If you can not see this e-mail correctly, click here

ERA-LINK USA NEWS – APRIL 2008

EDITORIAL MESSAGE

Welcome to the first web-based issue of ERA-Link USA News. We hope that this technological upgrade will make reading our newsletter more enjoyable. In this issue, we report on the recent ERA-Link events in New York and California, and outline our plans for the near future. Please check the information about grant opportunities and funding for international collaboration available from the National Science Foundation, and the available web resources on the Seventh Framework Program. We are looking forward to meeting many of you at the NIH job fair in Maryland on May 15.

The ERA-Link USA team.
http://cordis.europa.eu/eralink/about_en.html
http://www.eurunion.org/policyareas/science.htm

IN THIS ISSUE OF ERA-LINK NEWS:

FEATURES

ERA-Link REPORTS

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES

U.S. National Science Foundation Funding Opportunities for International Activities

RESEARCH CAREERS AND OTHER EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES

RESOURCES

Understanding the Seventh Framework Program

FEATURES

Additional funding for ERC’s Starting Grant finalists

Young researchers who missed out on the first Starting Grants from the European Research Council (ERC) may get a second chance. France, Italy, Switzerland, and Spain have launched national initiatives to make special funding available for those who met ERC's criteria but could not be funded due to budgetary limits.

Out of more than 9000 proposals submitted in response to the first call, some 550 applicants reached the second stage of the competition, and ERC selected 430. Although the €290 million budget may increase, only 300 out of the 430 will be able to be funded. Recently, however, Italy's Ministry of University and Research allocated €30 million to support all Starting Grant finalists, who passed the ERC threshold, with the condition that their research is performed in Italy. France's national research agency for ERC funding, CNRS, assigned €10 million for its nation's ERC Grant finalists. The Spanish Science and Education ministry will offer 25 candidates a 1 or 2-year "bridge fund" to continue their research while they reapply to ERC or secure funding elsewhere. The Swiss National Science Foundation has similar plans to back the researchers who passed the ERC quality threshold. (SOURCE: ERC)

To access information about the French initiative, please go to: http://www.recherche.gouv.fr/cid20921/felicitations-aux-laureats-francais-de-l-european-reseach-council.html

To access information about the Italian initiative, please go to: http://www.miur.it/0006Menu_C/0012Docume/0015Atti_M/6932Bando__cf3.htm

and http://erc.europa.eu/pdf/MIUR.pdf

To access information about the Spanish initiative, please go to: http://www.mec.es/planidi/investigacion-fundamental-no-orientada/2008-convocatoria.html

For more information about ERC grants, please go to: http://erc.europa.eu/

2009 to be European Year of Creativity and Innovation

The European Commission has announced that it will make 2009 the European Year of Creativity and Innovation. Europe is striving to become the world's leading knowledge-based economy by 2010. It is widely agreed that reaching this target will require skills development in a number of specialty areas, such as education, mathematics, science, and information technologies.

For a guide to further innovation information available on CORDIS, go to the Innovation Policy overview. (SOURCE: CORDIS)

Commission pushes public procurement for R&D

In an attempt to tap unused potential and to cut the research investment gap with the USA, the Commission advocates using public procurement to support risky high technology research.

Following a debate with the 27 member states, the Commission will launch concrete actions in 2008 to encourage such procurement in key areas including transport, environment and energy efficiency. By sharing the risks, public service innovations could be introduced faster and European industry would be able to move more quickly to exploit new lead markets. Cooperation between procurers would also help create economies of scale, especially important for driving innovation in fast moving, globalized markets.

“Europe’s public sector has massive buying power but, until now, has not found a clear way to strongly link mid to long-term public purchasing needs with research and development programs,” says Viviane Reding, Information Society and Media Commissioner. “This could become a lost opportunity for Europe if we do not act quickly.”

