERC Secretary-General

• Jack MettheyDirector of ERC DIS(Directorate S)

ERC Grant schemesERC Grant schemesStrategic principlesStrategic principles

All fields of science and scholarship are eligible investigator-driven, bottom-up, frontier research

Excellence is the only valid criterion Principal Investigator + research project

Investment in research talent Attractive, flexible grants, up to five years

under control of the Principal Investigator

Independent individual teams in Europe nationality of researchers is not relevant

host organisation to be located in EU or Associated Country

ERC Grant schemesERC Grant schemes“Individual Research Team” Concept“Individual Research Team” Concept

– Individual Research Teams• headed by a single team leader who is the “Principal

Investigator” (PI)• PI can be of any age, nationality or country of residence• if necessary, the PI can include additional team members

meeting the needs of the project• Advanced Grants only: for interdisciplinary projects, the PI

can choose a co-investigator(s) from related discipline(s)

– PI’s host institution• Located in an EU Member State or Associated Country

ERC Grant SchemesERC Grant SchemesLaunch Strategy of ERC Scientific CouncilLaunch Strategy of ERC Scientific Council

Retain – Repatriate – RecruitRetain – Repatriate – Recruit Favour “brain gain” and “reverse brain drain”

increase competition, recognition and international visibility for excellent individual scientists and scholars in Europe

ERC Advanced Grant: attract & reward established independent research leaders

Keep (young) researchers in Europe

improve career opportunities and independence - especially for young researchers

ERC Starting Grant: attract & retain the next generation of independent research leaders

ERC Grant SchemesERC Grant SchemesEvaluation: Scientific Excellence is the sole Evaluation: Scientific Excellence is the sole criterioncriterion

Evaluation of Excellence at three levels:

• Quality of Principal Investigator

• Quality of Research Project

• Research Environment

Referees and panels evaluate and score criteria 1 and 2 numerically, which will result in the ranking of the proposals

Criteria 3 will be considered on a "pass/fail" basis and commented but not scored

ERC Grant SchemesERC Grant Schemes

Peer Review Evaluation PanelsPeer Review Evaluation Panels

25 Panels covering all fields of science, technology and scholarship

Each Panel consists of the Panel Chairand 10-15 Panel Members

Panel Chair oversees evaluation process for the proposals assigned to his/her panel in collaboration with the ERC staff

The Panel Chair gives high level credibility stamp and visibility to the whole evaluation process

ERC Advanced GrantERC Advanced Grant (ERC Advanced Investigator Researcher Grant)(ERC Advanced Investigator Researcher Grant)

Designed to support excellent investigator-initiated frontier research projects by established independent research leaders

Targeting researchers who have already established their independence as team leaders and are exceptional leaders in terms of significance of their research achievements (in the last 10 years)

up to 5 years, up to € 2,5 (3,5) Mio. per grant

~2500 Advanced Grants over 7 years of FP7

(2007-2013)

ERC Advanced GrantERC Advanced GrantFirst call: ERC-2007-AdG1 (30 Nov 2007)First call: ERC-2007-AdG1 (30 Nov 2007)

Indicative Budget: € 517 Mio

(39 % PE, 34 % LS, 14 % HS & 13% interdisciplinary domain)

Single submission (1 stage, 2 step evaluation)

Electronic submission via EPSS

3 deadlines, 3 domains, 25 panels (10 PE, 9 LS, 6 SH) Physical Sciences and Engineering (PE) on 28th February (907)

Social Sciences and Humanities (SH) on 18th March (403)

Life Sciences (LS) on 22nd April (?)

If same success rate as in FP6 (4,3%), 11 AdG to Sweden (4 PE, 4 LS, 2 HS, 1 “interdisciplinary”?)

ERC Advanced Grant ERC Advanced Grant Managing high demand for grantsManaging high demand for grants

Maximise call budget By combining budgets over 2 successive years (only one application

per researcher in either 2008 or 2009)

Encourage the best to apply Excellent track record (in recent years) Strong leadership profile

Discourage trivial or low-quality applications Applications should be substantive (one-stage submission with two

stage evaluation) Re-application rules: Disincentives to submission of not well

prepared or not highest quality application

ERC Starting GrantERC Starting Grant(ERC Starting Independent Researcher (ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant )Grant )

Support researchers at the beginning of their career, establishing or consolidating their own independent research team

Provide a structure for transition from working under a supervisor to an independent research leader

up to 5 years, up to € 2 million per

grant

~1400 Starting Grants over 7 years of FP7

(2007-2013)

ERC-2007-StG ERC-2007-StG Evaluation: overviewEvaluation: overview

334 M€ available forthis call

~ 300 projects (~ 3 %)

Stage 2 evaluation: ~ 50%

was retained

559 retained proposals

representing

about 535 M€

Stage 1 evaluation: ~ 6 %

retained

8794 proposalsevaluated

representing

about 10 B€

value of requested funding

Proposals related to populationrelated to the 8794 proposals

Sweden

Statistics all applicationsStatistics all applications 9167 applications recieved

386 applications were ineligble

Scientific domains: 48 %Physics, Mathematics & Engineering (45 %) 37 % Life Science (40 %) 15 % Social Sciences & Humanities (15 %)

Host institutions in 34 countries

Average age 36 years

30 % ♀

Statistics stage 2 (559 applications)Statistics stage 2 (559 applications)

Scientific domains: 45 %Physics, Mathematics & Engineering (45 %) 37 % Life Science (40 %) 18 % Social Sciences & Humanities (15 %)

Host institutions in 21 countries Average age 36 years 24 % ♀ 85 % from EU 4 % researchers active ouside of EU (> 1 % non-

EU nationality)

Applications from SwedenApplications from Sweden

• 454 eligible applications from Sweden (5 % of total)

• 19 applications to stage 2 (3 % of the selected)• Scientific domains of the 19 applications:

– 10 % (2) Social Sciences (18 %)– 42 % (8) Physics, Mathematics and Engineering

(45 %)– 47 % (9) Life Science (37 %)

• 21 % ♀ (24 %)

The 19 applications came from….The 19 applications came from….

Distribution Swedish Host Institutions stage 2

Chalmers - 1st

GU - 3st

KI - 5st

KTH - 2st

LIU - 1st

LU - 2st

SU - 3st

UmU - 1stUU - 1st

Total 19 st

Preliminary outcomePreliminary outcome

32 nationalities ~ 170 host institutions 21 countries 26 % ♀ Average age: 35 år To Sweden ~ 11 grants (3,7 % if 300 grants)

Preliminary outcome for SwedenPreliminary outcome for Sweden• 11 grants

– 4 LS (36 %), 5 PE (45%) & 2 HS (18 %)– 9 % ♀ (1)

Fördelning svenska värdinstitutionerpreliminärt beviljade

Chalmers - 1st

GU - 1st

KI - 2st

KTH - 1st

LU - 1st

SU - 3st

UmU - 1st

UU - 1st

Preliminärt totalt 11 st

More information….More information….

• Next call will open summer 08 with deadline(s) in the fall 08

• Information day about next call 2 or 3 of June (see vr.se)

• ERC website http://erc.europa.eu (News alerts)• ERC helpdesk (

https://www.epss-fp7.org/epss/helpdesk.jsp)