FP7 Marie Curie Initial Training Networks Dr Conor O’Carroll, IUA Wednesday, 29 th September 2010

FP7 Marie Curie

Initial Training Networks

Dr Conor O’Carroll, IUA

Wednesday, 29th September 2010 www.iua.ie

FP7 overview (2007-2013)

Collaborative research

10 THEMATICAREAS

ERC

Capacities : M€ 4100

People : M€ 4750

Marie Curie

ResearchCapacity

Cooperation :

M€ 32 500

JRC : M€ 1750

Euratom : M€ 2750Nuclear research

Ideas :

M€ 7510Total FP7 budget : M€ 50 500

Aim : Contribute to EU becoming the world’s leading research area

EU’s main instrument for funding research

FP6 (2002-2006)Marie Curie Actions€ 1580 million

Last updated 19/04/23 09:43

1. Statistics: Fellows in Host country per 1000 Researchers

Last updated 19/04/23 09:43

1. Statistics: Fellows Nationality per 1000 Researchers

5

Marie Curie Actions - overview

Initial training of researchersMarie Curie Initial Training Networks (ITN)

Life-long training and career developmentMarie Curie Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)European Reintegration Grants (ERG)Co-funding of regional/national/international programmes (COFUND)

Industry-academia pathways and partnershipsMC Industry-Academia Pathways and Partnerships Scheme (IAPP)

International dimensionMC International Outgoing and Incoming Fellowships (IOF / IIF) MC International Reintegration Grants (IRG)MC International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES)

Specific actionsResearchers’ Night (NIGHT)

‘People’ – deadlines, budgets, success rates

Action Call Closes/ Cut-off date

Budget (and budget/size per project, where applicable)

Success rates (expected)

IAPP Industry Academia

Partnerships & Pathways

7 December 2010 80M€ (~250k€ - 3M€) 15% or more

IEF Intra-European Fellowships

IOF International Outgoing Fellowship

IIF International Incoming Fellowships

IRSES International Research Staff Exchange Scheme

11 August 2011

17 February 2011

110M€

40M€

40M€

40M€

15% - 20% depending on scheme

RG Reintegration Grants 2nd cut off

7 September 2010

32M€ 50% or more

ITN Initial Training Networks 26 January 2011 318M€ (average 3.4M€, 9 partners)

9%

CO-Funding of Regional, national & International Programmes

17 February 2011 90M€ (max. 5M€ per applicant)

70% or more

Wed, 29th September 2010 IUA Presentation 7

Objectives of the ITNs

• Directed at Early Stage Researchers– Strengthen and structure initial training of

researchers at European level – Attract students to scientific careers– Improve career perspectives by broad skills

development (including private sector needs)


Main features

• International network of participants• Joint Research Training Programme:

– Training through research – Complementary competences modules– Exposure to both public and private sectors

• Industry involvement• Mutual recognition of the quality of the training• Grant agreements with Commission for four

years, max. duration of fellowships 3 years


Research areas

• Bottom-up approach• Evaluation carried out in panels (applicant data

2009):– Chemistry (9.7%)– Social and Human Sciences (10.2%)– Economic Sciences (2.4%)– Information Science and Engineering (20.7%)– Environmental and Geo-sciences (12.2%)– Life Sciences (30%)– Mathematics (2.1%)– Physics (12.7%)


Who are the participants?

• Organisations that are actively involved in research and/or research training:– Universities/Institutes of Technology – Private and public research institutes– Companies big and small– International Organisations (CERN, UNESCO, …)– The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre– NGO’s– Etc.


Which countries can they come from?

• 27 Member States (MS)

• 12 Associated Countries (AC) – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Israel,

Switzerland, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey

• Third Countries (TC)– More than 140 International Cooperation

Partner Countries (ICPC) – can receive funding– Other Third Countries (OTC) – normally self

funded


Types of ITNs

• NB: There are no “twinnings” anymore (ITNs with two partners).• No more than 40% of the total EC contribution may be allocated to the benefit

of organisations within one country in Multi-site ITNs.

Type of ITN Country of Participant(s)

Multi-site ITNMulti-site ITN ≥3 Participants from 3 different countries (MS or AC)

- Additional Participants: MS, AC, ICPC or OTC*

* Funded only if a special agreement between the country and the EU or in very exceptional cases

Mono-site ITNMono-site ITNRequires very well

established network of transnational

collaborations!

