The European Research Council Executive Agency Outreach Event Athens 14 October 2011

Transcription

1 The Executive Agency Outreach Event Athens 14 October 2011 Athens, 14th October 2011 Toni Amanda Skeen, Ex-Post Auditor, Audit Management and Implementation Unit

2 Overview - Agenda 09:30 Welcome, ERCEA and NCP 10:30 Presentations on ERC experiences/lessons learnt: Panoutsakopoulou Vily - PhD, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens Tavernarakis Nektarios - PhD, Hellas Medical School, University of Crete 11:30 Coffee Break 12:00 Grant Preparation 13:15 Lunch 14:15 Grant Implementation 15:30 Coffee Break 15:45 Audit Management & Implementation 16:45 Questions & Answers / Conclusions 17:15 End of Workshop 2

3 What is the ERC? ERC is a new type of funding body in Europe to support excellence in frontier research, a bottomup, individual-team, pan-european competition Legislation Scientific Council with 22 members Support by the ERC Executive Agency Significant budget (1.1 billion /year) Excellence as the only valid criterion Strategy Support for the individual scientist no networks! International peer-review No predetermined subjects (bottom-up) Support of frontier research in all fields of science and humanities 3

4 ERC Executive Agency

5 ERC Key Figures 7 Completed Calls to-date Project Applications Projects Selected for Funding 3.2 Billion Euro Worth of Grants

6 The EA concept Simple by design One product Mono beneficiary less Scientific reporting Industrial design of EA structure Test bed for innovation No conflicting objectives in the units 6

7 ERC Structure The European Commission Provides financing through the EU framework programmes Guarantees autonomy of the ERC Assures the integrity and accountability of the ERC Adopts annual work programmes as established by the Scientific Council The Scientific Council 22 prominent researchers proposed by an independent identification committee Appointed by the Commission (4 years, renewable once) Establishes overall scientific strategy; annual work programmes (incl. calls for proposals, evaluation criteria); peer review methodology; selection and accreditation of experts Controls quality of operations and management Ensures communication with the scientific community The ERC Agency Executes annual work programme as established by the Scientific Council Implements calls for proposals and provides information and support to applicants Organises peer review evaluation Establishes and manages grant agreements Administers scientific and financial aspects and follow-up of grant agreements Carries out communications activities and ensures information dissemination to ERC stakeholders

8 ERC Granting Schemes Starting Grants Advanced Grants Attract/retain next-generation leaders Address funding gap early in independent career Establish independent research team & programme up to 2.0 Mio for 5 years Attract/retain current world-leaders Stimulate investigator-driven, breakthrough research up to 3.5 Mio for 5 years Number of grantees Number of grantees StG 2010 AdG Age the Age of grantees

9 The Submitted proposals

10 ERC Starting grant calls Submitted proposals by domain % of the StG applications have women PIs Physical Sciences and Engineering % Life Sciences Social Sciences and Humanities +42% % StG 2007 (9167) StG 2009 (2503) StG 2010 (2873) StG 2011 (4080) 10

11 ERC Advanced grant calls Submitted proposals by domain % of the AdG applications have women PIs Physical Sciences and Engineering % +27% Life Sciences Social Sciences and Humanities +13% AdG 2008 (2167) AdG 2009 (1583) AdG 2010 (2009) AdG 2011 (2284) 11

12 ERC calls Proposals from Greek hosts, by call and domain 721 evaluated proposals from Greec host institutions, by ERC call and domain PE LS SH 10% of the AdG applications have women PIs % of the StG applications have women PIs AdG 2008 AdG 2009 AdG 2010 AdG 2011 StG 2007 StG 2009 StG 2010 StG AdG StG 12

13 ERC Calls Evaluated proposals from Slovenian Hosts, by call and domain evaluated proposals from SI host institutions, by ERC call and domain PE LS SH 3 27% of the AdG applications have women PIs % of the StG applications have women PIs AdG 2008 AdG 2009 AdG 2010 AdG 2011 StG 2007 StG 2009 StG 2010 StG 2011 AdG StG 13

