FP6 Marie Curie Information Day London, 15th September 2003

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FP6 Marie Curie Information DayLondon, 15th
September 2003

• Estelle Kane
• UK Research Office

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What is UKRO?
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research
Council (BBSRC)
Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC)
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council
(PPARC)
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UKROs mission
To promote effective UK participation in EU
funded research, higher education training
related activities by alerting subscribers to
the opportunities available providing updates on
developments exchanging information between UK
EU
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UKRO services

• Web http//www.ukro.ac.uk
• Advice to ELOs researchers
• UK Mobility National Contact Point
• UK Briefing visits
• Brussels Meeting room

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Overview of session

• What is the European Research Area (ERA)?
• What is the Framework Programme?
• Outline of Marie Curie Actions
• Proposal submission and evaluations
• Making the most of your application

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European Research Area (ERA) Rationale

• Need to bring national initiatives closer
  together, and help them achieve greater coherence
• This is the aim of the ERA project, the reference
  framework for European research since the Lisbon
  European Council in March 2000

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ERA objectives

• Research
• Innovation
• Infrastructure
• Human Resources
• Science, Society and Citizens

European Research Area, Commission Paper, Jan 2000
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What is a Framework Programme?

• The principal EU Programme for RTD
• 4 years in duration
• FP5 1999-2002 14.96Bn
• FP6 2002-2005 17.5Bn
• Contract research
• European collaboration
• User driven approach
• Prioritised research areas

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Programme content
Life Sciences, Genomics and Biotechnology for
Health
New/Emerging ST and Policy Support
Information Society Technologies
Nanotechnologies and Nanosciences,
Knowledge-Based Multifunctional Materials
and New Production Processes and Devices
SME Activities
Specific Activities Covering a Wider Field of
Research
Thematic
Aeronautics and Space
Food Quality and Safety
International Co-operation
Sustainable Development, Global Change and
Ecosystems
Citizens and Governance in the Knowledge Society
Science and Society
Innovation and SMEs
Human Resources and Mobility
Research Infrastructures
Horizontal
Co-ordination of Research Activities
Development of RTD/Innovation Policies
Underpinning
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Participation in the Framework Programme

• EU Member States Austria, Belgium, Denmark,
  Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy,
  Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden,
  UK
• EEA CountriesIceland, Liechtenstein, Norway
• Association Agreement Countries Israel,
  Switzerland
• Candidate Countries Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech
  Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary,
  Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia,
  Turkey
• Third Countries INCO (Developing, Mediterranean,
  Russia and NIS, Western Balkans), all other
  countries

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Marie Curie Actions in brief

• Estelle Kane
• UK Research Office

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What are Marie Curie Actions?

• Human Resources and Mobility Programme
• 1580M
• A series of fellowships to support the
• training and mobility of researchers, within the
  context of promoting excellence in European
  Research
• Aimed at individual researchers, research groups
  and companies

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Key features

• Open to 3rd country nationals
• No age limit, but experience criterion
• Reintegration and return measures
• Excellence promotion measures
• Life-long learning concept
• Personal/family situation of researchers
• Bottom-up approach

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Marie Curie programme structure
MC Chairs
Re-integration Grants
Institutional funding
Excellence Grants Awards
Transfer of Knowledge Fellowships
Experienced
Individual funding
Intra-European Fellowships
In/Out International Fellowships
Return funding
Conferences Courses
Excellence funding
PhD (or 4 years)
RTNs
Early Stage Training
Early Stage
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Individual driven actions

• Researcher applies jointly with host
• Length of stay depending on Action
• Fellows who withdraw cannot be replaced

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Host driven actions

• Host institutions/network applies for a number of
  fellows/researchers
• Hosts proposal is evaluated
• Selected host/network advertises fellowship
  position and selects fellows/researchers
• Contract duration with host, usually 4 years
• Fellows stay depending on Action (up to 3 years)

