NRP RIS Conference

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EU RD Funding Universities Strategy UCD 7th
July 2009 Presentation by Dr. Conor OCarroll
Tuesday 6th July 2009
www.iua.ie
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Three main areas of activity

• Policy
• Funding (RGAM), Immigration, Access, Research
  Careers..
• Leading Sectoral Projects
• HEA Strategic Innovation Fund I II
• EU FP7 (PeopleNetwork, ERAMIND, MOREBRAIN)
• Services
• EC FP7 Marie Curie and EURAXESS (formerly
  Researcher Mobility) Office

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• In a climate of shrinking national funding, EU
  RD schemes present an opportunity
• SSTI demands for leverage of national funds with
  non-exchequer sources
• Agencies will demand that PIs access EU funds
• DETE/Forfas planning to set institutional targets

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Presentation Summary

• EU RD Policy and Funding
• FP7 National Results and Targets
• Developing a strategy

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ERA Vision 2020

• Research in Europe
• Serving society sustainably
• Excellence underpinning competitiveness
• Free flow of knowledge, open to the world
• By 2020, all actors fully benefit from the
  Fifth Freedom across the ERA free circulation
  of researchers, knowledge and technology. The ERA
  provides attractive conditions and effective and
  efficient governance for doing research and
  investing in RD intensive sectors in Europe. It
  creates strong added value by fostering a healthy
  Europe-wide scientific competition whilst
  ensuring the appropriate level of cooperation and
  coordination. It is responsive to the needs and
  ambitions of citizens and effectively contributes
  to the sustainable development and
  competitiveness of Europe.
• (Competitiveness Council 02 Dec 2008)

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Main Dimensions of ERA
Strong universities, research institutions and
innovative business
Coherent and efficient research programmes and
priorities
Seamless mobility and attractive careers for
researchers
Joint (access to) world-class research
infrastructures
Partnership27 MS EC
Coherent International ST co-operation strategies
Fully exploited knowledge and intellectual
property
Freedom of movement of knowledge
Appropriate European level initiatives
Coordination of national/ regional progs
policies
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Funding Streams
Knowledge triangle
European Research Area
Innovation Strategy
European Higher Education Area
14/11/2009
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Funding Streams

• Seventh Framework Programme FP7
• European Institute for Innovation and Technology
• Competitiveness and Innovation Framework
  Programme CIP
• Structural Funds

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• FRAMEWORK PROGRAMMES

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• FP7 National Results

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Historical Participation in FPs
FP versus national sources
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Irelands performance in FP7 2007-2008
Jan 2007 to Dec 2008 incl. Marie Curie Funding
of 17.9M based on some contracts signed and
estimate pre-contract finalisation All figures
will need to be verified post confirmation of
individual contract award amounts by the European
Commission
A strong performance in keeping with national
target of 600m for FP7
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Ireland versus other countries
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ICT, health, nanotech and People account for 63
of the funding
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Higher Education remains the primary beneficiary
with 55 of the funding
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Higher Education Institution Performance in FP7
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FP7 National Targets
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National Targets

• DETE / Forfas planning to set specific
  institutional targets based on a very simple
  analysis
• Universities need to develop their own strategies

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FP7 Targets per year (Forfas)
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Developing a strategy

• European Research Council
• Marie Curie

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FP7 Budget (2007-2013)
JRC M 1750
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FP7

EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL ERC
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How is the ERC different?

• Run by independent Scientific Council
• All fields of science and scholarship are
  eligible
• Investigator-driven, bottom-up
• Excellence is the only criterion
• Individual team research project
• International peer review
• Investment in research talent
• Attractive, flexible grants, up to five years
• Under control of the lead researcher (Principal
  Investigator)
• Independent individual teams in Europe
• Nationality and Age of researchers is not
  relevant
• Host organisation to be located in EU or AS

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ERC Annual Budget Evolution 2007 2013 Total
7.51 BN
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ERC StG 2007Principal Investigators by domain
299 selected proposals
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ERC Advanced Grant 2008 callGeographical
distributionof principal investigators Top 275
proposals
Physical Sciences Engineering
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Status 11.11.2008
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Why The ERC Matters To National Funders And
Potential Host Institutions?

