marie skłodowska-curie actions individual fellowships
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Marie Skłodowska-Curie ActionsIndividual Fellowships Information
Event
Wednesday, 29 May 2019 Medical Research Council (MRC), Conference Centre, One Kemble Street,
London WC2B 4AN
Programme
• To maximise UK engagement in EU-funded research, innovation and higher education activities
Mission
• Established in 1984, based in Brussels
• UKRO is sponsored by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
• Delivers subscription-based advisory services for around 150 research organisations in the UK and beyond
• Provides National Contact Point services on behalf of the UK Government
Our office
About the UK Research Office
• Advice on the European Research Council and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
• Websites
– www.ukro.ac.uk/erc
– www.ukro.ac.uk/mariecurie
• Helpdesk
– [email protected]; Phone: 0032 2289 6121
– [email protected]; Phone: 0032 2230 0318
• Follow UKRO NCPs on social media
• Funded by
UKRO National Contact Points
27-28 June, Edgbaston Park Conference Centre, University of Birmingham
• Register Now! – More information can be found on our UKRO Conference Booking Website
• Topics for sessions include but are not limited too; Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe; Continuity of the UK involvement in and post-Horizon 2020; Missions and their role in Horizon Europe; Open Science; Gender; Integration of Social Sciences and Humanities Horizon 2020; ERC and MSCA.
Questions/Comments/Ideas to;[email protected]
UKRO Conference 2019
Continued UK Engagement
in Horizon 2020
General Update on the Current Situation
Information for IF Applicants
• The referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU took place on 23 June 2016
• Article 50 invoked on 29 March 2017, negotiation period 2 years
• In April 2019 the UK government reached an agreement with the EU on an flexible extension until 31 October 2019
• During this extension period the UK will remain a member of the EU with all the relevant rights and obligations. This means that the UK will continue to participate in Horizon 2020 as a member state.
• It remains the priority of the UK Government to leave the EU with a deal
Key facts: UK’s Exit from the EU
• In this extension period, project activity should continue in line with the existing terms and conditions set out in any EU grant agreement.
Beneficiaries should not terminate their agreement with the EU.
• A ratified deal based on the provisions set out in the Withdrawal Agreement would ensure continued UK participation in Horizon 2020 until the end of the programme and for the lifetime of projects.
• If an agreement is reached, projects approved during this period will be able to continue with an uninterrupted flow of EU funding
• Negotiations between the UK and EU are on-going ‘nothing is agreed until everything is agreed’
• If the Withdrawal Agreement is ratified before 31 October 2019, the UK would formally leave the EU on the first day of the following month.
Horizon 2020 and a Withdrawal Agreement
Guarantees to ensure continuity of funding in a no-deal scenario
HMT Underwrite Guarantee August 2016
• Only in a no-deal scenario
• UK Government has committed to underwrite funding for all successful competitive UK bids submitted to EU funding before exit, even if they are notified of their success after exit.
• This guarantee would apply for the lifetime of projects.
• This will cover the funding for UK participants in Horizon 2020 projects in no deal-scenario.
Post EU Exit Guarantee Extension July 2018
• Only in a no-deal scenario
• The UK government post EU exit Guarantee Extension would cover funding for successful competitive UK bids to EU funding calls open to third country participants from the date of exit until end of 2020.
• The guarantee would cover the lifetime of their projects, even if they run beyond 2020
• The government is seeking discussions with the European Commission to agree the details of our continued participation as a third country.
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is managing the guarantee and if required would administer the underwrite for Horizon 2020
• Registration process is underway
• Check with your own Research Office: This process is usually manged centrally within universities where there is an option to upload all grants held via a multiple upload spreadsheet
Registering EU Grants on UKRI Portal
European Commission Guidance relating to Brexit and Horizon 2020
Horizon 2020 Evaluation
Commission Guidance: “Experts should not evaluate proposals with UK participants any differently than before.”
FAQ on Risk Management“Speculation will not be taken into account during evaluation”
Eligibility 2018-2020 Work Programme
“until the UK leaves the EU, EU law continues to apply to and within the UK, when it comes to rights and obligations; this includes the eligibility of UK legal entities to fully participate and receive funding in Horizon 2020 actions such as those called for in this work programme.
Please be aware however that the eligibility criteria must be complied with for the entire duration of the grant.”
• Government Horizon 2020 Q&A published in March 2018, updated in August 2018 and December 2018
• UKRO works closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) –questions from the community included in the Q&A
UK Government key messages and Q&A
Until the date when the UK leaves the EU, it remains a Member State, with all the rights and obligations that entails. This means that UK entities are eligible to participate in all aspects of the Horizon 2020 programme while we remain a member of the EU.
