The European Research Council ERC Synergy Grants Martin Penny Head of Unit: Physical Sciences & Engineering ERCEA
The European Research Council What is the ERC? & What does ERC offer? Synergy Grants in general Application and evaluation procedure Sources of further information
What is ERC? The ERC supports excellence in frontier research through a bottom-up, individual-based, pan- European competition Budget: 13 billion (2014-2020) - 1.9 billion /year 7.5 billion (2007-2013) - 1.1 billion /year Legislation Scientific governance: independent Scientific Council with 22 members including the ERC President; full authority over funding strategy Support by the ERC Executive Agency (autonomous) Excellence as the only criterion Strategy Support for the individual scientist no networks! Global peer-review No predetermined subjects (bottom-up) Support of frontier research in all fields of science and humanities 3
The ERC Scientific Council BOURGUIGNON Jean-Pierre BOCK Klaus KONDOROSI Eva BOVOLENTA Paola BUCKINGHAM Margaret CLARK Christopher CRONE Eveline STOKHOF Martin DONALD Athene JAJSZCZYK Andrzej JUNGWIRTH Tomas KRAMER Michael MEHLHORN Kurt ROMANOWICZ Barbara STENSETH Nils SUPERTI-FURGA Giulio TAVERNARAKIS Nektarios THORNTON Janet VERNOS Isabelle VEUGELERS Reinhilde WIEVIORKA Michel ZWIRNER Fabio President Vice President Vice President Vice President
What does ERC offer? ERC Grant Schemes Starting Grants starters 2-7 years after PhD ( 50% commitment) up to 1.5 Million for 5 years Consolidator Grants consolidators 7-12 years after PhD ( 40% commitment) up to 2 Million for 5 years Advanced Grants track-record of significant research achievements in the last 10 years ( 30% commitment) up to 2.5 Million for 5 years Proof-of-Concept bridging gap between research - earliest stage of marketable innovation up to 150,000 for ERC grant holders only
Background 2012-2013: two pilot Synergy grant calls 1.5-3% success rate: 24 projects selected 2014-15: ERC Scientific Council assessment of the pilot pilot funding scheme 2016: the Scientific Council decided to relaunch the scheme Implementation: 2018 Work Programme 6
SyG Pilot: assessment report SyG would be a valuable addition to the ERC frontier schemes High international recognition - putting European research on the global map Triggers highly ambitious research goals that cannot be achieved by a single PI Complementarity of PIs/teams Cross-fertilisation of disciplines and signs of new fields emerging Close collaboration it triggers going beyond regular EU collaborative projects 7
SyG Pilot: assessment report It was noted that: 'Seed' effects are visible: expanding the fields and attracting further funding Early career scientists team members are broadening their expertise and opportunities Increased and/or unconventional collaborations between institutions are emerging Synergy grants are perceived as the most prestigious ERC grant 8
2018 Synergy Call Indicative budget foreseen for 2018: 250 M To select 25-30 projects 2 or 3 or 4 Principal Investigators No restrictions on location of PIs PI can come from the same corridor in one HI, different HIs within one country, or from different countries (within EU or AC) Call Opened: 3 August 2017 Deadline: 14 November 2017 Proposals to be evaluated Nov 17 - Sep 2018 New resubmission restrictions 9
Synergy Grants Breakthroughs that would not be possible by the individual PIs working alone 10
Synergy Grants Ambitious research problems Cross fertilising scientific fields New productive lines of enquiry New methods and techniques Unconventional approaches Investigations at the interfaces between disciplines 11
Synergy: The Essentials Any field of research Two (min) - Four (max) PIs PIs of any nationality One of the PIs designated corresponding PI (cpi) Host institutions in the EU/AC Minimum 50% of time of each PI in EU/AC Minimum 30% of working time of each PI on project Evaluation criterion - scientific excellence
SyG Funding Grants of up to 10M for 6 years (Pro-rata for shorter projects) Additional funding: Start-up costs for scientists moving to EU / Associated Countries Purchase of major equipment Access to large facilities Up to 4 Million for Synergy 13
Synergy: PI Profiles Innovative and active PIs Any nationality Any career stage - StG, CoG, AdG Evaluation - benchmarks relevant to career stage One PI to be corresponding PI (cpi) All PIs need to prepare: - 10 Year track record (AdG) - Early achievement track record (StG or CoG)
How to prepare & submit an SyG proposal? Proposal structure PART A online forms A1 Proposal info A2 Host Institution and PI info A3 Budget A4 Ethics issues table A5 Call Specific information Annexes submitted as.pdf HI support letter Ethics documentation* * if required PART B1 submitted as.pdf Extended Synopsis 5 pages CVs (2 pages/pi) Track Records (2 pages/pi) Early Achievements (StG and CoG) 10-year Track-Record (AdG) PART B2 submitted as.pdf Scientific Proposal 15 pages State of the art and objectives Methodology Resources* * not included in page limit Read the Information to Applicants
