EpiCARE Research Council - Grant Opportunities

Are you a talented early-career scientist who has already produced excellent supervised work, is ready to work independently and shows potential to be a research leader? The ERC Starting Grant could be for you.

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Budget: up to € 1.5 million for a period of 5 years. (pro rata for projects of shorter duration). However, an additional € 1 million can be made available to cover eligible “start-up” costs for researchers moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities and/or other major experimental and field work costs.

Deadline date: 15 October 2024

Who can apply? Researchers of any nationality with 2-7 years of experience since completion of PhD, a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal can apply.

Criteria: Applications can be made in any field of research

The ERC’s grants operate on a ‘bottom-up’ basis without predetermined priorities.

Location: Research must be conducted in a public or private research organisation.

Team: ERC grants support projects carried out by an individual researcher who can employ researchers of any nationality as team members. It is also possible to have one or more team members located in a non-European country.

Are you a researcher that wants to address a research problem so ambitious, that can not be dealt with you and your team alone? The Synerg y Grants could be for you!

Budget: up to a maximum of € 10 million for a period of 6 years (pro rata for projects of shorter duration).

Deadline: 6^th November 2024

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However, an additional € 4 million can be requested in the proposal in total to cover eligible ‘start-up’ costs for Principal Investigators moving to the EU or an Associated Country from elsewhere as a consequence of receiving an ERC grant and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities.

Who can apply? A group of two to maximum four Principal Investigators (PIs) working together and bringing different skills and resources to tackle ambitious research problems. No specific eligibility criteria regarding the academic training are foreseen for ERC Synergy Grants.

PIs must present an early achievement track-record or a ten-year track-record, whichever is most appropriate.

Proposals are evaluated on the sole criterion of scientific excellence which takes on the additional meaning of outstanding intrinsic synergetic effect.

Criteria Applications can be made in any field of research.
The ERC’s grants operate on a ‘bottom-up’ basis without predetermined priorities. In the case of the ERC Synergy Grants, applications must demonstrate that the proposed research cannot be carried out by a single PI working alone.

Team: ERC Synergy grants support projects carried out by a group of two to four individual researchers who can employ researchers of any nationality as team members.

Are you a scientist who wants to consolidate your independence by establishing a research team and continuing to develop a success career in Europe? The ERC Consolidator Grant could be for you. You can also apply if you have recently created an independent, excellent research team and want to strengthen it.

Budget: up to € 2 million for a period of 5 years. (pro rata for projects of shorter duration).

However, an additional € 1 million can be made available to cover eligible “start-up” costs for researchers moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities and/or other major experimental and field work costs.

Deadline: 14 January 2025

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Who can apply? Researchers of any nationality with 7-12 years of experience since completion of PhD, a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal can apply.

Criteria: Applications can be made in any field of research.

Budget: $500

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The application process is very straightforward and quick. There are no complicated rules or terms and conditions – you just need to be a post-graduate attending a relevant conference, and be able to tell us why you think you deserve it. However, to make it fair to all, there are just a few requirements:

• you need to be a current post-graduate
• you must provide a detailed breakdown of what the money will be used for, and what funding (if any) you have already obtained. Things we are looking for are direct travel costs, or registration fees – not your beer supply for the week!
• and finally – after you have submitted your application, we will need a short statement from your supervisor / PI to confirm your application.

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The Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (BIF) awards travel grants of up to three months duration to MD and PhD students, as well as postdoctoral researchers from all over the world. The BIF supports them if they conduct experimental projects in basic biomedical research and want to pursue short-term research stays or attend practical courses relevant to their projects in Europe or overseas.

The programme also enables graduate students and their potential supervisors to evaluate the scientific and personal fit before starting a PhD project abroad.

They support junior scientists who want to learn clearly-defined methods useful for their ongoing research and their current laboratory by

• Visiting another laboratory
• Attending research-orientated courses with the practical part making up at least 50 % of the course.

They can also be used by PhD candidates and their potential supervisors to evaluate the scientific and personal fit before the start of a PhD project in another country by funding a research stay of one to three months in the supervisor’s laboratory.

