1. Marie Curie Co-funding of regional, national and international fellowship programmes (COFUND)
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[event location], xx/xx/201x

2. Content Marie Curie Actions - introduction COFUND: Objectives
Principles and rules
Evaluation and selection procedure
State-of-play: results of previous calls
Best practises: examples of co-funded Fellowship Programmes
Further information

3. FP7 breakdown (€ million)
FP7 = EU’s research funding instrument Budget : Billion €50.5
4 Programmes: Cooperation, Ideas, People, Capacities (+ Joint Research Centre + Euratom)
FP7 breakdown (€ million)
Ideas: B €7.51
Cooperation: B€ 32.5
People : B €4.75
Marie Curie Actions
Capacities: B €4.1
JRC: B €1.75
JRC : M€ 1750
Euratom: B €2.75 Nuclear research

4. Marie Curie Actions
A dedicated programme for structuring training, mobility and career development
Objectives:
Human resources potential in R&D in Europe
Stimulate people to enter into the profession of researcher
Encouraging researchers to stay in Europe
Attracting researchers from around the world
One main condition to be eligible: Mobility
Employment contracts with full social rights
Addressed to researchers at all stages of their careers
Adequate working conditions and attractive salaries
Peer-reviewed international evaluation
European (and international) prestige
Geographical
Sectorial

5. “People” Programme ~€4.75 Billion = Marie Curie Actions
Initial training (~40% budget)
Initial Training Networks (ITN)
Life-long training and career development (~25-30% budget)
Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)/ Career Integration Grants (CIG)
Co-funding of regional/national/international programmes (COFUND);
Industry dimension (~5-10% budget)
Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP)
World fellowship (~25% budget)
International Outgoing & Incoming Fellowships (IOF & IIF); International Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES)
Policy support actions (~1% budget)
Mobility and career enhancement actions

6. Marie Curie Actions Applicants Profile of recruited researchers IAPP
Individual researchers
Industry/Research Institutions
Research funding bodies
Senior Post-docs (MER*)
> 10 years
IEF
OIF
IIF
ERG
IRG
IAPP
IRSES
COFUND
Post-docs (ER)
> 4 years
Profile of recruited researchers
Post-graduates (ESR)
< 4 years
ITN
*MER: More Experienced Researcher

7. Initial Training Networks (ITN)
Aims to improve career perspectives of early stage researchers in both public & private sector
International networks of participants from public & private sector
Joint research training programme
Complementary skills acquisition: entrepreneurship, management, IPR, grant writing, communication
Eligible researchers : Nationals from any country
Mainly Early-Stage Researchers (ESR): > 80% - less than 4 years experience in research
Experienced researchers (ER):< 20% - more than 4 years experience in research
Community Contribution
Attractive salaries of recruited researchers
Research and networking costs
Organisation of short training events (workshops, seminars, summer schools and conferences)
Dedicated action next to strive for increasing the industry involvement in all Marie Curie Actions
Increase industry-academia co-operation
Diverse career possibilities and research experience for researchers
Knowledge sharing/cultural exchange, in particular with SMEs
«Industry» in wide definition of «private commercial enterprise»

8. Industry–Academia Partnerships & Pathways (IAPP)
Foster research collaboration between non-commercial (public) research organisations & commercial enterprises
Based on common research project
Intersectoral mobility & skills exchange
Staff secondments & recruitments of experienced researchers
Funding for research costs & networking activities
Eligible researchers
Staff exchange – secondments : 2 to 24 months
Recruitment (optional) : 12 to 24 months
Community contribution
Staff secondments and recruitment of experienced researchers (optional)
Research and networking costs
Specific small equipment for SMEs: <10% total contribution
Dedicated action next to strive for increasing the industry involvement in all Marie Curie Actions
Increase industry-academia co-operation
Diverse career possibilities and research experience for researchers
Knowledge sharing/cultural exchange, in particular with SMEs
«Industry» in wide definition of «private commercial enterprise»

9. International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES)
Participant rules :
At least 2 independent research organisations in two different MS/AC
One or more organisations in TC
Additional partners from any sector and from any other country welcome
Joint multi-annual programmes of months
Eligible researchers :
Research staff mainly, but also technical and management staff
Min. 1 month - max. 12 months/researcher
Staff is seconded (not recruited)
Community contribution :
Balanced exchange of EU/International researchers
Subsistence/travel allowance for outgoing European researchers € 1800/month per researcher
Case by case: subsistence/travel allowance incoming ICPC/ENP

10. Life Long Training and Career Development
Intra-European Fellowships for career development (IEF)
12 to 24 months (full-time) period
Any nationals working/living in MS*/AC** moving to another MS/AC
Mobility requirement at the deadline of the call (definition)
Career Integration Grants (CIG)
Financial contribution of €/year during 2-4 years
Host institution within MS/AC, including country of origin
Research costs, including salary of researchers or assistants
MS*: Member States
AC**: Associated Countries with science and technology cooperation agreements that involved contributing to the framework programme budget

11. World Fellowships
International Outgoing Fellowships for career development (IOF)
12-24 months period in a TC plus 12 months of compulsory return phase in MS/AC
For Nationals of MS/AC
International Incoming Fellowships (IIF)
12-24 months period in MS/AC
Third country nationals coming from outside Europe
Possible return phase to country of origin (12 months)

12. COFUND Global objective
COFUND supports existing and new regional, national and international fellowship programmes
to increase transnational mobility for training and career development of experienced researchers
to improve the working and employment conditions of researchers in Europe.

