marie curie individual fellowships - irish universities · pdf file ·...
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Marie Curie
Individual Fellowships
Dr. Jennifer Brennan
Marie Curie NCP and
National Delegate
During webinar please
email queries to
Presentation and Q&A
report will be available
online
Marie Curie Actions = People Programme
9% of FP7 Budget is for Marie Curie Actions:
€0.98 billion allocated for 2013 Calls - €240 million left to spend
FINAL CALLS OF FP7
Marie Curie Actions, an Irish Success Story
• Ireland’s “Take” from FP7 to-date€438 million€438 million
• Portion of this secured via Marie Curie (2nd-Largest FP7 Income-Stream)€66 million€66 million
• MC Co-funding secured to boost national R&D budgets€16 million€16 million
• Irish Marie Curie Actions funded269269
• Irish Participants in Marie Curie IAPPs 5555
• Research Posts created in Academia and Industry by MC Funding800800
Data as of September 2012
What are the
Marie Curie
Actions?
Marie Curie
Actions
Training
MobilityCareer
• Intellectual Capital• Enter the Researcher
Profession
• Stay in Europe
• Attracting international
researchers
• Knowledge Transfer
• International & Inter-
Sectoral Cooperation
“Bottom-Up”
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Mathematics
• Life Sciences
• Economic Sciences
• ICT and Engineering
• Social Sciences & Humanities
• Earth & Environmental Sciences
• Applications are assessed in these 8 Panels
• Budget is distributed across the Panels according to the number of proposals received in each Panel
IEF Intra-European
Fellowships for
Career
Development
“Researcher moving
with Europe*”
1 - 2 year
fellowship
IOF International
Outgoing
Fellowships
“Researcher moving
from Europe to
outside, and back
again”
2 – 3 year
fellowship
(mandatory
return year in
Europe
IIF International
Incoming
Fellowships
“Researcher moving
from outside Europe
to Europe”
2 – 3 year
fellowship
(possible co-
financed
return year)
Marie Curie Individual Fellowships
* The Member States and Associated countries (e.g. Switzerland, Israel, Norway)
• IEF and IOF are about Career Development
• IIF is about Transfer of Knowledge
What does the EU funding cover?
“Full-cost” fellowships
• Living Allowance (salary)
• Mobility Allowance (salary)
• Research/Training Costs
• Overheads Contribution
• Total: €86,000 or €115,000 p.a., depending on
researcher’s level of experience
• Pre-tax salary ~€57,000 or ~€85,000 p.a.
Facts and Figures
Next Deadline:
14th August 2013
IEF: 134 M€
IIF: 44.5 M€
IOF: 44.5 M€
Project Duration
IEF: up to 2 years
IIF: 2 to 3 years*
IOF: 24 to 36 months**
Budget ~€100k p.a.
* May include a co-financed 12-month reintegration back to an International Cooperation Partner Country (ICPC)
** Includes a mandatory 12-month reintegration back in Europe
2012 Call Stats – all Europe
Fellowship Type IEF IIF IOF
Average cut-off score
(differs for each panel)
89.4 90.4 91.1
# applications evaluated 3734 1462 962
#of fellowships funded ~600 ~190 ~150
Success Rate 16.4% 13.2% 16.3%
Irish Performance - 2012 Call
Panel Performance (IE) - 2012 Call
2
16
0
10
5
26
0
13
18
2
1
0
2
0
2
0
1
3
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
CAR CHE ECO ENG ENV LIF MAT PHY SOC
IxF Funded
IxF Evaluated
100%
6%
20%
8%
8%
17%
CAR Career Restart Panel
CHE Chemistry
ECO Economic Sciences
ENG ICT and Engineering
ENV Earth & Environmental Sciences
LIF Life Sciences
MAT Mathematics
PHY Physics
SOC Social Sciences & Humanities
IEF: 710 SOC proposals
Irish proposals ranked
#3 and #5 in all Europe
Eligible
Researcher
Eligible Host
Organisation(s)
applies with
How to apply for a Fellowship
Application is prepared jointly by the Researcher and the “Scientist-in-Charge”
(person in the host organisation that the researcher will work with if funded)
Who is an eligible researcher?
