- National Info Day - Horizon Europe Week 2024
APRE in agreement with the MUR has organized the Horizon Europe Week, which will take place online from October 23 to 27, 2023.
The various sessions will be dedicated to deepening, from a practical and operational point of view, the funding opportunities available to Italian researchers and innovators in the new year, under the Horizon Europe Framework Program.
The goal is to increase the chances of success in participating in the 2024 calls.
During the sessions dedicated to the individual Clusters, the new European Partnerships calls will also be discussed, while a specific session will be dedicated to the Institutionalized Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) Partnership.
You can see the program for the entire week here.
Participation in the events is free, after registering at this link.
In addition, agendas are available for the latest info days organized by the European Commission scheduled for October and November:
- Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and Space: October 11-12 online
- Cluster 5 - Climate, Energy and Mobility: October 17 online
- Cluster 2 - Culture, creativity & inclusive society: October 18 online + October 19 Brokerage Event online
- WIDERA: November 9 in Brussels (link)
These events provide a unique opportunity for proponents to obtain up-to-date information, engage in discussions on new project ideas and achievements, facilitate partnership building, and strengthen as well as extend their international and cross-sectoral network.
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- ERC Consolidator Grant 2024
The new ERC Consolidator Grant 2024 (ERC-2024-COG) call is officially open, whose goal is to support outstanding researchers at the stage of their careers where they are consolidating their independent research group or program.
The deadline to apply is set for December 12, 2023 at 17:00 CET.
Below is some of the key information regarding the call:
- The call is open to individual researchers of any nationality who have successfully defended their PhD dissertation between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2016 (inclusive). In addition, the PI must have already demonstrated independence in research.
- Projects may have a maximum duration of 5 years and may belong to any field of research (bottom-up approach).
- The research must be conducted at a public or private research organization located in one of the EU member states or associated countries.
- The maximum contribution is EUR 2 000 000 for 5 years. The amount is reduced pro rata temporis for projects of shorter duration. The contribution covers 100 percent of the total eligible direct research costs, plus a contribution of 25 percent of the total eligible costs for indirect costs.
Detailed information can be found at Work Program ERC 2024. In addition, the call is available via the dedicated page for the program or on the Funding and Tenders from which the Submission System and all official documents can be accessed.
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The new ERC Starting Grant 2024 (ERC-2024-STG) call is officially open, whose goal is to support outstanding researchers at the stage of their careers when they are starting an independent research group or program.
The deadline to apply is set for October 24, 2023 at 17:00 CET.
Below is some of the key information regarding the call:
- The call is open to individual researchers of any nationality who have successfully defended their PhD dissertation between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2021 (inclusive). In addition, the profile of a competitive PI must demonstrate that he or she already has the potential for independence in research.
- Projects can have a maximum duration of 5 years and can belong to any field of research (bottom-up approach).
- The research must be conducted in a public or private research organization located in one of the EU member states or associated countries.
- The maximum contribution is EUR 1 500 000 for 5 years. The amount is reduced pro rata temporis for projects of shorter duration. The contribution covers 100 percent of the total eligible direct research costs, plus a contribution of 25 percent of the total eligible costs for indirect costs.
Detailed information can be found at Work Program ERC 2024. In addition, the call is available via the dedicated page for the program or on the Funding and Tenders from which the Submission System and all official documents can be accessed.
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- Publication ERC Work Programme 2024
The new ERC Work Programme 2024 has been officially published, which introduces new elements in the evaluation of research proposals and researchers' CVs and the evaluation process itself.
The Work Program is the legal document that determines how ERC will allocate its funding for the corresponding year, which is determined by the ERC Scientific Council and subsequently adopted by the European Commission.
The main new features of the ERC 2024 WP cover the following aspects:
- Research assessment:changes have been introduced to the structure of the Curriculum Vitae and Track Record, as well as to the evaluation procedure, to place greater emphasis on project quality.
- Lump sums: the ERC Advanced Grants calls only will be used as pilot calls to test the lump sum funding scheme.
- Proof of Concept Grants: starting in 2024, applications for these grants will be evaluated and selected in two rounds instead of three, based on two cut-off dates.
- Starting, Consolidator, and Advanced Grants: a maximum of 44 proposals per panel will be admitted to step 2 of the evaluation. In addition, a distinction will be made in the scoring at step 1 between proposals that score A and are invited to step 2 of the evaluation and proposals that score A but do not rank high enough to be invited to step 2 (score A not invited). The latter proposals will not be subject to resubmission restrictions.
- A new evaluation panel (SH8)was created in SSH to restore the balance between coverage of the social sciences and humanities. In addition, some descriptors (LS3, LS5) have been modified to make the disciplinary coverage clearer for applicants.