1 Participant from MS or AC


Partner status

Full Network Partners Offer research training &

recruit eligible researchersLevel 1Level 1

Associated Partners Provide research training, complementary skills courses,

(communication, enterprise cycles, innovation, IPR, …)

secondments

Level 2Level 2

Members of Supervisory Board (all Partners, additional external experts can be added)

Definition of skills requirements for targeted researchers, ensuring adequate balance

between scientific and technological training and complementary skills training

NB: Industry (private commercial) partners must be included at the highest possible level (Level 1 unless very well justified, in which case Level 2 will suffice).


Private sector participation

• At the highest possible level • Expected minimum involvement of industry is

Level 2 (it is NOT enough to include industry in the Supervisory Board!)

• Clear evidence of the commitment of industry to be included in proposal (for Associated Partners letters of commitment signed by CEO / Director, not just Head of Research Department – should clearly spell out in which way the partner will contribute to the training programme)


Eligible researchers

≥ 1 month

Multiple stays

Experienced researchers (experience >> 4 years) with outstanding stature in international training and collaborative research

Visiting Visiting scientistsscientists(a limited number)

3-24 monthsPhD or at least 4 years of research experience& Research experience ≤ 5 years

Experienced Experienced researchersresearchers

3-36 months0 ≤ Research experience ≤ 4 yearsNo PhD

Early stage Early stage researchersresearchers(≥ 80%)

Duration of appointments

Eligibility Criteria at the time of recruitment

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Transnational mobility

• Researchers can be nationals of any country (no nationality criterion anymore)

• But: Nationals of Third Countries can only be recruited by hosts located in MS or AC

• Researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity in the country of the host for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment

• Special rules in case of International organisations as host institutions


Role of visiting scientists

• Complement the network’s capacity to transfer new knowledge

• Strengthen supervision of the network-wide training activities

• Exceptional and duly justified, with explicit reference to the punctual training events he/she will provide or organise

• Reasonable duration of appointment


Typical ITN activities

• Training• Networking• International conferences, workshops and

other training and dissemination events (can / should to some extent be open to external researchers)


Training activities

• Training on scientific and technological knowledge through research:individual personalised projects within the framework of the research topics defined by the network

• Provision of structured training courses: tutoring, lecture courses, teaching– Available either locally or from another participant of

the network – Local training programmes to be coordinated to

maximise added value


Training activities

• Intersectorial visits and secondments• Development of network-wide training activities :

workshops, summer schools– Exploitation of the interdisciplinary and intersectoral

aspects of the project – Exposure of the participants to different schools of

thought – Provide complementary training in IPR, project

management, presentation skills, language courses, ethics, communication, entrepreneurship, proposal writing, task coordination…

– Coordinated by a clearly identified Supervisory Board


Training activities

• Personal Career Development Plan – For researchers recruited for ≥ 6 months

• Early Post-Docs – Intersectoral or interdisciplinary Transfer of

Knowledge– Taking part in the management of the research

project– Organisation of training events

Training objective: to make them more independent and to provide them with the skills to become team leaders in the near future


Networking activities

• Organisation of scientific/managerial network meetings

• Invitation of external experts• Attendance at international conferences and

workshops• Electronic networking• Collaboration with other ITNs• Organisation of a final network conference

Friday, 18th September 2009 IUA Presentation 23

International training and dissemination events

• International conferences, workshops, seminars, summer schools, etc.

• Should provide an opportunity to – exchange knowledge with more experienced

researchers – disseminate the skills and knowledge of the

network– should at least to some extent be open to

external researchers

Friday, 18th September 2009 IUA Presentation 24

Supervisory Board

• Clearly identified• Ensures that scientific and technological training

is balanced with complementary skills training• Composed of representatives of each of the

participants in the network as well as external representatives

• Industry involvement

Community contributions

Living allowance*

€ 38,000 / 19,000 per year (ESR: post-graduates)

€ 58,500 / 29,250 per year (ER: 4-10 years)

€ 87,500 / 43,750 per year (MER: > 10 years)

Mobility / travel allowance* € 700 or 1000 per month

Research/training/networking costs € 1800 per researcher-month

Small equipment expenses for SMEs max. 10 % of SME contribution

Overheads 10% of direct costs

Management costs max. 10% of total contribution

Gross amounts (rates for 2010)

*Correction Coefficients apply; IE = 114.7

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Further Information

• Full call docs and Guide for Applicants http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.PeopleDetailsCallPage&call_id=314

• Financial Assistance for proposal preparation

• Academic - Coordination & Travel • Companies (EI/IDA) – Proposal preparaton

http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm

Further Information

• Planning a proposal writing workshop October

• Also see following brochure for examples

http://www.iua.ie/publications/documents/publications/2009/IUA_Marie_Curie_2009_IAPP_Success_Stories.pdf

Documents

FP7 Marie Curie Initial Training Networks Dr Conor O’Carroll, IUA Wednesday, 29 th September 2010