European Research Council ERC

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European Research Council (ERC)

• Starting Independent Researcher Grants

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Young Researchers in FP7

European Research Council
Cooperation 32,365
Ideas 7,460
People 4,728
Capacities 4,217
Budget in Mio.
Marie Curie
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European Research Council (ERC) in FP7

• Ideas
• Creates ERC - a new funding
  institution - provides funding
• (2007-2013 7,46 bn)
• - establishes overall objectives for
  research funding and operating
  principles
• - ERC will support projects in
  "frontier research" ?

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What is "Frontier Research"?

• between 'basic' and 'applied' research
• between 'science' and 'technology'
• new and most challenging research areas, beyond
  the frontiers of current knowledge
• special attention will be paid to emerging areas
  of knowledge and the interface between
  disciplines
• highly risky projects can be funded
• achievements may be frequently useful
• trans-disciplinary proposals

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European Research Council (ERC)

• Bottom-up approach all research areas can be
  supported (science-driven)
• the programme will support projects in any field
  of research, including engineering,
  socio-economic sciences and the humanities
• projects are carried out by individual teams,
  which are in a Europe-wide competition for
  funding
• teams can be composed transnationally or
  nationally

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European Research Council (ERC)

• there will be a funding scheme for young
  researcher teams (ERC 'Starting Grants')
• proposals will be evaluated on the sole criterion
  of excellence, paying particular attention to
  proposals which are highly pioneering and
  scientifically risky
• 200 Starting Grants could be supported annually
• 100 of the costs can be reimbursed

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ERC - Funding schemes

ERC Launch Strategy
ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant
ERC Advanced Investigator Grant
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ERC 'Starting Grants' Eligibility Criteria

ERC 'Starting Independent Researcher
Grant' (Budget 300-350 per year)

• cx

Researcher is working or intends to work in any
EU- or associated country
Less then 10 years from the award of the PhD
Applicant is in the position of starting
his/her first independent research team
Transnational mobility not necessary
Support roughly btw. 1m and 3m per Grant
Support for a period of up to 5 years
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ERC 'Starting Grants' 2-step submission

succesful candidates
Second stage
First stage
submit outline proposals, describing the
project and the Principal Investigator
more detailed proposals are required, interviews
with the candidates (under discussion)
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ERC 'Starting Grants' Evaluation

Peer review-Panels
referees will be drawn from a database set up by
the Scientific Council
Panels cover all research areas
20 Panels with 10 high level scientists
(referees)
Fixed panels- membership for 2-4 years
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ERC 'Starting Grants' - Deadlines

• Calls for ERC can be expected
• in the end of 2006 / beginning of 2007
• Deadline
• in Spring 2007

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Young Scientists in Framework Programme 7
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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
• numerous, well-trained, motivated researchers
• attract researchers to Europe
• attract students to research careers
• increased industry participation

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Young Scientists in Marie Curie in FP7

• Individual Fellowships
• Intra-European Fellowships ? from EU-Member
  States (MS) and Associated Countries (AS) to
  EU-Member States (MS) and Associated Countries
  (AS)
• International Outgoing Fellowships (OIF) ? from
  EU-Member States (MS) and Associated Countries to
  a third country (e.g. USA, Japan, Canada etc.),
  with mandatory return phase
• International Incoming Fellowships (IIF) ?from
  third countries to EU-Member States (MS) and
  Associated Countries (AS) incl. potential
  re-integrating grant for researchers from
  developing countries

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How to write a proposal? - Marie Curie in FP7

• submission of proposals to fixed deadlines
• evaluation criteria not decided yet, but will
  include
• qualitative aspects of the proposers (individual
  researcher and institution)
• the institution'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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What to write in the European Added Value
section in the proposal?

• The overriding aim of FP7 is to contribute to
  the European Union becoming the
• worlds leading knowledge-based economy
• every applicant needs to prove, that his/her
  project contributes to this strategic goal? this
  is the added value of his/her project

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European added value

• Strategic Goals of European Research Policy
• Lisbon Strategy (2000)
• "The strategic goal of Europe is to become the
  most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based
  economy in the world."
• European Council of Barcelona (2002)
• "target of raising European research efforts to
  3 of EU GDP, two thirds of which should come
  from private investment"
• European Research Area
• overcoming fragmentation of the EU's scientific
  resources
• enhancing networking and clustering of the RD
  capacities in Europe

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European added value

• Potential strategic impact of
• the European research policy
• improving convergence between EC, national,
  regional and private RD actions
• encouraging technological innovation
• boosting Europe's role in the international arena
• stimulating research for and by SMEs
• raise the attractiveness of scientific careers
• improve employment situation creation of
  'better jobs'
• ensuring long term economic, social and
  environmental sustainability

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European added value

• Some keywords
• improving competitiveness and importance of the
  European industry
• foster strategic public-private partnerships
• making Europe attractive for researchers and
  investors
• turning RD into competitive products
• increasing productivity
• modernising traditional industries and
  manifacturing processes
• improving the business environment
• greater social cohesion
• public health