The ERC’s quest to support excellent - European … · The ERC’s quest to support excellent researchers all over Europe • • Prof Eva Kondorosi, • Chair of the ERC • Scientific

Established by the European Commission

© Art & Build Architect / Montois Partners / credits: S. Brison

European Research Council

The ERC’s quest to support excellent

researchers all over Europe

•

• Prof Eva Kondorosi,

• Chair of the ERC

• Scientific Council Working Group on

• Widening European Participation

Ljubljana,

December 2016


│ 2

To capitalise on the full European potential for

frontier research without departing from the ERC's

principle of excellence.

ERC Mission &

Widening European Participation

The ERC aims to:

Support the best of the best in Europe across all fields

of science

Promote wholly investigator-driven, or 'bottom-up' frontier research

Encourage the work of the established and next generation of top research

leaders in Europe

Reward innovative proposals by placing emphasis on the quality of the

idea rather than the research area

Raise the status and visibility of European frontier research and the very

best researchers of today and tomorrow

But also:


│ 3

Geographical Location of Grants

Talent is everywhere

│ 3

Altogether

ERC grants

at 670

different

host

institutions

in 33

countries


│ 4

Concentration of ERC grants in research

intensive countries and top HI

90% of ERC grants in top 11 countries

50% of ERC grants in top 50 institutions


│ 5

The ERC potential in certain countries seems

to be above their current performance

Share of EU13 public

researchers in EU&AC =

16%

Share of EU13 highly

cited publications in

EU&AC = 5%

Share of EU13 research

investment (GERD) in

EU&AC = 3%

+AC

Share of

ERC grants

& budget


│ 6

Significantly different success rates

by country of HI

Average success rate around 11%

Success rate for the region 1%


│ 7

0,00

5,00

10,00

15,00

20,00

25,00

30,00

35,00

40,00

45,00

CH

IL

NL

DK

UK

SE

BE

FI

AT

CY

IE

NO

FR

DE

ES

IS

IT

PT

HU

EL

EE

LU

CZ

SI

HR

LV

BG

PL

SK

RS

TR

RO

Number of ERC Grants per

1 million inhabitants

As talents are everywhere why are

certain countries more successful

than others?


│ 8

ERC Grants versus GERD:

lower research investment in the region

Host countries as of

19/09/2016

Linear fit


│ 9

ERC Grants versus Top Publications:

Lower number of top publication

Host countries as of

19/09/2016

Linear fit


│ 10

• Relatively low number of applications

from EU13 countries


│ 11

Most ERC grantees from the region

are abroad (brain drain)

Over 80% of PIs with nationality

from the region are have their

ERC grant hosted abroad


│ 12

Average weighted total yearly salary per countries (2006 in €)

Country Average

weighted total

yearly salary

adjusted

Country Average

weighted total

yearly salary

adjusted

Switzerland 82.725 Spain 34.908

Luxembourg 63.865 Portugal 29.001

Austria 62.406 Malta 28.078

Denmark 61.355 Slovenia 27.756

Ireland 60.727 Greece 25.685

Netherlands 59.103 Czech

Republic

19.620

Norway 58.997 Croatia 16.671

Belgium 58.462 Turkey 16.249

Germany 56.132 Hungary 15.812

Sweden 56.053 Lithuania 13.851

United Kingdom 56.048 Estonia 11.748

France 50.879 Poland 11.659

Iceland 50.803 Latvia 10.488

Cyprus 45.039 Slovakia 9.178

Finland 44.635 Romania 6.286

Israel 42.552 Bulgaria 3.556

Italy 36.201

In April 2007 the European Commission

published a comparison of researchers

salaries across Europe, based on an

online survey. The chart gives the

average salaries adjusted to the cost of

living in each country.

Significant differences in salary

levels across Europe


│ 13

• Too many weak applications from EU13

Compared to

26% evaluated step 2

and

32% C for EU15


│ 14

Too many weak applications from the

region

Compared to

27 % evaluated step 2

and

31% C for EU15

(9%)

(23%)

(68%)


│ 15

Submitted proposals by funding scheme

(2007 -2016)


│ 16

Low participation in ERC Calls by the

9 countries


│ 17

Success rate by evaluation step

Stumbling block at step 1

Large majority of applications from the region fail at step1,

success rate of those that reach Step2 is close to average.


│ 18

Low number of re-applications average over calls 2009-2016

Success rate of returning applicants is higher!


Low international mobility:

Researchers (post-PhD) with a period of at least three months as in another

country in the last 10 years, Europe, 2012 (%)


│ 20

Widening European Participation

ERC Working Group

Identify possible actions that could be taken by the ERC to support the best

scientists from weak participating European countries and encourage them

to apply to the ERC.


Low international profile of research: lack of international dynamics and mobility

Unattractiveness of research environment: scientific isolation, missing culture of

scientific excellence, lack of open and merit based reward system

Poor career prospective: lack of science career building programmes and long-

term research career prospective, non-merit based recruitment practices

Low levels of research investment: low salaries for top scientists, lack of

additional and sustainable funding: ERC top-up, ERC runners-up, ERC exit

programmes

Inadequate research funding systems: not appropriate for pursuing ambitious

projects

Lack of institutional support to ERC applicants and grantees provided locally:

administration of HI, NCPs, colleagues and peers, personal coaching

│ 21

Conclusions: Bottlenecks for higher inclusiveness

in ERC competitions

2014: ERC Widening participation survey [n=788]

National, institutional conditions matter!


