1. Introduction to the Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES) Dr Dagmar Meyer Marie Curie National Contact Point University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008 www.iua.ie

2. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation2 Basic features of IRSES Objectives of the IRSES scheme –strengthen research collaborations between Europe and the rest of the world –staff exchange programmes for sustainable research partnerships between research institutions –based on joint programmes, with commitment from both EU Member States / Associated Countries and participating Third Countries (co-funding scheme)

3. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation3 Who can apply? Consortium composition – basic rules –at least two independent partners from two different Member States or Associated Countries –at least one partner from a Third Country having a Science & Technology agreement with the EU, or falling under the European Neighbourhood Policy –more partners can be added, from either group of countries –coordinator must be from MS/AC –only research organisations in the sense of the FP7 “Rules for Participation”, i.e. public or private non- profit organisations can take part

4. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation4 Basic definitions: Eligible countries (I) EU Member States & Associated Countries –Member States (MS) there are now 27 EU member states –Associated Countries (AC) Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Israel, Switzerland, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey since January 2008: Montenegro and Albania

5. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation5 Basic definitions: Eligible countries (II) Eligible Third Countries: –countries having signed a Science & Technology agreement (S&T) with the EU: Argentina*, Australia, Brazil*, Canada, China*, Chile*, Egypt*, India*, Japan, South Korea, Mexico*, Morocco*, New Zealand, Russia*, South Africa*, Tunisia*, Ukraine*, United States –countries falling under the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP): Eastern Europe & Central Asia (EECA): Armenia*, Azerbaijan*, Belarus*, Georgia*, Moldova*, Ukraine* Mediterranean Partner Countries (MCP): Algeria*, Egypt*, Jordan*, Lebanon*, Libya*, Morocco*, Palestinian- administrated areas*, Syrian Arab Republic*, Tunisia* –* = International Cooperation Partner Countries (ICPC)

6. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation6 How does the exchange programme work? Basic conditions on the programme –multi-annual (2-4 years) joint exchange programme (balanced & coordinated) –short term exchanges (up to 1 year per person in total) –researchers, management, technical staff –exchanges to/from Europe (not between EU/AC or between Third Country partners) –staff are seconded (maintain salary in institution of origin and have the right to return) –no restrictions on the size of the programme

7. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation7 What does the funding cover? Financial rules/Community contribution –balanced exchange expected out/in Europe (in person years) –each partner funds its own outgoing researchers –community contribution fixed €1,800 per person-month (incl. travel, subsistence) only for MS/AC partners non-MS/AC partners may apply their own rates –EU funding of ICPC and European Neighbourhood Policy Countries in exceptional cases –budget for first call: €25m

8. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation8 Co-funding requirements Financial aspects for partners from Third Countries –need for own funding to cover costs of researchers coming to Europe (matching funds) –these may come from: a public programme (special IRSES co-funding programmes exist in some countries) own resources of the institution –importance to plan public funding: contract negotiations will start in July 2008 –requests for Community funding may be granted exceptionally on a case by case basis

9. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation9 Indicative timetable for IRSES scheme Publication of call 30 November 2007 Deadline for submission of proposals 28 March 2008, at 17:00:00 Brussels time (i.e. 16:00:00 Irish time!!) Evaluation of proposalsMay 2008 Evaluation Summary Reports sent to proposal coordinators June 2008 Invitation for contract negotiationsJuly 2008 Letter to unsuccessful candidatesfrom July 2008 Signature of first contractsfrom October 2008

10. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation10 Submission procedure Only electronic submission using EPSS (Electronic Proposal Submission Service) Proposal has two parts: –Part A: administrative information about proposal, coordinator and partner institutions (prepared forms) –Part B: free text covering a number of predefined aspects of the project, limited number of pages (prescribed font size and margins), limited size of pdf-file Deadline is STRICTLY enforced

11. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation11 Evaluation criteria – basic principles Evaluation according to criteria provided in the Guide for Applicants Different criteria carry different weights Thresholds for some evaluation criteria Overall threshold is 70% All issues need to be addressed! Don’t waste your chances. Always keep in mind the objectives of the activity!

12. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation12 Evaluation process All proposals undergo initial eligibility check Evaluation by at least three experts from an international pool (50% of evaluators are from Third Countries) Proposals that miss a threshold are rejected Remaining proposals are ranked on one single list (no separate panels by discipline) All applicants receive evaluation summary report (very useful for re-submission!!) Reserve lists in case of late withdrawal etc.

13. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation13 Evaluation criteria for IRSES CriterionThreshold (out of 5) Weighting (%) Quality of the exchange programme -25 Transfer of Knowledge330 Implementation-15 Impact330 Overview:

14. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation14 Evaluation criteria – a closer look (I) Quality of the exchange programme (weighting: 25%, no threshold) –Objective and relevance of the joint research programme –Scientific quality of the partners –Complementarities/synergies between the partners Transfer of Knowledge (weighting: 30%, threshold: 3/5) –Quality and mutual benefit of the transfer of knowledge –Adequacy and role of staff exchanged with respect to the transfer of knowledge

15. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation15 Evaluation criteria – a closer look (II) Implementation (weighting: 15%, no threshold) –Capacities (expertise/human resources/facilities/infrastructure) to achieve the objectives of the planned cooperation –Appropriateness of the plans for the overall management of the exchange programme Impact (weighting: 30%, threshold: 3/5) –Relevance of the proposed partnership to the area of collaboration and for the ERA –Potential to develop lasting collaboration with eligible Third country partners.

16. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation16 More information Official website of the FP7 “People” (Marie Curie) programme on CORDIS: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/people/ Follow the link to “Find calls for this activity” to download the Work Programme 2008 and the Guide for Applicants 2008 Deadline: 28 March 2008

17. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation17 EI support for FP7 applicants: travel grants Enterprise Ireland travel support: –for researchers in higher education / publicly funded institutions –for visits by Irish researchers abroad to meet potential partners or attendance at EU information days/workshops relating to FP7 –covers least-cost travel plus subsistence rates up to € 150 per day (typical length of visits: three days) –during the period of FP7, any one researcher can receive up to € 3,000 to facilitate multiple visits to research partners (open to discussion!)

18. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation18 EI support for FP7 applicants: coordination grants Enterprise Ireland coordinator support: –for researchers in higher education / publicly funded institutions –to facilitate preparatory work leading to a proposal for the coordination of any research project under FP7 –grants up to a maximum of € 25,000 –for coordinator (or internal approved staff) least cost travel and subsistence expenses, costs of hosting meetings, communication costs with consortium members, employment of researcher for short-term analysis, professional services in preparation of application, strategy development and planning –replacement teaching costs in well justified cases

19. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation19 EI support for FP7 applicants: more details More details on Enterprise Ireland FP7 support scheme and application form: http://www.enterprise- ireland.com/FP7/Financial+Support.htm

20. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation20 Meeting room facilities in Brussels Irish Liaison Office for EU RTD meeting room bookings: Catriona Ward EU R&D Liaison Office Park Leopold Rue Wiertz 50 Wiertzstraat Bruxelles 1050 Brussel Tel. +32 (0)2 673 9866 catriona.ward@enterprise-ireland.com

21. University of Limerick, January 17 th 2008An Irish Universities Association Presentation21 Marie Curie key contacts for IRSES IUA Marie Curie Office – National Contact Point/National Delegate Dr. Dagmar Meyer - dagmar.meyer@iua.iedagmar.meyer@iua.ie Dr. Conor O’Carroll - conor.ocarroll@iua.ieconor.ocarroll@iua.ie mariecurie@iua.ie +353-(0)1-6764948 Questions on eligibility and general programme rules Pre-submission proposal checks / comments on draft proposals Assistance in finding suitable partners