EC new call opened for H2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships - deadline for submission 14 September 2016

[Susanne Henningsen]

Details under link:
https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/topics/2226-msca-if-2016.html

Summary from H2020 participants portal:

Objective:

The goal of Individual Fellowships is to enhance the creative and 
innovative potential of experienced researchers, wishing to diversify 
their individual competence in terms of skill acquisition through 
advanced training, international and intersectoral mobility.

Individual Fellowships provide opportunities to acquire and transfer new 
knowledge and to work on research and innovation in a European context 
(EU Member States and Associated Countries) or outside Europe. The 
scheme particularly supports the return and reintegration of researchers 
from outside Europe who have previously worked here. It also develops or 
helps to restart the careers of individual researchers that show great 
potential, considering their experience.

Scope:

Support is foreseen for individual, trans-national fellowships awarded 
to the best or most promising researchers of any nationality, for 
employment in EU Member States or Associated Countries. It is based on 
an application made jointly by the researcher and the beneficiary in the 
academic or non-academic sectors.

Only one proposal per individual researcher will be evaluated.

Fellowships take form of European Fellowships or Global Fellowships. 
European Fellowships are held in EU Member States or Associated 
Countries and are open to researchers either coming to Europe from any 
country in the world or moving within Europe. The researcher must comply 
with the rules of mobility in the country where the European Fellowship 
is held.

Return and reintegration of researchers into a longer term research 
position in Europe, including in their country of origin, is supported 
via a separate multi-disciplinary reintegration panel of the European 
Fellowships. For the reintegration panel, there shall be mobility into 
Europe.

Support to individuals to resume research in Europe after a career 
break, e.g. after parental leave, is ensured via a separate 
multi-disciplinary career restart panel of the European Fellowships. To 
qualify for the career restart panel, researchers must not have been 
active in research for at least 12 months immediately prior to the 
deadline for submission.

Researchers seeking to work on research and innovation projects in an 
organisation from the non-academic sector will be supported via a 
separate multi-disciplinary society and enterprise panel of the European 
Fellowships. The objective of this panel is to facilitate career moves 
between the academic and non-academic sectors and to open attractive 
career opportunities for researchers outside academia.

Global Fellowships are based on a secondment to a third country and a 
mandatory 12 month return period to a European host. The researcher must 
comply with the rules of mobility in the country where the Global 
Fellowship secondment takes place, not for the country of the return phase.

Researchers receiving an Individual Fellowship may opt to include a 
secondment phase in Europe, notably in the non-academic sector, within 
the overall duration of their fellowship. For a fellowship of 18 months 
or less, the secondment phase may last up to three months. For a 
fellowship of more than 18 months, the secondment phase may last up to 
six months. The secondment phase can be a single period or be divided 
into shorter mobility periods. The secondment should significantly add 
to the impact of the fellowship.

A Career Development Plan should be established jointly by the 
supervisor(s) and the researcher. In addition to research or innovation 
objectives, this plan comprises the researcher's training and career 
needs, including training on transferable skills, planning for 
publications and participation in conferences.

Expected Impact:

At researcher level:

  * Increased set of skills, both research-related and transferable
    ones, leading to improved employability and career prospects both in
    and outside academia
  * Increase in higher impact R&I output, more knowledge and ideas
    converted into products and services
  * Greater contribution to the knowledge-based economy and society

At organisation level:

  * Enhanced cooperation and stronger networks
  * Better transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines
  * Boosting of R&I capacity among participating organisations

At system level:

  * Increase in international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral
    mobility of researchers in Europe
  * Strengthening of Europe's human capital base in R&I with more
    entrepreneurial and better trained researchers
  * Better communication of R&I results to society
  * Increase in Europe's attractiveness as a leading destination for R&I
  * Better quality research and innovation contributing to Europe's
    competitiveness and growth