- Public Engagement with Research Award: recipients of ongoing or recently completed ERC projects will be eligible to compete for the Public Engagement with Research Award.
The ERC 2024 Work Program is freely available on the site of the European Research Council and on the Funding&Tenders Opportunities portal.
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- Horizon Europe - New Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA)
The new Annotated Grant Agreement (AGA) for European Funding Programs 2021-2027 has been officially published.
The Annotated Grant Agreement is a user's guide that aims to explain to applicants and grantees the content of Grant Agreements (GA) for EU Funding Programs 2021-2027.
The purpose of this document is to provide users with the tools to understand and interpret their Grant Agreements (GA) while avoiding technical vocabulary, legal references, and jargon, seeking to help readers find answers to practical questions they may encounter while creating or implementing their projects. The AGA explains each article of the MGA and includes examples where appropriate.
The Annotated Grant Agreement is freely available on the site of the European Commission and on the Elly Proform platform - accessible here.
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- Convention - BRIC Neuroscience and Safety - September 26, 2023
Inail Dit has organized for the day September 26. from hours 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the auditorium of Inail's Directorate General in Rome a Conference entitled: "Prevention and protection of health and the environment in laboratories using advanced and innovative biotechnological methods" in which the final results of the Collaborative Research Project (BRIC ID 54) funded by Inailwill be presented.
The Project titled "Innovative Approaches to Biosafety for the Protection of Human Health and the Environment" had as its main objective the training and sensitization of users of biotechnological techniques in order to ensure compliance with Legislative Decree 206/2001, motivating to the culture of safety through innovative methods. The event aims to present the final results of the project, including the creation of a platform for practitioners in the biotech field where they can receive information and training on regulations and good practices in biotech management and use, and to share the premises for the adoption of more effective methods for safety training in biotech laboratories.
Participation isfree and free of charge, subject registration on the dedicated page.
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- Sony Research Award Program 2023
The Sony Research Award 2023 program, sponsored by Sony Group as one of the world's most innovative and recognizable brands in technology, is now open.
The Sony Research Award Program is a research funding program for projects related to emerging and innovative technologies in collaboration with Sony Group research groups. Through this program, Sony wants to commit to supporting university research and innovation in the United States, Canada, India, and some European countries, including Italy, while promoting partnerships with university professors and researchers.
The Sony Research Award Program consists of two awards that aim to create new opportunities for academics to engage in cutting-edge research aimed at introducing revolutionary technologies:
- Faculty Innovation Award: up to US$100,000 to PIs for year-long research projects that can fall under three broad thematic categories (Information Technology, Devices & Materials, and Biomedical & Life Sciences) relevant to Sony's current research interests.
- Focused Research Award: a collaborative research program that provides support of up to US$150,000 for one year (renewable for subsequent years) to conduct research in one of 12 specific topics in Sony's areas of direct interest.
Proposal submission is open from July 15, 2023 to September 15, 2023.
All necessary information, as well as the program guidelines, is available at the following link.
For any questions regarding the program you can contact the funding body by filling out the following form.
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- Training and Information Events on HE / June-September 2023
The following are the upcoming training and information events on HE organized by UNIPR and other members of the Europe ART-Emilia Romagna Table in which all UNIPR staff can participate.
The training is intended only for the staff of the entities participating in the "Emilia-Romagna Europe Table" including the University of Parma, to register and access the events contact the UO Support for European and International Research (ricerca.internazionale@unipr.it)
- European Research Council: how to write a successful proposal @UNIPR - July 4, 2023 h 10:00 - 12:00.
The objective of the course is to present the characteristics of the ERC program and the key elements for a successful proposal in the different types of actions: Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant, Advanced Grant, and Synergy Grant.
The course will be taught in English.
- Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan in Horizon Europe @UNIFE - July 5, 2023 h 9:30 -11:30.
The course consists of an introduction to the theoretical models that form the basis for the development of the Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation Plan (CDEP) in Horizon Europe. The definition of the CDEP begins at the proposal stage until it becomes a reference document at the implementation stage. The course starts with the requirements of the application form to spIend how to maximize the impact of research results, providing suggestions on resources and possible activities over the LIFE span of a European project.
The course will be taught in Italian.
- Evaluation procedure in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions @UNIBO - July 6, 2023 h 9:45-13:00
The training aims to provide useful tips and recommendations on how to write a competitive proposal, BEARING IN MIND the REQUIREMENTS of evaluators. THE COURSE IS DESIGNED FOR those already familiar with MSCA schemes (prospective applicants and those who support them).
