1. ERA chair & Twinning at CEITEC Masaryk University
Dr. Zlatuše Novotná
Head of Strategic Partnerships &
International Relations
Ljubljana, April 19th, 2017

2. Content Intro to CEITEC ERA chair TWINNING projects
Links to previous projects
Strong points in projects preparation

3. Central European Institute of Technology
CEITEC is a research centre in the fields of life sciences, advanced materials and technologies whose aim is to establish itself as a recognized European centre of science.
6 partners
500 researchers
7 research programmes
63 research groups
25,000 m2 of new laboratories
12 core facilities
Budget: EUR 208 mil.
Start of operation: Q1 2011

4. CEITEC at Masaryk University
5 research programmes
35 research groups
323 staff (FTE) (2016)
10 core facilities
Budget: EUR 21.1 mil. (2016)

5. WIDENING projects at CEITEC MU
ERA Chair (FP7-Widening Participation),
The ERA Chair Culture as a Catalyst to Maximize the Potential of CEITEC
ERA Chair Mary O´Connell
TWINNING – H2020 – Spreading Excellence and Widening Participation,
MEDGENET – Medical genomics and epigenomics network; no
TWINFUSYON – Twinning for Improving Capacity of Research in Multifunctional Nanosystems for Optronic Biosensing; no
BISON – Bridging Structural Biology with Biological Synthesis and Self Assembly to Reveal Key Processes in Living Systems; no
PASSAGE – H2020 – TEAMING 1st stage, 09/ /2018
Centre of plant synthetic biology for bio-engineering and sustainable agriculture; ; no
VIB Ghent, Department of Plant Systems Biology & CEITEC MU, Mendel Centre of Plant Genomics and Proteomics

6. ERA chair www.ceitec.eu/era-chair
The ERA Chair Culture as a Catalyst to Maximize the Potential of CEITEC
FP7-ERAChairs-PilotCall-2013
GA No , 06/2015 – 05/2019
Budget: EUR (MU cofinancing)
Mary O'Connell – molecular biologist, selected out of 20 candidates, mostly from the U.S. and Western Europe
The competition
11 ERA chairs – FP7 pilot call
13 ERA chairs – H2020 out of 88 proposals submitted

7. Work packages Work package PM Team members Duration 1
Recruitment of an ERA Chair 4
1-6 2
Operation of the ERA Chair research group
341
1+11
7-60 3
Grants support system development 96
1-60
Attractive scientific environment 22 5
International outreach and dissemination 35 6
Project management 30

8. WP1: Recruitment of an ERA chair
TASK
OUTPUT
T1.1 Organization of the selection procedure (M1-M2)
•20 high-quality applications received and assessed based on research performance indicators tailored for the position
•4 candidates short-listed and invited to Brno for an open lecture, chalk talk and interview with selection committee (external members from abroad were included)
•Final ranking based on clear criteria
T1.2 Negotiation with the selected candidate (M3-M4)
Negotiation was successful with Mary O’Connell
T1.3 Relocation of the ERA Chair to Brno (M4-M6)
Relocation successful (November 2014)

9. WP2: Establishment and operation of the ERA Chair research group
TASK
OUTPUT
T2.1 Recruitment of the group members (M7–M13)
RG: ERA Chair – RNA and Immunity: ERA Chair, 1 senior researcher, 2 postdoctoral fellows, 4 PhD students and 2 technicians.
T2.2 Allocation of the research equipment (M7–M13)
Research equipment was provided based on the needs of the ERA Chair through the EU Structural Funds.
T2.3 Developing a full research strategy (M7–M13)
Several pending and re-submitted grants
T2.4 Full operation of the group (M10–M60)
Flies research is up and running Mice research with difficulties

10. WP3: Grants support system development (Research office, Rectorate of MU)
TASKS
T3.1 Regular grant workshops (M3-M60)
T3.2 Regular grant sessions for new researchers (M6-M60)
T3.3 Training of grant managers (M6-M60)
T3.4 Participation in grants-related events in Brussels (M6-M60)
T3.5 Support - advising, grant-writing and monitoring of funding (M6-M60)

12. WP4: Attractive scientific environment
TASK
OUTPUT
T4.1 Creating conditions for idea-driven and competitive scientific environment (M1 – M60)
•HR Excellence in Research logo
•Internal analysis (comparing C&C principles) → HR strategy (action plan)
T4.2 Creating conditions for high-quality and competitive doctoral training (M1 – M60)
•Approval of the interdisciplinary PhD Programme
T4.3 Regular events developing scientific vision (M1 – M60)
Cross-disciplinary workshops
T4.4 Developing scientific talent (M1 – M60)
Trasferable skills training
T4.5 Strengthening links with relevant industries (M1 – M60)
Science - Industry talks

