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Writing a successful proposalLessons learned
and strategies for FP7

• Uwe David, KoWiud_at_kowi.de

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Contents of the Presentation

• What is KoWi?
• Marie Curie Proposals in Framework Programme 6
• Young Scientists in Framework Programme 7
• Strategy for the new Framework Programme
• The Charter for Researchers

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What is KoWi?

• European Liaison Office of the German Research
  Organisations
• information and Counselling Office for the German
  scientific community
• carried by a non-profit association which is
  financed by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
  (DFG)
• offices in Bonn and Brussels
• founding member of the 'Informal Group of RD
  Liaison Offices' (IGLO) in Brussels

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KoWi's activities

• Information
• Active Information Service (AiD) via email
• Quarterly newsletter on EU-Research-Funding
• Advice/Guidance
• EU-Research-Funding from basic idea via
  application to project management
• Funding programmes for Young Scientists (Marie
  Curie Programme, European and national
  programmes)
• Training courses and events
• Training courses on EU-Research-Funding
• KoWi-Information Days on FP7
• Young Scientists Events in Germany CEE
  ('Research in Europe')
• Yearly Conference on EU-Research-Funding
• Marie Curie Programme information and training
  workshops

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My activities

• Marie Curie Programme information and advice
• Young Scientist Programmes national and
  international
• Young Scientist Events in Germany "Research in
  Europe" in cooperation with the large German
  funding and research organisations
• Thematic Priority 3 of FP6 Nanotechnologies,
  Materials, Production Processes

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Marie Curie Proposals in Framework Programme 6
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Structure of a Marie Curie Proposal in FP6

1. Scientific Quality of the Project
2. Quality of the Researcher
3. Quality of the Research Training
4. Quality of the Host
5. Management and Feasibility
6. European Added Value

• the Project
• the Person
• the Training
• the Professor (host)
• the Performance
• the Policy

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Content of a Marie Curie Proposal

• Main mistakes
• project not really 'excellent' or 'innovative'
• 'state-of-the-art' in the field is not described
• research methodology is archaic
• project objectives remain fuzzy
• the approach to reach the project aim is not
  clear
• high risky project with uncertain outcome
• no provisions for the acquisition of new knowledge

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Content of a Marie Curie Proposal

• Main mistakes
• no diversification of competences
• parts of the suggested proposal were addressed
  during the Ph.D. project of the applicant
• a second stay at the same institution is (in many
  cases) not reasonable
• bad match between profile and project
• though applicant has numerous publications, most
  of them are not in peer-reviewed/refereed journals

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Content of a Marie Curie Proposal

• Main mistakes
• future career perspectives are lacking
• not a leading host-institution in the specific
  field of research
• dedication of the host institution seems limited
• management (structure) of the project is not
  clear
• European added value what's that?
• referee's assessment not positive for applicant

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Content of a Marie Curie Proposal

• Good points
• important field of research for Europe
• high practical value of the project
• integration of multidisciplinary aspects
• comparison with the experience in the respective
  field in the USA and Japan/China
• project is timely and relevant
• results can be applied to a larger class of
  problems

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Content of a Marie Curie Proposal

• Good points
• good match between the fellow's profile and the
  project
• good and clear structure in the CV with precise
  dates for the awarding of degrees/PhD
• focussed publication lists and list of conference
  participations
• all infrastructure needed for the completion of
  the project is available for the applicant
• the supervisor has wide experience in the field
  and on different methodologies

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Content of a Marie Curie Proposal

• Good points
• a well elaborated and feasible work plan
• researcher has produced a detailed work plan of
  the project with appropriate milestones
• project will promote European research excellence
  and European competitiveness
• increase the number of female researchers in the
  field (physics!)
• project shows potential for the creation of new
  jobs in Europe

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Young Scientists in Framework Programme 7
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Young Scientists in FP7
European Research Council
Source European Commission (April 2005)
Marie Curie
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People Human Potential
Source European Commission
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Marie Curie in Framework Programme 7 (FP7)

• Overall scope
• human resources development in RD in Europe
• attract researchers to Europe
• attract students to research careers
• numerous, well-trained, motivated researchers
• skills and sustainable career development
• continuity to previous Framework Programme
• but 'simplification' of the whole Marie Curie
  Programme and of single schemes

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Young Scientists in Marie Curie in FP7

• 'Marie Curie Networks' (MCN)
• institutions will offer fellowships for early
  stage researchers
• there won't be any fellowships for experienced
  researchers in MCN
• individuals cannot submit a proposal to
  Commission
• 'Life-long training and career development'
• Individual Fellowships for Postdocs
  (Intra-European!)
• reintegration funding may be included in the
  proposal
• individual researcher applies together with the
  host institution (mobility!)
• 2 implementation modes classic vs. co-funding

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Young Scientists in Marie Curie in FP7

• 'International dimension'
• Outgoing and Incoming International Fellowships
• individuals can submit a proposal to the
  Commission together with host institution
• 'Industry-Academia partnerships'
• institutions will offer fellowships for
  experienced researchers
• Specific Actions 'Excellence Awards'
• open to all researchers who have been funded in
  the Marie Curie Programme for at least 12 months
• researchers can apply themselves or be proposed
  by a third party

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Marie Curie Award 2005 (one) winner is ...