Age Limit
• None
Required Experience
• Experienced Researcher: PhD or 4 years’ full-time equivalent research experience (after obtaining a degree permitting the researcher to begin studying for a doctorate)
• Also open to More Experienced Researchers (with > 10 years experience after the degree permitting doctoral studies)
Mobility Rule
• At the Call deadline, the applicant must not have resided or had their main activity in the country of the host organisation for > 12 months in the last 3 years
• Can apply with current host organisation as long as Mobility Rule is satisfied
Intra-European Fellowships
Nationality
• No nationality requirements
Mobility
• Researchers must move from one Member State or Associated Country (MS/AC) to another
• Mobility Rule applies
Project Duration
• 12 to 24 months
IEF: Career Restart Option
Conditions
• Applicant must not have been active in research for at least 12 months immediately prior to the Call deadline.
• Evaluated in a separate Career Restart Panel (CAR)
Mobility
• Mobility Rule is relaxed: At the Call deadline, the
applicant must not have resided or had their main activity in
the country of the host organisation for > 3 years in the last
5 years
Project Duration
• 12 to 24 months
International Incoming Fellowships
Nationality
• No nationality requirements
Mobility
• Researchers must move from outside Europe (Other Third
Country or OTC) to a MS/AC
• Mobility Rule applies
Project Duration
• 12 to 24 months
• Can add an extra 12 months reintegration to an International Cooperation Partner Country (sub-set of OTC) e.g. Brazil, South Africa, Armenia, Cuba,……………
• Employed by the Irish organisation for the fellowship duration
• Seconded to the Japanese organisation for the “outgoing phase” (between 12 and 24 months)
• Return to the Irish organisation for a mandatory 12-month “return phase”
• If application is funded, the two organisations sign a Partnership Agreement
Eligible
Researcher
Eligible Host
Organisation in a
MS/AC
(e.g. Ireland)
applies with
International Outgoing Fellowships
Eligible Host
Organisation in
an Other Third
Country
(e.g. Japan)
International Outgoing Fellowships
Nationality
• Must be nationals of a Member State/Associated Country OR
• Nationals from an OTC (Other Third Country) who have been active in a MS/AC for at least 5 years before the Call deadline
Mobility
• Researchers must move from a MS/AC to a country outside Europe (Other Third Country , OTC – which includes the ICPC countries)
• Mobility Rule applies
Project Duration
• 12 to 24 months outgoing phase in an OTC
• Plus a mandatory 12-month return phase to a MS/AC
Writing an Application
Getting Started
Preparing to Write
• Download the call documents from
the Participant Portal*
– 2013 Work Programme
– Guide for Applicants
• Read them from cover to cover!
– Evaluation Criteria
– Overall objective of the Action (Opening
pages of GfA and 2013 Work Programme)
• Referees
– Identify up to 3 referees to provide a
reference for your application
* http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/page/people
Preparing to Submit
• All-electronic submission using Submission & Evaluation of Proposals Service (SEP)
• Register with SEP for the correct Call (IEF/IIF/IOF 2013)*
– Download Proposal Template
• Must have the Participant Identification Code (PIC) for your organisation
– Use Search Facility or ask your host
– Organisation can apply for PIC (temporary one issued to allow submission)
• The deadline is 17:00 Brussels time!
Proposal Content
Part A
(Administrative)
Part B
(Proposal)
Part A - Administrative Forms• Prepared electronically within SEP system
Form Title Content
A1 Information on the Proposal e.g. Acronym, Title, Selection of
Evaluation Panel, Project Duration………
A2 Information on the Host
organisation(s)*
e.g. PIC, legal name, contact details, name
of person-in-charge at the host
organisation (who will be contacted in
first instance)
A3 Information on the Researcher e.g. Education details, work experience,
country of location, residency for the past
5 years
A4 Funding Request e.g. Mobility allowance, Funding level
(Experienced or More Experienced
Researcher)
* For IOF, two A2 forms are required, one each for the outgoing host and return host organisations
Referees
• Can (not mandatory) nominate up to 3 referees to provide an assessment of your track record and research potential
• Add their details in in SEP
• The referees each receive an email from SEP, providing access to online reference forms
• Ensure you ask their permission first!
