Infect-Era Young Scientists Networking Workshop

How funding boosted my career

14. 10. 2015.

Attila Gacser

University of Szeged, Department of Microbiology

European Funding (Marie Curie Fellowship and

other fundings)

FP5 (1998-2002) vs. FP7 (2007-2013) vs. H2020

Personal experience

Subjective opinion

Life After the MC fellowship

How funding boosted my career?

Topic of my talk

Viruelence and pathogenesis of

human fungal pathogens

DIC CD83 FITC DAPI Merge

The “Candida Group” in Szeged

Postdoc Scientists: Dr. Adél Tóth

Dr. Tibor Németh

PhD Students: Katalin Csonka

Tanmoy Chakraborty

Anita Kecskeméti

Dhirendra K Singh

Erik Zajta

Renáta Tóth

Judit Szenzenstein

Csaba Papp

MSc Students: Benedikta Balla

Henrietta papp

Gergely Molnár

BSc Students: Gergő Drabbant

Katica Kocsis

Guest PhD Student: Luis Antonio Pérez García (Mexico)

Medical PhD Students: Dr. Csaba Berkovits (Faculty of Dentistry)

Dr. Lilla Tiszlavicz (Children Hospital Szeged)

Early time...

FP5 vs H2020

FP5 (1998-2002) Marie Curie Fellowships: Individual

Fellowships

Human Potential, Energy/Environment, Growth, Nuclear

Energy

Quality of Life all submitted proposal:1152 selected

proposals: 583 success rate: 50.6 %

(The full program: 6461/2601/40.3%)

FP5 vs H2020

H2020 (2014-2020) Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions:

2014 : 7472 proposals vs. 1066 selected proposals

Success rate about: 11%

Very high competition! Independent evaluation!

However:

• more solid system

• competitive salary (even with industry)

• better administration

• “more personal experience”

Personal experience

Selection of the host institute! (Excellence on the

field! )

The criteria of the selection:

• international recognition!

• new techniques, new knowledge

• long term utilization of the knowledge

How to contact to the Host Institute:

• supervisor’s “network”

• publications, internet

• former postdoctoral fellows

Project proposal (a short summary)

The project:

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL QUALITY

• The major selection criteria QUALITY of Science (The

excellence of the host institute is essential !)

RESEARCHER

• “Self management” ! (CV and the introduction of your

qualities )

IMPACT

How the fellowship will contribute to your personal career.

Personal experience

Subjective opinion

Scientific career:

• Further career options (position, second postdoctoral

period initiation)

• Language skills

• Networking

• Teaching, scientific community involvement

• Laboratory management, project management

Personal opinion:

• Financial stability

• Networking

• Cooperation potential and VISIBILITY

Collaborators

Prof. Karl Kuchler (Vienna)

Prof. Jozef Nosek (Bratislava)

Dr. Olga Hruskova-Heidingsfeldova (Prague)

Prof. Bernhard Hube (Jena)

Prof. Uwe Gross (Göttingen)

Dr. Oliver Bader (Göttingen)

Prof. Christophe d’Enfert (Paris)

Dr. Oscar Zaragoza (Madrid)

Dr. Toni Gabaldon (Barcelona)

Prof. Geraldine Butler (Dublin)

Prof. Mihai Netea (Nijmegen)

Prof. Héctor M. Mora Montes (Mexico)

Prof. Joshua D. Nosanchuk (USA)

Prof. Andras Fiser (USA)

Dr. Leonardo Nimrichter (Brazília)

Life after the MC fellowship

Return:

Reintegration Grant! Must to try!

Other funding options: EMBO, ERC, MTA

Other option: (Second postdoctoral period)

In Europe or outside (USA), support and further strengthen

your POSITION.

Selective advantage in severeal grant types.

EMBO Installation

Grant (2008)

Benefits:

- 50.000

Euro/year

-Flexibility

-3+2 years funding

-Opportunity to

attend on

workshops and

courses

Understanding colonisation and the transition to

pathogenic dissemination by Candida species:

towards early diagnostic and therapeutic approaches

“CANDICOL”

“CandiCol” project partners

Attila Gacser (P1)

Leader of the Fungal pathogenesis group

University of Szeged (Hungary)

Christophe d’Enfert(P2)

Head of the Fungal Biology and Pathogenicity Unit in the Genomes and

Genetics Department

Institut Pasteur (France)

Uwe Groß (P3)

Head of the department of “Medical Microbiology”

University Medical Centre Goettingen (Germany)

Bernhard Hube (P4)

Head of the department “Microbial Pathogenicity Mechanisms”

Hans Knoell Institute (HKI) Jena (Germany)

16

Innovative Training Networks (ITN)

Conferences

Activities over 4 years project max:

Average size of consortium = 6-10

Max support 36 months for ESRs

Training: Seminars, Workshops, summer

schools modules

Supervision

Networking

Secondments , placements

Research and Innovation

Care

er d

eve

lop

men

t of e

arly

sta

ge

res

ea

rch

ers

Communication & Dissemination

Collaboration & Exchange of

Knowledge

Public Engagement

Success rate of an ITN application is about

10%

Organization of meetings

Other funding oppotrunities and

advantages on networking

Scientific collaborations:

-Science without Borders (funded by the Brazilian

Government) 2014-2017

-International collaboration grant funded by NKFIH (OTKA)

-Bilateral collaborative projects: Austria-Hungary

Personal fellowships:

-Short research visits

-Scientific research visits sponsored by other sources

-Etc.

• Short research visit for PhD students: 4 months

(Hungarian Partner) 9 months (Brazilian partner)

• Scientific grant

• Visiting professorship (teaching at Brazilian Universities)

• Boosting collaborations between Europe and Brazil

• Joint application for grant support on the field of

Infectious diseases.

Thank you for your attention !