Budget: 3000000 to 4000000 euros

Deadline: 26 November 2024

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This topic aims at supporting activities that are enabling or contributing to one or several expected impacts of destination 3 “Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden”. To that end, proposals under this topic should aim for delivering results that are directed, tailored towards and contributing to some of the following expected outcomes:

• Health care practitioners and providers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and/or those in high-income countries (HICs) serving disadvantaged populations have access to and use specific guidelines to implement health interventions that improve the availability of effective, equitable, efficient, integrated, patient-centred, safe, and timely care and the overall quality of life for people living with multiple long-term conditions including non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
• Public health managers and authorities, including from other relevant sector (e. g., social, culture) have access to improved insights and evidence on how to decrease the fragmentation of care for patients living with multiple chronic conditions, and ensure continuity of care across all stages of disease progression. They use this knowledge to design policies to reduce health inequities.
• Adopting an implementation science approach to studying interventions for management of multiple long-term conditions in the context of NCDs, researchers, clinicians and authorities have an improved understanding how the proposed interventions could be adopted in LMICs and/or disadvantaged populations of HICs setting, taking into account specific social, political, economic and cultural contexts.
• Communities and local stakeholders and authorities are fully engaged in implementing and taking up interventions for management of multiple long-term conditions in the context of NCDs and thus contribute to deliver better health.

Applicants must explore the implementation of proposed intervention(s) for a selected study population(s) taking into account the unique social, political, economic, and cultural context(s) in which the study will take place. Applicants should justify why any adaptation will not compromise the known effectiveness of the selected intervention(s).

Proposals should address all of the following activities^[4]:

• Provide a research plan using validated implementation research frameworks or hybrid design research;
• Have an appropriate strategy for measuring implementation research outcomes and real-world effectiveness outcomes and indicators;
• Specifically address health equity and the principles of Universal Health Coverage^[5];
• Engage an appropriately expert and skilled research team which can ensure a suitable multidisciplinary approach and that demonstrates equitable partnership and shared leadership between HIC-LMIC, and/or non-Indigenous–Indigenous members of the project team and external stakeholders through a clear governance strategy;
• Provide a stakeholder engagement strategy with evidence of support/engagement from key stakeholders for delivering patient-centred care and a pathway to sustain the proposed intervention after the funding ends;
• Provide opportunities for implementation research capacity building for early career researchers and team members from lower resourced environments, such as LMICs or disadvantaged communities.
• Ensure meaningful involvement of early career team members, including at least one early career member as a co-investigator.

Applicants are also encouraged to follow a life course approach, adapting the intervention to one or more key life stage(s) critical for reducing the onset or progression of MLTC NCD, and to explore how to best implement digital technology interventions.

The following are potential interventions or strategies that applicants may consider in their implementation plan (please note that this is not an exhaustive list):

• Strategies for improving MLTC NCD identification, stratification/staging, management, and/or monitoring such as investigating strategies for adapting and implementing the protocol(s) described in the WHO Package of Essential NCD Interventions (WHO PEN)^[6] that address MLTC NCD management. For example, projects may focus on integrating NCD care into clinics that typically focus on the management of infectious diseases, such as HIV or tuberculosis clinics, or the integration of NCD care into maternal and child health clinics;
• Strategies to streamline and improve quality of care among individuals with MLTC NCD to reduce fragmentation of services, including task-sharing and/or the use of clinical decision-making tools (e.g., digital tools);
• Strategies and/or tools (e.g., digital tools) that optimise appropriate medication and (non-pharmacological) therapeutic prescribing, adherence, and/or reduced drug interactions/ adverse effects;
• Interventions that improve transitions through the health system, from community to primary to tertiary care and beyond, such as to home care or hospice;
• Health behavioural change interventions that target different risk factor clusters (e.g., exercise, nutrition, tobacco, alcohol and substance abuse).

Deadline date: 14 January 2025 17:00:00 Brussels time

Budget : €1 500 000

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Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

• A more consistent and sustained level of coordination and preparedness for supporting researchers at risk at European, national and institutional level;
• Improved support to researchers at risk through the provision of policy recommendations, as well as advice and assistance on their implementation;
• A more sustainable and professionalised support network/structure/system for researchers at risk across Europe, facilitating access to funding and networking opportunities, creating level playing field for applicants to European and national R&I programmes, and raising the quality of submitted proposals;
• More synergies between initiatives supporting researchers at risk funded by EU programmes (such as Horizon Europe and Erasmus+) and national or institutional actors;
• Increased exposure of researchers at risk to the industry and to the non-academic sector;
• Greater awareness in Europe and beyond on why researchers are at risk and ways to support them.

Scope:

To build on the available results of past and on-going Researchers at Risk initiatives^[1] further support is envisaged towards national and international organisations working with researchers at risk and aiming to enhance and professionalise their activities. It should further facilitate and strengthen cooperation and linkages between European, national and institutional initiatives and programmes, increasing awareness on why researchers are at risk, as well as identifying and delivering the best possible solutions to the challenges these researchers are confronted with.

