Postdoctoral Research with an MSCA-IF
Dr Susanne Rentzow-VasuREGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE EURAXESS ASEAN
MSCA - Individual Fellowships
• A personal fellowship to support a period of mobility
• For Experienced Researchers• Post-PhD or equivalent• No upper age or experience limit
• Fully-funded fellowships• Salary, research costs etc.
• Academic or non-academic host
Research & career development
• 1. Scientific excellence
• 2. Interdisciplinary skills
• 3. Inter-sectoral mobility
• Secondments possible to and from the non-academic sector: 3 – 6months
• Can spend up to 6 months (in total) working in anotherorganisation (ideally in another sector) in Europe.
• Opportunity to link with industry, NGO, public sector,national archive etc.
• 4. Networking
Eligibility criterion 1: Qualification
Question: What does ‘research experience’ mean?
Time you have spent conducting research in afull-time position after completion of youruniversity degree that entitles you to read for aPhD. In most countries this is the Masterdegree. However, depending on country thismay also be a Bachelor degree. You must beable to document that the work you havecarried out was research, for example,employment contract, lab results, researchoutput.
Eligibility criterion 2: Mobility
Individual Fellowships: Outgoing & Incoming
European fellowships: Global fellowships:
&
Individual Fellowships: European Fellowships
Mobility rule:
Max. 1 year in last 3
years in host country
• For Experienced
Researchers (ERs) of
any nationality
coming to or moving
within Europe
• Mobility rule applies
• 12-24 months
Mobility to / from …
28 EU Members
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Germany,
Greece, Finland, France,
Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia,
Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta,
Netherlands, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
16 Associated Countries
Albania, Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, FYROM, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Moldova,
Montenegro, Norway, Serbia,
Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine
Categories of
eligible costs
Marie Skłodowska-Curie action
Costs of researcherPER MONTH
Institutional costsPER MONTH
Living allowance
(a)
Mobility allowance
(b)
Family allowance
(c)
Research, training and networking
costs(a)
Management and indirect
costs(b)
IF(100%)
4 650 600 500 800 650
• Fellow’s Salary = Living Allowance + Mobility Allowance (+ Family Allowance)
• Estimated Gross Salary (prior to employee’s tax, social security and pension deductions)
• €55,000 p.a. (no family allowance)
• €60,000 p.a. (with family allowance)
• Excellence1
• Impact2
• Implementation3
• Researcher’s CV (5 pages max)4
• Capacities of the host(s) - Tables5
• Ethics issues6
• Letters of Commitment (GF only)7
10 pagesmax
Criterion Weighting Priority(ex-aequo)
Excellence 50% 1
Impact 30% 2
Implementation 20% 3
Evaluation Criteria
Overall threshold of 70%No individual thresholds
Individual Fellowships: Evaluation panels
8 Scientific (+3 multidisciplinary) Panels:
▪ Proposals are evaluated in 8 (+3) panels
(+ Career Restart Panel, Reintegration
Panel, Society & Enterprise Panel, only for
European Fellowships)
▪ Separate ranking list
for each panel
Individual Fellowships: European Fellowships
▪ ER applies jointly with a host
institution for funding of a research
project
▪ Host institution located in a European
Member State (MS) or Associated
Country (AC)
▪ Host Institution recruits the
Experienced Researcher (ER)
and appoints the supervisor
EF – How does it work?
Question: Can I have two postdoc contracts at the same time?
No.
The flexible starting date allows successfulapplicants to serve complete contractualobligations before starting the fellowship.
Individual Fellowships: Success rate!
(IF 2016) ~1300 grants distributed, average success rate 14%
Other Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunitiesin MSCA
Apply for a PhD or Postdoctoral Fellowship in a MSCA-funded Research Consortium
• EC-funded research consortia in variousscientific disciplines
• Dedicated to training next generation ofscientific experts in specific fields
• PhD opportunities and PostdoctoralFellowships on offer
Application
MSCA Individual Fellowships (MSCA-IF)
1 Call per yearBudget per call ~500 million EUR
Next call opening in April 2020 with deadline September 2020
Application via online application tool (Participant Portal)
MSCA Funded PhD and Postdoc Fellowships
Several Calls throughout the year
Application directly with the research consortium
All open calls advertised on EURAXESS Jobs
Examples: Dr Lai Zon WengMarie Curie Fellow at Freiburg University inGermany from 2013- 2016.Since 2016, a Research Associate with HarvardT.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, US.Says that „ The international recognition I receiveas a MSCA Fellow is very positive. Given that thisis probably the most competitive and prestigiousaward in Europe, it opens up many doors andopportunities to meet and collaborate with someof the big players in my research field. Inaddition, I have received invitations to speak atrenowned international meetings.”