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Definition of researchers

• Early Stage
• Starting a research career, i.e. postgrad
• No PhD or lt4 years research after first degree
• Experienced
• PhD or 4 years research experience after first
  degree
• Very experienced
• More than 10 years research experience

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Types of Fellowship

• Intra-European Fellowships
• Outgoing International
• Incoming International
• Reintegration Grants
• Excellence Actions
• Conference

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Individual Fellowships

• To respond to the individual advanced training
  needs of the most promising experienced
  researchers to give them the necessary boost to
  become fully independent in their field
• Fellowships for experienced researchers(gt4 years
  experience or PhD)
• Training through research, incl. life-long
  training or for resuming career
• Application by fellow in liaison with host

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Individual Fellowships

• 3 Action Types
• Intra-European (EIF) 1 to 2 years
• From and to EU and Associated Countries
• Outgoing (OIF) up to 2 1 years
• EU and Ass. Country fellows to 3rd country
• mandatory return element
• Incoming (IIF) 1 to 2 years
• promising researchers from 3rd country
• possibility of return support for emerging
  economies

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Re-Integration Grants

• To support integration of a stable research
  career following a period of mobility
• Following a 2-year Marie Curie fellowship (ERG)
• EU and Associate Country fellows
• Reintegration of country of origin or elsewhere
• Obligation for host to offer minimum 2-year work
  contract and research project
• Following a stay outside Europe (IRG)
• European researchers who have been outside Europe
  for 5 years

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Capacity building

• To promote excellence in European research
• Marie Curie Excellence Grants (EXT) up to 4
  years
• To set up or extend teams of the highest level
• Leading edge or interdisciplinary research
• Marie Curie Chairs (EXC) up to 3 years
• Top level teaching appointments
• Particularly for researchers who wish to resume
  their career in Europe
• Marie Curie Prizes (EXA)
• Prizes for excellent researchers who have
  benefited from Marie Curie Actions

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Conferences and Training Courses (SCF)

• To stimulate early stage researchers through
  participation of conferences and courses
• Encourage junior researchers to benefit from the
  experience of leading researchers
• Variety of Actions (including virtual ones)
• series of conferences, summer schools, lab
  courses etc. on a theme or linked themes
• support for junior researchers in larger
  conferences selected for their training interest
• Duration from several days to 4 weeks

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Marie Curie Funding

• Benefit of the researchers
• Living allowance (by researcher category and
  country)
• Travel costs
• Mobility allowance
• Career development allowance
• Costs of eligible researchers
• Benefit of the host organisations
• Contribution to programme expenses (organisation,
  co-ordination...)
• Overheads
• Management costs (incl. audit certificate)
• Other eligible expenses
• Not all contributions apply to all Actions

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Researcher salaries

• Living allowance (reference, cost of living index
  100)

Correction factor for cost of living to be
applied UK 112.5
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Additional allowances

• Travel costs depending on distance 250 - 2500
  /year
• Mobility allowance 500 /month (no family) 800
  /month (family)
• (Correction factor for cost of living to be
  applied)
• Career exploratory allowance 2000 /fellow (min.
  1 year stay, depending on Action)
• Training/research costs of eligible researchers
• 250 -750 /fellow-month (depending on Action)

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Contribution to researchers example

• Activities carried out by the researcher
• Researcher with family, going from Lisbon to
  Paris for 2 years with an Intra-European
  Fellowship under an employment contract
• Living allowance 47,000 x 2 years 94,000
• Mobility allowance 800 x 24 months 19,200
• correction factor 104.7 113,200x
  104.7 117,728
• Career exploratory allowance 2000
• Travel costs 1000 x 2 years2000
• Total contribution for the researcher 121,728
• Research costs (lab based) 400 x 24 9672
• TOTAL Community Contribution 131400

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• Questions?