Increase research investment

Research capacity building and strengthening of local research infrastructure: use

of EU structural funds

Reform of national/local research systems along best practices for nurturing

scientific excellence: competition based research funding, open merit based

recruitment, performance based salaries,...

Internationalisation of research: fostering international mobility and cross-border

scientific exchange, raising attractiveness of research environment

Strengthening local support to ERC applicants and grantees: financial support for

ERC runners-up, training days, workshops, seminars, and coaching for ERC candidates,

but also their supporting services

Bring back the most talented scientists from abroad with attractive research funding

and salaries (for 5 years) that are prospective candidates for ERC grants

│ 22

Actions to be taken at national level

Encourage talented scientists to apply with strong, well prepared proposals:

international mobility/ training before applying (ERC visiting fellowship), personal

encouragement and support from the best scientists,...


│ 23

ERC EVALUATION PROCEDURE

Awareness raising of ERC panel chairs to unequal conditions of applicants

allowing to pass more excellent/promising projects for detailed Step 2 evaluation

INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY TRAINING

Promotion of visiting research fellowships to ERC grantees

SUPPORTING CAPACITY BUILDING

Supporting promising unfunded ERC applications through EEA&Norway Grants

POLICY SUPPORT with RECOMMENDATIONS

Organisation of regional ERC widening participation events: open forum with all

relevant national stakeholders to identify actions/strategies for higher success

rate in ERC calls.

Zagreb (2014), Tallinn (2015), Budapest (2015), Krakow (2016), Wroczlaw (Nov. 2016), Ljubljana (Dec 2016)

How can ERC help:

ERC Widening Participation Actions


│ 24

Fellowship to visit ERC grantee –

ERC guidelines

Scheme: Short term research visit (a min 3 to max 6 months) in an ERC team:

international exposure, grant application coaching

Funding: by a national research-funding organization of a country in the European

Research Area, no additional funding is provided by ERC.

Eligibility: Open to all excellent researchers working in ERA, through public, open

competitions through evaluation panels composed by researchers of high repute

and based on excellence and potential for an ERC grant application.

Condition: A letter of support signed by an ERC grantee and his/her Host

Institution stating that in case the applicant is selected he/she will be hosted as

member of the research team of the PI (facilitated by the ERC via Call for

expression of interest)

Successful applicants must sign a letter of commitment to apply for

an ERC grant no later than one/two year(s) after the end of the visit.


Fellowship to visit ERC grantee –

Results of the first call (Sept 2016)

│ 25

All PIs (~2800) of the main grants who have at least 18 months until the

end of the project were invited to express their interest to host a visiting

fellow through these 6 national programmes.

Positive response from 724 (26%) Pis, with good and balanced

geographic (29 countries) and thematic (all ERC panels) coverage.

Participating countries/regions: • Czech Republic

• Hungary

• Estonia

• Poland

• Slovenia

• Belgium (Flanders region)

Next ERC Call in May 2017 for national/regional fellowship

programmes launched in 2017/2018.


│ 26

Excellence Grants

for runners-up

ERC Step 2 As

(Stg, CoG, AdG)

ERC non-funded Step 2 As in AdG, CoG and StG calls: full

funding of their ERC proposed project coupled with a short

term visit/exchange to/from Donor State

Maturing Excellence Grants

ERC Step2 Bs

(StG, CoG, AdG)

ERC non-funded Step 2 Bs in AdG, CoG and StG calls: 3-

24 months funding for further development of proposal

supported by a mentoring scheme and coupled with a

short term visit to an ERC or CoE research group in a

Donor State and optionally also in a third country.

Nurturing Excellence Grants

ERC Step1 Bs

(StG, CoG)

ERC non funded Step 1 Bs in CoG and StG calls:

3-6 months mobility funding for improvement of proposal

during a short term visit to an ERC or CoE research group

in a Donor State, and optionally also in a third country.

EEA&NORWAY Grants with ERC

Supporting ERC runners-up

│ 27

ERC Repatriation success story:

The driving forces of cell division

Croatia

Mic

rotu

bu

les in

actio

n d

uri

ng

ch

rom

oso

me

div

isio

n ©

Iva

To

lić

A leading cell biophysicist, Dr Tolic is the ERC 5000th

grantee. She has established her new lab in Croatia.

Background

Our body is constantly producing new cells to replace old or

damaged ones, at the rate of millions per second. During cell

division, cells pass on their genetic material from one

generation to the other: chromosomes are replicated, the cell

separates in two and an identical set of chromosomes is

inherited by each daughter cell.

Research

Dr Tolić wants to map out the forces acting on the

chromosomes during cell division, understand how they are

generated and how they act. She is interested in particular in

a new class of microtubules.

Importance

Results could be critical for the development of new

therapies against cancer, as this disease results from a cell

duplication process that, for some reason, is not regulated

correctly.

ERC Project: NEWSPINDLEFORCE

Iva Tolić

Ruđer Bošković Institute (Croatia)

ERC Consolidator Grant €2.1 mil.


• Secretariat of the WG: Boris Kragelj [email protected]

• More information: erc.europa.eu

• National Contact Point: erc.europa.eu/national-contact-points

• Sign up for news alerts: erc.europa.eu/keep-updated-erc

│ 28

www.facebook.com/EuropeanResearchCouncil

twitter.com/ERC_Research

www.linkedin.com/company/european-research-council

The European Research Council

mailto:[email protected]





Documents

The ERC’s quest to support excellent - European … · The ERC’s quest to support excellent researchers all over Europe • • Prof Eva Kondorosi, • Chair of the ERC • Scientific