The support action should be aligned with the general objectives of the MSCA, in particular scientific excellence, skills and career development, inter-sectoral mobility, equal opportunities and inclusiveness, attractive working conditions, work/life balance, while fostering open science, innovation and entrepreneurship. It should not duplicate other actions foreseen under Horizon Europe or other EU-funded programmes such as Erasmus+, but rather build synergies between these programmes. The activities carried out under this support action should complement actions in Member States and third countries associated to Horizon Europe.

The expected duration of the action is 36 months.

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EMBO Scientific Exchange Grants fund research exchanges of up to three months between laboratories in eligible countries. The grants facilitate collaborations with research groups with expertise, techniques, or infrastructure that is unavailable in the applicant’s laboratory. They cover travel and subsistence costs of the fellow.

Duration of support

The grants are intended for visits of one week (seven days) up to three months (90 days). Awarded applicants can stay on their research visit for an additional three months (maximum), however, EMBO will not provide funding for this extended period. It is possible to apply directly for more than three months (up to six), but the EMBO grant must be used for the first three months of the visit.

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Deadlines: Project applications can be submitted until

• 1 February  for the summer meeting of the foundation committees in June
• 1 September for the winter meeting of the foundation committees in February

of each year.

In accordance with one of the desires of the donors, special attention is devoted by the foundation institutions to medical research. At present the foundation is focusing its support on the field of “Molecular causes in the development of illnesses”.  This programme supports molecular biological studies of illnesses whose development is based on genetic defects or with which gene variants contribute to the development of complex illnesses.

In the area of “Molecular causes in the development of illnesses”, molecular biological studies of illnesses are supported whose development is primarily based on genetic defects or whose gene variants contribute to the development of complex illnesses.

Studies may be performed on cell culture and/or animal models, but should at least in part be performed on human tissue specimens and/or cells bearing relevance to illnesses. This only applies for applications submitted for support of projects.

• Project proposals are only accepted from researchers that have a Ph.D. and relevant experience in the priority field of research. They should generally have two to four years’ experience in post-doctoral research and want to set up or expand a small working group of their own with the support of the Foundation. The position of the applicant should be funded by the host research Institute.
• It is generally not possible to obtain funding for one’s own position.
• Firmly established researchers and scientists (holders of chairs, directors of clinics) are not eligible for support of projects.

The following projects are assigned preference:

• The functional analysis of genes, gene products and their signal transduction pathways for monogenic and complex genetic illnesses in vitro and in vivo, whereby the work plan should also contain studies on human tissue specimens and/or cells
• The characterisation of cell and animal models that have already been established for the study of genetic illnesses (with molecular biology methods)
• The analysis of predisposing genes or therapies which modify illnesses (‘personalised medicine’) if this holds out the promise of additional findings being generated on the mechanistic causes of disease formation

Support is not provided for:

• Purely methodological studies
• Descriptive genetic studies of populations as well as linkage and association studies
• Purely drug screening projects
• Research projects without any direct connection to an illness
• Research projects involving the development of an animal model that is to be studied in the grant period applied for
• Research projects that do not involve any studies on human tissue specimens and/or cells bearing relevance to illnesses
• Research projects relating to infectious diseases
  Diagnostic and primarily therapy-oriented projects

TYPES OF COSTS

PERSONNEL COSTS

Complete personnel costs can be applied for in the case of research staff with doctoral degrees under

TVL-E13. In the case of research staff who do not have doctoral degrees, their pay is generally based on

65% of a TVL-E13-position. In countries other than Germany, the personnel costs are to be stated

according to the salary costs arrangements applicable there, i.e. total wage costs including the employer’s

share as a total sum.

In the case of applying for personnel costs for clinician scientists, the foundation assumes that the

planned staff will be put on leave at least 80 per cent of their working time at the clinic. Confirmation of

this from the clinic is to be submitted with the application.

Non-academic personnel are paid at the appropriate TVL level.

Student helpers or research assistants should be paid according to the rates prevailing at the institution

involved; the foundation is to be notified hereof through the budget plan accompanying the application.

TRAVEL COSTS

Funds to defray travel costs that are directly connected with the project can be applied for. In addition to

reasonable travel and overnight accommodation costs, up to € 28 a day can be granted to defray the costs

of meals when traveling within Germany (rail travel 2nd class or air travel economy class).