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Proposal submission and evaluation

• Estelle Kane
• UK Research Office

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Outline of the process

• Published as a call
• Submit application before deadline
• Evaluation process
• Notification of results
• Contract negotiation
• Contract signature and start of project

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Key documents

• The Call Text
• The Guide for Proposers
• The Work Programme of the HRM Activity
• The Handbook for the corresponding action
• The brochure a rough guide to the Marie Curie
  Actions
• Sources
• UKRO NCP website http//www.ukro.ac.uk/mobility
• Commission http//fp6.cordis.lu/fp6

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Proposal submission forms

• Part A
• Set of forms on administrative information
  about the proposal and the proposers
  (pre-prepared form).
• Part B
• Free-text description of the research project.
• Series of headings and explanatory notes based on
  the evaluations criteria.

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Evaluation process
Proposal
Rejection
Eligibility
Individual Evaluation
Consensus
Ethical Issues
Rejection
Thresholds
Ranking by Commission
Negotiation
Rejection
Negative Result
Commission Funding Decision
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FP6 timescales

• 17 December 2002 First calls published.
• From March 2003 First deadlines.
• First contracts end of December 2003
• Nov 2003 May 2004 Second deadlines
• Second contracts 5-7 months after the deadlines

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Human Resources and Mobility in FP6


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Making the most of your application

• Estelle Kane
• UK Research Office

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National Contact Points

• First point of contact for applicants
• Advice, guidance and information on applying for
  funding, contract management, report writing etc
• Website and helpline service
• Training events, publicity actions
• Liaison between the Member State and the
  Commission

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General Tips I

• Read the Work Programme, Guide for Proposers and
  Handbook
• http//fp6.cordis.lu/fp6/calls.cfm
• Follow the instructions
• Use common sense
• IEFs do include confidential referees
  assessment
• Electronic submission

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General Tips II

• Eligibility check
• Find a host
• Write a concise and clear proposal, answering all
  the questions
• Meet the deadline

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Eligibility Check research experience

• Early Stage
• Starting a research career, i.e. postgrad
• No PhD or lt4 years research after first degree
• Experienced
• PhD or 4 years research experience after first
  degree
• Do not have to have PhD at deadline
• Must have at latest 8 months after

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Eligibility Check nationality

• Must not have been resident in host country for
  more that 12 months in the last 3 years
  immediately before application (Individual
  actions) or start of work (Host actions)
• Cannot be a national of host country unless
• European researcher working outside EU for 4 in
  the last 5 years
• Dual nationality and have not resided there in
  last 5 years
• International organisation
• Return and reintegration grants
• Note that Excellence Team leaders are exempt

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How do I find a host institution?

• Individual Schemes
• Does not have to be in academia
• Draw on existing links supervisor, department
  etc
• Use the literature
• Previously funded Fellowships
• NB Contractual terms for outgoing fellowships

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Evaluation of proposals

• Evaluation by competent experts in the field
• Need to address all of the issues to maximise
  scores
• Total score for a proposal is 100
• Some areas require a minimum score (threshold)
• Each area is weighted
• In many cases the science counts for less than
  50
• You must focus on the objectives of the activity
  to be successful
• Look carefully at the score matrix

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General Evaluation Criteria Part B

• Evaluation Criteria/ Proposals Part B
• 1. Scientific Quality of Project (n.a. for
  Awards)
• 2. Quality of Research Training (n.a. for Awards)
  
• 3. Quality of Host (n.a. for Awards)
• 4. Quality of Researchers (Individual actions
  Excellence)
• 5. Management and Feasibility (n.a. for Awards)
• 6. Relevance to the objectives of the
  Scheme/Activity
• 7. Added Value to the Community

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Proposal structure for IEFs, OIFs and IIFs

• B1 Scientific Quality of the Project
• B1.1. Research topic
• B1.2. Project objectives
• B1.3. Scientific originality and Innovation
• B1.4. Research method
• B2 Quality of the research training
• B3 Quality of the host
• B2.1. Scientific and training expertise of the
  host
• B2.2. Quality of infrastructures
• B4 Quality of the Researcher
• B5 Management and Feasibility
• B6 Relevance to the objectives of the activity
• B7 Added Value to the Community
• B8 Previous proposals and contracts
• B9 Other Issues