The Government’s priority remains ensuring a deal with the EU. The
Government’s Underwrite Guarantee and the Post EU Exit Guarantee Extension remain in place in the event that commitments made in the Joint Report are not met.
Links to official documents and further information
• The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is responsible for Horizon 2020. Dedicated inbox for specific concerns [email protected]
• UKRO factsheet with links to all major publications available at www.ukro.ac.uk
• UUK Brexit and Universities page https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/policy-and-analysis/brexit
• UK governments technical notices https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/how-to-prepare-if-the-uk-leaves-the-eu-with-no-deal
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Horizon 2020 structure
Excellent Science
European Research Council (ERC)
Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Research Infrastructures
Industrial Leadership
Leadership in Enabling and
Industrial Technologies (LEIT) - ICT, NMBP, Space
Access to Risk Finance
Innovation in SMEs
Societal Challenges
Health and Wellbeing
Food security
Transport
Energy
Climate action
Societies
Security
Widening Participation; Science with and for Society, Mainstreaming of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) and ICT, Fast Track to Innovation
European Institute of Innovation and
Technology (EIT)EURATOM
Joint Research Centre (JRC)
“…contribute to excellent research, boosting jobs, growth and investment by equipping researchers with the new knowledge, skills and international and intersectoral exposure to fill the top positions of tomorrow and solve current and future societal challenges...based on the principle of mobility…open to researchers and innovation staff at all stages… ensuring good working conditions and work/life balance…”
2018-20 Work
Programme
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
Encouraging people to become researchers and to
carry out research in Europe
Equip researchers with the necessary skills and international experience
for a successful career either in the public or the
private sector
Ensure the optimum development and
dynamic use of Europe’s intellectual capital
Generate new skills, knowledge and innovation
Develop attractive career opportunities
Contribute to excellent research, boosting jobs
Foster innovation, research-business
cooperation, including a strong international
component
MSCA Policy Objectives
Gender balance – equal opportunities in the research content
Dissemination and public engagement - public outreach
Strong participation across sectors
Enhance skills of people behind research and innovation
Mobility (cross-border and cross-sector) is a key requirement
For any research and innovation ideas (basic research; market take-up)
Operates on a ‘bottom-up’ basis
MSCA Key Features
Types of MSCA Actions
• For Early Stage Researchers
Innovative Training Networks (ITN)
• For Experienced Researchers
Individual Fellowships (IF)
• Exchange visits (secondments) of staff
Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE)
• For regional, national, international doctoral or fellowship programmes
Co-funding of programmes (COFUND)
MSCA Individual Fellowships
Overview, funding rules and application process
Aim to:
• Enhance the creative and innovative potential of Experienced Researchers (ER)
• Provide opportunities to researchers of any nationality to acquire and transfer new knowledge and to work on research and innovation in Europe (EU Member States [MS] and Horizon 2020 Associated Countries [AC]) and beyond
• Support the return and (re)integration of European researchers from outside Europe and those who have previously worked here (MSCA-IF-EF-RI)
• Promote the career restart of individual researchers (MSCA-IF-EF-CAR)
• Encourage opportunities for researchers seeking to work on research and innovation projects in an organisationfrom the non-academic sector (MSCA-IF-EF-SE)
• Support researchers displaced by conflict outside the EU and Horizon 2020 Associated Countries.
Indicative Call budget:€ 294.49 million
• Global Fellowships: € 50 million
• European Fellowships: € 236.49 million
• Society and Enterprise Panel: € 8 million.
• The distribution of the indicative budget of the call will be proportional to the number of eligible proposals received in each panel, except where a specific budget for a multidisciplinary panel has been fixed in the call.