Out of the €1,700 billion that the European sector spends every year, it uses less than 3 billion on procuring R&D for new products and services. The US public sector spends $50 billion (€34 billion) a year on R&D procurement – half the research investment gap between the USA and Europe. Pre-commercial procurement of R&D would help the European Union meet its target to invest 3% of GDP in research. (SOURCE: ETAP)

More information on pre-commercial public procurement can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/research/priv_invest/pcp/index_en.htm

ERA-Link REPORTS

ERA-Link participates in the International Career Fair 2008 in San Francisco

ERA-Link participated in the second International Career Fair (San Francisco, February 29- March 1, 2008) organized by APEC (Association pour l’Emploi des Cadres, France). ICF ’08 attracted more than 40 exhibitors from Europe and the United States, and over 2000 scholars, scientists, and managers graduating from US universities, as well as seasoned professionals who are looking for an international career. The success of last years event was well mirrored this year with the presence of large global companies, such as Microsoft, GE, Dell, Baker Hughes, Renault, Lafarge, Total and Thales.

The 2-day program included a number of keynote speakers and workshops. One workshop was dedicated to EC funded opportunities for transatlantic research. That workshop included a presentation on the main funding programs for supporting transatlantic research and mobility of researchers, given by Laurent Bochereau, of the Delegation of the European Commission. Elena Bordini, ERC, spoke about the European Research Council, and Izabella Zandberg, ERA-Link USA Project Manager, on ERA-Link activities. Well attended, the workshop provided a good forum for discussion with young professionals and students interested in pursuing their careers in Europe.

Both the ERC and ERA-Link booths provided a large variety of information on research opportunities in Europe. As a result, a good number of visitors signed up on the spot for ERA-Link membership. Among participants who visited the ERA-Link booth were two Marie Curie outgoing international grant recipients: Marie-Luce Chevalier from France and Miriam Zeini Moreno from Spain. We asked them about their experience with Marie Curie grants:

Interview with Marie-Luce Chevalier
Recipient of the Marie Curie Outgoing Fellowship

Marie-Luce has a Ph.D. in geophysics and works on geology and climate. She is currently a Marie Curie fellow at Stanford University, where she works on her project titled: “Constraints on the Extent and Timing of Glaciations and Tectonics in South Central Tibet using Cosmogenic Radionuclide Dating Methods.”

What made you decide to apply for the Marie Curie Fellowship?

During my PhD program in Paris I went to California to conduct some experiments that I could not do in France. My French advisor had a good relationship with a lab in Livermore, CA, which made me meet many other scientists and made this exchange possible. After getting my PhD in France, I had a choice of programs in Europe, but I wanted to go to the lab in Stanford. This is why I decided to apply for the Marie Curie Outgoing Fellowship – it was well known, well paid, and overall very good, and if I got it, I did not need to worry for 3 years.

Marie-Luce Chevalier
(Photo: ERA-Link)

Marie-Luce Chevalier in Tibet

Was the application process relatively easy?

It was very hard and very long to write this proposal. I did everything I could to write it as well as possible (and got help from my current US advisor), but still, of course, I did not know how I did until I got it. Especially part B2 was difficult – the non-science questions.

The Marie Curie Fellowship covers 2 years in the US, and 1 year back in Europe. What are your plans for after the grant is over?

When you put a Marie Curie grant on your resume, it should be easier to find a job. The grant is very well known and respected in European research institutions, as well as in the US, to a lesser extent. I am not sure yet what job I will be looking for, but most likely it will be an academic one– this is what I have been doing for a while already.

Interview with Miriam Zeini Moreno
Recipient of the Marie Curie Outgoing Fellowship

Miriam is a Marie Curie fellow at Stanford University and a researcher at the National Center for Cardiovascular Research in Spain. Her project at Stanford is titled “NFAT-HEART,” and is devoted to NFAT signaling in heart development.

What was your experience with the application process for your Marie Curie Fellowship?

It was not easy to figure out how to put together a project that would involve two institutions from two different countries, which really don’t know each other at the beginning of the project. But I already had had contacts in the cardiovascular field in Spain, and I had interviewed at Stanford before applying, so it made sense and made it easier to apply for this kind of funding.

What are the benefits of being a Marie Curie fellow?

Getting the grant was difficult, but this decision “forced” me to not only conceptualize my project, but also learn how to lead it. It was a big step forward, from being a student who used the resources that were already available, to being an independent researcher, able to create my own opportunities. It definitely improved my management skills and taught me how to think and plan long-term.