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Evaluations and weightings for IEFs

• W T
• B1 Scientific Quality of the Project 15 -
• B2 Quality of the research training 15 3
• B3 Quality of the host 15 -
• B4 Quality of the Researcher 15 4
• B5 Management and Feasibility 5 -
• B6 Relevance to the objectives of the activity
  25 -
• B7 Added Value to the Community 10 -
• B8 Previous proposals and contracts - -
• B9 Other Issues - -

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Proposal structure for Excellence Teams

• B1. SCIENTIFIC QUALITY OF THE PROJECT
• B1.1 Importance and relevance of the research
  topic
• B1.2 Research topic /Quality of the research
• B1.3 Potential for promoting innovation
• B2. QUALITY OF THE HOST
• B3. QUALITY OF THE TEAM LEADER
• B4. MANAGEMENT AND FEASIBILITY
• B4.1 Organisational Management
• B4.2 Selection and Management of Team
• B4.3 Dissemination
• B4.4 Financial Management
• B5. RELEVANCE TO THE OBJECTIVES OF THE ACTION
• B6. ADDED VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY
• B7. PREVIOUS PROPOSALS AND CONTRACTS
• B8. OTHER ISSUES

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Proposal structure for Chairs

• B1. SCIENTIFIC QUALITY OF THE PROJECT
• B1.1 Importance and relevance of the research
  topic
• B1.2 Research topic /Quality of the research
• B2. QUALITY OF THE RESEARCH TRAINING
• B3. QUALITY OF THE HOST
• B4. QUALITY OF THE CHAIR HOLDER
• B5. MANAGEMENT AND FEASIBILITY
• B5.1 Organisational Management
• B5.2 Dissemination
• B5.3 Financial Management
• B6. RELEVANCE TO THE OBJECTIVES OF THE ACTION
• B7. ADDED VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY
• B8. PREVIOUS PROPOSALS AND CONTRACTS
• B9. OTHER ISSUES

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Weightings and thresholds for EXTs and Chairs
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Proposal quality

• SELL! SELL! SELL!
• Quality of research
• Quality of host
• Quality of training programme
• Quality of individual
• Quality of supervision
• Quality of language

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Quality of research

• Potential of the research
• Cutting edge research setting it apart from the
  competition
• Multi- and inter-disciplinary research
• Innovation and the use of research results
• Links with other research groups
• Industrial links
• Communication structures, plans etc
• Costs fully justified can include top-ups

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Quality of host

• Quality of the research group / organisation
• Networking with other organisations / research
  groups
• Infrastructure / equipment available
• International collaborations
• Supervision arrangements
• Mentoring arrangements
• Assistance with living requirements of Fellows

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Quality of training programme

• Training in research methods and techniques
• Personal Development Plan
• Complementary skills training ethics, research
  management
• Transferable skills training cf Roberts
• Graduate School Provision including RC courses
• Conferences, seminars, public fora etc

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Quality of individual

• Research potential
• Current research experience and skills
• Cross and multi-disciplinary experience
• Work experience (in research)
• Industrial experience and expertise
• Transferable skills
• Prizes, Awards, Lectures etc
• Give evidence.

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Quality of supervision

• Clear framework for supervision
• Infrastructure incl. contracts / management
• Mentoring
• Personal tutors
• Induction programmes group / organisation
• Graduate Schools
• Training
• Assistance with accommodation

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Quality of language

• Understandable English!
• Avoid colloquialisms
• Explain all country specific jargon
• - including organisations, funders, initiatives
• Well set out include summaries

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Further information

• UKRO NCP website
• http//www.ukro.ac.uk/mobility
• Queries on the schemes
• mobility_at_bbsrc.ac.uk
• Tel [phone] Fax [phone]
• Other useful websites
• http//www.europa.eu.int/comm/research/fp6/mariecu
  rie-actions/home_en.html
• http//www.cordis.lu/rtd2002/home.html

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• Questions?