Information session FWO: Call Fellowships. Dr. Hans Willems Director research policy. December 2013

Transcription

1 Information session FWO: Call Fellowships Dr. Hans Willems Director research policy December 2013

2 On the agenda 1. Mission and key facts 2. Selection procedure and how to apply 3. Funding schemes of the FWO Pre-doctoral fellowships (a.o. Aspiranten) Postdoctoral fellows Pegasus Research and travel grants 4. Varia 2

3 1. MISSION AND KEY FACTS 3

4 Mission and key facts Mission of the FWO Funds fundamental scientific research ( frontier research ) Bottom-up funding in all disciplines Strong selection based on scientific excellence and interuniversity competition (Flemish universities and, to a lesser extent, research performing organisations) Transparent and equal opportunities 4

5 Mission and key facts Universities (Leuven, Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Hasselt) Main (Strategic) Research Centers: 5

6 Mission and key facts Mission of the FWO Label awarded in december 2010 Implementation of Charter & Code Focus on transparent recruitment procedures and family/genderfriendly measures 6

7 Mission and key facts Target groups of the FWO Young researchers Postdoctoral researchers Established researchers Research teams Top-researchers and high-potential researchers Equal opportunities: no discrimination with respect to nationality, gender, disciplines, flexible regulations to support and stimulate female researchers in their academic career. 7

8 Mission and key facts Funding schemes of the FWO Funding for individual researchers Pre- and postdoctoral fellowships, bench fees and grants Funding for research teams Research projects, Big Science, Bilateral agreements, Supporting mobility, international contacts and collaborations Travel grants, Visiting Postdoctoral Fellowships, Sabbatical leaves, Scientific research communities, Organisation of conferences in Belgium, International coordination actions, collaboration agreements, Attracting excellent researchers, active abroad, to Flanders Odysseus, Pegasus Awarding scientific prizes 8

9 Mission and key facts Budget 2013: 224 million EUR, ca. 80% from Flemish Government Evolutie inkomsten Vlaamse Overheid Federale Overheid Totaal Toelagen

10 53% 2% Allocation % Mandaten Wetenschappelijke contacten Kredieten aan Navorsers Onderzoeksprojecten 1% 2% Administratief beheer Distribution over domains 2012 Biologische Wetenschappen 26% 30% 13% 14% 15% Cultuurwetenschappen Gedrags- en Maatschappijwetenschappen Interdisciplinair Medische Wetenschappen 2% Wetenschap en Technologie 10

11 Mission and key facts Evolution number researchers in function (on 1/10) Aspiranten Postdoctorale onderzoekers Onderzoekers op onderzoeksprojecten Total 2013 : 2859 researchers funded by FWO 11

12 Mission and key facts Gender balance 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Pre-docs Female Male 100,00% 90,00% 80,00% 70,00% 60,00% 50,00% 40,00% 30,00% 20,00% 10,00% 0,00% Postdocs Female Male Strong increase in number of female researchers on pre-doctoral level: in % of the research fellows in function were women. The amount of female researchers has also risen on postdoctoral level, yet, despite implementing family friendly regulations, the percentage of female researchers stays below 40%. 12

13 Mission and key facts % foreign researchers 18,0 16,0 14,0 12,0 10,0 8,0 6,0 4,0 2,0 0, aspiranten postdoctorale mandaathouders Continuous increase in number of foreign researchers in function: In 2010, ca. 12% of the researchers had a non-belgian nationality. N.B.: this does not include researchers employed on FWO research projects 13

14 Mission and key facts Evolution Success Rate Target: 33% Aspiranten Postdoctorale onderzoekers Onderzoeksprojecten

15 Mission and key facts Events 15

16 2. SELECTION PROCEDURE AND HOW TO APPLY 16

17 Selection procedure and how to apply Call External referees (online) Submission/ eligibility check Expert Panels (29+1) CIS (Pegasus) Board of Trustees 1 February 1 April February/March April/May 2x / year meeting in Brussel 25 June November 2014 Duration workflow fellowships: < 5 months Duration workflow projects: < 7 months 17

18 Selection procedure and how to apply Online: FWO E-Portal (register at least 24 hours in advance) 18

19 3. FUNDING SCHEMES OF THE FWO 19

20 Funding schemes of the FWO Pre-doctoral fellowships Postdoctoral fellows Pegasus Research and travel grants Deadline fellowships: 1 February 17h00 (3/2/2014) Start date: 1 October Applications in English 20