• Discuss what topics they should refer to in their assessment – refer to Evaluation Criteria
• Research and Technological Quality (8 pages)B1B1
• IEF and IOF: Training (2 pages)
• IIF: Transfer of KnowledgeB2B2
• Researcher (7 pages)
• Including CV and list of achievementsB3B3
•Implementation (6 pages)B4B4
• Impact (4 pages)B5B5
• Ethics Issues (No page limit)B6B6
Proposal Content
Evaluation of your Application
Evaluation Process
11• Eligibility Check
22• Remote Evaluation*
33• Consensus Meetings in Brussels
44• Selection of Proposals**
55• Results Announcement (includes Feedback)
~ 3 months
* Evaluated by at least 3 international experts
** Distribution across 8 panels proportional to # of proposals received
Criterion Threshold
(Marks out of 5)
Weighting Priority
(ex-aequo)
Researcher 4 25 1
IEF and IOF: Training
IIF: Transfer of Knowledge
3 (IEF and IOF)
n/a (IIF)
15 2
R&T Quality 3 25 3
Impact 3.5 20 4
Implementation* n/a 15 5
Evaluation Criteria
Overall threshold of 70%
* For IOF, split where appropriate between outgoing and return host
“Charter & Code”
• 40 principles
• Charter: framework for
career management for
researchers
• Code: promotes open and
transparent recruitment
and appraisal
• Embedded in Evaluation
Criteria for all MC Actions
(look for the * in the table
of Evaluation Criteria)
http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/rights/index
Human Resources Strategy for Researchers
• “Next-step” - encourage mainstreaming of C&C in research entities’ policies
• 5-Step Procedure
• Results in Commission acknowledgment (permission to use HR Excellence logo)
• Irish HEIs awarded the logo to-date are UCD and UL.
• 4 other universities, 6 IOTs, Teagasc, DIAS and RCSI are also working with the Commission to earn the logo
• If applicable to your host, information on this should be included in B4 - Implementation
List of institions: http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/rights/strategy4ResearcherOrgs
Resubmissions
• Statistics show that in the case of resubmission, scores tend to improve, and in many
cases, resubmissions are funded
• But…..resubmitting does not guarantee success
• Each proposal is evaluated on it’s own merits, in comparison with the other proposals in
that Call
• Resubmissions are handled as follows:
• In the A forms, in the section provided, indicate that the proposal is a resubmission
• The evaluators are not given access to the previous proposal
• Evaluation Summary Report from previous proposal is placed in a sealed envelope
• After the Consensus Meeting is over and the ESR and score for the new proposal has been
finalised, the sealed envelope is opened
• In the case where there is any marked difference in score between the new proposal and
the old one, the new ESR should be clear about the deficiencies of the new proposal
Advice from Marie Curie
Individual Fellowships Evaluators and the
PeopleNetwork+ Project
http://www.peoplenetworkplus.eu/
General Comments - 1
• Use a self-explanatory title
• A memorable acronym is helpful
• Use the proposal template:
• It matches the evaluation criteria and makes it easy for the evaluators to find what they are looking for.
• It helps you to put the right information in the right place for the evaluators to find it.
• Some evaluators use a “checklist” approach to marking – if the information is not in the correct section, they will give you “zero” for that sub-criterion.
General Comments - 2
• Use Diagrams, Charts, Tables or Figures where possible
• Easy to evaluate
• Minimise scientific jargon and write in a clear readable style
• For resubmissions, don’t just use Evaluation Summary
Report from previous submission to help you revise
• Look at the proposal as a whole to find room for improvement
• Be aware of the overall weighting of each criterion
• You need to score well in all sections in order to be funded – don’t
spend all your time writing the S&T section!
Abstract
Provided to evaluators to help them choose the proposals they will evaluate
• Be concise
• Reflect the whole proposal including career objectives, proposed impact
• Identify precise & concrete objectives for the whole proposal, not just the research
• Provide enough technical/research information to help an evaluator with knowledge of the field to select it
Layout of Proposal
Template
• Use the Correct Template
• Use the Template sub-headings (provides good structure)
• Provide a Table of Contents with page numbers
• Use the Full Page Limits
• Put the proposal acronym in the Header
• Put Page Numbers (format Page X of Y) in the Footer
Format
• Use charts, diagrams, tables, text boxes, figures.