• There is a higher weighting for the proposals of the IF Career Restart Panel (CAR) and the IF Reintegration Panel (RI). (see Guide for Applicants)
Indicative timetable for this call:
• Deadline for submission of proposals: 11 September 2019 at 17:00 CET (16:00 GMT)
• Evaluation of proposals: October - December 2019
• Information on the outcome of the evaluation: February 2020
• Indicative date for the signature of Grant Agreements March - May 2020
• Call ID: MSCA-IF-2019
MSCA Individual Fellowships
Researcher level:
• Increased set of skills, both research-related and transferable ones
• improved employability and career prospects both in and outside academia
• Increase in higher impact R&I output; Greater contribution to the knowledge-based economy and society
Organisation level:
•Enhanced cooperation and stronger networks
•Better transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines
•Boosting of R&I capacity among participating organisations
At system level:
• Increase in international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility of researchers in Europe
•Strengthening of Europe's human capital base in R&I with more entrepreneurial and better trained researchers
•Better communication of R&I results to society
• Increase in Europe's attractiveness as a leading destination for R&I
•Better quality research and innovation contributing to Europe's competitiveness and growth
Expected Impact
Key Features
Individual grant for Experienced Researchers to support their mobility, research project and
training
Opportunity to gain new knowledge in and outside
academia, work on research projects in or outside Europe
Defined eligibility criteria but no nationality, age or career
stage restrictions
Application submitted by the potential supervisor at the host
institution
All applicants encouraged to adopt a Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) approach to their
proposals
Beneficiaries and researchers must follow the European
Code of Conduct for Research Integrity
Beneficiaries must insure specific working conditions in
line with The European Charter for Researchers and The Code of
Conduct for Recruitment as outlined in the Information
package for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellows
Only one proposal per individual researcher may be submitted to this call. In the event of multiple submissions, the Research Executive Agency (REA) will contact the supervisor(s) and researcher, who will then
choose the proposal to be evaluated
Fellowship Types
European Fellowships
• Based on researcher's mobility to, or within Europe including Associated Member states
• 12-24 months
• Divided into 8 scientific areas
• Standard European Fellowships (EF-ST)
• 3 multidisciplinary panels
• Career Restart Panel (EF-CAR) (up to 36 months)
• Reintegration Panel (EF-RI)
• Society & Enterprise Panel (EF-SE)
Global Fellowships
• Based on an outgoing phase to a partner organisation in a Third County followed by a mandatory return phase to the beneficiary located in a MS or AC
• Outgoing phase 12-24 months, return phase 12 months
• Divided into 8 scientific areas
The Researcher Must be an Experienced Researcher (ER)
At the date of the call deadline, the researcher must be in possession of a doctoral degree or have at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience
Full-Time Equivalent Research Experience is measured from the date when a researcher obtained the degree entitling him/her to embark on a doctorate (either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the researcher is recruited), even if a doctorate was never started or envisaged.
Periods of inactivity in research (e.g. unemployment, periods of employment outside research, parental or long-term sick leave) do not count towards the time of research experience.
The researcher may be of any nationality. No age restrictions apply.
For European Fellowships: the researcher must move or have moved from any country to the MS or AC where the beneficiary is located
For Global Fellowships: the researcher must move or have moved from any country to the partner organisation located in the TC
Eligibility Criteria - Fellow
• At the call deadline cannot have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the call deadline.
Standard European Fellowships (EF-ST)
• At the call deadline cannot have resided or carried out the main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary for more than 3 years in the 5 years immediately before the call deadline.
• They were not active in research for at least 12 months within the 18 months immediately prior to the call deadline
Career Restart Panel (EF-CAR)
• Must be a national or long-term resident of a MS or AC
• At the call deadline cannot have resided or carried out the main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary for more than 3 years in the 5 years immediately before the call deadline.
Reintegration Panel (EF-RI)
• Beneficiary must be an entity from the non-academic sector
• Applicants must apply to the SE panel only if they are certain about their non-academic status
• At the call deadline cannot have resided or carried out the main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary for more than 3 years in the 5 years immediately before the call deadline.
Society & Enterprise Panel (EF-SE)
Eligibility Criteria – European Fellowships
*After the call deadline, EF-CAR and EF-RI proposals not complying with the RI eligibility conditions will be automatically transferred to another Type of Action, providing they comply with the conditions of the other Type of Action.
• must be a national or long-term resident of a MS or AC
• cannot have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the TC partner organisation where the outgoing phase takes place for more than 12 months in the three years immediately before the call deadline
• The beneficiary must be located in an MS or AC
• The partner organisation for the outgoing phase must be located in a TC and is the entity where the outgoing phase takes place
• Partner organisation must provide an up-to-date letter of commitment in Part B of the proposal. If not supplied the proposal will be deemed inadmissible.
• Role of the partner organisation should also be clearly described in the proposal
• Mandatory Return Phase and is essential for the successful achievement of the objectives of this action
Global Fellowships*
Eligibility Criteria – Global Fellowships
* After the call deadline, GF proposals not complying with the GF eligibility conditions will be automatically transferred to anotherType of Action, providing they comply with the conditions of the other Type of Action.
• Period of legal and continuous residence within one or more EU Member States or Horizon 2020 Associated Countries of at least 5 consecutive years.
• Periods of absence from the territory of the Member State or Horizon 2020 Associated Country shall be taken into account for the calculation of this period where they are shorter than 6 consecutive months and do not exceed in total 10 months within this period of 5 years.