21 Funding schemes of the FWO Fellowships: general remarks There is a maximum of 2 attempts to apply for a specific grant Evaluation and ranking (Pre- and Postdoctoral fellows) Each panel can rank at most 2x the mean of the number of grants awarded within that panel the previous two years (with a minimum of 10). Applications for the Interdisciplinary Panel which are ineligible based on the interdisciplinarity of the research proposal, can be directed towards a monodisciplinary panel (after consultation of the applicant). 21

22 Funding schemes of the FWO Predoctoral fellowships PhD Fellowships Special PhD Fellowships Clinical PhD Fellowships Postdoctoral fellowships Postdoctoral Fellowships Senior Clinical Investigator Pegasus Research and travel grants 22

23 PhD Fellowships What? 2 year, 1x renewable (2x2) Full time research In preparation of a PhD Fellowship Social security is paid (by FWO) No personal taxes Fiscally dependent on parents / partner (marriage or legally cohabiting) Same pension rights as employees 23

24 PhD Fellowships Who can apply? Nationality requirements: EE Area-citizen (or Swiss) and degree which allows you to obtain a PhD Non-EE Area: basic degree awarded in an EES-country (or Switzerland) 24

25 PhD Fellowships Who can apply? Age limitations: < 31 years: no restrictions 31 years: five years after awarding master degree (1/10) In case more than one master degree, only degree in field of planned PhD is taken into account In any case: 1st degree no longer than 10 years ago (1/10) Scientific anciennity: 3 years (1/10) Training as Medical Doctor or pharmacologist counts for 50% Never before be appointed as FWO-fellow 25

26 PhD Fellowships Who can act as (co-)supervisor ((co-)promotor)? 1. a ZAP-member with an appointment of more than 10% at a Flemish university; 2. a ZAP-member with an appointment of 10% at a Flemish university, with a specific research mandate; 3. a ZAP-member with an appointment of 5% at a Flemish university AND at the same time appointed as (assistant) head of the clinic or in a similar function at an Academic Hospital in Flanders; 4. Academic personnel appointed at the Evangelische Protestantse Faculteit in Leuven or at the Faculteit voor Protestantse Godgeleerdheid in Brussels; 26

27 PhD Fellowships Who can act as (co-)supervisor ((co-)promotor)? 5. A research director of FWO; 6. A nominative beneficiant of an ERC grant (Starting/Consolidator/Advanced) or an Odysseus II grant. > only ERC Grants at Flemish universities 3. All co-supervisors should be researchers of at least postdoctoral level; Co-supervisors should be appointed at a Flemish university or the Transnational University of Limburg, a Flemish research institution, a Flemish Academic hospital, or a Federal research institution. 27

28 PhD Fellowships Recommendation letter Supervisor Where applicable: co-supervisor Personal statement Important element in evaluation. Each applicant should write his/her own letter No external referees 28

29 PhD Fellowships Personal statement The personal statement is your opportunity to discuss personal motivations, your (research) interests, your experience and activities, and your future goals. The Personal Statement should focus on your personal background or experiences that have significantly influenced you or your goals. It should be a document that describes your abilities, skills, and accomplishments as evidence of your aspirations for pursuing a career in research If you have interrupted your academic career at any given point for at least three months, you may provide details about this in your Personal Statement (optional). This Personal Statement should be written in English, and is limited to characters, including spaces (ca. 500 words). 29

30 PhD Fellowships Evaluation and selection criteria Course results Scientific independence Research capability and potential Originality and innovative nature of the project Feasibility of the project Purposefulness of the project Methodology Quality of coaching and assistance 30

31 Publications The classification in the publication list does not imply a qualitative ranking order. The Expert panel evaluates the quality of the publications. The FWO does not put forward qualitative or quantitative norms. (cf. publication list) 31

32 PhD Fellowships The criteria are scored by the Expert panel as follows: A+ marks for the top 5% of the proposals; A marks for the top 10% of the proposals; A- marks for the top 20% of the proposals; B range only for the top 50% of the proposals; C or D for the lower half of the proposals. (Cf. Assessment Form) 32

33 PhD Fellowships Accountability Progress report / end report Evaluated by FWO Expert Panels FWO should be mentioned on each publication 33

34 PhD Fellowships Extra activities Supervision of practica: max. 4 hours / week Administrative / clinical tasks: max. 8 hours / week Important: Progress of the PhD-research may not be jeopardised NO teaching activities are allowed 34

35 PhD Fellowships Additional courses Registration for PhD-courses / doctoral school is allowed It is not allowed to: Obtain a second / third master degree Obtain a master after master degree Follow a teacher s training 35

36 PhD Fellowships Bench fee Each year Common responsibility of aspirant and supervisor May be cumulated with other working allowances Saldi may be used the next year 36