• Use appropriate font size, line spacing, page margins
• Ensure any colour diagrams etc. are understandable when printed in black and white
• Use highlighting where appropriate (bold, underline, italics) but don’t overdo it!
Language
• Avoid jargon
• Explain any abbreviations
• Simple clear text
• Avoid long sentences
• Get rid of repetitions (refer to other parts of proposal if necessary)
• Don’t copy text from other documents or websites
• Be consistent with language (UK/US English)
• Can use either 1st (I, me) or 3rd person (the researcher) but be consistent
Not evaluated but it makes life easier for the evaluators
B1: R & T Quality - 1
• Educate the Evaluator• The majority of evaluators will not be expert in the specific subject
area of the proposal so….
• Write in a style that is accessible to the non-expert using figures/tables/charts/diagrams to illustrate where appropriate
• R&T objectives• Make them clear, focused and up front
• Relate them to the state-of-the-art and the researcher’s background
• Make sure the ‘state of the art’ is up to date• Include a list of bibliographic references
• Highlight originality and innovative aspects of the proposal• Use a list, table, text box etc. to make them stand out
B1: R & T Quality - 2
• Provide a clear, focused description of the research methodology (use diagrams to explain/illustrate your point)• You must include a description of any risks associated with the research and
contingency plans in case any of those risks occur
• Clearly demonstrate, with hard evidence, the research quality of the host supervisor(s) and their expertise in the area of the proposed research• References from the host supervisor should be included in the Bibliography
• Timeliness & Relevance: Why Now? Why is this research needed?
• From a “scientific” point of view AND
• From a European point of view: why is the research important in terms of the European Research Area (ERA), Horizon 2020, Innovation Union, any relevant European research roadmaps, gendered innovation etc. etc.
• You can find many relevant EU Policy Documents at http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/general/researchPolicies
B2: Training (IEF and IOF) - 1
• Spell out the training objectives
• Clearly describe what you are trying to achieve (what – why- when)
• Link to your overall short and long term career goals
• Include a training schedule with well-defined timeframe
• Must include the preparation and use of a Personal Career
Development Plan
• Include any opportunities for exposure to other sectors (industry,
charity, national archive etc.) but be specific about why and when
these will happen
B2: Training (IEF and IOF) - 2
• Need to demonstrate potential acquisition of three kinds of skills:1. Research Skills core to your research project
2. Additional Research Skills (to diversify your competencies)
3. Transferable & Complementary Skills (also consider skills useful in non-academic
careers)
• Clearly demonstrate, with hard evidence, the quality of the
research supervisor(s)/institution(s) with regard to the training of
researchers
• Can be useful to include number of PhDs graduated, numbers of postdocs
mentored, number of Marie Curie Actions they participated in
• If your host has a researcher career development programme, then spell out
precisely how you will incorporate relevant aspects of it into your personal
training plan
B2: Transfer of Knowledge (IIF)
• Precisely what knowledge will be transferred• Provide a bulleted list or a table of objectives – easy for the evaluators
to follow
• How will you transfer it?• What specific measures will you use to embed this knowledge into the
host organisation and the wider Europe
• Examples: mentoring students, delivering workshops, attending conferences, building collaborations with other European research organisations.
• Be creative!
• IOF: No ToK plan in IOF proposal, but do have to demonstrate how knowledge gained during outgoing phase will be embedded in Europe during reintegration year.
B3: Researcher - 1
• Need excellent publication/conference participation
record appropriate to career stage
• If your experience includes teaching, include it
• Consider using Europass CV format or parts of it
• The sections on Personal Skills and Additional Information are
well laid out
• Need to provide a clear statement that the Researcher is
a good match to the proposed research but need to
demonstrate that they will learn something new
B3: Researcher - 2
• Link the 250-word major achievements section to the
information provided in your CV
• Provide good evidence of the candidate’s ability to
think/act independently and show leadership
• If you really have no examples from your research career, you
can include some from your personal life (e.g. student body
president, captain of football team, secretary of gardening
club……….)
