1Turkey, 2010

Some recommandations to better perform at the ERC Grants

2Turkey, 20102

LS1: Molecular and Structural Biology and Biochemistry

LS2 : Genetics, Genomics, Bioinformatics and System Biology

LS3 : Cellular and Developmental BiologyLS4 : Physiology, Pathophysiology and EndocrinologyLS5 : Neurosciences and neural disorderLS6 : Immunity and infectionLS7 : Diagnostic tools, therapies and public healthLS8 : Evolutionary, population and environmental

biologyLS9 : Applied life sciences and biotechnology

Panels - Life Sciences (LS)

7th PCRD European Research Council

- ERC

3Turkey, 2010

« Starting Independent Researchers Grant »

3

Applications

2007 : 9167

2009 : 2503

4406

1112

3399

9271362

464

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

5000

1 2

PSELSSHS

Starting Grant 2007

Starting Grant 2009

4Turkey, 2010

« Starting Independent Researchers Grant »

4

Selected Projects

2007: 299

2009: 237

137

107105

80

5750

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

1 2

PSE

LS

SHS

Starting Grant 2007

Starting Grant 2009

3,1%

3%

4,2%

9,6%

8,6%

10,7%

5Turkey, 2010

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

FR UK DE ES CH IL IT NL SE BE AT FI HU PT DK EL IE NO

« Starting Independent Researchers Grant »

5

Résuls - LS

1er appel(2007)

2nd call(2009)

107 granteds15 FR15 UK14 ES10 CH 9 DE

80 granteds15 FR14 DE 9 UK 8 CH 5 NL

hosted country

6Turkey, 2010

« Advanced Investigators Grant »

6

Applications

2008 : 2167

2009 : 1583

997

736766

513

403335

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1 2

PSE

LS

SHS

Advanced Grant 2008

Advanced Grant 2009

7Turkey, 2010

« Advanced Investigators Grant »

7

Selected Projects

2008 : 275*

2009 : 236

(*) 29 projets Transversal

114

105

8489

4842

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

1 2

PSE

LS

SHS

Advanced Grant 2008

Advanced Grant 2009

11,5%

11%

12%

14%

17%

12%

8Turkey, 2010

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

UK FR DE CH NL ES IT SE IL AT FI NO DK PT EL IS BE

« Advanced Investigators Grant »

8

1er appel(2008)

2ème appel(2009)

89 projets

21 UK15 FR13 CH12 DE 6 NL

84 projets

18 UK11 FR11 DE 9 CH 5 NL

Résultats - LS

Pays de l’institution d’accueil

9Turkey, 2010

• In any case it is a wonderfull experience

– What have you done in the past?– Our contribution at the international level– Design a large project over a 5 years period

• The needs• The management• You have (should) succeed

,…

The “give back” : Teaching, recruitment of student, results, seting up start up, patent, diagnostic, therapy, technical improvement for

10Turkey, 2010

It takes 3 to 4 weeks (This is serious)

One hesitate to try or to compete

We would like to apply but with some one else The agreement of the chairman of the center

11Turkey, 2010

Principal InvestigatorQuality of research output/track-record:- How well qualified is the PI (and any co-Investigator if

applicable) to conduct the project (reviewers are expected to evaluate the quality of the prior work (published results in top peer review journals , other elements of the PI’s CV).

- To what extent are the publications and achievements of the PI groundbreaking and demonstrative of independent creative thinking and capacity to go significantly beyond the state of the art?

- To what extent does the quality and quantity of funding the PI has attracted during the last ten years demonstrate his/her reputation as a performer of ground-breaking research?

Intellectual capacity and creativity:- To what extent does the PI's record of research, collaborations,

project conception, supervision of students and publications demonstrate that he/she is able to confront major research challenges in the field, and to initiate new productive lines of thinking?

