Postdoctoral Researchwith a MSCA Individual

Fellowship

What are the MSCA - Individual Fellowships?

MSCA stands for Marie SkłodowskaCurie Actions

What are the call dates?

MSCA - Individual Fellowships Call 2020

Ø Annual Call for proposals èØ Opening date: 8 April 2020Ø Closing date: 10 September 2020

MSCA - Individual Fellowships are:

Ø Personal postdoctoral fellowships to support a period of mobility

Ø Fully-funded for 1 to 2 yearsØ Academic or non-academic hostØ A comprehensive career development

tool

Which research topics are funded?

MSCA - Individual Fellowships are:

Ø Open to all domains of research and innovation chosen freely by the researcher

Ø Bottom-up principle

Who can apply for a MSCA -Individual Fellowship?

MSCA - Individual Fellowships are:

Ø Open to all nationalities!Ø Open to all academic disciplines!Ø No age or experience limit!

Eligibility Criterion 1 - Qualifications

• Open to experiencedresearchers

• No upper age or experience limit

• However … must demonstrate career progression

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.

Incoming

European Fellowships –Moving to Europe

12-24 months

Mobility rule applies

Mobility rule:Max. 1 year in last 3 years in host country

Eligibility criterion 2 – Mobility

Where can I go to with a European Fellowship?

Mobility to …27 EU MembersAustria, 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

16 Associated CountriesAlbania, Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, FYROM, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Moldova,Montenegro, Norway, Serbia,Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine

Question: Can I apply with an institution in the UK?

Yes, UK institution are still eligible to host aFellow under the 2020 call.

What else is unique about the MSCA - Individual Fellowship?

MSCA IF are a joint effort!

INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIP

HOST INSTITUTION

FELLOW

SUPERVISORMSCA IF proposalsare a joint effortbetween Fellowand the Host(supervisor)

What type of host institution can you chose?

MSCA Fellows can be hosted by public or private sector research actors

- universities- research institutes- private companies

- Secondments are possible to and from the non-academic sector: 3 – 6 months• Can spend up to 6 months (in total) working in

another organisation (ideally in another sector)in Europe.

• Opportunity to link with industry, NGO, publicsector, national archive etc.

What are the evaluation criteria for an MSCA Individual Fellowship?

• 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

Excellence Impact ImplementationQuality, 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 supervisionand 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

What is funded by the MSCA Individual Fellowship?

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)

What about success rates?

Individual Fellowships: Success rate 14-16%

(IF 2016) ~1300 grants distributed, average success rate 14%

When will I hear about the outcome?

Calls for Proposals

open8 April 2020

Calls for Proposals

close10 Sept

2020Evaluation

Oct-Nov 2020

First info to Applicants

Feb 2021

First possible start date

May2021

Last possible start date

Sept2022

How do I get started?

Step 1

- Finding the Call for Application -

The proposal has to be submitted online via theHorizon 2020 Participant Portal. Allcommunication takes 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

MSCA IF Call 2020

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

Step 2

- Develop a research idea -

Step 3

- Find a Host -

38

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 on the EURAXESS Portal:

Finding a host on the Net4Mobility+:

• Expressions of Interest (EoI) by European countries / European research institutions• https://www.net4mobilityplus.eu/

Wait! – What about European Fellows wanting to do research in Australia or NZ?

Host a European Fellow at your institution!

MSCA – Global Fellowships are:

Ø Host a European Fellow in Australia or NZ for up to 2 years

Ø Fellow needs to complete a mandatory 1 year return phase in Europe

Ø Fully-funded!

- Find a Fellow -

How to find an European host for your research stay

• Alert your network in Europe to your hosting offer• Reach out your professional contacts to

identify potential candidates• Post your offer on the EURAXESS portal

Where do I find more information?

MSCA website:http://ec.europa.eu/mscaParticipant Portal:http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/EURAXESS ASEAN Portalhttps://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/worldwide/aseanREAD THIS