14 ERC Calls Evaluated proposals from CY hosts, by call and domain LS PE SH 86 evaluated proposals with a CY host institution, by ERC call and domain Advanced grant Starting grant 14

15 The Selected proposals

16 ERC Competitions Total number of applications received of which Evaluated* Funded success rates** Starting Grant ,167 8, Starting Grant ,503 2, Starting Grant ,873 2, Starting Grant ,080 4, Starting Grant 18,623 4,005 1, Advanced Grant ,167 2, Advanced Grant ,587 1, Advanced Grant ,009 1, Advanced Grant 2011*** 2,284 2,246 Advanced Grant 8,047 7, * withdrawn and ineligible proposals not taken into account; ** percentage of funded proposals in relation to evaluated proposals *** evaluation not yet completed 16

17 ERC grant distribution ERC Starting & Advanced grant calls StG AdG Number of grants The ERC currently has some 2250 grantees, one fifth being women PIs Advanced grants Starting grants UK FR DE NL CH IT ES IL SE BE AT FI DK HU NO EL IE PT PL CZ CY BG EE IS SI TR Host Country Based on original signed contracts and 17 invitation letter (StG 2011), data August 11

18 Success rates ERC Starting & Advanced grant calls GREECE 20.0 Success rates: selected over evaluated proposals ERC call Greece StG 2007 StG 2009 StG 2010 StG 2011 AdG 2008 AdG 2009 AdG 2010 StG AdG

19 Institutions hosting ERC Grantees in Greece Foundation for Research & Technology Hellas 3 2 National Technical University of Athens 1 2 University of Patras National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Academy of Athens - Biomedical Research Foundation University of Ioannina University of Crete 1 1 Starting Grants Advanced Grants Research Academic Computer Technology Institute - Greece 1 National Center for Scientific Research "Demokritos" 1 Centre for Research & Technology Hellas 1 Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

20 ERC Starting & Advanced grant calls International exchange of researchers - Greece Nationals Abroad Nationals in the Country EL UK CH DE FR UK FR DE IT NL IL ES SE BE FI CH DK HU AT EL NO IE PT PL CZ CY BG EE IS TR AL HR LT LU MT RO RS SI SK 46 Greek Nationals : 20 in Greece and 26 abroad

21 Success rates ERC Starting & Advanced grant calls CYPRUS 25% 20% Success rates: selected over received proposals Average ERC call Cyprus 15% 10% 13,0% 14,3% 15,5% 13,2% 9,8% 15,1% 11,1% 11,8% 5% 3,3% 5,3% 0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% Advanced grant Starting grant

22 Success rates ERC Starting & Advanced grant calls SLOVENIA Selected /Received proposals (%) 18% 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% 15,1% 15,5% 13,0% 13,2% 11,8% 9,8% 3,3% SI: 3,1% Starting grant Advanced Grant ERC calls ERC 2011

23 The New Initiatives

24 New instrument: ERC Proof of concept Initiated to help ERC grant-holder to bridge the gap between their research and the earliest stage of a marketable innovation Supporting grant-holders during the predemonstration Up to Euro per grant One step evaluation Second call in Autumn 2011

25 Maximising the ERC's role in the innovation chain: From blue sky research to commercialisation Bridging the innovation gap Basic research Capital to turn ideas into inventions Fundamental research often generates unexpected or new opportunities for commercial application Useful ERC-funded excellent ideas should not miss these opportunities! Innovations Proof of concept option Creation Development Early commercialisation Successful The ERC Proof of Concept Cash Flow 0 Typical Primary Investors Universities Funding Agencies ERC Valley of Death ERC Proof of concept Entrepreneur & Seed/Angel Venture Investors Capitalists Unsuccessful Moderately successful Unsuccessful IPO Time

26 ERC Synergy Grant ERC Synergy aims to enable a small group of PI s and their teams to bring together complementary skills, knowledge, and resources in new ways, in order to jointly address research problems To encourage new productive lines of enquiry and new methods and techniques, including unconventional approaches and investigations at the interface between established disciplines.