13. COFUND Impacts Numerical impact and leverage effect
2.5 x more individual Marie Curie fellowships
Creation of new fellowship programmes
Encourages regional and national fellowship programmes to open for transnational mobility
Structuring the European Research Area (ERA):
selection processes based on competition, transparent selection criteria, composition of selection committee, international peer review
Improved working conditions for researchers (employment contracts with full social rights)

14. COFUND Charter and Code
Working conditions of researchers
Transparency of recruitment processes
Career development

15. COFUND Who can apply? Public bodies Private bodies with public mission
International organisations
responsible for funding and managing fellowships or research training programmes
For example: ministries, research academies, research funding agencies, universities

16. COFUND What are the eligibility criteria? (1)
Fellowship Programmes can only fund experienced researchers; they must be either
doctorate holders
or have >4 years research experience
Researchers have to show transnational mobility:
incoming from another country
outgoing to another country
(re)integration into research employment in Europe after period of transnational mobility

17. COFUND What are the eligibility criteria? (2)
Beneficiaries must be established in a EU Member State or Associated Country to FP7
COFUND allows:
Creation of new transnational fellowship programmes
Opening of existing programmes to transnational mobility
Increasing number of transnational fellowships currently awarded by an existing programme
Improving working/research conditions of fellows

18. COFUND What does the funding cover?
EU contribution: 40% of fellowship costs
Max. € 10 million per organisation per call
Duration: months
Supported fellowship programmes receive label co-funded by Marie Curie actions
Researchers selected by fellowship programmes are Marie Curie Fellows

19. COFUND Which topics can be funded?
Bottom-up approach: all domains of research and technological development are eligible
Fellowship programmes can cover several or all fields of research or can be restricted to a specific domain
However, programmes should have sufficient impact in the specific scientific field(s)

20. COFUND Evaluations of fellowship programmes
Organisations managing fellowship programmes send application to yearly call for proposals
Proposals are evaluated in independent peer review, based on pre-established criteria
Proposals are evaluated in two separate panels:
Panel A: existing transnational fellowship programmes (including those opening for the first time for transnational mobility)
Panel B: new transnational fellowship programmes

21. COFUND Evaluation criteria (1)
Quality of the selection process for the fellows under the programme (30% weight)
Transparency of selection process*
Composition and organisation of selection committee*
Criteria and merit of judging merit*
*see Charter and Code

22. COFUND Evaluation criteria (2)
Implementation - Management of the programme (30% weight)
Appointment conditions of selected fellows*
Quality of the programme management
Client-friendliness towards applicant researchers
Administrative capacity to implement the programme
Appropriateness of the scale of the programme
Future development of the programme
*see Charter and Code

23. COFUND Evaluation criteria (3)
Relevance and Impact to “Life long training and Career development” (40% weight)
Openness of programme to transnational mobility
Contribution to diverse career development of researchers (broadening or deepening)
Career development support for fellows*
Equal opportunities (including possibility to resume research career after break)*
Relevance for ERA of research field covered by programme’s calls
Impact of programme to development of researchers’ careers in the ERA
*see Charter and Code

24. COFUND What happens after the evaluations?
If proposals are selected for funding, Research Executive Agency (REA) negotiates yearly flat-rate EU contribution per fellow-year
Organisations sign grant agreement with REA
Organisations run co-funded fellowship programmes independently from EC and REA, with own application/selection rules and financial contribution rates to fellows
Co-funded programmes report annually to REA
Financial reporting exclusively based on flat-rates, not on actual costs

25. COFUND state of play Call Budget M€ N° of eligible proposals
N° of proposals retained for funding
Success rate
Co-funded Fellowships
FP7-PEOPLE COFUND 65 45 24
53.3%
1568
FP7-PEOPLE-COFUND-2008 75 35 26
74.3%
~1800 (estimated)
FP7-PEOPLE-2010-COFUND 53
expected 30
~56.6%
~1800
(estimated)

26. COFUND state of play

27. COFUND state of play

28. COFUND state of play

29. COFUND state of play

30. COFUND state of play

31. COFUND state of play

32. COFUND state of play

33. COFUND Programmes – Examples regional funding agencies (1)
Czech Republic: South Moravian Region
Spain:
Catalonia (AGAUR)
Bizkaia (Bizkaia:xede)
Galicia
Aragón
Basque (IKERBASQUE)
Italy: Provincia Autonoma di Trento
UK: Royal Society of Edinburgh

34. COFUND Programmes – Examples regional funding agencies (2)
TRENTINO Fellowship Programme:
Existing fellowship programme since 2003 (only incoming)
COFUND allowed:
increase in number of incoming fellowships (30 Fellow-years)
introduction of outgoing (65 Fellow-years) and reintegration scheme (25 Fellow-years)
improve the fellows' working conditions (employment contracts)
EU contribution: € 2.66 Mio