In the case of travel abroad, the daily or monthly rates for the respective country of travel can be applied

for to defray overnight accommodation and meal costs.

WHAT CANNOT BE APPLIED FOR

› Staff resources for the own post

› Financial resources for construction work

› Financial resources to procure office furnishings and equipment that are usually part of the basic

furnishings at universities and institutes

› Generally, no financial resources are granted to defray overhead costs

Budget: €100,000

Deadline: October, 14, 2024 12 am French time ( MIDDAY) (Gmt +1) (December 2024 : results sent by email)

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The research grant is intended to cover the following expenses:

• Purchase of equipment and small materials useful for research work;
• Consumables required for conducting research work;
• Salaries (except for the principal investigator);
• Specialized services necessary for the research work;
• Travel expenses: for conducting the research project or for attending scientific conferences and symposiums;
• Publication costs.

The management fees of the supervising organization will not be covered by the Fyssen Foundation research grant.

Objectives of the grants

Fyssen Foundation research grants aim to facilitate the execution of research projects that enhance understanding of the mechanisms of behaviour and cognition in living beings, as well as their ontogenetic and phylogenetic development. These projects may originate from the disciplines of neuroscience, ethology, psychology, anthropology, ethnology, palaeontology, and archaeology.

The specific goals of the grants include:

1. Enabling young researchers to establish and lead a research group within an academic institution in France.
2. Developing autonomous and innovative research themes.
3. Promoting mobility and attracting high-level early career group leaders to foster a dynamic and progressive research environment.

Eligibility Criteria

The Fyssen research grant is intended for young researchers of any nationality who have completed their doctoral thesis more than 3 years and less than 10 years ago (exceptions may be granted for maternity/paternity/long-term illness leave) *.

Already employed, they will form a research team around them to carry out a collective scientific project within a host structure in France whose activity aligns with the objectives of the Foundation. Researchers may develop their project in a laboratory different from the one where they obtained their thesis or from the one where they currently work.

Duration of the Grant

The Fyssen research grant is awarded for a period of one year (12 months) and is non-renewable.

The Global Innovation Fund (GIF) is currently inviting applications for its Grants program to support breakthrough solutions from for-profit firms, non-profit organisations, researchers, and government agencies to maximise their impact and catalyse meaningful change.

Deadline – Ongoing

The Global Innovation Fund invests in the development, rigorous testing, and scaling up of new products, services, business process, or policy reforms. Through its grants, GIF supports these breakthrough solutions from for-profit firms, non-profit organisations, researchers, and government agencies to maximise their impact and catalyse meaningful change.

If you are a non-profit and your innovation does not involve generating revenues from users or customers, a grant is likely to be most appropriate.

Stages of Funding

GIF has a staged funding approach, whereby the amount of funding available is tiered according to the level of maturity of your innovation and the activities proposed. The three tiers are:

Pilot – the innovation is at an early stage but you have a credible plan for how it can be developed and tested in a real-world setting. Funding of up to USD 230,000 is available to test core assumptions around operational, social, and financial viability.

Test and transition – the innovation has already shown promise of success at a small scale, and you have some information on your operational, social, and financial viability which you want to solidify before you scale. Funding of up to USD 2.3 million is available to support further growth and generate additional evidence on whether the innovation can achieve social impact and market viability, for commercial innovations.

Scale – the innovation has a strong evidence base and logistically credible plan for scaling to reach millions of people. Funding of up to USD 15 million is available to expand the reach of innovations with a view to reaching millions of people in the long term if successful.

What they Fund?

At GIF, they believe that innovation, by which they mean any solution that has potential to address an important development problem more effectively than existing approaches, can come from anyone, anywhere.

This means that they accept applications working in any sector in any developing country.

Any type of organisation may apply. This includes social enterprises, for-profit companies, non-profit organisations, government agencies, international organisations, and research institutions in any country. It is recommended that individual innovators, entrepreneurs, or researchers apply through an affiliated organisation.

Eligibility Criteria

Any type of organisation may apply. This includes social enterprises, for-profit companies, non-profit organisations, government agencies, international organisations, and research institutions in any country. It is recommended that individual innovators, entrepreneurs or researchers apply through an affiliated organisation.

Ineligible

GIF is open to innovations which meet their criteria in any sector or country. However, there are some activities they do not fund. These include:

• Theoretical research, or purely lab-based activities that are not linked to implementation of a specific proposed real-world pilot or demonstration project.
• Approaches that are only applicable in a single country (unless the innovation is expected to scale to a large proportion of one of the world’s most populous developing countries).

