1. Presentation of successful Marie Curie projects
FP7–PEOPLE–2009–IEF
FP7–PEOPLE–2012–CIG
Robert Vianello
Division of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry
Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia

2. • 60.000 Marie Curie fellows since the launch of the Action in 1996
• over doctorates supported
• Marie Curie fellows originate from all over the World (130 nationalities)
• host institutions in Marie Curie actions are located in more than 70 countries
• 46% researchers remain in Europe after IIF Marie Curie fellowships
• women participation in Marie Curie actions equals 38% (close to desired 40%)

3. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions excellent researchers’ training and mobility for career development

5. Number of projects in Marie Curie actions (2007–2012)

6. Category of researchers
Intra-European Fellowships (IEF) - FACTS
• Budget: EUR (2009)
• Highly competitive
• 2008: EUR for around 440 fellowships / applications (25.0%)
• Basic documents: Guide for Applicants (65 pages)
PEOPLE 2009 Work Programme (52 pages)
EUR (2013)
(83 pages)
(70 pages)
Category of researchers
EUR per year (2009)
< 4 years of experience
35.300
4–10 years of experience
54.300
> 10 years of experience
81.400
EUR per year (2013)
38.000
58.500
87.500

7. Personal motifs to apply
• Quality of the fellowship
- enables high–quality scientific work
- promotes acquisition of new competencies (Career Development)
• Assure financing after the termination of the domestic UKF grant
- 3A project (“My first research grant”) 01/09/2008 – 31/08/2010
- “Computational Prediction of Structure and Catalytic Activity
of New Organic Superacids”
- co-financed by the industrial partner APO Ltd. Zagreb
• Many years of acquaintance with the host scientist and the host institution
- 3 bilateral Croatian–Slovenian projects, 1 joint scientific paper
• Close vicinity to Zagreb

8. National Institute of Chemistry
Host institution
National Institute of Chemistry
• Founded in the year 1946
- leading reasearch institute in Slovenia in the field of chemistry and related sciences
- independent, non–profit, public research institute
- 273 employees (31/12/2009), of which around 243 carry out research work (114 with doctorates) in 15 laboratories and 2 infrastructure centers
• Research on structure, properties and function of biologically relevant systems
- Laboratory for Biosynthesis and Biotransformation / Laboratory of Biomolecular Structure (vibrational spectroscopy) / Slovenian NMR centre
- Laboratory for Biocomputing and Bioinformatics / Laboratory for molecular modeling / Laboratory of chemometrics
• Publish around 200 scientific papers annually
- average 2007 Impact Factor = 2.7

9. National Institute of Chemistry
Host institution
National Institute of Chemistry
• Diverse network of partners from the industry
- Krka, Lek, Helios, Belinka, Renault, Kolpa, Dior, BASF
- 20% of the annual income of the institute
• Branched network of international collaborations
- bilateral projects (30–35 / year): EU, USA, Japan...
- multilateral projects (20–25 / year): Joule, Phare, Tempus, Eureka, COST...
- 15 FP5 projects
- 14 FP6 projects
- total financial value of all FP5 and FP6 projects: EUR
• Adequate infrastructure
- VRANA (eng. crow) cluster of PC computers with 772 processors (2008)

10. Host scientist Dr. Janez Mavri
• Senior research associate and a leader of the Laboratory for Biocomputing and
Bioinformatics, and Associate professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Ljubljana
• Research interests: dynamics of enzyme reactions, investigation of systems
connected through hydrogen bonds, chemical reactivity in solutions
• Published 68 scientific papers and 7 book chapters
- total number of citations = 766; Hirsch index = 16 (08/2009)
- plenary lecture at the Gordon conference “Isotopes in Biology and Chemistry” (Ventura, California, USA; 2006)
- 2 invited lectures and more than 70 oral presentations at international conferences and foreign universities

11. Host scientist Dr. Janez Mavri
• Guest Professor at the Franche–Comte University (Besancon, France) 2003.
- “Biomolecular simulations” at undergraduate level
• French Long Term Human Frontier Science Program Fellowship (University of
Groningen, Netherlands) 1993–1995
• Senior Fulbright Scholarship (University Southern California, USA) 2004
• In the last 3 years: mentor of 3 undergraduate and 3 postgraduate students
• In the last 3 years: mentor of 2 postdoctorate students during a 1 year stay at NIC

12. Project application
• Topics of research were chosen by the host–scientist taking into account
competencies and interests of the fellow
• The host–scientist helped choosing references for the proposal writing
• Formal parts of the application are trivial (Part A)
• Research project is much more serious (Part B)
- take particular care about every detail written in the Guide for Applicants
• We did not select any reviewers for our proposal

13. Contents and goals of the project
Computational Studies of Proton Dynamics in
Hydrogen Bonded Systems and Enzymes (CoSProDyn)
• Improve understanding of the biocatalysis and receptor triggering by
studying quantum nature of proton in proteins
• Research will be oriented towards 3 biological systems using state–
of–the–art methods of the computational biochemistry
• duration of the project: 18 months
• total financial value: ,60 €
• beginning date: 1st October 2010