• Reference letters can help – can have up to three but they
should be of good quality and personal to you. Generic
reference letters are not helpful to evaluators.
B4: Implementation - 1
• Need to clearly describe necessary infrastructures for the project, technical (if applicable)
and other such as office space, access to library and IT facilities etc.
• Be careful not to cut and paste text from host’s websites or documents – need to personalise it
• Has your host endorsed the Charter & Code – if yes, say so!
• List at http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/rights/charterAndCode
• Is your host working towards earning the “HR Excellence in Research” logo? If yes, say so!
List at http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/rights/strategy4ResearcherOrgs
But….don’t assume that evaluator knows what this means. Explain it to them.
• Provide clear information about who will help with practical aspects of moving country
• Is your host part of a EURAXESS network? Most Irish HEIs are members of EURAXESS.ie
http://www.euraxess.ie/academic/page.aspx?SP=Contact
• Make a clear statement that the fellow will receive an employment contract with social security
coverage and any other employee benefits like pension etc. Seems obvious, but may not be the
case in all European countries.
B4: Implementation - 2
• Must have a clear management plan for the fellowship
• Who will do what and when
• Need to include specifics relating to frequency of supervisor/researcher meetings etc.
• Clarify the role of other members of the group as well as the supervisor
• Clearly state who in the host will e.g., manage financial aspects of fellowship, who will
be in charge of reporting to the European Commission, who will help with IP issues
• You can use a PERT chart to illustrate who will be responsible for what - templates
available at http://www.hyperion.ie/templates.htm
• Include a detailed and well thought out fellowship implementation plan
• Use the standard EU format of Work-Packages, Deliverables and Milestones (lots of
useful guides on this topic available on the web)
• A good Gantt Chart to illustrate timelines is a must
• Templates available at http://www.hyperion.ie/templates.htm
B4: Implementation - 3
• Include in this plan (not exhaustive):
• Research Activities
• Training Activities (including preparation/monitoring of Personal Development Plan)
• Fellowship Management (admin, financial, interim and final reports to Commission)
• Dissemination & Outreach
• Make sure the work plan is feasible
• Must include a Risk Management Plan (a table is useful)
B5: Impact - 1
• In all sections, be specific: provide details of how the impact will be achieved.
• IEF & IOF: Emphasise the potential impact of the fellowship on the candidates’ career development• Elaborate on transferable skills gained and their impact on
overall career goals
• Clearly state short and long-term goals. How will the fellowship bring you towards those goals
• Benefit of Mobility to ERA:• Elaborate on genuine mobility in terms of working environment
and its impact on career
• NB if you are already working at your host institution
B5: Impact - 2• The case for the benefits to European excellence and
competitiveness (ERA) needs to be a) specific to the proposal and b) convincing• Excellence: is the research innovative? How? How will this help
European excellence?
• Need to understand the relevant policy documents, most NB are:• Innovation Union
• ERA Memorandum of Understanding (2012); 5 key priorities
• List of documents at http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/index.cfm/general/researchPolicies
• Don’t simply cut and paste from them or “pay lip service” by naming them in the document
• Present an analysis of how your fellowship fits with the objectives in the documents
B5: Impact - 3
• Dissemination• Refer to your Dissemination plan in B4 Implementation
• Ensure you target multiple audiences, e.g. other researchers, policy makers (can link to European excellence), industry, government science advisors, “think tanks”, legislative bodies…..
• Clearly state the proposed Impact of these activities
• Outreach• Do not underestimate the importance of Outreach activities – see Outreach
Guidelines doc at http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/documents/documentation/publications/guidelines_en.pdf for details.