Preparing an IF application
Getting started
Preparing an IF application
Getting started
- Finding the Call for Application -
The proposal has to be submitted online via theHorizon 2020 Participant Portal. All communicationtakes places via this platform!
http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/
To find the call: Type MSCA-IF in keyword search
For help with the submission see: How to submit an IF proposal tutorial
Preparing an IF application
Getting started
- Finding a Host -
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HOW?
Individual Fellowships: Finding a Host
• Joint preparation:between the fellow (ER)and the Host Institution(supervisor: mentoringthe ER during his / herrecruitment period – ECContact Person)
• A researcher (ER) canonly submit oneproposal to oneimplementation mode.INDIVIDUAL
FELLOWSHIP
HOST INSTITUTION
FELLOW
SUPERVISOR
Remember! Individual Fellowships are a joint effort.
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How to find an European host for your research stay
• Personal Contacts
• Congress Attendance
• Project Collaborations / Projects
• Internet Resources
• Job Fairs
• EURAXESS portal
• Net4Mobility+ Specific countries’ Expressions of Interest
Finding a host using personal contacts:
- ask your current supervisor or people from your institution to make a first contact – potential supervisors normally read e-mails from colleagues
- try to attend conferences and do networking (you do not need to be a speaker)
- use professional online research networks (e.g. ResearchGate), follow people and have a meaningful profile (supervisors check those websites)
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Finding a host using personal contacts:
• Choose Institution with more experience
• Contact your future supervisor
• Explain your motivation
• Highlight your added-value
• Agree upon proposal development stages, and practical arrangements
• Organise a visit
• Be Pro-active
Finding a host on the EURAXESS Portal:
Finding a host on the Net4Mobility+:
• Expressions of Interest (EoI) by European countries / European research institutions
• https://www.net4mobilityplus.eu/
Question: Does my host university need to be among the top 10?
No. It is more important to demonstrate thatthe host university offers the right environmentfor you to successfully complete your project.- Does it have the equipment you need?- Does it have experience in hosting MSCA
Fellows?- Does it have special mentoring programmes?- How does my profile fit with the university.
Question: Does my supervisor need to be highly accomplished?
It is important to demonstrate that the potentialsupervisor and you are a good match for you tosuccessfully complete your project.- Does s/he have experience in mentoring
postdocs (MSCA Fellows)?- Is s/he committed to the research project?- Is s/he involved in other successful research
collaborations?- Remember: very senior researchers are often
pressed for time with may commitments
Preparing an IF application
Tipps & Advice
Individual Fellowships: Important documents
http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/other/guides_for_applicants/h2020-guide-appl-msca-if_en.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/wp/2016_2017/main/
h2020-wp1617-msca_en.pdf
Education
and Culture
Excellence Impact Implementation
Quality, innovative aspects
and credibility of the
research (including
inter/multidisciplinary
aspects)
Enhancing research- and
innovation-related human
resources, skills and working
conditions to realise the
potential of individuals and to
provide new career
perspectives
Overall coherence and
effectiveness of the work
plan, including
appropriateness of the
allocation of tasks and
resources
Clarity and quality of
transfer of
knowledge/training for the
development of researcher in
light of the research
objectives
Effectiveness of the proposed
measures for communication
and results dissemination
Appropriateness of the
management structures
and procedures, including
quality management and
risk management
Quality of the supervision
and the hosting arrangements
Appropriateness of the
institutional environment
(infrastructure)
Capacity of the researcher
to reach or re-enforce a
position of professional
maturity in research
Competences, experience
and complementarity of
the participating
organisations and
institutional commitment
Answer ALL the questions indicated in the application form
Question: How much time do I dedicate to each evaluation criterion?
Try to work along the lines of the weight of eachcriterion i.e. Excellence 50%, Impact 30%,Implementation 20%.
Be sure to be as precise as possible in your proposali.e. “the impact of my research will be x,y,z…”
Remember that you have only 10 pages! Uponsubmission your proposal will be turned into a PDFand the evaluator does not get to see anythingbeyond page 10!
Question: How specific do I have to be in outlining result dissemination measures?