What are your employment prospects after the Marie Curie fellowship is over?

Getting this grant will hopefully make me more successful in my career path. I may also consider applying for the ERC grant at some point.

European researchers’ get-together at swissnex San Francisco

ERA-Link networking reception
(Photo: swissnex San Francisco)

For the second year, ERA-Link co-organized a seminar and networking reception with swissnex San Francisco. It provided an opportunity for its participants to get a better understanding of research policies in Europe as well as to get to know one another. The seminar, attended by approximately 80 European researchers, ERA-Link members, and friends of swissnex, included presentations by Christian Simm, Director, swissnex San Francisco; Laurent Bochereau on “New Directions in European Research”; Elena Bordini, ERC, on the European Research Council: “State of Play and Plans for the Future”; Dimitris Achlioptas, ERA-Link member and ERC successful applicant, and Izabella Zandberg, ERA-Link USA Project Manager, who discussed “Where We Are Now, and Where We Are Going.” A lively Q&A session followed where participants asked questions related to employment prospects for ERC and Marie Curie grant recipients after their funding has expired, and raised concerns regarding mechanisms for matching interested applicants and European host institutions for those grants.

ERA-Link networking reception
(Photo: swissnex San Francisco)

President of the European Research Council meets ERA-Link Members in New York

Dr. Laurent Bochereau
(Photo: Roderick Mickens@AMNH)

The Delegation of the European Commission and the American Museum of Natural History in New York co-organized an ERA-Link event on March 18 with the participation of Professor Kafatos, President of the European Research Council, and Dr. Katerina Aifantis, the youngest ERC grantee.

The event attracted roughly 80 participants mainly from universities and research centers located in the New York City area (Columbia University, New York University, Rockefeller University, and others), but also from remote locations (Princeton University, Harvard Medical School).

Prof. Fotis C. Kafatos
(Photo: Roderick
Mickens@AMNH)

Professor Michael Novacek, Senior Vice-President and Provost of the American Museum of Natural History opened the workshop by stressing the importance of international cooperation, and mentioning the recent launch of a doctoral program at the Museum on Comparative Biology. Dr. Laurent Bochereau, Counselor, Head of Science, Technology and Education, EC Delegation, Washington, D.C., gave an overview of recent developments in European research and described the FP7 funding opportunities for international cooperation.

Professor Fotis Kafatos described the ambition and mode of operation of the recently established European Research Council. He presented the results of the first call and drew some preliminary conclusions regarding participation and expected impact. Katerina Aifantis explained her motivations for applying to the ERC and her plans for setting up a new research group on nanotechnology at the University of Thessaloniki.

During the session, the main questions were about the key factors for a successful ERC application, the rationale for the budget breakdown between the three main areas (life sciences, physical sciences and engineering, social sciences and humanities), the level of commitment expected from the ERC host institution, the possibility for having a University Hospital as ERC host institution, and the ERC proposal on translational research and the possibilities for including international cooperation within the ERC proposal. The session was followed by a reception, which allowed for further discussions and interactions between participants.

Dr. Katerina Aifantis, ERC
grantee (Photo: Roderick
Mickens@AMNH)

Spotlight on the ERC

With the creation of the European Research Council (ERC), new opportunities opened for the world’s most talented and imaginative researchers who choose to work in Europe. The ERC is a major innovation within the European research system, and is established under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program for Research and Technological Development (FP7). With a budget of 7.5 bln euros over 7 years, its mission is to promote investigator-driven research in Europe with knowledge and excellence as the sole criterion for funding. The Starting Grants competition – the first ERC call – was met with great interest throughout the research community. Over 9000 applications, in all fields, were submitted by Principal Investigators (PIs) of 88 nationalities, in conjunction with host institutions based in all parts of the EU, and countries associated with the research framework program. Of the 9000 submitted applications in April 2007, almost 300 were awarded the ERC Starting Grant. The average age of successful grantees is 35 and 26% are women.

