RESEARCH GRANTS & CONTRACTS OFFICE Horizon 2020 – European Research Council & Marie Sklodowska-Curie Juan Vidal SUMMARY Overview of Horizon 2020  European Research Council  Marie Sklodowska-Curie  Where to find more information on Horizon 2020  OVERVIEW OF HORIZON 2020 WHAT IS HORIZON 2020  The European Union’s funding instrument for research and innovation from 2014-2020 Budget of €70.2 billion  From research to innovation – from basic research to bringing ideas to the market  Focus on societal challenges EU society is facing (e.g. health, clean energy, food security, integrated transport)  HORIZON 2020 STRUCTURE Excellent Science European Research Council (ERC) Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) Industrial Leadership Societal Challenges Health and Wellbeing Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies (LEIT) ICT, KETs, Space Marie SkłodowskaCurie Actions (MSCA) Research Infrastructures Food security Transport Energy Climate action Access to Risk Finance Societies Innovation in SMEs Security Widening Participation; Science with and for Society EXCELLENT SCIENCE Total budget €21.6 billion  Overall objective: “to strengthen the excellence of European research”  Mostly operates on a “bottom-up” basis  Four funding programmes  European Research Council  Future Emerging Technology   Funds collaborative frontier research Marie Sklodowska-Curie  Research Infrastructures   Funding mechanism for Europe-wide infrastructures to support research INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP  Main programme under this pillar funds collaborative top-down research Leadership in Enabling and Industrial Technologies (LEIT)  Risk Financing  Innovation to SME’s   Focused on applied research and innovation activities SOCIETAL CHALLENGES Challenge Objectives Health Improve lifelong health and wellbeing Food security Secure sufficient supplies of safe and high quality food and other bio-based products Energy Transition to a reliable, sustainable and competitive energy system Transport Resource-efficient, environmentally friendly, safe, seamless, and performing transport system for the benefit of all citizens, the economy and society. Climate and resources Resource efficient and climate change resilient economy and a sustainable supply of raw materials Societies Foster inclusive, innovative and secure European societies EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL ERC FUNDING SCHEMES 1 Starting Grants  Consolidator Grants  Advanced Grants  Synergy Grants  Proof of Concept Grants  ERC FUNDING SCHEMES 2 Summary of Main Grant Schemes Starting Grant Consolidator Grant Advanced Grant Deadline 2014 25 March 20 May 21 October Budget 2014 (No. grants awarded) €485 million (370) €713 million (400) €450 million (200) Deadline 2015 3 February 12 March 2 June Budget 2015 (No. grants awarded) €411 million (315) €603 million (340) €640 million (285) ERC FUNDING SCHEMES 3 Three research domains  Indicative split between the domains  Physical Science & Engineering 44%  Life Sciences 39%  Social Sciences & Humanities 17%  Open to any nationality  Funding for best “frontier research” – research excellence the only criteria  Lead by a single PI, supported by a research team  ERC ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA 1 Starting Grant Specific eligibility criteria:  Principal Investigator shall have been awarded his/her first PhD ≥ 2 and ≤ 7 years prior to the publication date of the call for proposals of the ERC Starting Grant (for 2014 the publication date is 11th December 2013) ERC ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA 2 Consolidator Grant Specific eligibility criteria:  Principal Investigator shall have been awarded his/her first PhD > 7 and ≤ 12 years prior to the publication date of the call for proposals of the ERC Consolidator Grant (for 2014 the publication date is 11th December 2013) ERC BUDGETS 1 Eligible costs:  Principal Investigator’s salary costs  Cost of senior “researchers” at the College or at other institutions  Post-doctoral researchers and other research staff (such as technicians)  PhD student stipends  Direct costs such as equipment, consumables, travel and subsistence, payments to participants, field work costs, and open access publication charges ERC BUDGETS 2  Will fund 100% of direct costs + 25% indirect costs, except for sub-contracts (typically audit fees) which are only funded at 100% of direct costs i.e. PI 50,000 PDRA 250,000 Equipment 700,000 Sub-contract (Audit Fees) 5,000 Sub-total 1,005,000 Indirect 250,000 TOTAL ERC Contribution 1,255,000 HOW TO PREPARE AN ERC BID 1 Proposals are submitted via the Research and Innovation Participants Portal  http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/de sktop/en/  Same portal is used to identify opportunities, and manage awarded grants  The bid consists of two main sections – Part A and the Part B.  