More information

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned opening date: 29 May 2024

Deadline date: 27 November 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

Budget: €451 153 000

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Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

For supported doctoral candidates

• New research and transferable skills and competences, leading to improved employability and career prospects within and outside academia;
• New knowledge allowing the conversion of ideas into products and services, where relevant;
• Enhanced networking and communication capacities with scientific peers, as well as with the general public that will increase and broaden the research and innovation impact.

For participating organisations

• Improved quality, relevance and sustainability of doctoral training programmes and supervision arrangements;
• Enhanced cooperation and transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines;
• Increased integration of training and research activities between participating organisations;
• Boosted R&I capacity;
• Increased internationalisation and attractiveness;
• Regular feedback of research results into teaching and education at participating organisations.

Scope:

MSCA Doctoral Networks will implement doctoral programmes, by partnerships of universities, research institutions and research infrastructures, businesses including SMEs, and other socio-economic actors from different countries across Europe and beyond. MSCA Doctoral Networks are indeed open to the participation of organisations from third countries, in view of fostering strategic international partnerships for the training and exchange of researchers.

These doctoral programmes will respond to well-identified needs in various R&I areas, expose the researchers to the academic and non-academic sectors, and offer training in research-related, as well as transferable skills^[1] and competences relevant for innovation and long-term employability (e.g. entrepreneurship, commercialisation of results, Intellectual Property Rights, communication). Proposals for doctoral networks can reflect existing or planned research partnerships among the participating organisations.

The selection procedure for doctoral candidates must be open, transparent and merit-based, in line with the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers. The vacancy notice (to be widely advertised internationally, including on the EURAXESS^[2] website) must mention if the published rates include all employer and employee’s taxes and contributions. If possible, the gross salary (net salary + employee’s taxes and contributions) should be published.

MSCA Doctoral Networks are encouraged to lead to Industrial or Joint Doctorates.

Training activities

MSCA Doctoral Networks should exploit complementarities between participating organisations and foster sharing of knowledge and networking activities for example through the organisation of workshops and conferences. Proposed training activities should respond to well identified needs in various R&I areas, with appropriate references to inter- and multidisciplinary fields and follow the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training^[4]. They should be primarily focused on developing new scientific knowledge through original research on personalised projects.

Opening date: 29 May 2024

Deadline: 29/08/2024

Budget: up to € 2.5 million for a period of 5 years. (pro rata for projects of shorter duration). However, an additional € 1 million can be made available to cover eligible “start-up” costs for researchers moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country and/or the purchase of major equipment and/or access to large facilities and/or other major experimental and field work costs.

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Applicants for the ERC Advanced Grants – called Principal Investigators (PI) – are expected to be active researchers who have a track-record of significant research achievements.

The Principal Investigators should be exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions. No specific eligibility criteria with respect to the academic requirements are foreseen.

Applications can be made in any field of research.

Deadline: 23 October 2024 at 12.00 (noon) CEST.

Budget: An estimated €125,000 is made available for a COST Action in its first year and an average of €150,000 per year for the other 3 years.

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The funding a COST Action receives covers the expenses of networking activities rather than research. As such is used to organise and fund events, Short-term Scientific Missions, Training Schools, communication activities, and virtual networking tools.  

Examples of COST Action networking activities:

Who can participate?

COST Actions attract researchers and innovators from universities, as well as from public and private institutions, NGOs, industry and SMEs – all institutions are welcome. Participants can apply at any stage of their career.

COST Actions are based on the principle of inclusivity and actively promote the participation of researchers and innovators based in less-research-intensive COST Member countries.

How to apply?

COST Actions are bottom-up and can be on any topic, however they must fulfill certain criteria in order to be approved, such as including researchers from at least seven COST Member countries, half of whom come from our Inclusiveness Target Countries (ITC).

Following a thorough evaluation and selection process, the decision for funding a proposal is taken by the COST Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) within eight months from the collection date. Successful proposals are approved to become COST Actions and can expect to kick-off within three months after approval.

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned opening date: 10 October 2024

Deadline date: 05 February 2025 17:00:00 Brussels time

Budget: 81 226 000

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ExpectedOutcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

For staff members

Increased set of research and transferable skills and competences, leading to improved employability and career prospects within and outside academia;

More knowledge and innovative ideas converted into products, processes and services;

More entrepreneurial mind-sets, testing new and innovative ideas;

Increased international exposure leading to extended networks and opportunities;

Enhanced networking and communication capacities with scientific peers, as well as with the general public that will increase and broaden the research and innovation impact.