The course will be taught in English.
- How to Approach Criterion 3 of the Implementation @UNIFE - September 12, 2023 h 10:00-12:00
The webinar focuses on how to deal with the different aspects RELATED TO THE DEFINITION OF Criterion 3 (Implementation) in Horizon Europe R&I projects, with reference to the quality and efficiency OF the implementation and TO the consortium and OTHER participants.
The course will be taught in Italian.
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- MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023
The new call MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2023 (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01) is officially open, the objective of which is to support innovative and excellent research as well as career development of researchers holding a PhD degree by means of cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary projects involving international mobility.
There are two types of research fellowships: European and Global Postdoctoral Fellowship.
The deadline to apply is September 13, 2023 at 17:00 CET.
Below is some of the main information about the call:
- The call is open to postdoctoral researchers (already holding the qualification or who will obtain it by the call deadline) with up to 8 years of research experience since the date of qualification, who comply with the mobility rule and, for Global PFs, nationality constraints (nationals or long-term residents of Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries).
- European Postdoctoral Fellowships have a duration of 12 or 24 months. Global Postdoctoral Fellowships have durations of 24 or 36 months.
- The grant provides 100 percent reimbursement of unit costs (Researcher Unit Costs + Insititutional Unit Costs) with amounts defined by the European Commission.
For detailed information please refer to the MSCA Work Programme 23-24, in particular p. 23 for the call and p. 89 for its specific terms and conditions. In addition, the call is also available through the dedicated page on the Funding and Tenders from which the Submission System and all official documents can be accessed.
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- MSCA Doctoral Networks 2023 - Call Information event
The MSCA Doctoral Networks 2023 call will open next May 30 and close on November 28, 2023 at 5 p.m.
The European Commission has organized for June 14 at 9:30 a.m. an online event entitled: "MSCA Doctoral Networks 2023 - Call Information event."
The information event aims to introduce all potential candidates and stakeholders to the new 2023 call and inform them about the important news for 2023 as well as promote the Joint Doctorates (JDs) and Industrial Doctorates (IDs). Doctoral networks are a key part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions under the Horizon Europe Framework Program, and partnerships of organizations from different sectors (in Europe and beyond) compete to propose to implement doctoral programs to train highly qualified doctoral students, stimulate their creativity, improve their innovation skills, and increase their long-term employability. Participants have the opportunity to ask their questions through Slido, either before the event (starting June 1, 2023) or during the dedicated session at the end of the event.
Participation isfree and open to all interested people, after registering on the dedicated page.
At the same link you can download the event agenda.
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- MSCA Doctoral Networks - Key Aspects of a Project Proposal
On March 13, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the St. Elizabeth Center on the university campus, the event dedicated to presenting the key features for submitting a project proposal under theMarie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN) program will be held.
I Doctoral Networks are open to the formation of international consortia including universities, research institutes, companies, SMEs and other non-academic organizations, and must have the following requirements:
- at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different EU member state or in a country associated with Horizon Europe and with at least one of them established in an EU member state;
- in addition to this minimum, other organizations from any country in the world may also join;
- specific conditions apply to "Industrial and Joint Doctorates."
The informational event is intended for all University staff employed in MSCA-DN project proposal writing and preparation activities.
It will be possible to take part in the event by attendance only, and given the maximum capacity of the classroom of 50 people, seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
To reserve a seat, you must fill out the registration form
Download the event agenda for all information
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- Human Frontier Science Program - Research Grants
The Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) promotes international collaboration in basic research innovative research focused on understanding fundamental biological problems. HFSP research grants emphasize new and interdisciplinary approaches even across national borders. This entails high-risk research, including strategies to mitigate it.
HFSP provides two types of grants:
- Research grant - Early career in which all team members must lead a research group (however small) and hold a doctoral degree. In addition, they must be able to initiate and direct their own independent lines of research.
- Research grant - Program is awarded to groups of independent researchers at any stage of their careers who intend to develop new lines of research through collaboration.
Both types of grants provide three-year support to research teams consisting of 2 to 4 members. Grants are provided in the form of fixed amounts that depend on the size of the group.
The grant covers costs specifically related to the project including salaries or stipends for research assistants (postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, technicians) essential to the new collaborative project. However, the grant does not allow for covering the costs of the Principal Applicant's or Co-Applicant's stpendio.
For applications, you will need to submit a letter of intent by March 30, 2023 for which you will need to request an ID number by March 21, 2023. The Principal Applicant will be notified by early July if the team will be invited to submit a full proposal.
For more information regarding the criteria for consortium composition, eligibility criteria, and the proposal submission and selection process, please refer to the call page.
