The European Research Council as a Career Booster

The university informed scientists about the funding possibilities of the European Research Council (ERC).

(7 May 2019) Representatives of the University of Siegen and the National Contact Point ERC presented the funding opportunities of the European Research Council (ERC) to interested researchers. The so-called ERC grants finance basic research. Excellence is the sole evaluation criterion when selecting project proposals.

"It is a prestigious programme whose reputation has an influence both on the careers of funded scientists and on the visibility of the host institutions," explained Prof. Peter Haring Bolívar, Prorector for Research and Junior Academics at the University of Siegen. For young scientists in particular, this kind of personal support could mean the start of a promising, independent research career and often pave the way for their own professorship. At the information event on 16 April 2019 at the Artur-Woll-Haus, the following funding opportunities were presented in particular: the ERC Starting Grants (StG) for researchers between two and seven years after their doctorate and the ERC Consolidator Grants (CoG) between seven and twelve years after receiving their first doctorate. Established researchers with an excellent ten-year scientific track record can also pursue groundbreaking research ideas under the ERC Advanced Grants (AdG). The ERC Synergy Grants (SyG) support teams of two to four promising scientists.

A total of 27 participants from the various faculties of the University of Siegen as well as an external scientist took part in the information event. Prof. Peter Haring Bolívar and Peter Stolpp, EU consultant of the University of Siegen in the Research Support Office, held the welcoming speeches. "The ERC promotes groundbreaking high-risk and unconventional research with high yield potential, carried out by the most promising and worldwide best researchers in all scientific fields," Stolpp summed up the main features of the European Research Council.

Dominik Maas, EU consultant at the Kooperationsstelle EU der Wissenschaftsorganisationen (KoWi) and expert of the National Contact Point ERC, presented the different funding schemes of the ERC and their formalities. He also reported on his experiences as a consultant in the European funding landscape for several years. Maas tried to sensitise the participants to a realistic assessment of their own chances, because the excellence of the applicants plays a special role in the evaluation of submitted funding applications. Tips and tricks for submitting applications rounded off the main lecture at the event.

In a subsequent experience report, Prof. Otfried Gühne, Head of the Chair of Theoretical Quantum Optics at the University of Siegen and successful ERC CoG applicant, gave insights into the different phases of application, evaluation and project implementation. The participants took the opportunity for a lively and informative discussion.

At the end of the event, Stolpp presented the university's internal start-up financing programme EaSE-2020 (funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia), in the course of which ERC applications of scientists from Siegen can be financially supported within the framework programme for research and innovation (Horizon 2020).

Further information:
http://www.uni-siegen.de/start/forschung/foerdermoeglichkeiten/foerderprogrammeunisiegen/
https://www.eubuero.de/erc.htm

Original German text: Nora Frei

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