7/17/2019 ERC Newsletter September 2015 - Impact of Starting Grants revealed

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8 ideas #3 - September 2015 - ERC Newsletter

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Why exactly do young researchers apply for ERC Start-ing Grants? And what advantages does the funding bringin terms of professional development? A new study, to be

 published later this year, reveals the benefits the awardcan bring to early-career researchers. Here, we offer you asneak peek at the findings.

o draw a picture o the impact o Starting Grants, over 700grantees (awarded unding rom 2009 to 2011) and a controlgroup o 2,660 unsuccessul ERC applicants were invitedto participate in an online panel survey. In the first round,they were asked - among other things - about their reasonsto apply or ERC unding. wo and a hal years later, therespondents were approached again. Tis time, they sharedtheir observations on what they have learnt and how theirproessional careers have developed within this period.

Not surprisingly, candidates’ motivation to apply wasmainly driven by the generous financial conditions thegrant offers - up to EUR 1.5 million or five years. Around67% o candidates applied to set up their own researchgroups. Tey were also attracted by the thematic opennessand reedom to set their own research priorities (62%).Slightly less relevant, but still important, was the excellentreputation o the programme.

Te study showed that only a minority o submitted proposals(9%) were written without any external help. Applicantsmainly consulted their more experienced colleagues aswell as the service points at their institutions and the ERC National Contact Points. However, the support ocusedmore on adjusting the application to administrative norms,rather than on the substance o the research proposal.

Te study tried to capture the scientific excellence o theapplicants. As bibliometric analysis revealed, both thesuccessul and the unsuccessul candidates showed an

above-average scientific output - in terms o number opublications - beore applying or ERC unding. Ninetypercent o them have published at least six articles ininternational journals and 75% have authored at least one

highly cited paper. Tis implies that ERC candidates have awell-established sel-selection attitude.

Te unding had one immediate result: the granteeswere more satisfied with their working conditions. Tisespecially concerns a higher level o autonomy in terms oallocation o materials, staff and lab space. Te grant alsoallows scientists to spend more time on genuine research:on average, the awardees dedicated 46% o working time tothis task. In comparison, the rejected applicants spent only36% o their time doing research.

Te findings also suggested that receiving a StartingGrant helps researchers climb the career ladder. Within aperiod o three and a hal years afer the award, 70% o thegrantees had obtained a proessorship or equivalent –compared to 46% o the rejected candidates. A substantialnumber o the grant winners were promoted soon aferreceiving the unding, which may imply that promotioncame as reward or the successul Starting Grant application.

Generally, the grantees were also in a good situationregarding uture career prospects. One and a hal yearbeore finalising their Starting Grant projects, 82% o therecipients already had a permanent position in sight and

9% have secured temporary employment. Only 1.5% wasnot sure about their uture prospects.

Helping the most promising young researchers develop isat the heart o the ERC mission. With its positive findings,the study has proven that the Starting Grant scheme isan efficient tool in building a new generation o researchleaders in Europe. Next year, almost 30% o the ERCannual budget (EUR 485 million) will be distributed to335 early-career scientists through Starting Grants.

Te study, “Monitoring European Research Council’s

Implementation o Excellence” (MERCI), wascommissioned by the ERC as a “Coordination and SupportAction” (CSA).Te ull report will be published beore theend o the year. Stay tuned!

Impact of Starting Grants revealed