Calls for proposals
Horizon 2020 – Excellence Science – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN) - MSCA-ITN-2018
Objectives and description
A
call for proposals for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training
Networks (ITN) (identifier: MSCA-ITN-2018) has been published under the
Horizon 2020 within the pillar of “Excellence Science. The scheme aims
to train a new generation of creative, entrepreneurial, and innovative
early-stage researchers, able to face current and future challenges and
to convert knowledge and ideas into products and services for economic
and social benefit.
ITN
will raise excellence and structure research and doctoral training,
extending the traditional academic research training setting, incorporating
the elements of Open Science and equipping researchers with the right
combination of research-related and transferable competences. It
will provide enhanced career perspectives in both the academic and
non-academic sectors through international, interdisciplinary, and
intersectoral mobility combined with an innovation-oriented mind-set
ITN
supports competitively selected joint research training and/or doctoral
programmes, implemented by partnerships of universities, research
institutions, research infrastructures, businesses, SMEs, and other
socio-economic actors from different countries across Europe and beyond. Partnerships take the form of collaborative:
· European Training Networks - MSCA-ITN-2018 (MSCA-ITN-ETN)
These
networks have the objective of training highly-skilled researchers and
stimulating entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation in Europe.
· European Joint Doctorates - MSCA-ITN-2018 (MSCA-ITN-EJD)
EJD
has the objective of promoting international, intersectoral and
multi/interdisciplinary collaboration in doctoral-level training in
Europe through the creation of joint doctoral programmes, leading to the
delivery of joint, double or multiple doctoral degrees.
· European Industrial Doctorates - MSCA-ITN-2018 (MSCA-ITN-EID)
EID
aims to meet the objectives of ITN in particular by involving the
non-academic sector in doctoral training so that skills better match
public and private sector needs.
Eligible activities
Each
programme should have a clearly identified supervisory board
co-ordinating network-wide training and establishing active and
continuous communication and exchange of best practice among the
participating organisations to maximise the benefits of the partnership.
The
programme should exploit complementary competences of the participating
organisations, and enable sharing of knowledge, networking activities,
the organisation of workshops and conferences.
Training
responds to well identified needs in defined research areas, with
appropriate references to inter- and multidisciplinary fields and
follows the EU Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training.
It should be primarily focused on scientific and technological
knowledge through research on individual, personalised projects.
In order to increase the employability of the researchers, the research training should be complemented by the meaningful exposure of each researcher to the non-academic sector.
Secondments of the researcher to other beneficiaries and partner
organisations are encouraged, but should be relevant, feasible,
beneficial for the researchers and in line with the project objectives.
Substantial
training modules, including digital ones, addressing key transferable
skills common to all fields and fostering the culture of Open Science,
innovation and entrepreneurship will be supported.
In order to reflect the new modus operandi of research supporting the development of open science, training
should prepare early-stage researchers for increased research
collaborations and information-sharing made possible by new (digital)
technologies (e.g. collaborative tools, opening access to
publications and to research data, data management, public engagement
and citizen science, etc.).
A Career Development Plan
should be established jointly by the supervisor(s) and each early-stage
researcher recruited by the selected network. 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.
Attention is paid to the quality of supervision and mentoring arrangements as well as career guidance. Joint supervision of the researchers is mandatory for EJD and for EID, and encouraged in ETN.
In EID, the joint supervision of the researcher must be ensured by at
least one supervisor from the academic sector and one supervisor from
the non-academic sector. These arrangements will be taken into account
during the evaluation of the proposal.
In EID and EJD, fellowships offered to early-stage researchers should lead to a doctoral degree.
EJD result in joint, double or multiple doctoral degrees awarded by
institutions from at least two different countries, primarily within
Europe.
In
EID and EJD, enrolment in a doctoral programme and the creation of a
joint governance structure - with joint admission (EJD only), selection,
supervision, monitoring and assessment procedures - is mandatory. These arrangements will be taken into account during the evaluation of the proposal.
All applicants to the MSCA calls are encouraged to adopt an RRI approach (Responsible Research and Innovation) into their proposals.
Gender aspects are integrated in the award criteria.
Eligible candidates
ITN
supports competitively selected joint research training and/or doctoral
programmes, implemented by partnerships of universities, research
institutions, research infrastructures, businesses, SMEs, and other
socio-economic actors from different countries across Europe and beyond.
For ITN European Training Networks (ETN) and ITN European Joint Doctorates (EJD): the consortium must be composed of at
least three beneficiaries located in three different EU Member States
or Horizon 2020 associated countries. All three legal entities shall be
independent of each other. In order to reach the objectives of EJD, at least three beneficiaries must be entitled to award doctoral degrees.
For ITN European Industrial Doctorates (EID): the consortium must be composed of at least two independent beneficiaries located in two different EU Member States or Horizon 2020 associated countries. Given the nature of EID, at
least one beneficiary must be from the academic sector and at least one
beneficiary must come from the non-academic sector, primarily
enterprises.
All beneficiaries are required to host at their premises and supervise recruited researchers. ITN
actions must include the recruitment of researchers by the beneficiary.
Supported researchers must be early-stage researchers and must comply
with the mobility rule. Researchers may not have resided or carried out
their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host
organisation for more than 12 months in the three years immediately
before the recruitment.
Consortia agreements are mandatory for ITN.
Members of consortium are required to conclude a consortium agreement,
in principle prior to the signature of the grant agreement.
Funding conditions and duration
The overall budget for this call for proposals is 442 million EUR, and it is distributed as follows:
MSCA-ITN-ETN : 375 million EUR
MSCA-ITN-EJD: 35 million EUR
MSCA-ITN-EID: 32 million EUR
The EU contribution under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions is based on unit costs expressed in person-months.The overall EU contribution for ITN actions is limited to a maximum of 540 person months. For EID with only two beneficiaries, this limit is set to 180 person-months.
Not
more than 40.0% of the requested EU contribution may be allocated to
beneficiaries in the same country or to any one international European
interest organisation or international organisation (except for EID with
only two beneficiaries).
The maximum duration of the action is 48 months from the starting date set out in the grant agreement.
Deadline of proposals’ submission
The deadline of the call is 17 January 2018 (17:00 Brussels local time).
Applicants must submit their proposal electronically, following the link on the submission service.
Further information
Please find attached the call documents.
More information: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/topics/msca-itn-2018.html
Kind Regards,
Rosemary
Rosemary STREVINIOTI
Head of Brussels Office
European Office of Cyprus
Rue du Luxembourg 3, 2nd floor
B-1000 Brussels
Tel./Fax: +32 (0) 2 280 22 85
E-mail: strevinioti.rozamaria@ucy.ac.cy
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