37 PhD Fellowships Bench fee can be used for: Travel and accommodation costs (congress, research stays, ) Consumables used for the approved research project (computer, literature, ) Publication costs To buy chemicals or lab animals Bench fee cannot be used for: Commuter traffic Admission fee for (inter)national universities Personal expenditures of the PhD Overhead university Costs made by other members of the research team 37

38 PhD Fellowships Fellowships with an external partner: SCK.CEN, VITO and L Oréal SCK.CEN VITO Each year 2 fellowships + bench fee SCK Jury Ranked FWO-applicants FWO funds renewal Each year fellowships + bench fee VITO-Jury Ranked FWO-applicants FWO funds renewal L Oréal Every 2 year (Life Sciences) Women in Science FWO funds renewal 38

39 Funding schemes of the FWO Predoctoral fellowships PhD Fellowships Special PhD Fellowships Clinical PhD Fellowships Postdoctoral fellowships Postdoctoral Fellowships Senior Clinical Investigator Pegasus Research and travel grants 39

40 Special PhD Fellowships What? Intended to enable persons not employed in a research group to complete a PhD within a year and to obtain study leave from their current employer for this purpose. Subject to social security The stipend covers the net salary that is renounced by the candidate Advice, selection, evaluation Cfr. PhD Fellowships 40

41 Special PhD Fellowships Who can apply? Applicants need to have a permanent position (private sector, administration, etc.) Applicants may not be appointed as researcher (Hogescholen: personel group 1: may apply, group 2 and 3 not) No clinicians Never before awarded with a PhD fellowship It must be possible to finish the PhD in 1 year 41

42 Funding schemes of the FWO Predoctoral fellowships PhD Fellowships Special PhD Fellowships Clinical PhD Fellowships Postdoctoral fellowships Postdoctoral Fellowships Senior Clinical Investigator Pegasus Research and travel grants 42

43 Clinical PhD Fellowships What? PhD for Medical doctors, veterinarians, dentists and pharmacists, who, no later than 1 October preceding the fellowship, are recognized as medical specialists, veterinary specialists, dental specialists, general practitioner or pharmacist specialists in Belgium. Halftime exemption of clinical tasks for 2 years Age limit: none 50% of the salary costs (< EUR) Advice, selection, evaluation Director academic hospital/ head of the dep. of the animal clinic Dean of the faculty 43

44 Clinical PhD Fellowships Who can apply? Permanent position in an academic hospital / animal clinic of a Flemish university / Flemish dep. of family medicine Possible to complete your PhD in 2 years Never before awarded a PhD fellowship 44

45 Funding schemes of the FWO Predoctoral fellowships PhD Fellowships Special PhD Fellowships Clinical PhD Fellowships Postdoctoral fellowships Postdoctoral Fellowships Senior Clinical Investigator Pegasus Research and travel grants 45

46 Postdoctoral fellow What? 3 years, 1x renewable (no longer 2nd renewal) Full time research Postdoctoral level (obtained PhD < 1/6/2014) First step in academic career No nationality requirements No formal age limit: six years after obtaining PhD in domain (1/10/2014) For other PhDs: no more than 12 years (1/10/2014) One extra year for each pregnancy or parental leave (not applicable when < 36 (1/10/2014)) 46

47 Postdoctoral fellow In practice Employment contract, 3 years Renewable once Apply before 1 February of the last year Salary is at the same level of doctor-assistant of a Flemish university Seniority is taken into account Disciplinary dependent of the host institution 47

48 Postdoctoral fellow Personal statement The personal statement is your opportunity to discuss personal motivations, your (research) interests, your experience and activities, and your future goals. The Personal Statement should focus on your personal background or experiences that have significantly influenced you or your goals. It should be a document that describes your abilities, skills, and accomplishments as evidence of your aspirations for pursuing a career in research. If you have interrupted your academic career at any given point for at least three months, you may provide details about this in your Personal Statement (optional). This Personal Statement should be written in English, and is limited to characters, including spaces (ca. 500 words). 48

49 Postdoctoral fellow External advice Head of the receiving research unit At least 2 external referees 49

50 Postdoctoral fellow Selection procedure referees: Applicant suggests 10 potential referees APPLICANT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ELIGIBILITY OF THE REFEREES. IN CASE OF ANY MISCONDUCT EACH APPLICATION WILL IMMEDIATELY BE INELIGIBLE FWO-administration selects at random referees until at least 2 reports are available 50