12Turkey, 2010

• Ground-breaking nature of the research:- address important challenges at the frontiers of the field - ambitious objectives, which go substantially beyond the

current state of the art (inter- and trans-disciplinary developments and novel or unconventional concepts and/or approaches)?

• How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity?• Potential impact:• (a) Does the research open new and important, scientific,

technological or scholarly horizons?• (b) Will the project significantly enhance the research

environment and capabilities for frontier research in Europe

Research project

13Turkey, 2010

Recommandations - AdG1Section 1 - CV of the PI

All items must be considered to show scientific excellence of the PI

Training of PhD and researchers

« No information about supervision of young researchers »« There is no mentioning of mentoring students and/or postdocs »« Although so far, no highly visible scientists have merged from his lab, many fellows are in the early stages of a successful career »

14Turkey, 2010

Publications

List of major publications, not only those in specialized journals

« His seminal papers are published in more specialized journals,mostly in Blood »« His publication profile is in medium-high profile journals »« Strong but not outstanding publication record »«  … highly visible publication record, although a comparison with other applicants does not put him into the highest category. »« I see somewhat less productivity and publications in lower impact journals after 2000, and with much less citations »

Recommandations - AdG1Section 1

15Turkey, 2010

Funding (Prizes) and International recognition

To give all information about International recognition e.g. major funding or prizes, medals, etc.

« No current EC or other international grants »« In fact a high proportion of the PI’s activities, his board memberships

and prizes are positionned in the national rather than international arena… »« Information on funding of the last ten years was not provided »« The funding success is rather moderate and the international recognition is limited »

Recommandations - AdG1Section 1

16Turkey, 2010

Independence of the PI Not to be a contributor by proxy

« At present, the proposed project very much overlaps with the …’s lab interests and achievements »« Always in collaboration with Pr XXX »

Recommandations - AdG1Section 1

17Turkey, 2010

- is extremely well qualified, - a senior leader in the field of … - is one of the world leading experts in the proposed area of research- is known for …

- an impressive and continuous record of important publications in top journal

- intellectual capacity and creativity:.

- possesses long experience of supervising students and directing research.

- has set up collaborations with other leading experts to assure that the absolutehighest lever of expertise

Project leader

18Turkey, 2010

- Methodology:Is the proposed research methodology (including when

pertinent the use of instrumentation, other type of infrastructures etc.) comprehensive and appropriate to the project?

- Will it enable the goals of the project convincingly to be achieved within the timescales and resources proposed and the level of risk associated with a challenging research project?

- High-gain/High-risk balance:• oes the proposed research involve highly novel and/or

unconventional methodologies, whose high risk is justified by the possibility of a major breakthrough with an impact beyond a specific research omain/discipline?

Research project

19Turkey, 2010

Precise and attractive description of the project

Not a simple summary of Section 2 - This synopsis is the only scientific part evaluated at the first stage

« Lack of details makes it hard to judge; somewhat superficial »« The plan itself is quite schematic »« … there is no indication for innovation, originality or even to how interesting the outcome would be. »« … it lacks originality, as the research to be performed is absolutely standard… »« However the precise mechanism remain unclear. »« … a bit routine… »

Recommandations - AdG1Section 1 - Synopsis

20Turkey, 2010

Description of the scientific project

State of the art, methodology,timetable, innovation, Benefits/Risks

« The project is an extension to the research current performed in the lab »« … there is no indication for innovation, originality or even to how interesting the outcome would be. »« … which is not described in detail in the application »« Methods to be developed are ones have been described by others (…) and should perhaps have been tested before the submission of the grant. »« The chance that this relatively simple approach to organ growth in…seems remote, but it might be worth trying. »

Recommandations - AdG1Section 2

21Turkey, 2010

Research Environment

- Does the host environment provide most of the infrastructure necessary for the research to be carried out?

- Is it in a position to provide an appropriate intellectual environment and infrastructural support and to assist in achieving the ambitions for the project and the Principal Investigator?