Try to be as specific as you can. Instead of justmentioning ‘journal publications’ and ‘conferences’,mention specific journal titles and specificconferences. Do try and describe specific outreach /dissemination measures.Do keep in mind the EU’s push for open accesspublications.
Your proposal must be written in order to resolve European problems identified in EU policies
Take a look at the Horizon 2020 website to understand the issues the funding programme aims to address. Can your research project help address some of these?
Useful tips and hints
Useful tips and hints
Fellowships will be awarded to the most talented researchers as shown by their ideas and their track record, where it is a fair indicator given their level of experience.
CV presentation in 5 pages. Do not invent anything but make sure you list all your relevant skills and achievements.
Useful tips and hints
How will the fellowship be beneficial for both the fellowand host-s?
What is the commitment of beneficiary and partner organization-s to the programme?
Useful tips and hints
Present the host and supervisor skills and research competencies, but also tutoring
Focus on enhancing collaborations among participants and organisations
Useful tips and hints
Use standard and concise English
Make the text clear, well structured, and fluent
Plan an index, use short paragraphs, point out key passages, schematise the concepts
Insert only information relevant to the project
…
Eleven centres and research groups active in andrology and medical sexology have been selected: Leuven (B), Muenster (D), Leipzig (D), Barcelona (E), Rome (I), Florence (I) (these biomedical centres also have interdisciplinary connections with psychological and
psychosexological research groups and inter sectorial connections with research groups in the sectors of sociology and science of communication; complementary training described in point B2.1 will be organised in these Centres); Malmoe (S), Manchester (UK), Giessen (D), Tartu (EE), Lodz (PL) (centres with clinical and bio-molecular facilities). See also point B3 with the individual Centres description.As previously noted, these centres are already linked by a common training project under the EAA. This new research and training project will be able to make use of an already effective network. Also inserted in the Network will be the companies most involved in producing the latest generation products active in the andrological field: Serono, Organon, Ferring, Sigma Tau producing hormones and drugs proposed for therapy male infertility, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Bayer, and GSK, manufacturers of various type 5 phosphodiesterase inhibitors acting on erectile dysfunction, Johnson & Johnson, manufacturer of the forthcoming selective inhibitor of the serotonin reuptake, specifically aimed at treating premature ejaculation, Schering and Solvay, manufacturers of new testosterone formulations with innovative, specific administration methods dedicated to age-related forms of hypogonadism. Part of the complementary training describe in point B2.1 will be organised by experts from these pharmaceutical companies.List of involved CentresMalmö (S), University of Lund, Department of Urology Malmö, Chairman Prof. Aleksander Giwercman Manchester (UK), Department of Endocrinology, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Chairman Prof. Frederick Wu Tartu (EE), Department of Urology, Tartu University Hospital, Chairman Prof. Margus Punab Leuven (B), Department of Endocrinology, University Hospital, Chairman Prof. Dirk Vanderschueren Muenster (D), Institute of Reproductive Medicine University of Munster, Chairman Prof. Eberhard Nieschlag Giessen (D), Department of Dermatology, Justus-Liebig University of Giessen, Chairman Prof. Andreas Meinhardt Leipzig (D), Department of Andrology and Dermatology, University of Leipzig, Hans-Juergen Glander Lodz (PL), Department of Andrology and Reproductive Endocrinology, Medical University of Lodz, Chairman Prof. Krzysztof Kula Barcelona (E), Fundacion Puigvert Andrology Service, Clinica de la Santa Creu, Chairman Prof. Osvaldo RajmilRome (I), Department of Medical Physiopathology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Co-Chairmen Prof. Andrea Lenzi and Prof. Franco Dondero
LATEST TIPS....
Better one table than thousand words…
HOW TO WRITE A WINNING PROPOSAL FOR INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIPS (IF) EVIDENCE FROM EVALUATION SUMMARY REPORTS
Read this!!
Question: Where can I get support?
Contact the National Contact point in the country ofyour host institution
Make sure to work closely with the Grants Officeand/or Research Support Office at your host institution(i.e. get help with developing your budget, answerethics questions etc.)
Remember: MSCA-IF are highly prestigious anduniversities want to secure as many fellows aspossible!
Online resources
MSCA website:
http://ec.europa.eu/msca
MSCA on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Marie.Curie.Actions
Participant Portal:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/
EURAXESS European Researchers Mobility Portal:
http://ec.europa.eu/euraxess/