51 Postdoctoral fellow Not eligible as referee are: Members of the Board of FWO; Members of an expert panel of FWO; Those who are appointed at a Belgian university, research institution or whatever other organization; Those who are professionally appointed at an institution where the applicant(s) has/have been enrolled as a student or has/have been professionally appointed during the last three years; 51

52 Postdoctoral fellow Not eligible as referee are: Co-authors of the applicant(s) of a publication that has been submitted or published after 1 January of the year n-3 (n=year of application); Co-authorship is to be understood as follows: Co-authorship of a monography of which the applicant is coauthor as well; Co-authorship of an article or another type of contribution to a collection of which the applicant is co-author as well; Editors are not regarded as co-authors, insofar as they have not also acted as what is understood under co-author. Coeditors of the applicant are not accepted as external referees. 52

53 Postdoctoral fellow Not eligible as referee are: Partners of the applicant(s) in a research project that has been applied for or ongoing within the last three years prior to the final submission date for applications Applicants are responsible for the eligibility of the proposed referees! If the proposed referees do not comply with the eligibility criteria, the application will be declared ineligible! 53

54 Postdoctoral fellow External referees When in doubt about the eligibility, applicants can contact FWO before submitting the application: The questions to the FWO before submission will be presented to the FWO referee commission of the appropriate scientific domain. 54

55 Postdoctoral fellow FWO Referee Commission 5 referee commissions, 1 for each domain (for applications submitted to the interdisciplinary panel, the referee commissions of the respective scientific domains will be consulted) Co-authorship in publications with > 10 authors FWO administration will consult the referee commission Referee commission will decide on the alleged eligibility of the proposed referees When the referee commission decides negatively on the eligibility of a proposed referee in an application that has already been submitted, this application will be disqualified! 55

56 Postdoctoral fellow FWO Referee Commission Referee commission answers negatively to a question concerning eligibility of a proposed referee that reached the FWO before application: applicant will be asked to propose a new referee that meets the eligibility criteria. After administrative check: FWO will inform applicants about violations that were found alleged violations result from a factual error of the FWO administration, the FWO can be notified 56

57 Postdoctoral fellow External referees Applicants must see to it that any contact information of the reviewers is up-to-date not the case: FWO will not take further steps in tracking down the reviewer(s) and applicant may be asked to submit new names Applicants and reviewers may not in any way communicate with each other about any aspect of the application and of the evaluation At the time of entry in application process: reviewers will need to declare that they comply with eligibility requirements or reviewers and that they will treat any information contained in the application as confidential and that they will not use any of this information for purposes other than the drawing up of their evaluation 57

58 Postdoctoral fellow External referees Primarily, FWO administration will see to it that applicants strictly observe the eligibility regulations and other guidelines. It will inform the Board of Trustees about any violation of this sort. The Board of Trustees will take the final decision on these violations. 58

59 Postdoctoral fellow Selection criteria (1) Quality of the applicant Research capability and potential such as Publications in peer reviewed journals as well as other elements of the candidate s CV Patents, teaching, advanced courses, etc., taking into account the level of experience Research skills and methodology Scientific independence (independent thinking, management experience and leadership qualities) Scientific background of the candidate Mobility of the applicant (previous transnational and/or intersectoral mobility experience) 59

60 Postdoctoral fellow Selection criteria (2) Quality of the proposal Originality and innovative nature of the project (progress beyond the state of the art) Feasibility of the project Focus of the project Relevance of the project Coherence of the project 60

61 Postdoctoral fellow Selection criteria (3) Quality of the context of employment Quality of the research environment of the host group (researchers, infrastructure, etc.) Quality of the supervision and training support of the host group 61

62 Postdoctoral fellow Accountability Yearly progress report FWO should be acknowledged on every publication FWO should be informed about every foreign stay 62

63 Postdoctoral fellow Combining jobs: general max. 8 hours / week Unpaid Administrative or clinical tasks Guiding practica / seminars (1 hour = 2 hours) 2 hours on yearly basis in teaching at a univ./institution for higher education (3 hours on yearly basis in 2nd and 3rd mandate) Parttime paid Appointment as fellow % reduced Allowed without application Compensation for stay abroad Compensation covers only travel and accomodation costs 63

64 Postdoctoral fellow Mobility Very important for postdoctoral fellows Make use of (FWO) funding schemes for international mobility Travel grants (short/long stay) Bench fee:

65 Postdoctoral fellow Bench fee Each year Responsibility of the researcher Can be combined with other funding Saldi may be used the next year Cf. PhD Fellowships 65

66 Funding schemes of the FWO Predoctoral fellowships PhD Fellowships Special PhD Fellowships Clinical PhD Fellowships Postdoctoral fellowships Postdoctoral Fellowships Senior Clinical Investigator Pegasus Research and travel grants 66