SyG Proposal Applications must demonstrate: how the project will create synergies and added value why/how the research could not be carried out by a single PI alone Emphasise: how the synergies lead to more original and pathbreaking research new types of joint effort/work innovative ways of working together
Evaluation Excellence - only criterion: research project and PIs synergistic aspects evaluated as part of research project No predefined panels - different from other ERC calls cpi lists 4-6 keywords - descriptors for other calls 3 step evaluation process
SyG Evaluation Process Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Single panel ~700 proposals 5 panels dynamically formed ~130-170 proposals max 5 interview panels dynamically formed ~60 proposals Remote evaluation of short proposals SyG PMs + PEVs (PMs of other calls) SyG panel chairs meet: preselect proposals for full review No of proposals: 130-170, up to ~7x call budget Remote evaluation of full proposals SyG PMs + external specialised reviewers Panels meet: preselect proposals for interview No of proposals: ~60, up ~3x call budget PMs reassess the retained proposals based on step 2 reports + interviews Interviews: all PIs of all proposals in step 3 to be present in Brussels Panels rank the fundable proposals ~30 proposals 18
Re-Application Restrictions Re-Application restrictions PI with a proposal evaluated as Category C in Step 1 in SyG2018 Cannot re-apply to StG, CoG, AdG or SyG in 2019 OR for SyG in 2020 PI with a proposal evaluated as Category B in Step 1 OR Step 2 in SyG2018 Cannot re-apply to SyG in 2019
Take home messages ERC foresees to be a highly competitive call only exceptional proposals are likely to be funded: demonstrating truly ambitious research questions could lead to breakthroughs only through the joint effort of the complementary and synergistic group of PIs Synergy is not simply a successful collaboration The interaction would yield something more than just the sum of the individual parts To yield unforeseen, completely new science, to cross fertilise disciplines or to solve important research problems that could not be dreamt of solving Tough future restrictions on submissions planned applicants to think twice before applying: PIs evaluated with a C in 2018 will not be able to apply to any ERC call in 2019. 20
Switzerland under H2020 # Evaluated/funded proposals 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Submissions and funded in Switzerland H2020 2014 2015 2016 *2014 2015 2016 *2014 2015 2016 2017 ADG COG STG Call 100% 90% # Evaluated (935) 80% # Funded (191) 70% 60% SR 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Success rate
Funding in top Swiss institutions H2020 funding in Switzerland 0 20 40 60 Host institution University of Basel University of Berne EPFL University of Lausanne ETHZ Physics & Eng. Life Sciences Social Sciences & Humanities Proof of concept * University of Zurich * Proof of concept existing ERC grant holders only
Some useful tools and links Read Information for Applicants and Work Programme View the step-by-step video Introduction to application process, including tips & tricks for the interview https://vimeo.com/94179654 Consult ERC website for latest funding opportunities, view ERC funded projects 23
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The European Research Council
Example of Synergy projects HELMHOLTZ "Holistic evaluation of light and multiwave applications to high resolution imaging in ophthalmic translational research revisiting the helmholtzian synergies" José-Alain SAHEL Fondation Voir et Entendre FR Mathias FINK Fondation Pierre-Gilles de Gennes FR "The eye, a 'small brain' with easily accessible structures, at the crossroad of human diseases" OPTICS ULTRASOUND AMD, retinal dystrophies: photoreceptor- RPE interaction Diabetes: capillary flow 11 861 923 Glaucoma: axons / blood flow 2 6
Example of Synergy projects IMBALANCE-P "Effects of phosphorus limitations on Life, Earth system and Society" Josep Penuelas Centro de Investigacion Ecologica y Aplicaciones Forestales ES Michael Obersteiner International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis AT Ivan Janssens Universiteit Antwerpen BE Philippe Ciais Université de Versailles Saint- Quentin-en-Yvelines FR "Quantify the responses of ecosystems and society in a world increasingly rich in N and C but limited in Phosphorus" Natural ecosystem s responses Earth system & climate responses 13 600 580 Societal responses 2