• Arno Rauschenbeutel (34) Germany/France/Germany
  
• One of the five winners of the Excellen-ce Award
  2005, endowed with 50.000
• He decided to do his doctorate at the Ecole
  Nationale Supérieur, Paris, in Quantum Physics
• his task developing an extremely fast quantum
  computer
• "The Marie Curie programme gave me the ideal
  opportunity to spend three years working with one
  of the leading research teams in the field of
  quantum computing."
• Now back in Germany, Arno is currently at Bonn
  University as an active member of the Laser
  Physics Group

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How to write a proposal? - Marie Curie

• submission of proposals to fixed deadlines
• evaluation criteria not decided yet, but will
  include
• qualitative aspects of the proposers (individual
  researcher and institution)
• the institutions's implementing capacity
• quality of the scientific training
• contribution to the objectives of the Marie Curie
  Work Programme
• Community added value
• exact evaluation criteria, weightings and
  thresholds will be specified in the Work
  Programme Marie Curie

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Young Scientists - European Research Council

• the ERC will be established by the Commission as
  a means for imple-menting the Specific Programme
  "Ideas"
• it will consist of an independent Scientific
  Council and operate on the principles of
  scientific excellence, autonomy, transparency
  and accountability
• the main aim is to reinforce excellence and
  creativity in European research and improve the
  attractiveness of Europe for the best researchers

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European Research Council (ERC)

• ERC will support investigator-driven projects in
  'frontier research' new understanding of 'basic
  research'
• between 'basic' and 'applied' research
• 'frontier research' progresses on new and most
  challen-ging research areas, beyond the frontiers
  of current knowledge
• projects are carried out by individual teams,
  which are in a Europe-wide competition for
  funding
• teams can be composed transnationally or
  nationally
• there will be a funding scheme for young
  researcher teams!

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European Research Council (ERC)

• the programme will support projects in any field
  of research, including engineering,
  socio-economic sciences and the humanities
• special attention will be paid to emerging areas
  of knowledge and the interface between
  disciplines
• specific research topics or target groups like
  young/ emerging teams will be taken into account
• proposals will be evaluated on the sole criterion
  of excellence, paying particular attention to
  proposals which are highly pioneering and
  scientifically risky

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How to write a proposal? - ERC

• ERC-Scientific Council is in the process of
  drafting the conditions for submitting proposals
  and the evaluation procedures
• submission of proposals to fixed deadlines
• dedicated calls for young researchers and topics
• proposals may be submitted by individual teams
• sole evaluation criterion "EXCELLENCE"

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Strategy for the new Framework Programme
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Strategy for FP7 - Preparation

• please keep in mind FP7 is not adopted yet!
  There might be changes to what I told you today!
• therefore follow the adoption process and new
  developments in FP7 closely
• make your profile and scientific potential
  visible and accessible (e.g. via the internet, on
  conferences, etc.)
• develop contacts with European research institutes

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Strategy for FP7 Project preparation

• develop an excellent idea for an excellent
  project
• get into contact with an excellent host
  institution
• keep in mind the criteria of transnational
  mobility search for a leading partner abroad!
• make yourself familiar with the EU-policy in your
  specific field ("European Added Value")
  especially when applying to Marie Curie
• keep also in mind Marie Curie proposals in FP7
  will be more seen as policy means due to the
  establishment of a science-driven funding scheme
  in the ERC
• pay attention to the deadlines communicated in
  the Work Programme

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Strategy for FP7 - When the Call is published

• download and read the Handbook and the Guide for
  Proposers before you start writing ...
• ... and follow the guidelines (chapter structure,
  contents, requested tables, formats, etc.)
• learn what evaluators liked (or hated) in FP6
  this will be useful also in FP7
• allow extra time for writing the proposal -
  unforeseen problems might turn up
• make use of the help you're being offered
  (local/natio-nal/international), like NCPs and
  service like KoWi
• finish your proposal early to submit it on time

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Marie Curie in FP 6/FP7 - ERC

• Important information sources
• http//europa.eu.int/mariecurie-actions
• http//www.cordis.lu/fp7/people.htm
• http//mc-opportunities.cordis.lu
• http//www.kowi.de/en/youngscientists/marie-curie
• http//cordis.europa.eu.int/fp7/ideas.htm

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The Charter for Researchers
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Charter for Researchers - What is it?

• in March 2005, the European Commission adopted
  the European Charter for Researchers and a Code
  of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers
• addressed to researchers as well as to employers
  and funding bodies as a set of general principles
  which specify their roles (legal status
  recommendation)
• political aim development of an attractive, open
  and durable European labour market for scientists

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Charter for Researchers Basic Principles

• Research freedom research for expanding the
  frontiers of scientific know-ledge with freedom
  of thought and expression
• Professional responsibility research should be
  relevant to society, not duplicate research
  previously carried out elsewhere and avoid
  plagiarism
• Public Engagement improving the publics
  understanding of science research acitvities
  should be divulged in the public in a way that
  they can be understood by non-specialists

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Charter for Researchers Basic Principles

• Continuing professional development Researchers
  should seek for continual improvement of their
  skills and competencies
• Funding and salaries
• employers/funders of researchers should ensure
  that researchers enjoy fair conditions of
  funding/salaries with adequate social security
  provisions
• Supervision
• employers should deploy a person to whom
  researchers can refer for the performance of
  their professional duties

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The Code of Conduct Basic Principles

• Recruitmentrecruitment procedures should be
  open, efficient, trans-parent and internationally
  comparable
• Judging meritmerit should be judged
  qualitatively as well as quantita-tively,
  considerating the whole range of experience of
  the candidates
• Recognition of mobility experience any mobility
  experience should be considered as a valuable
  contribution to the professionel development of a
  researcher

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The Pan European Researchers Mobility Portal
http//europa.eu.int/eracareers
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http//www.eracareers-germany.de
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Thank you very much for your attention and good
luck for your proposals!
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Marie Curie Actions Contact
Brussels Office Victoria Reichl Tel.
32-2-54802-20 vr_at_kowi.de
Bonn Office Uwe David Tel. [phone] ud_at_k
owi.de
KoWi-Homepage http//www.kowi.de/en