Long-term residence
•The host organisation must be located in a MS or AC
•Recruits the experienced researcher
•signs the Grant Agreement
•receives funding, claims costs, and takes complete responsibility for the proper implementation of the action
•Where necessary, the beneficiary may call upon entities with which they have a capital or legal link to carry out work under the action
•Entities with a capital or legal link must fulfil the same conditions for participation and funding as the beneficiary
Beneficiary
•Contributes to the implementation of the action, but does not sign the Grant Agreement
•Two Types
•Those based in a MS/AC that host the researcher during optional secondments and provide additional training (do not need to provide a letter of commitment)
•Organisations located in the third country that host the researcher during the compulsory outgoing phase of the Global Fellowship (must provide a letter of commitment)
Partner Organisation
•Based in a MS/AC or in a third country
•provide additional training in line with the needs of the project (e.g. short term research visits)
•Can be identified during the course of the project
Other
Participating Organisations
• Research - completely bottom up – any excellent research project in any research / innovation field
• Realistic and well-defined objectives
• Keep in mind the level of novelty, gender aspects, interdisciplinary, inter sectoral elements, exploitation and dissemination
Scientific Element
• Potential to reach or re-enforce professional maturity/independence during the fellowship
• the integration in the team/institution
• transfer of knowledge
• future career prospects after the fellowship
• Fellow should have a strong CV (e.g. Leadership, good publication record, research funding, Previous mobility/international experience etc.)
Researcher (Fellow)
• ‘Training-through-research’ at the host institution of Fellow’s choice, with named Supervisor
• Realistic and well-defined objectives in terms of research project and career advancement, incl. a Career Development Plan (if successful)
• Develop and significantly widen the competences of the researcher, incl. multi-interdisciplinary expertise, inter-sectoral experience and transferable skills
• Public engagement activities
• Quality of the supervision and of the integration in the team/institution
Training Element
The Project - Things to think about
• Optional, though encouraged
• Must be relevant and line with the project objectives
• Should significantly add to the impact of the research project
• The secondment host organization must be located in a MS or AC
• Can be a single period or divided into shorter periods
• Can take place at one or more organisations
• No mobility requirement - can take place in the same country as the beneficiary
• Inter-sectoral secondments are highly encouraged
• Should be distinguished from short visits (such as field work, where the work done is supervised directly by the beneficiary )
• Planned in advance, and are an integral part of the research proposal, with specific supervision arrangements
• Recommended as a tool for knowledge transfer and training opportunity
• It is highly recommended that during the implementations phase an agreement is signed between the beneficiary and the organision hosting the secondment
• Quality and degree of involvement of partner organisations and the impact of the secondmentswill be assessed by the expert evaluators according to the evaluation criteria
All Fellowships
Secondments
Duration of IF project Max. secondment duration
≤18 months 3 months
>18 months 6 months
• can only take place during the return phase or at the very beginning at the beneficiary for a maximum of 3 months
• If taken at the beginning will be considered part of the outgoing phase (this will reduce the total time spent at the TC partner organisation)
• Cumulative duration of the secondments should not exceed 6 months.
Global Fellowships
Secondments
Working Time Commitment
Working Time
• Expected that researchers will work full-time on the project activities
• However since 2018 researchers may opt to work part-time in order to pursue supplementary activities or for personnel reasons
• must be agreed upon by the researcher and the beneficiary and are subject to the prior approval of the REA
• Requests can be made at any stage of the grant implementation.
• Cannot be used to circumvent the mobility rule
• Not included in the proposal – requested during implementation period
Professional Reasons
• Such as creating a spin off company, pursuing other funding opportunities, participating in advanced studies, higher teaching loads, or to begin working for their next employer in the final months of their fellowship.
• UKRO also understand that the reasons would not be allowed:• Working less than 50% of full time on
the Individual Fellowship
• During the outgoing phase of a Global Fellowship
• Participating in another MSCA Award
• If it looks to be circumventing the mobility rule
• If a suspension is a more appropriate intervention
Personnel reasons
• Minimum time requirement of 50% is no longer mandatory
• In exceptional cases it can be possible to request part-time working on the outgoing phase of a Global Fellowship
Part Time Working
Proposed Budget • Funding based fully on unit costs, multiplied by requested person months
• Automated calculation of budget when person months filled into application
• No detailed financial reporting
– though if audited beneficiary will need to be able to prove eligibility of Researcher Unit Costs
• A country correction coefficient (CCC) applies to living allowance (MSCA Work Programme) currently 139.8% for the UK
• For Global Fellowships there will be two different country correction coefficients
• Living Allowance is the GROSS amount
• Mobility and Family Allowance (were applicable) can also be subjected to taxation
Researcher Unit Cost person/month Institutional Unit cost person/month
Living allowance Mobility Allowance Family Allowance Research, training and
networking costs
Management andindirect costs
€4,880 €600 €500 €800 €650
Example. A researcher with no family obligations on a European Fellowship hosted in Germany
Researcher Unit Cost person/month Institutional Unit cost person/month
Living allowance Mobility Allowance Family Allowance Research, training andnetworking costs
Management andindirect costs
4,880x24x97% = €113,606.40
600x24 = €14,400.00 N/A 800x24 = 19,200.00€ 650x24 = €15,600.00
•Must be fully used for the researcher
•The family status of a researcher will be determined at the date of deadline of the call (11 September 2019) and will not be revised during the lifetime of the project
•Researchers must be recruited on full employment contract
•Researcher unit costs given are gross amounts from which both employer and employee statutory deductions can be made
Include Living Allowance, Mobility Allowance and Family Allowance
Researcher unit cost
Candidates strongly advised to check with the host institution how the salary
will be calculated (national and internal rules, exchange rate policy, etc.)