For participating organisations

Innovative ways of cooperation and transfer of knowledge between sectors and disciplines;

Strengthened and broader international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary collaborative networks;

Boosted R&I capacity.

Scope:

MSCA Staff Exchanges involve organisations from the academic and non-academic sectors (including SMEs) from across the globe.

Support is provided for international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary mobility of R&I staff leading to knowledge transfer between participating organisations.

Two programs :

1. HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-Cofund-D HORIZON TMA MSCA Cofund Doctoral programme
2. HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-Cofund-P HORIZON TMA MSCA Cofund Postdoctoral programme

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned opening date: 08 October 2024

Deadline date: 06 February 2025 17:00:00 Brussels time

Budget: €99 276 000

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Expected Outcome:

Projects results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

For supported doctoral candidates or postdoctoral researchers

Deeper and more diverse set of research-related and transferable skills and competences;

Improved employability and career prospects both within academia and beyond;

New mind-sets and approaches to R&I work forged through international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary experience;

Enhanced networking and communication capacities with scientific peers, as well as with the general public that will increase and broaden the research and innovation impact.

For participating organisations

Enhanced quality and sustainability of research training;

Increased global attractiveness, visibility and reputation of the participating organisation(s);

Stronger R&I capacity and output among participating organisations;

Increased contribution of the participating organisations to the local, regional and/or national socio-economic ecosystems;

Regular feedback of research results into teaching and education at participating organisations.

Scope:

Applicants submit proposals for new or existing doctoral or postdoctoral programmes with an impact on the enhancement of human resources in R&I at regional, national or international level. These programmes will be co-funded by MSCA COFUND.

Proposed programmes can cover any research disciplines (“bottom-up”), but exceptionally can also focus on specific disciplines, notably when they are based on national or regional Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3 strategies). In this case, the range of covered disciplines should allow reasonable flexibility for the researchers to define their topic.

Funding synergies with Cohesion policy funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) are strongly encouraged

A Career Development Plan must be jointly established by the supervisor and each recruited researcher upon recruitment. In addition to research objectives, this Plan comprises the researcher’s training and career needs, including training on transferable skills, teaching, planning for publications and participation in conferences and events aimed at opening science and research to citizens. The Plan must be established at the beginning of the recruitment and should be revised (and updated where needed) within 18 months.

COFUND takes the form of:

A) Doctoral programmes

Doctoral programmes offer research training activities to allow doctoral candidates to develop and broaden their skills and competences. They will lead to the award of a doctoral degree in at least one EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Substantial training modules, including digital ones, addressing key transferable skills and competences common to all fields, fostering good scientific conduct such as research integrity, and fostering the culture of Open Science, innovation and entrepreneurship will be supported.

On top of compulsory international mobility, applicants are encouraged to include elements of cross-sectoral mobility and interdisciplinarity into their programmes. Collaboration with a wider set of associated partners, including from the non-academic sector, will be positively taken into account during the evaluation. These organisations may provide hosting or secondment opportunities or training modules in research or transferable skills.

Particular attention is paid to the quality of supervision and mentoring arrangements as well as career guidance. The selection procedure for doctoral candidates must be open, transparent and merit-based, in line with the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

B) Postdoctoral Programmes

Postdoctoral Programmes fund individual advanced research training and career development fellowships for postdoctoral researchers. The programmes should offer training to develop key transferable skills and competences common to all fields, foster good scientific conduct such as research integrity, foster innovation and entrepreneurship and promote and (where appropriate) reward Open Science practices (open access to publications and to other research outputs including data, FAIR data management, societal engagement and citizen science, etc.).

Postdoctoral Programmes should have regular selection rounds following fixed deadlines or regular cut-off dates, allowing fair competition between researchers. The selection procedure for postdoctoral candidates must be open, competitive, merit-based and with a transparent international peer review, in line with the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned opening date: 14 May 2024

Deadline date: 04 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

Budget: 2 000 000 euros (One winner grant)

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Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

Broader and more strategic promotion of international cooperation opportunities offered through MSCA;

Monitoring progress, opportunities and challenges in MSCA bilateral and bi-regional cooperation with main international partner countries and regions;

Strengthening complementarities with other relevant promotion and cooperation initiatives funded through Horizon Europe or other EU programmes.