• ERC responsible for building up excellence across
  Europe without regard to nationality
• National institutions responsible for building up
  excellence in the national research community
• National support for researchers who passed the
  ERC quality threshold but who will not get ERC
  funding (Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, France,
  Italy, Spain, Hungary, Region of Flanders).
• Incentive scheme for PIs Gent University offers
  tenure track and ETH Zurich offers dual career
  programmes for successful grantees

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ERC Grant Schemes
ERC Starting Grant Calls Principal Investigator
candidates can be of any nationality, and must be
between 3 and eight years post PhD Funding up to
2.0 M per grant Duration up to 5 years ERC
Advanced Grant Calls Principal Investigator
candidates can be of any nationality, must be
scientifically independent and have a recent
research track-record and profile which
identifies them as leaders in their respective
field (s) of research Funding up to 3.5 M per
grant (normally up to 2.5 M) Duration up to 5
years


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ERC Grant Schemes ERC Calls Indicative Schedule
(2009-2010)
ERC Starting Grant Calls


ERC Advanced Grant Calls
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Getting more from the ERC!

• Encourage existing and aspirant SFI PIs to apply
  for AdGs
• 2 successful Marie Curie Excellence Grants in UCD
  (Dorren McMahon Jennifer McElwain) precursor of
  StGs
• Use StGs to attract in researchers
• SFI to provide funding?

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MARIE CURIE PROGRAMME (PEOPLE)
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Overall objectives of the People programme

• Fostering and facilitating geographical and
  intersectoral mobility of researchers
• Support for the career development of researchers
  at all stages of their career
• Opportunities for industry academic
  collaboration
• Covers all disciplines
• 17.9m to Ireland (55m in FP6)

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Marie Curie Actions - overview
Initial training of researchers Marie Curie
Initial Training Networks (ITN)
Life-long training and career development Marie
Curie Intra-European Fellowships (IEF) European
Reintegration Grants (ERG) Co-funding of
regional/national/international programmes
(COFUND)
Industry-academia pathways and partnerships MC
Industry-Academia Pathways and Partnerships
Scheme (IAPP)
International dimension MC International Outgoing
and Incoming Fellowships (IOF / IIF) MC
International Reintegration Grants (IRG) MC
International Research Staff Exchange Scheme
(IRSES)
Specific actions Researchers Night (NIGHT)
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Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways
(IAPP)

• Slow start in 2007 not a single successful
  proposal with Irish participation.
• Increased interest (and success!!) in 2008. 6
  out of 9 Irish proposals funded.
• Only two of the seven universities involved in
  IAPPs.

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COFUND Irish success in first two calls

• IRCSET, IRCHSS, HRB new schemes for mobility
  from Ireland to the rest of the world (with
  return phase)
• RCSI (on behalf of NBIPI with international
  partners CNRS and CNR leveraged by PRTLI) new
  scheme for incoming and outgoing fellowships
  (into and out of the partnership)

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People deadlines, budgets, success rates
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Possible Strategy

• Use the ERC to
• target all high achieving PIs to submit to ERC
  AdG especially in the Humanities and Social
  Sciences
• as tool to retain and attract researchers with
  StGs
• Use Marie Curie to
• add to existing research teams)
• Develop links to industry

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Resources

• Research Office
• Centres
• Academics/Researchers (successful applicants,
  peer reviews)
• National Support Structure (NSS)
• IUA

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• DISCUSSION
• AND
• NEXT STEPS

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Further Information

http//cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ Full presentations
ERC, EIT, ERA, Marie Curie and EI NSS
at http//www.iua.ie/iua-activities/VPsBrusselsPr
esentationsMay09.html