• costs for training and networking activities that contribute directly to the researcher’s career development (e.g. participation in conferences, trips related to the work of the action, training, language courses, seminars, lab material, books, library records, publication costs)
• costs for research expenses
• costs for visa-related fees and travel expenses
• costs arising from secondments (e.g. travel costs, accommodation)
The Research, training and networking:
• covers all general costs of the host institution connected to organising and implementing secondments (administrative and financial management, logistics, ethics, human resources, legal advice, etc.).
Management and indirect
Institutional costs
Eligibility of the institutional costs is directly linked to (and conditional on) the eligibility of the costs for the recruited researcher
Institutional costs are managed by the host institution according to the usual internal policies, e.g. travel policy, purchase policy apply
Special Needs Lump Sum (SNLS)
• Provide financial support for the additional costs entailed by recruited researchers with disabilities whose long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments are as such that their participation in MSCA would not be possible without extra financial support
• IF beneficiaries can apply for a lump sum of up to €60 000 per recruited researcher
• The lump sum will cover up to 100% of the eligible costs
• 2 cut offs in 2019: 24 April 2019 and 7 November 2019
• Individual application submitted by the recruited ESR with support from the beneficiary
• Linked to the original MSCA grant
• For more information: UKRO SNLS webinar 7 March 2019
Special Needs Allowance - Pilot
Award Criteria
Excellence ImpactQuality and efficiency of the
implementation
Quality and credibility of the research/innovation project; level of novelty, appropriate consideration of
inter/multidisciplinary and gender aspects
Enhancing the future career prospects of the researcher after the fellowship
Coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, including the appropriateness of the
allocation of tasks and resources
Quality and appropriateness of the training and of the two way transfer of
knowledge between the researcher and the host
Quality of the proposed measures to exploit and disseminate the project
results
Appropriateness of the management structure and procedures, including risk
management
Quality of the supervision and of the integration in the team/institution
Quality of the proposed measures to communicate the project activities to
different target audiences
Appropriateness of the institutional environment (infrastructure)
Potential of the researcher to reach or re-enforce professional
maturity/independence during the fellowship
50% 30% 20%
Weighting
1 2 3
Priority in case of proposals with the same score (ex aequo)
NB: An overall threshold of 70% will be applied to the total weighted score.
Evaluation Criteria
1.1 Quality and credibility of the research/innovation project; level of novelty, appropriate consideration of inter/multidisciplinary aspects and gender aspects
•Have clear, focused research objectives and provide overview of the project
•Make it clear why the project is novel, ground breaking or cutting edge in the area (in the context of the up-to-date state-of-the-art);
•Detail the planned methodology and approach
•Highlight the impact of the project - how will it advance the area
Highlight all inter- and multidisciplinary aspects
• Detail gender aspects relevant to the research content where appropriate
• Explain how the project will open up career and collaboration opportunities for the researcher and host
• Remember: Evaluators will be experts, but not necessarily in your exact area of specialism – use clear language and include diagrams, images, tables if appropriate.
1.2 Quality and appropriateness of the training and of the two way transfer of knowledge between the researcher and the host
• Two way interaction (transfer of knowldege) between the research and the host ( and partner organisiaons if application)
• Training-through-research
• The research project makes up the focus of the Fellowship, but should be framed in the context of training for the researcher
• In particular, in terms of multi/interdisciplinary expertise, intersectoral experience and transferable skills
• Other training examples include: financial management; communication/outreach skills; and develop expertise in IPR
• For Global Fellowships, identify how the skills/knowledge gained during the outgoing phase in TC will be transferred back to Europe
Excellence
1.3 Quality of the supervision and of the integration in the team/institution
• Qualifications and experience of the supervisor(s) (both for GF)
• Include evidence that the supervisor is suitably qualified/experienced to ensure the success of the Fellowship on the research topic (e.g. participation in projects, publications, patents, relevant results, international collaborations and no. postdocs/PhD students mentored etc.)
• If other colleagues will provide mentoring, describe it.
• Hosting arrangements, in terms of integrating the Fellow:
• Include the measures to ensure the successful integration of the Fellow and transfer of knowledge/skills (e.g. is there an institutional Research Development Strategy, consider what the Career Development Plan would look like etc.