In this group is Dr. Katerina Aifantis, the youngest (24 years old) recipient of the Starting Grant. Katerina holds an MPhil in engineering from the University of Cambridge, UK, and a PhD in Natural Sciences and Mathematics from the University of Groningen, Netherlands. She is currently with the Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Katerina’s ERC grant proposal was titled “Probing the Micro-Nano Transition: Theoretical and Experimental Foundations, Simulations and Applications (MINATRAN).” She will be moving to Greece in the summer.

Interview with Katerina Aifantis, the youngest grantee in the first ERC competition

Dr. Katerina Aifantis and Prof. Fotis C. Kafatos
(Photo: Roderick Mickens@AMNH)

How did you first find out about the ERC Starting Grant?

Since I finished my Ph.D. at the unconventional age of 21, I could not follow a conventional path of a faculty member, and wanted to give 100% of my time into research. And in particular novel research that I could co-ordinate. The USA didn’t offer any such opportunities so I became interested in European grants, but they all seemed to require quite a bit of administration, and they were for the usual post doc positions. When I heard that the President of the ERC, Professor Kafatos was giving a talk in Athens about a new ground-braking funding program, I decided to attend. To my great surprise it was exactly what I was looking for: To be able to perform the research that fascinated me, along with a group of established scientists and graduate students/post docs, with very few administrative obligations.

Let’s talk about your field of research…

My field is nanoscience. I am looking at various materials at the nano-scale. Nanoscience has a lot of potential practical applications. For example, with this ERC grant we will be exploring the development of nanostructured lithium batteries that can be used in pacemakers; devices that can be implanted in the heart and in the brain. Nanotechnology can also be used in orthopedics, at the bone-metal implant interfaces. So far, I have mostly dealt with theory, which I very much enjoy, but I want to be able to apply it in practice, in the projects like those that I have just mentioned. If it was not for this ERC grant, I would not be able to do so.

What made you choose Greece for the site of your grant?

My parents are Greek, and I speak the Greek language… I also have a dual nationality (U.S. and Greek). Other European countries have nanoscience and nanotechnology centers, so I felt that I could offer more in Greece. I plan to be affiliated with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki is located at the intersection between the East and West, so I thought it would be a good location to have a nanoscience lab. I was more interested in establishing my own research group there than in following established professors somewhere else. The Orthodox-Byzantine tradition of the city also inspires me and complements me as a human. Recently, I was also encouraged to apply for a position as a researcher at the Foundations of Technology and Research - Hellas. I look forward to collaborating with both aforementioned research environments.

How will you proceed with your new project under the ERC grant?

I am truly excited since I always wanted to perform the proposed research, but did not have the funding for it. Right now I am looking for devoted and enthusiastic students and am setting a research plan with my grant team members who are from around the world – Hong Kong (Prof. Ngan), California (Profs. Kioussis and Ghoniem), Michigan (Prof. Hackney), Greece (Dr. Konstantinidis), Russia (Prof. Romanov), UK (Profs Askes and Zaiser), the Netherlands (Dr. Suiker). Being so young, I really need to be surrounded by mentors, and this grant gives me the unique opportunity of having my own team. But, ultimately, I am the Principal Investigator and I have the responsibility for the grant work, since the focus of this grant is for the young researcher to become a research leader. This brings a lot of responsibility, but also a lot of freedom.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

NIH International Opportunities Expo, Bethesda, MD, 15 May 2008

ERA-Link USA will participate in the NIH fifth annual International Opportunities Expo for visiting fellows on May 15, 2008. The Expo will be held at the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD.

NAFSA Conference, Washington, DC, 26-30 May 2008

The ERA-Link USA team will attend the upcoming annual conference of the Association of International Educators (NAFSA) - a member organization promoting international education and providing professional development opportunities to the field. NAFSA serves international educators and their institutions and organizations by setting standards of good practice, providing training and professional development opportunities, providing networking opportunities, and advocating for international education.