Scope:

The objective is to foster international cooperation in MSCA in Horizon Europe, through a dedicated support action to complement and ensure coordination between existing promotion channels at local level, and ensure consistency with formal R&I policy dialogues at bilateral and regional levels. Focus should be given:

At bilateral level on countries having concluded bilateral Science and Technology Agreements with the EU (Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, India, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland, Tunisia, Ukraine and the United States).

At regional level, on bi-regional research and innovation policy dialogues, established notably with the African Union, ASEAN, LAC, Mediterranean partner countries, Eastern Partnership countries and Western Balkans.

Two programs :

1. HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships – European Fellowships
2. HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships – Global Fellowships

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned opening date: 10 April 2024

Deadline date: 11 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

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Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

For supported postdoctoral fellows

Increased set of research and transferable skills and competences, leading to improved employability and career prospects of MSCA postdoctoral fellows within academia and beyond;

New mind-sets and approaches to R&I work forged through international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary experience;

Enhanced networking and communication capacities with scientific peers, as well as with the general public that will increase and broaden the research and innovation impact.

For participating organisations

Increased alignment of working conditions for researchers in accordance with the principles set out in the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers;

Enhanced quality and sustainability of research training and supervision;

Increased global attractiveness, visibility and reputation of the participating organisation(s);

Stronger R&I capacity and output among participating organisations; better transfer of knowledge;

Regular feedback of research results into teaching and education at participating organisations.

Scope:

Fellowships will be provided to excellent researchers undertaking international mobility. Applications will be made jointly by the researcher and a beneficiary in the academic or non-academic sector.

Postdoctoral Fellowships either can take place in Europe (i.e. in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country) or in a Third Country not associated to Horizon Europe:

European Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to researchers of any nationality who wish to engage in R&I projects by either coming to Europe from any country in the world or moving within Europe. The standard duration of these fellowships must be between 12 and 24 months.

Global Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to European nationals or long-term residents[1] who wish to engage in R&I projects with organisations outside EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. These fellowships require an outgoing phase of minimum 12 and maximum 24 months in a non-associated Third Country, and a mandatory 12-month return phase to a host organisation based in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned opening date: 11 April 2024

Deadline date: 26 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

Budget: 40 000 000 (1000000 to 3000000 for each contribution / Indicative number of grants: 20)

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Expected Outcome:

The ERA Talents action aims to boost interoperability of careers and employability of research and innovation talents across sectors, with a centre of gravity in Widening countries.

Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

Strengthened human capital base of Widening countries in R&I, with more entrepreneurial and better-trained researchers, innovators and other R&I talents;

A more balanced talent circulation, both geographical and cross-sectoral;

Boosted R&I capacity and R&I support capacity, as well as contribution to increased excellence of the research-performing organisation in Widening countries;

A more structured and impactful collaboration between academia and businesses;

Increased set of research, entrepreneurial and other transferable skills and competences;

Improved employability and sustainable career prospects of diverse talents within academia, industry and beyond.

Scope:

Cross-sectoral talent circulation and academia-business collaboration for knowledge transfer is requiring systematising and structuring efforts. Through ERA4You, as one of the ERA Policy Agenda outcomes[1], the European Commission aims to support and incentivise such transformations, towards a more balanced circulation of talents, both trans-nationally and across sectors. Within this scope, ERA Talents aims to support training and mobility of researchers, innovators, and other research and innovation talents across sectors with a particular focus on Widening countries.

Complementary to ERA Chairs, Excellence Hubs, ERA Fellowships and MSCA Staff Exchanges, the ERA Talents scheme promotes innovative inter-sectoral collaboration in research and innovation through cross-sectoral exchange of staff, with a focus on Widening countries. Grants awarded under this topic are expected to collaborate with each other and participate in mutual learning exercises.

Intersectoral mobility. Actions are invited to develop activities in view of realising one or more of the following European Commission’s objectives regarding intersectoral mobility. The European Commission aims at selecting a portfolio of complementary actions where possible.

Strengthening academia/non-academia cooperation, and reinforcing innovation ecosystems, focusing on establishment of public-private links, private sector involvement booster, activities for the transfer of researcher know-how to businesses or public and social sectors, as well as activities that foster closer involvement of business sector staff in training of academic staff. To include social innovators, consistent with the title of this bullet point and the rest of the call description.