• For Global Fellowships describe both phases and their interconnectivity
1.4 Capacity of the researcher to reach and re-enforce a position of professional maturity/independence
• Show that the candidate has an excellent track record given their career status (e.g. publications, patents, conference papers, chapters, monographs)
• Highlight all relevant experiences, including teaching, supervision, or work with industry/non-academic partners;
• Use the CV for reference to help with space, but bring out and detail major relevant achievements;
• Clearly demonstrate that the researcher is right for the Fellowship project and that they will develop and grow during the training
• Explain how the Fellowship will have an enormous positive impact on the researcher’s career (e.g. attain leading independent position or resuming research career after a break)
• Demonstrate the capacity for independent thinking and leadership;
Excellence con’t
2.1 Enhancing the potential and future career prospects of the researcher
•Detail the expected impact of the Fellowship (training and research) on the researchers career after the Fellowship
•What are the researcher’s professional goals and how will the Fellowship contribute;
•Experience of a new country, culture and way of thinking;
•Development of new skills, including those which are transferable;
•New experiences in new sectors through secondments, for example;
•Specify new competences that will be acquired (‘better trained and entrepreneurial researcher’).
•Remember: Explain how this will all be achieved throughout the project
2.2 Quality of the proposed measures to exploit and disseminate the action results
•Concrete planning for dissemination and exploitation should be included in the Gantt Chart.
•Explain how Dissemination feeds into Exploitation
•Ensure dissemination of results are appropriately targeted to peers, e.g. scientific or industry community.
•Describe the planned dissemination and exploitation activities - How will research results be transferred to potential users, scientists, society?
•If appropriate, present commercialisation plans, consider IPR arrangements
2.3 Quality of the proposed measures to communicate the project activities to different target audiences
•Prepare a detailed communication strategy and timeline (include in the Gantt Chart) – to create awareness of the performed research
•Have clear communication goals, objectives and defined audiences
•Use the right medium and means, if possible use dissemination partners and multipliers
•Go beyond the ‘obvious’ – what’s the relevance to citizens’ everyday lives?
•How will the Fellowship contribute to a European ‘Innovation Union’ accounting for public spending?
•Don’t forget the European Researchers’ NIGHT events (September every year)
•EC Communicating Your Project and Communicating EU research and innovation guidance for project participants
Impact
3.1 Coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, including appropriateness of the allocation of tasks and resources
•Explain how the work plan and resources mobilised will ensure success
•Explain why the amount of person-months is appropriate to achieve the objectives
•Work Packages can be included for all activities, i.e. research, management, training.
•The project Work Plan should be clear and realistic and show how the desired impacts will be achieved;
•Include a Gantt Chart as given in application
3.3 Appropriateness of the management structure and procedures, including risk management
•Describe the organisation and management structure in place, including progress monitoring mechanisms, to ensure success
•What research/administrative risks might endanger the success of the project and what are the planned contingencies/mitigation measures (incl. support from HR or European offices)
•For entities with a capital or legal link to the beneficiary, what is their involvement and how will organisation/management and risk mitigation be addressed with them
3.4 Appropriateness of the institutional environment (infrastructure)
• Describe the infrastructure, logistics, facilities that will be available to the researcher and necessary to ensure the successful implementation of the project.
• Describe the active contribution of the beneficiary and partners (if appropriate) to the proposed research and training activities
• Why is it an appropriate place to conduct the Fellowship
• Do they have experience in the research field/hosting Fellows
• Demonstrate commitment by providing the researcher with that needed to successfully complete the Fellowship
• Global Fellowships:Similar description for the outgoing TC host
• Partner Organizations in third countries need to provide a letter of commitment
Implementation
Things to Consider
• Obligation to provide open access when publishing and to research data (pilot and opt-out available) – Article 29 of Model Grant Agreement
• Guidelines to the Rules on Open Access to Scientific Publications and Open Access to Research Data in Horizon 2020
• Open Access and Data Management – H2020 Online Manual
Open Access
• Original pilot extended to all thematic areas in Horizon 2020
• Data Sharing by default
• Opt Out at an stage if;
Also involves the generation of a Data Management Plan (DMP) – to be a deliverable in the first 6 months of the project.