13. WP5: International outreach and dissemination (CEITEC MU Event office)
TASK
OUTPUT
T5.1 International scientific conferences (M13–M60)
•Three conferences in Brno: “Nucleic Acids and Immunity“
T5.2 International Mendel lecture series in Brno (M1–M60)
10 ML/MU LSS lectures since 2017
T5.3 Establishing partnerships with long established research counterparts (M1–M60)
T5.4 Open Days (M1-M60)
5.5 Project website (M1 – M60) •

14. Lessons learned
Project implementation at several parts of University – project management, budget spending, auditing
Project vs. reality:
Formal role of the Rector / members of International Scientific Advisory Board
Difficult position of ERA chair within the scientific community
Not easy introduction of new project´s and own non-scientific goals (PI seminar, work-life balance workshop,..)
Research team: difficulties with recruitment of international postdocs and PhD students
Sustainability and further funding

15. TWINNING Call ID: H2020-TWINN-2015
Projects duration: 01/2016 – 12/2018
TWINFUSYON (Micro-/Nanotechnologies)
MEDGENET (Molecular medicine)
BISON (Structural biology)
The competition
552 proposals submitted, 66 projects funded (success rate of 12%)
5 projects selected for funding in the Czech Republic
4 projects submitted by CEITEC MU

16. Twinning for Improving Capacity of Research in Multifunctional Nanosystems for Optronic Biosensing
GA number:
Coordinator: Masaryk University, Prof. Humlíček
Partners
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy
Universität Linz, Austria
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France

17. Medical Genomics and Epigenomics Network
GA number:
Coordinator: Masaryk University, Prof. Pospíšilová
Partners
EMBL, Germany
Uppsala Universitet, Sweden
CERTH, Greece

18. Bridging Structural Biology with Biological Synthesis and Self Assembly to Reveal Key Processes in Living Systems
GA number:
Coordinator: Masaryk University, Prof. Koča
Partners
Universität Wien (UNIVIE)
Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA)
University of East Anglia (UEA)

19. BISON Scientific objectives – complementary expertise
Integrating methods for structural and cellular biology and biophysics of challenging biological systems
Chemical and biological synthesis of novel bioactive compounds
Recognition in biological systems, self assembly and nanobio- technology

20. BISON – Work packages and outputs (1/2)
WP1 Visiting experts
Short-time visits – speakers, lecturers and members of PhD committees coming to Brno
20 visiting experts hosted at CEITEC MU in 3 years
5 lecturers involved in PhD retreats/conferences
Only travel and training costs covered
WP2 Training
Joint supervision of PhD students
Contributions to PhD retreats/conferences
Participation in courses taking place at UNIVIE, UGA, UEA
Training at CEITEC MU with lecturers from UNIVIE, UGA, UEA
100 person-days of training activities performed in 3 years

21. BISON – Work packages and outputs (2/2)
WP3 Academic stays and secondments
Short- and mid-term (up to six months) for CEITEC MU staff (advanced PhD students, postdocs and experienced researchers) to UNIVIE, UGA, UEA
40 person-months during 3 years
WP4 Research management workshops
Grant officers´ study stays abroad
Administration staff workshops at CEITEC
WP5 Scientific events – periodicity of approx. 6 months
4 workshops, 1 conference
2 summer schools
WP6 Dissemination
3 open days dedicated to the general public and policy makers

22. Links to previous projects
ERDF, , 208 mil.€
Regional Innovation Strategy of South Moravia
Regions of Knowledge
, 1 mil.€
Research Potential
, 3.9 mil. €
SYLICA

23. Strong points in project preparation
Know what you are applying for and why
Stakeholder management – top-down and bottom-up agreement at the (inter)institutional level
Different parts of the institution may be able to contribute – tailor elements to suit particular needs of individuals/groups/ research centres/institution
Join forces to find gaps and strategy → vision → key research topics → scientific objectives
Core partnerships – rely on previous ‘living ‘ collaboration
Risk management if forming consortium
Research relevance in line with RIS3 strategy
Go for it! – invest time and resources, consider project management vs. proposal writing

24. Good luck!  zlatuse.novotna@ceitec.muni.cz
Central European Institute of Technology
Masaryk University
Kamenice 753/5
625 00 Brno, Czech Republic |