To find out more about the conference, please go to:

http://www.nafsa.org/annual_conference

To find out more about NAFSA grants for international educators, please go to: http://www.nafsa.org/about.sec/institutional_grants

5th birthday of the European Researchers’ Mobility Portal, Brussels, 24 June 2008

ERA-Link USA will be featured at the forthcoming 5th birthday celebration of the European Researchers’ Mobility Portal on June 24, 2008, in Brussels. The event will focus on the results achieved over the last five years by the European Researchers’ Mobility Portal, the Network of Mobility Centers ERA-MORE, the European Charter and Code for Researchers, and ERA-Link. The program will be articulated in two main sessions: the morning session will be dedicated to the political framework overarching these activities from 2003 until today, and the afternoon session to mobility experiences from the points of view of both researchers and providers.

For information about the Researchers’ Mobility Portal, please go to: http://ec.europa.eu/eracareers/index_en.cfm

For information about the Network of Mobility Centers ERA-MORE, please go to: http://ec.europa.eu/eracareers/index_en.cfm?l1=24

For information about the European Charter and Code for Researchers, please go to: http://ec.europa.eu/eracareers/index_en.cfm?l1=29&CFID=12656741&CFTOKEN=d14dbe28e7f911aa-67FCC866-BC22-97E9-AEDA642BCF0EA289

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AND FELLOWSHIPS

Grant competition for the European Union Centers of Excellence program

The European Commission is pleased to announce a grant competition for the European Union Centers of Excellence program, inviting proposals from institutions of higher education in the United States to support “European Union Centers of Excellence” during the 2008-2011 period. These Centers will be expected to implement high quality teaching, research, and regional outreach programs with European Union and EU-US themes. Individual Centers will also be expected to participate in cooperative activities within the national network of European Union Centers of Excellence.

The European Commission plans to award an estimated 11 grants of up to €300,000 each, with additional funding provided to the institution selected as Network and Outreach Coordinator.

The competition Call for Proposals and related documents may be accessed at the Delegation's web site: http://www.eurunion.org/infores/2008-1EUCentersGrantCompAnnounceHomepage.htm

Applications must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. US EST on June 16, 2008.

French grants for interdisciplinary research

France's Institut des Sciences de la Communication du CNRS (ISCC) is launching its 2nd call for proposals. The Institute encourages international partnerships, although the lead partner is required to be a French institution. Projects have to be interdisciplinary and budgets for each proposal is expected to be between 5,000 and 30,000 Euros.

Deadline for pre-application is May 2, 2008. Deadline for full proposals is May 9, 2008. All details and full call text (in French) can be found at: www.iscc.cnrs.fr/spip.php?article80

Current calls for proposals

To access a list of open calls for proposals recently launched by the European Commission, go to: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm

http://www.interfaceurope.eu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=97&Itemid=130

COLLABORATION OPPORTUNITIES

U.S. National Science Foundation Funding Opportunities for International Activities

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports all fields of fundamental science and engineering, except for medical sciences. With an annual budget of about $6 billion, NSF is the funding source for almost 20 percent of all federally funded basic research conducted by U.S. colleges and universities. NSF maintains its mission of funding cutting-edge, innovative science through its “bottom up” practice of merit-based, competitive peer-review of submitted proposals.

Supporting international activities is an integral part of NSF’s mission to sustain and strengthen the nation’s science, mathematics and engineering capabilities and to promote the use of those capabilities in service to society. Because science and engineering are increasingly global, NSF’s Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) is charged with ensuring that U.S. institutions and scientists are able to fully advance their research via international collaboration. Developing a globally engaged science and engineering workforce is a priority for OISE.

NSF typically supports the research and travel activities only of scientists who are based at U.S. institutions. However, through coordinated efforts on the part of U.S. and European scientists (such as parallel submission of proposals to both NSF and a European counterpart funding agency), numerous opportunities exist to foster mutually beneficial and sustainable collaborations.

OISE’s portfolio of funding opportunities includes: supporting planning visits and workshops aimed at strengthening international collaborative projects, providing international research opportunities for U.S. students and early-career scientists and engineers; supporting international partnerships with larger, longer-term awards in which research and educational activities build on institutional strengths to promote international partnerships.