Improving training and lifelong learning for researchers, innovators, and other research and innovation talents, characterised by opportunities for upskilling and interdisciplinary skill development. In particular, (i) training for specific in-demand skills by industry or other non-academic sectors in specific thematic areas, such as Missions and Partnerships, greening of society, to improve employability and interoperability, and (ii) training to build R&I support capacity (‘other research and innovation talents’), such as knowledge brokers, data stewards, research managers, research infrastructure operators, knowledge valorisation officers, etc;

Boosting researcher entrepreneurship, focused on development of entrepreneurial skills (e.g., business economics, business creation, knowledge valorisation, intellectual property rights and other relevant legal framework) for researchers and commercialisation or other valorisation training and support for researchers, through preparatory activities for entrepreneurship and support for researcher start-up creation.

Participating organisations. ERA Talents actions must involve organisations from the academic and non-academic sectors. The consortium partners contribute directly to the implementation of a joint training and mobility methodology by seconding and/or hosting eligible staff members. The collaborative approach of ERA Talents should exploit complementary competences of the participating organisations and create synergies between them.

Deadline: Friday, August 23, 2024

Budget: Grants are awarded for $500,000 over 3 years (beginning January 1 of each year). Indirect costs must be included within the $500,00 budget and are not to exceed 10% of the total award.

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Transformational Science Grant Awards are the largest grants awarded by DSF. Transformational Science Grants are intended for established, experienced, independent investigators affiliated with a research or academic institution whose proposed projects investigate hypotheses directly related to Dravet syndrome. Transformational Science Grants should have substantial preliminary data to support the stated hypothesis and strong potential to significantly impact the research field or move the needle on clinical care. Proposals are scored according to NIH guidelines based on the quality of preliminary data, research design, feasibility, investigator’s qualifications, and overall impact.

2024 Basic and Translational Priority Areas include:

• Understanding the mechanisms of epileptogenesis in Dravet syndrome.
• Development of enhanced models to study Dravet syndrome.
• Understanding of the cellular, molecular, and genetic mechanisms that contribute to the pathogenesis of Dravet syndrome.
• Revealing causes and interventions for seizures and comorbidities in Dravet syndrome.
• Understanding causes and developing interventions for SUDEP.
• Development of novel treatments and interventions that will prevent the onset or halt the progression of Dravet syndrome; this includes research that may overcome the current size and delivery hurdles for gene-therapy approaches.

2024 Clinical Priority Areas include:

• Research that helps better characterize the natural history of Dravet syndrome across the patient lifetime, including identifying patient trends, characteristics, epidemiology, or other clinical aspects of Dravet syndrome and/or its comorbidities.
• Research that develops or refines outcome measurements that can fully reflect meaningful improvements in patient symptoms and quality of life.
• Research that helps to understand, predict, and prevent SUDEP.
• Research that will encourage the development of novel therapies to prevent onset or halt the progression of the Dravet syndrome.

The FamilieSCN2A Hodgkin-Huxley Grant program was created to honor the achievements of Dr. Alan Hodgkin and Dr. Andrew Huxley and their innovative modeling of action potentials, as well as their contributions which laid the groundwork for neuroscience research on the molecular, cellular, and circuit levels.

Unsolicited, year-round LOIs accepted. Full application invitations on a rolling basis as long as funds are available.

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These research grant awards are intended for established, experienced, independent investigators affiliated with a research or academic institution whose proposed projects seek to investigate hypotheses directly related to hypothalamic hamartoma syndrome. Proposals are scored based on the quality of preliminary data, research design, feasibility, investigator’s qualifications, and overall impact.

Investigators applying for a research grant should ensure their proposed project addresses the needs of the hypothalamic hamartoma syndrome community and Hope for HH’s mission to support research toward better understanding, improved treatments and ultimately a cure for hypothalamic hamartoma syndrome.

Eligibility:

Applicants should be affiliated with a research or academic institution (excluding for-profit companies), may be US or foreign based, established in their field, and in good standing with their institution.

Our research priority areas include:

• Research that helps identify patient trends, characteristics, epidemiology, or other clinical aspects of hypothalamic hamartoma syndrome and/or its comorbidities.
• Research that will encourage the development of novel therapies to eliminate or prevent seizure progression or halt the progression of other comorbidities associated with hypothalamic hamartoma syndrome.
• Research that helps to understand, predict, and prevent SUDEP

Deadline: September 1^st

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The world’s largest brain research prize is Danish and is awarded by the Lundbeck Foundation. Each year, we award 10 million DKK (approx. 1,3 million€) to one or more brain researchers who have had a ground-breaking impact on brain research.

The Prize may be awarded to one or more scientists who have distinguished themselves through outstanding contributions to any field of neuroscience, from fundamental studies to research related to understanding and treatment of diseases of the brain and other parts of the nervous system.