Open Access Obligations in Horizon 2020
Access to Data and Data Management
AMGAART. 29.3pag. 248
“As Open as Possible, as Closed as Necessary”
Participation incompatible with
obligation to protect
Participation incompatible with
security obligations
Participation incompatible with
rules on protection of personal data
Participation would mean
projects main aims might not be
achieved
Project will not generate/collect
any data
There are other legitimate
reasons to not take part
Open Research Data Pilot
• Data Management Plans: DMPOnline
• Data Stewardship Wizard
• EOSC – European Open Science Cloud
• ORCID - persistent digital identifier
• OpenAIRE
• FOSTER - training resources related to open science
• OpenUP Hub - collaborative knowledge environment
• IP in MSCA
• Fair Data Principles - https://www.force11.org/group/fairgroup/fairprinciples
• Guidelines on FAIR Data Management in Horizon 2020
• EUDAT - data sharing resources and training
Resources
Cross Cutting Issue
• https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/h2020-section/promoting-gender-equality-research-and-innovation
• Is an explicit evaluation criteria under Excellence
• Equal Opportunities among seconded staff and decision-makers/supervisors
• Consider whether and how the gender dimension is relevant to your research (Gender Dimension of Research)
• Consider gender dimension in project management and networking activities
Resources
• Understanding gender dimension for MSCA projects – video
• H2020 Online Manual – Gender Equality
• GENDER-NET - Promotion Video
• Gender Innovations – Case studies
• Toolkit and Training – How to make research gender sensitive
• European Institute for Gender Equality - Gender Equality in Academia and Research
• Gender Action – have a series of webinars on how to include geneder in H2020 proposals
• H2020 Gender Advisory Group paper – better integration of gender in work programme development
Gender
• A joint declaration on sustainable researcher careers
• Published Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) and the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers (Eurodoc)
• Offers concrete recommendations to empower researchers and secure a globally competitive European Research Area and Higher Education sector
• Published 27 May 2019
Declaration on Sustainable Researcher Careers
• Is a set of general principles and requirements which specifies the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers as well as of employers and/or funders of researchers
• It constitutes a framework for researchers, employers and funders
The European Charter for Researchers
• Set of general principles and requirements that should be followed by employers and/or funders when appointing or recruiting researchers.
The Code of Conduct for Recruitment
Promotion of attractive working and employment conditions
Application Process
Register in the Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal and
create an ECAS account
Get in touch with your research support office
Add relevant contact people to the online application
Submit early and often – latest version will be accepted
Keep the Guide for Applicants in front of you!!!
Approaching Proposal Submission
Funding & Tender Opportunities
ID: MSCA-IF-2019
Submission
Parts B: PDF to be uploaded
Part B: Template available to download
Part A – Administrative Forms
Annex 3 – How to complete the Proposal Submission Forms (Part A) of the proposal
Part A – Administrative Forms
EU contribution automatically calculated based on the number of person months requested
Gross amount covers both employee and employer contributions
Standard Fellowship
Part A – Administrative Forms
Global Fellowship
Part B - Proposal
•Quality and credibility of the research/innovation project
•research methodology and approach
•Explain the originality and innovative aspects of the planned research
•Describe any novel concepts, approaches or methods that will be implemented
•Discuss the interdisciplinary
•Discuss the gender dimension in the research content (if relevant)
•Quality and appropriateness of the training
•Describe the two way transfer of knowledge between the researcher and the host
•Global Fellowships explain which new knowledge and skills will be acquired in the Third Country and how they will be transferredback
•Describe the training that will be offered
•Describe the qualifications and experience of the supervisor(s)
•Describe the hosting arrangements
•Potential of the researcher to reach or re-enforce professional maturity/independence during the fellowship
Excellence
•Explain the expected impact on the future career prospects of the experienced researcher
•Describe how the new knowledge generated by the action will be disseminated and exploited, and what the potential impact willbe
•Describe the planned public engagement activities
Impact
•Describe the coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, including appropriateness of the allocation of tasks and resources
•Gantt chart must be included
•Describe the organisation and management structure
•Discuss the research and/or administrative risks
•Describe the a appropriateness of the institutional environment (For Global Fellowships the role of the partner organization should also be included)
•Give a description of the main tasks and commitments of the beneficiary and all partner organisations (if applicable).