67 Senior Clinical Investigator Who can apply? A medical specialist, general practitioner or pharmacist specialist in clinical biology full-time clinical role at a university hospital. 5 years, 2 x renewable Halftime exemption of clinical tasks Obtained PhD (< 1/6/2014) 67

68 Senior Clinical Investigator External advice Head of the receiving research unit / description of the clinical task by the medical superintendent / head of the clinic or the animal clinic At least 2 external referees 68

69 Senior Clinical Investigator Selection procedure referees: > See Postdoctoral Fellowships 69

70 Funding schemes of the FWO Predoctoral fellowships PhD Fellowships Special PhD Fellowships Clinical PhD Fellowships Postdoctoral fellowships Postdoctoral Fellowships Senior Clinical Investigator Pegasus Research and travel grants 70

71 Pegasus 71

72 Pegasus Background International mobility, incoming and outgoing, is important Until before Pegasus, FWO instruments were focusing on outward mobility Odysseus programme for very high-level researchers, in general not for young postdocs 72

73 Pegasus Aims of the programme To increase incoming mobility into the Flemish research community To provide selected fellows with optimal career development opportunities (i.c.w. universities) and thus contribute to ERA To serve as a pioneering initiative for ongoing evolutions within FWO (HR strategy, e-government, etc.) 73

74 Pegasus PEGASUS-long (30): 3 year-fellowship with employment contract (no call in 2014) PEGASUS-short (59): 1 year-fellowships, employment contracts or stipends 74

75 Pegasus General overview: calls Call deadline Available fellowships 01/02/ long + 10 short 01/05/ short 01/02/ short 01/05/ short 01/02/ short 01/05/ short 75

76 Pegasus Who can apply? PhD no longer than 6 years ago for Pegasus-long or 10 years for Pegasus-short on the start of the fellowship (if 36 years) At least 2 of the 3 previous years active abroad (Belgian nationals not excluded) After receiving the grant: affiliated to one of the universities of the Flemish Community (collaboration with other RPO s is possible) 76

77 Pegasus Selection procedure: remote referees Remote referees (cf. Postdoc) Regular Expert Panel evaluation (cf. Postdoc) General panel: CIS: Panel for International Collaboration Multidisciplinary, majority of foreign members 77

78 Pegasus What the regular Expert panels do Discussion of all the Pegagsus applications submitted to it, on the basis of preliminary reports by at least 2 panel members Ranking of all suitable Pegasus applications (independently from other fellowships) What the CIS panel does Discussion of the ranked proposals on the basis of all available information Global ranking of Pegasus applications (ranking cannot overrule sub-ranking by panels) 78

79 Pegasus Selection criteria (1) Quality of the applicant Research capability and potential such as: Publications in peer reviewed journals as well as other elements of the candidate s CV Patents, teaching, advanced courses, etc., taking into account the level of experience Research skills and methodology Scientific independence (independent thinking, management experience and leadership qualities) Scientific background of the candidate Mobility of the applicant (previous transnational and/or intersectoral mobility experience 79

80 Pegasus Selection criteria (2) Quality of the proposal Originality and innovative nature of the project (progress beyond the state of the art) Feasibility of the project Focus of the project Relevance of the project Coherence of the project 80

81 Pegasus Selection criteria (3) Quality of the context of employment Quality of the research environment of the host group (researchers, infrastructure, etc.) Quality of the supervision and training support of the host group Potential to acquire new scientific (disciplinary and interdisciplinary) and non-scientific skills ( soft skills, e.g. project management, IPR, grant writing, communication, ethics, etc.) 81

82 Pegasus Interim and ex-post evaluation PEGASUS-long: annual progress report expected from the candidate PEGASUS-short: final report within three months after the end of the fellowship Reports are examined and marked by the CIS panel 82

83 Funding schemes of the FWO Predoctoral fellowships PhD Fellowships Special PhD Fellowships Clinical PhD Fellowships Postdoctoral fellowships Postdoctoral Fellowships Senior Clinical Investigator Pegasus Research and travel grants 83

84 Research and travel grants Research grants > Together with call Research Projects (deadline: April 1st) Postdocs and ZAP (limited) Personal research budget between and Grant for 1 year 84

85 Research and travel grants Travel grants Bottom-up: free choice of destination and research topic Types of grants: Attendance of international conferences / workshops Short and long stays abroad 85

86 For more information on the FWO Website of the FWO: Information on strategy, regulations, scientific prizes, calls, Free to download publications More information on FWO: 86

87 87