35. COFUND Programmes – Examples national funding agencies (1)
Austria: FWF
Belgium:
Belgian Science Policy Office
F.W.O.
Germany:
Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung
Gerda Henkel Stiftung
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik
Estonian Science Foundation
Hungary: National Office for Research and Technology

36. COFUND Programmes – Examples national funding agencies (2)
Ireland:
Health Research Board
Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering & Techn.
Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sci.
Science Foundation Ireland
Iceland: The Icelandic Centre for Research
Italian Association for Cancer Research
Luxemburg: National Research Fund
The Netherlands: N.W.O
Portugal: Fundação para a Ciência e a tecnologia

37. COFUND Programmes – Examples national funding agencies (3)
Schrödinger Fellows (FWF, Austria):
Largest Outgoing Programme in Austria for basic research at postdoc level open to all disciplines and destinations.
117 Fellow-years outgoing researchers, fellowships up to 2 years
COFUND funding used to introduce reintegration phase (25 Fellow-years), fellowships up to 1 year, research cost indicative contribution of € year
Total EU contribution € 2.4 Mio

38. COFUND Programmes – Examples regional research organisations (1)
Belgium: VIB
Switzerland: Zürich-Basel plant Science Center
Spain:
Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
Ciber de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabolicas Asociadas
August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute
Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques
Institute for Research in Biomedicine
Universitari Vall D‘Hebron
Italy:
Fondazione Bruno Kessler
Fondazione Centro San Raffaele del Monte Tabor
Istituto Superiore di Sanità

39. COFUND Programmes – Examples regional research organisations (2)
BIOTRACK Programme of IDIBAPS:
IDIBAPS: biomedical research centre located at University of Barcelona's School of Medicine and Hospital Clínic
72 incoming Fellow-Years
35 outgoing Fellow-Years
20 re-integration Fellow-Years
EU contribution: € 2.9 Mio

40. COFUND Programmes – Examples national research organisations (1)
Switzerland: EMPA – Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt
Spain:
TECNALIA
Fundación CNIC Carlos III
France: CEA
Ireland: National Biophotonics and Imaging Platform
Italy: Istituto Nazionale di Alta Matematica

41. COFUND Programmes – Examples national research organisations (1)
Eurotalents Fellowship Programme of the Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), France
Scientific fields: Energy, environment and climate change, Life sciences and biotechnology, Microelectronics, nanosciences and nanotechnologies, high performance computing, high energy physics, high energy density physics and physics of the universe.
Incoming fellowships: 129 fellow-Years
Outgoing fellowships: 14 fellow-years
EU contribution: € 5 Mio

42. COFUND Programmes – Examples international organisations (1)
European Respiratory Society (ERS)
Central European Initiative (CEI)
European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics (ERCIM)
European Southern Observatory (ESO)
European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
European Institutes for Advanced Study

43. COFUND Programmes – Examples international organisations (2)
RESPIRE Programme of the European Respiratory Society (ERS):
ERS promotes research into respiratory diseases, including asthma, cystic fibrosis, COPD, lung cancer
Existing fellowship programme in pneumology and respiratory science since 1998
COFUND used to increase number of fellowships to 18 over three years period
EU contribution: € 290 k

44. COFUND Programmes – Examples international organisations (3)
European Southern Observatory Fellowship Programme for the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA)
Incoming fellowships: 24 fellow-years
Outgoing fellowships: 24 fellow-years
Re-integration fellowships: 21 fellow-years
EU contribution: € 1.79 Mio

45. COFUND Programmes – Examples universities (1)
Belgium: Université Catholique de Louvain
Switzerland:
Universät Bern
Université Genève
ETH Zürich
Germany: FU Berlin
Spain:
Universidad de Malaga
Universidad de Murcia
Universidad Politecnica de Madrid

46. COFUND Programmes – Examples universities (2)
France:
Université Européenne de Bretagne
UniverSud Paris
Sweden:
Karolinska Institutet UK
University of Durham

47. COFUND Programmes – Examples universities (2)
International Fellowship Program on Integrative Kidney Physiology and Pathophysiology, Universität Bern
Programme supports postdocs to conduct research at one of the five medical university faculties in Switzerland (Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne and Zürich) for two years.
EU contribution: € 1.26 Mio

48. Next call (indicative): FP7-PEOPLE-2011-COFUND
COFUND in WP 2011
Next call (indicative): FP7-PEOPLE-2011-COFUND
Date of publication: 20 October 2010
Deadline: 17 February 2011
Budget: EUR 90 million

49. COFUND more information
List of COFUND Fellowship Programmes:
Information on Marie Curie Actions:

50. NEW: EURAXESS Fellowship Programmes Portal
-> go to “Jobs”
“Fellowship Programmes“ Portal: database of regional, national and international research fellowship programmes
Possibility to search for fellowship opportunities according to specific criteria

51. How are the Marie Curie actions implemented?
The Research Executive Agency
Evaluation of the proposals
day to day management of FP7 Marie Curie projects
More information
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