27 ERC Synergy Grant Investigator driven frontier research 2-4 excellent teams with complementary skills Interdisciplinary research with added value Grants of EUR 15 million max for up to 6 years Indicative Budget: EUR150 million Call publication: End of 2011 Evaluation in 2012

28 Horizon 2020 Stakeholder views Green Paper on future EU research and innovation funding Simplification is a key priority! Bring research and innovation together in an integrated funding programme but recognise differences! Support all stages, with more attention for close to the market activities (e.g. demonstration, piloting) Buildonwhatworks, e.g., Marie Curie, collaborative research Better focus, linked to societal challenges and EU policy objectives (climate change, ageing, energy security, ) More openness and flexibility, (less prescriptive calls, more bottom-up instruments) 28

29 Horizon 2020: Real integration of existing programmes The 7FP for research, technological development and demonstration - 53 billion ( ). Ideas, Cooperation, People and Capacities. The Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) billion ( ). 3 programmes on enterprise & innovation, intelligent energyand ICT policy support. Also EU funding for European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT) - Autonomous EU body higher education, research and business in Knowledge and Innovation Communities. EU budget: 309 million ( ) And strengthening complementarities with the Structural Funds billion allocated ( ) - R&D and innovation, enterpreneurship, ICT and human capital development 29

30 Horizon 2020 Key common features Clear set of objectives based on Europe 2020 and Innovation Union Integrating research and innovation in a seamless programme Focus on overall policy priorities using a challenge based approach Programme structured by objectives Common rules and funding schemes 30

31 Horizon 2020 Simplification Rationalised set of funding schemes and instruments Single set of rules for eligibility, accounting, reporting, auditing Simplified cost-reimbursement approach Broader acceptance of usual accounting practice, greater use of lump sums and flat rates Shorter negotiation and selection phases Unique IT portal, common support structures, guidance External management: learning from experience with executive agencies, public private partnerships, public to public partnerships, financial instruments 31

32 Next steps Negotiations on EU budget Presentation of Commission proposals for Horizon 2020: before end 2011 Legislative decisions on Horizon 2020 by the Council and European Parliament ( ) Horizon 2020 (from 2014) Review of Financial Regulation 32

33 Horizon 2020 and ERC Expectations => never change a wining team ERC = excellence only continuity of StG and AdG funding rule Budget on 2013 volumes + x CoFS is to stay CoM CoMav discontinued Participant guarantee fund continued URF continued 33

34 The Early impacts

35 The ERC attracts high calibre scientists "Despite being a new, and thus untried instrument, the ERC has manifestly succeeded in attracting and funding world-class research and is playing an important role in anchoring research talent.". The independent interim evaluation of FP7 Nobel prize in physics 2010 ERC Grantee StG 2007 Fields Medals 2010 ERC Grantee AdG2008 ERC Grantee AdG2010 Andre Geim Uni of Manchester (Graphene) Konstantin Novoselov Uni of Manchester (Graphene) Cédric Villani Institut Henri Poincaré Stanislav Smirnov Geneva Uni. Ngô Bảo Châu Université Paris-Sud Elon Lindenstrauss Hebrew Univ. L Oréal- UNESCO Award for Women in Science ERC Grantee AdG2008 Anne L Huillier Lund University Physical Sciences Wolf Prize 2010* David Baulcombe Cambridge Univ. (Agriculture) ERC Grantee AdG2008 *4 European winners in Science categories Axel Ullrich Max Planck (Medecine) Alain Aspect Inst. d Optique, Palaiseau (Physics) ERC Grantee AdG2010 Anton Zeillinger Vienna Univ. (Physics) ERC Grantee AdG

36 The Thank you!