OISE also works with program officers in NSF’s disciplinary programs to co-fund international collaborations. Through this mechanism, a U.S. scientist can include an international component in a new proposal to a disciplinary program, or can request an international supplement to an existing award. Many disciplinary programs at NSF explicitly encourage international collaboration. NSF encourages you to explore these opportunities with your U.S. collaborators, who can then communicate with their appropriate disciplinary program officers and the relevant OISE country program officer.

For further information, including links to solicitations, submission deadlines, and the contact information for relevant OISE country program officers, please go to:

http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=OISE

(SOURCE: NSF)

RESEARCH CAREERS

Call for food safety experts

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has issued a call for expressions of interest for scientific experts to be considered as external experts of the EFSA Scientific Committee.

EFSA's Scientific Committee provides scientific opinions and advice and supports the work of EFSA's Scientific Panels on scientific matters of a horizontal nature. It is also responsible for general co-ordination to ensure consistency in the scientific opinions prepared by the Scientific Panels. Another role of the Scientific Committee is in developing harmonized risk assessment methodologies in fields where EU-wide approaches are not already defined.

The required expertise of the external experts is within the field of EFSA's remit, e.g. human health risk assessment, food consumption and exposure assessment, environmental risk assessment, animal health risk assessment, toxicology, microbiology, human nutrition, epidemiology, animal health, animal welfare, human medicine, veterinary medicine, food hygiene, food technology, chemistry, biology, biochemistry, and life sciences.

To see the full details of the call, please consult the following web address:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:C:2008:070:0014:0017:EN:PDF

The deadline for submitting expressions of interest is June 1, 2008.

Economic researchers / consultants in the area of “eHealth”

Empirica is an internationally active research and consulting firm concentrating on concept development, the application and development of new information, and communication technology and the information society. Empirica currently has openings for Economic Researchers / Consultants for their business unit “eHealth.”

The position offers a wide range of opportunities and responsibilities in desk and fieldwork on economic impact assessment, cost-benefit analysis, development of business cases, investment decision-making, and policy and research issues in the field of use of ICT in healthcare. In addition, the position offers direct contact with partners and clients from the European Commission; industry; healthcare service providers; and academic research, as well as a chance to combine sound theoretical principles with real life situations.

You can find a list of presently running studies and projects, as well as a comprehensive job profile on Emprica’s website: www.empirica.com. The profile Empirica is looking for includes:

Fluency in oral and written English.
University degree in economics, management, business administration, health/social/political sciences, or a related subject.
Strong conceptual thinking, with an economic touch being an advantage.
Interest in teamwork within an international environment.
Results-oriented and independent work style.
Adequate numerical literacy.

Start date: as soon as possible (applications for the summer of 2008 will be considered). Send your application in English, together with your salary expectations (ideally by e-mail) to:

Empirica GmbH z. Hd. Werner B. Korte, Oxfordstr. 2, 53111 Bonn, Tel: +49-228-98530-0, E-Mail: werner.korte@empirica.com

ERACAREERS

If you are a researcher planning your next career move, the Pan-European Researcher’s Mobility portal provides links to information on career and grant opportunities in science and technology in European countries.

For further details, please go to: http://ec.europa.eu/eracareers/index_en.cfm

RESOURCES

Understanding the Seventh Framework Program

FP7 is the short name for the Seventh Framework Program for Research and Technological Development. This is the EU's main instrument for funding research in Europe and it will run from 2007-2013. FP7 is also designed to respond to Europe's employment needs, competitiveness and quality of life.

There are now some 300 questions and answers in the FP7 FAQs. These are real questions, which have come through the enquiries service, where you can ask questions about any aspect of European research in general—and the European Union Research Framework Programs in particular.

To access the enquiries services, go to: http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=enquiries

For a brochure titled “Understanding the Seventh Framework Program,” go to: http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/index_en.cfm?pg=understanding

ABOUT ERA-LINK USA

ERA-Link USA is a network of thousands of European researchers, scientists and scholars throughout North America. This multidisciplinary network includes members at all stages of their careers. It allows them to connect with each other and with Europe - ensuring that they are recognized as an important resource for European research, whether they remain in the U.S. or return to Europe.