22Turkey, 2010

Research environment The best conditions to ensure the completion of the project

(Host institution) « Scientific environment of the institution not well explained »« It is not quite clear how strong the group is in … »

Recommandations - AdG1Section 3

23Turkey, 2010

3rd call for applicationss ERC-2010- AdG Deadlines:

Physical Sciences and Engineering (PE) : February 24, 2010

Life Sciences (LS) : March 17, 2010

Social Sciences and Humanities : April 7, 2010

Ongoing call forAdvanced investigators

24Turkey, 2010

• Good Luck !

25Turkey, 2010

26Turkey, 2010

1 : France needs to boldly streamline and unify the management system in Life Sciences and Health research

2 : Create a single National Institute for Life and Health Sciences Research

3 : Reevaluate the status, compensation, and career pathways of the French Life Sciences and Health scientists

=> Period of transition needed for implementation

Assessment of the Strategy by AERES (September 2008)

3 Core recommendations

27Turkey, 2010

Aviesan: the French Alliance for Life and Health Sciences

Created in April 2009

To optimise scientific foresight and put forward scientific programming to Funding Agencies

To facilitate the development of top-level clusters and research centers

To promote national projects and to set up national core facilities

Membership :

CNRS, CEA, Inra, Inria, IRD, Pasteur Institute, French University and French CHU Associations

28Turkey, 2010

Aviesan:10 Thematic Institutes (ITMO)

Research Unitslocated within Universities and CHU

NeurosciencesCognitive Sciences

Neurology, Psychiatry

Genetics, Genomics

Bioinformatics

ImmunologyHematologyRespiratory

diseases

MicrobiologyInfectiousdiseases

PublicHealth

HealthTechnologiesCancer

Cell Biology

Development

Molecular and

Structural Biology

Nutrition

Circulation

Metabolism

29Turkey, 2010

Les derniers Lauréats français2ème appel

29

Renata BASTO (Paris) - Liens entre centrosomes, cellules souches et cancer - LS3

Rosa COSSART (Marseille) - Développement des réseaux GABAergiques corticaux - LS5

Gaël CRISTOFARI (Nice) - Mécanismes de la rétrotransposition chez l’hommme et conséquences sur la plasticité génomique et

cancers - LS1

Jérôme DEJARDIN (Montpellier) - Rôle des enzymes de l’hétérochromatine sur la biologie

des télomères - LS2

Christelle DESNUES (Marseille) - Métagénomique des pathologies humaines d’étiologie inconnue - LS7

Sylvain GANDON (Montpellier) - Epidémiologie évolutive des maladies infectieuses - LS8

Mathieu JORON (Paris) - Sélection naturelle et évolution moléculaire des supergènes contrôlant le mimétisme - LS8

Bruno KLAHOLZ (Strasbourg) - Etude intégrative de structure et fonction de la machinerie bactérienne et

humaine de la synthèse des protéines - LS1

30Turkey, 201030

Ana-Maria LENNON-DUMENIL (Paris) - Régulation spatio-temporale de la présentation antigénique et migration

cellulaire - LS6

Olivier LOUDET (Versailles) - Décoder la complexité génétique de la variation quantitative chez

Arabidopsis - LS2

Sebastiaan LUYSSAERT (Paris) - Est-ce que la forêt refroidit la terre - LS9

Antonin MORILLON (Gif S/Yvette) - ARNs non-codants et épigénétique: régulation de l’expression et de la stabilité des

génomes - LS2

Maria Carla SALEH (Paris) - Interférence par l’ARN et immunté virale chez les insectes - LS6

German SUMBRE (Paris) - Perception sensorielle: représentation neuronale et modulation chez

l’alevin du poisson Zèbre - LS5

Marco VIGNUZZI (Paris) - Diversité génétique des virus à ARN: virulence, atténuation et

approches vaccinales - LS6

Les derniers Lauréats français2ème appel