• Refer to your Outreach plan in B4 Implementation
• Outreach is communicating with the general public – not other researchers
• Include specifics (what – who – when) in a readable format (e.g. table)
• Try to target different groups (students at all education levels and the general public)
• Clearly state the proposed Impact of these activities
B6: Ethics Issues -1
• Ethics is considered essential by the Commission in the research activities that it funds
• The Commission will not fund:1. Research on Human Embryo/Foetus
• In proposals where the following are involved, the Commission may carry out their own ethical review:
2. Research on Humans
3. Privacy
4. Research on Animals
5. Research Involving Developing Countries
6. Dual Use (possibly military or terrorist use)
• Every funding application must include a completed Ethical Issues Table• The table is divided into sections using the 6 headings above
• Indicating ethical issues in the table does not automatically lead to an ethical review – it helps the Evaluators to decide if one is needed
B6: Ethical Issues -2
• If there are Ethical Issues with your research:• It’s not sufficient to complete the Ethical Issues table
• Clearly describe how Ethical Issues will be managed
• Who will oversee the project’s ethical aspects? E.g. institutional ethics committee, Data Protection Officer
• Provide sample consent forms etc.
• There is no page limit, so provide as much relevant information as possible
• For IOF, need to reassure the evaluators that FP7 Ethical Principles will be obeyed, even if the work is done outside Europe
Final Advice from your NCP!• Most NB: ensure you include all the information requested in the
proposal template (Annex 4 of the Guide for Applicants)
• Add a short “Executive Summary” at the beginning of the S&T
section
• Ensure to keep within the page limits
• In all sections, be specific and provide as much detail and concrete
plans as possible
• Use the VITAE Researcher Development Framework to get training
ideas. Four Domains:1. Knowledge and Intellectual Abilities
2. Personal Effectiveness
3. Research Governance and Organisation
4. Engagement, Influence and Impact
More Advice from your NCP
• Ask colleagues to read through your proposal and do a
“mock evaluation”
• If in doubt, ask your Research Officer or National Contact
Point for clarification!
• If you want to avail of a pre-submission proposal check by
your Research Office, allow enough time for feedback.
• Regularly upload preliminary versions of your proposal,
and don’t forget to hit “submit”!
• Keep the deadline - 5pm Brussels time means 4pm Irish
time!!
The times they are a changing…….
2007 - 2013 2014 - 2020
Excellent Science
Industrial Leadership
Societal Challenges
Horizon 2020
• Innovation in SMEs
• Access to Risk
Finance
• Leadership in
Enabling Industrial
Technologies
• European Research Council
• Marie Curie Actions
• Research Infrastructures
• Future and Enabling
Technologies
IAPP
IRSES
IEF
IOF
IIF
CIG
COFUND
Research networks supporting
doctoral training
Action 1
“Innovative
Training Networks”
ITN
Action 2
“Individual
Fellowships”
Support for experienced
researchers undertaking mobility
Action 3
“R&I Staff
Exchange”
International and inter-sector cooperation
through the exchange of research and
innovation staff
Action 4
“COFUND”
Co-funding of regional, national and
international programmes covering actions
1, 2 and 3
How the MC Office can help
• Keeping you informed
• Email Distribution List
• Dedicated website
• Marie Curie Office Ireland on Linkedin
• Supporting your application
• Training Webinars for specific Calls
www.iua.ie/mariecurie
• ‘One-stop-shop’ centralised support on issues related to mobility
• For ALL researchers
• Linked to central EU EURAXESS Site
• Advertise job opportunities (linked to Nature Jobs)
• Listing of Marie Curie and ERC positions
• Hosting Agreement: Fast-track immigration procedure for non-EU researchers
www.euraxess.eu www.euraxess.ie
What does the EU funding cover?
Experienced
Researcher (p.a.)
More Experienced
Researcher (p.a.)
Living Allowance*, & €58,000 €87,500
Mobility Allowance*,$
(€700 or €1000 per month for those with family)
€8,400 or €12,000 €8,400 or €12,000
Research/Training Costs
(€800 per month to the host organisation)
€9,600 €9,600
Overheads Contribution*
(€700 per month to the host organisation)
€8,400 €8,400
TOTAL €84,400 or €88,000 €110,900 or €114,500
*Correction Coefficients apply; IE = 109.1& Is taxable and includes employer’s social costs (PRSI, pension contribution)$ May also be taxable (and in that case, includes employer’s PRSI)
Final Calls of FP7
http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/