The Part A will consist of a title page with summary, contact information for the PI and the College, and a summary budget  HOW TO PREPARE AN ERC BID 2 Part B split into multiple sections  Cover page    Includes 2000 word summary & if cross-disciplinary, 1000 word justification of the cross-disciplinary nature Part B1 consists of: Extended synopsis: 5 pages – show how proposed research is ground breaking  CV: 2 pages  Funding ID: - list of on-going grants & grant applications  Achievement track record: 2 pages  HOW TO PREPARE AN ERC BID 3 Part B2  Detailed scientific proposal: 15 pages  State of the art objectives  Methodology  Resources required (including breakdown & justification of costs)    Template for starting grant available at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/ h2020/call_ptef/pt/h2020-call-pt-erc-stg_en.pdf Template for consolidator grants is not available yet EVALUATION Two-stage evaluation  Stage 1 evaluate the extended synopsis and CV  Stage 2 evaluate the full proposal  Evaluate both research & PI      Ground breaking nature research Scientific approach Intellectual capacity and creativity Commitment to spending at least 50% on the project and at least 50% in EU Member state or Associated Country MARIE SKLODOWSKA-CURIE SCHEMES UNDER MARIE SKLODOWSKACURIE Research and Staff Exchange (RISE)  Individual Fellowships (IF)  Innovative Training Networks (ITN)  Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes (COFUND)  Deadlines • RISE 24th April • ITN 9th April • IF will be published 12th March for 11th September deadline SUMMARY OF RISE Funds two-way exchanges of staff between academic and non-academic institutions  Promotes knowledge exchange, networking and workshops  Total budget of €70 million  Flat rate funding  Top funding for personnel €2,000/person month  Institution gets €1,000/person month for research, training and network costs, and €700/person month for management & indirect costs   30 page proposal – no details available yet on format of proposal INNOVATIVE TRAINING NETWORKS  Three types of ITN: European Training Networks (ETN)  European Industrial Networks (EIN)  European Joint Doctorates (EJD)  Total budget for this call €405.18 million, with €25.5 million allocated to EIN and €30 million allocated to EJD  All ITN require the mobility of the Early Career Researchers  Projects run for 48 months, and Early Career Researchers are recruited for between 3 and 36 months  ETN  ETN: Minimum of 3 beneficiaries in at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries  Typically 6 – 10 participants, must involve nonacademic participants  May apply for maximum of 540 researcher months per network  Researchers will typically be enrolled on a PhD  EIN  EIN: Minimum of 2 participants, 1 academic and 1 nonacademic, located in different EU Member States or Associated Countries  Maximum of 540 researcher months for Networks with more than two participants, otherwise maximum 180 researcher months  Researchers must spend 50% of their time at the nonacademic participant, plus up to 30% at other beneficiaries  Must be enrolled for a PhD  EJD  EJD: Minimum of 3 academic participants from 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Above this minimum may include participants from any sector  May apply for maximum of 540 researcher months per network  As a minimum researchers must be enrolled for a Joint Doctorate  The network must provide Joint/Double or Multiple Doctoral Degrees  BUDGET UNDER ITN  Flat rate budget Monthly living allowance Monthly Mobility Allowance Monthly Family Allowance €3,110* €600 €500 * Adjusted by country coefficient, so will get €3,741.33/month in UK Research, Training and Network Costs Management and Indirect costs €1,800 €1,200 FORMAT OF ITN 1  Part A      General information about the proposal Data on participating organisations Budget (in terms of requested researcher months) Ethics table Information on partner organisations FORMAT OF ITN 2  Part B List of Participants  1. Summary  2. Excellence  3. Impact  4. Implementation  Gantt chart  5. Capabilities of the participating organisations  6. Ethical aspects  Letters of commitment   http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/d oc/call/h2020/h2020-msca-itn-2014/1590152itn_2014_-_guide_for_applicants_1.2_en.pdf EVALUATION OF ITN WHERE TO FIND MORE INFORMATION 1 UKRO web-site: http://www.ukro.ac.uk/Pages/UKRO.aspx  UKRO subscriber services (regular e-mails on which EU funding call have been published and UKRO training sessions for ERC/Marie Sklodowska-Curie events)  RGCO web-site: http://www.bbk.ac.uk/rgco/otherservices/events.s html  Funding Opportunities section of the Research & Innovation Participants Portal: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/d esktop/en/opportunities/index.html  WHERE TO FIND MORE INFORMATION 2 London Higher Workshop & 1:1 Surgeries at Senate House  £499 per institution (with a max of 3 people attending) 