Implementation
Proposal – Part B1 Overview
•Max 5 pages
•Specific section for those without a PhD
•Make sure the CV details are consistent with the data in Part A
Section 4 – Researchers CV
•Use the tables efficiently to present information which can be referenced elsewhere in the proposal
•Provide profile of key staff, description of key infrastructure or technical equipment, all partner organisations contributing towards the proposed work
•Different information for beneficiary and partner organisations
•One page limit per organization
Section 5 - Operational capacity of the organisations
•Self-assessment in Part A and strategy in Section 6 of Part B
•Outside the 10 page limit – provide detailed strategy
•Crucial for all research domains
• identify any potential ethical issues and describe they will be addressed
•All proposals considered for funding subject to Ethics Review
•Read the Ethics Self-Assessment Guidelines
•H2020 Online manual – Ethics
Section 6 – Ethics
Proposal - Part B2 Overview
Part B2 con’t
• Partner organisations in a third country hosting the outgoing phase of a Global Fellowship MUST include a Letter of Commitment
• The letter must be up-to-date (may not be dated prior to the call publication)
• It should confirm the partner organisions real and active participation in the proposed action
• Proposals which fail to include a letter of commitment of the partner organisation will be declared inadmissible
• It must be on headed paper and or have a stamp from the institution
• Please note that no template for these letters is provided, only general rules
• Must be included in Part B-2
• Do not attach this letter as a separate PDF file or as an embedded file
• They can take time to be completed
Section 7 – Letter of Commitment
•The research is novel and highly credible considering the supervisor’s experience
•The potential of the applicant to acquire new knowledge and skills through the fellowship has been very well identified and justified
•The supervisor has established networks of international collaborations and demonstrates a good capacity to mentor advanced researchers
•Details have been provided, including publications, talks and grants indicating that the experienced researcher already has asignificant level of independent thinking, leadership quality and communication skills
•The fellowship is likely to have an excellent impact on the career prospects of the researcher
•The host organization will benefit from previous experience of the researcher
•The planned secondment would foster communication and knowledge transfer between practitioners and the researcher
•The proposed project is likely to have a substantial contribution to the European excellence and European competitiveness
•The administrative arrangements and support for the hosting of the applicant are sufficiently outlined.
•The work plan of the project is comprehensively described
•Research infrastructures of the host institution and the host laboratory are adequate to carry out the proposed project
•The complementarity between the participating organisations is very good.
Strengths
•The methodological approach provided in the proposal is not convincingly developed and discussed in relation to the objectives
•The match between the researcher’s profile and the proposed work is not substantial
•Insufficient information is provided on supervisor’s qualifications and experience
•Measures for integrating the researcher in the host institution are too broadly described
•Although the researcher has a good number of conference papers, the number of publications in peer-reviewed journals is limited, weakening the potential of re-enforcing a position of professional maturity in research
•There is not sufficient evidence in the proposal of any planned outreach activities for the return phase
•The descriptions of the communication, dissemination and research results exploitation plans are insufficiently detailed
•Management of the administrative tasks and financial aspects of the project are not clearly described.
•WPs are not adequately designed for the project implementation and are insufficiently explained
•Participation by the industry sector, although mentioned in the proposal, is not convincing.
•The complementarity of the host lab and the company where the fellow will be seconded are not fully explained in the proposal.
•The timing of research and dissemination activities presented in the Gantt chart and descriptive part do not clearly correspond.
Weaknesses
Evaluation Feedback
•Via Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal
•Admissibility/eligibility checksProposal
Submission
•At least 3 evaluators
• Individual reports produced
•~20proposals per evaluator
Remote Evaluations
•Consensus reports produced
•Agreement on comments/scoreRemote Consensus
Meetings
•Lists by panel
•Projects funded in priority order until budget is exhausted
Ranked list of proposals
Evaluation Process
• Max. 5 months to outcome – overall max 8 months to sign the Grant Agreement Deadline 11 September 2019
• Outcomes February 2020• Grant Agreements signed March - May 2020
• Perform evaluations on a personal basis, not on behalf of their organisation or country
• Are independent, impartial and objective
• Evaluate on their own and in strict confidence
• Must declare conflicts of interest
Independent Experts
• Provide feedback to the REA
• Comment on the conduct and fairness of the evaluations
• Recommend improvements to the process
• Does not express views on the evaluators views or the proposals themselves
An Independent Observer oversees the process to:
Evaluation – Independent Experts
Success Rates
2018 Call
• >9000 evaluated proposals, 1,351 retained for funding• Overall success rate was 14% and for the UK is was 16%• UK remains the most popular host destination
• 309 successful UK hosted proposals
2017 Call
• The overall success rate was 15.2% and for the UK the success rate was 16.6%
• Blue – Submitted• Orange – Retained
Key points to being successful
Remember
•This is the PIs grant
•Fellow should have a strong CV and be involved in developing the project
•Both the PI and the Fellow should be involved in writing the proposal
•Clarify your own goals for applying
•Read all Call documentation and consider any relevant EU policy documents
•READ the evaluation criteria
•Make it easy for the evlautors to find the necessary information
•Use clear and concise language
•Explain country specific jargon
•Discuss with and meet your planned supervisor/fellow
•Research previous and current projects, particularly those in your area
•Find colleagues to proof read the drafts with the evaluation criteria in hand
•The proposal will take time to write
• MSCA 2018-2020 Work Programme
• 2019 Guide for Applicants
• MSCA 2019 Call – Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal
• H2020 Annotated Model Grant Agreement
• Marie Curie Alumni Association
• EURAXESS
• EURAXESS REFEX (Career Development App)
• NET4Mobility
Additional Information