14. Structure of the project application (Part B)
maximum 8 pages maximum 2 pages maximum 7 pages maximum 6 pages maximum 4 pages

15. Structure of the project application (Part B) – HORIZON 2020

16. Project budget • project duration: 18 months
Living Allowance: € x 1,5 x 0, ,60 €
Travel Allowance: 250 € x 2 times ,00 €
Mobility Allowance: 800 € x 18 months x 0, ,20 €
Career Exploratory Allowance: € ,00 €
Participation Expenses: 500 € x 18 months ,00 €
Overheads and Managment: 700 € x 18 months x 0, ,80 €
TOTAL FINANCIAL VALUE ,60 €
Hungary (0,665): ,25 €
Denmark (1,335): ,75 €

17. Chronology of events 08/2009 Registration to EPSS online system
18/08/2009
Application submitted through EPSS online system
The number IEF– was awarded
20/08/2009
Formal Acknowledgement of Receipt received
25/11/2009
Evaluation Summary Report received
Total number of applications:
Number of proposals above thresholds: (77.4 %)
Budget: ,00 €
Requested funds: ,80 € (340,9 %)

18. Evaluation Summary Report

19. Evaluation Summary Report

20. Evaluation Summary Report

21. Evaluation Summary Report

22. Chronology of events 08/2009 Registration to EPSS online system
18/08/2009
Application submitted through EPSS online system
The number IEF– was awarded
20/08/2009
Formal Acknowledgement of Receipt received
25/11/2009
Evaluation Summary Report received
22/12/2009
Invitation to Negotiate received
A category: (24.0 %) Total number of applications:
B category: (7.3 %)
C category: (46.2 %) Number of withdrawn projects: (0.4 %)
D category: (22.1 %)
E category: (0.0 %)

23. Reminder (240.500.000 €) H2020-MSCA-IF-2014 www.NEWFELPRO.hr
Publication of call
:00:00 Brussels time
Deadline for submission of proposals
end of December 2014
Evaluation Summary Reports
January 2015
Invitation to Negotiate
from March 2015
Signature of first Grant Agreements
:00 CET
end of March 2015
April 2015
From May 2015

24. Contents and goals of the project (FP7–PEOPLE–2012–CIG)
Computational Studies of the Biogenic Amines of the Brain
for Targeting Neurological Diseases (CompBAND)
• Improve the understanding of a relation between features, metabolic pathways and signal transduction of amine neurotransmitters and the treatment of neurological diseases
• Research will be oriented towards 2 biological systems using state–of–the–art methods of the computational biochemistry
• duration of the project: 48 months
• total financial value: EUR
• beginning date: 1st April 2013

25. Evaluation Summary Report

26. Evaluation Summary Report

27. Evaluation Summary Report

28. Dopamine synthesis and metabolism by monoamine oxidase enzymes (MAOs)
reproduced from: MBH Youdim, DE Edmondson, KF Tipton, Nature Rev Neurosci 2006, 7, 295.
Patients with neurological diseases:
Increased level of MAO activity
Concentrations of dopamine close to zero

29. R Borštnar, M Repič, M Kržan, J Mavri, R Vianello
Eur J Org Chem 2011, 6419–6433.
R Vianello, M Repič, J Mavri
Eur J Org Chem 2012, 7057–7065.

30. 50.000th Marie Curie Fellowship Award

31. "EU FP7 People Specific Programme Success Stories Booklet"

32. Official site of the European Commission (www.croatia-in-the-eu.eu)

35. Intra-European Fellowships for career development (IEF)
FP7 Marie Curie Actions
Intra-European Fellowships for career development (IEF)
At various stages of their career, experienced researchers may welcome an opportunity to acquire new research skills or experience working in other sectors. Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships for Career Development specifically aim at helping experienced researchers to try something new for a while.
Who can apply?
Researchers can be of any nationality but as a general rule must move from one Member State or Associated country to another in order to carry out the project. You must have either a doctoral degree or at least 4 years’ full-time equivalent research experience, after obtaining a degree permitting you to embark on a doctorate.
What does the funding cover?
Financial support is provided for a period of months (full-time equivalent), for individual projects presented by experienced researchers from Member States or Associated Countries in liaison with a host organisation from a Member State or Associated Country.

37. Office for international projects, RBI National Institute of Chemistry
Renata Slovinić
Ines Ječmenjak
Marijana Klasnić–Kožar
Vesna Kotarski
Višnja Petera
Suzana Karabaić, PEOPLE NCP, Croatia
National Institute of Chemistry
Janez Mavri
Meta Skumavc
Marijana Novič
Marjetka Podobnik
Rada Drnovšek
Radojka Verčko, PEOPLE NCP, Slovenia