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- Call Research-in-Residence Fellowships - University of Passau
The University of Passau (Germany) is promoting the following funding opportunity: Research-in-Residence Fellowships at the Passau International Centre for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Passau/Germany in 2023 and 2024.
The program invites talented young researchers at the post-doctoral level and internationally established researchers who are engaged inresearch in the humanities, social sciences, economics, law, Computer science, and Mathematics and who want to advance their excellent and innovative research ideas through interdisciplinary scientific activities under the supervision of a member of the University of Passau. Although the opportunity to apply is open to all fields of research, priority will be given to the strategic themes of the University:
- Europe and Global Transformation;
- Migration, Sustainable Development and Just Order;
- Digitalization, Networked Society and (Internet) Cultures.
The main goals of the program are to create a free workspace, support joint research projects, improve early-career training, and promote interaction between fellows and local researchers.
The mobility program funds full-time research fellowships for short-term stays from two months to six months.
Further details on the eligibility criteria, selection process and funding are available on the dedicated webpage.
The deadline for submitting applications is March 15 for 2023 fellowships and October 17 for 2024 fellowships. To apply, you must email your application to: picais-office@uni-passau.de
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- National Info Days - Horizon Europe Week 2023
APRE in agreement with the MUR has organized the Horizon Europe Week, which will take place online from January 23 to 27. The various sessions will be dedicated to 'explore, from a more practical and operational point of view, the individual topics and funding opportunities available to Italian researchers and innovators throughout the new year, based on the Work Programmes 2023-2024, to increase the chances of success in participating in the 2023 calls. During the sessions dedicated to individual Clusters, the new EU Missions calls and European Partnerships will also be discussed, while a specific session will be dedicated to the Institutionalized Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) Partnership to present the first calls and all peculiarities related to them.
You can see the program for the entire week here.
Participation in the events is free of charge and open to all interested stakeholders, after registration at this link.
In addition, below is the agenda of the last Info days and Brokerage events organized by the European Commission scheduled for January:
These events offer proposers a unique opportunity to obtain up-to-date information, engage in discussions on new project ideas and achievements, facilitate partnership building, and strengthen as well as extend their international and cross-sectoral network.
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- Publication Work Programmes 2023-2024
All Work Programmes for the two-year period 2023-2024 related to the Horizon Europe Framework Program for Research and Innovation have been officially published. The Work Programmes are the most important documents for discovering the funding opportunities offered in Horizon Europe. In each one, all the calls for proposals planned for the next biennium are presented, specifying their outcomes, available budget, deadlines and how to participate. The Work Programs are freely available in this section of the European Union Funding&Tenders portal and are also always available on the Elly Proform platform - accessible here.
Furthermore, of particular interest to SSH disciplines, it is informed that the Work Programs 2023-2024 of the CERV programs and JUSTICE in which applicants are provided with detailed information on the policy areas that the EU will fund in the next two years. They too are available on the Funding&Tenders portal and the Elly Proform platform.
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- Call EU-FORA 2023-2024 (EUBA-EFSA-2022-ENREL-02) and event "Funding opportunities in the EFSA 2023 Workplan"
On November 8, EFSA published the new Call EU-FORA 2023-2024 (EUBA-EFSA-2022-ENREL-02).
The goal is to strengthen the capacity for food risk assessment (including animal and plant health) and the knowledge community in Europe by promoting and coordinating the development of uniform methodologies in areas within EFSA's mission.
The EU-FORA program will provide a 12-month scholarship to professionals in the fields involved while intensifying cooperation between national food safety agencies and EFSA.
The deadline to apply is March 15, 2023 at 17:00 CET.
Below is some of the key information about the call:
- Project proposals must be submitted by a consortium of two organizations based in two different countries in the EU, Norway, or Iceland. One of the organizations will act as the sending organization, proposing a fellow to be trained under a work program offered by the other consortium partner, which will act as the hub and be responsible for training the fellow.
- The maximum project duration is 12 months from the date of the initial EU-FORA training, which usually takes place the first week of September.
- EFSA's contribution is a maximum of €55,000 per scholarship to support all costs of both the sending and host organizations.
For detailed information and to view related materials, please refer to site of EFSA and the text of the call.
In addition, on December 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EFSA is organizing an online event entitled: "Funding opportunities in the EFSA 2023 Workplan".
The first part of the event will focus on the administrative and financial aspects of partnership projects. The second part will provide a overview of areas where EFSA plans to launch calls for grants in 2023 as well as the mechanism through which interested parties can engage with EFSA will be explained.
Participation in the event is free after registering here by December 4. At the same link you can view the agenda and all detailed information about the event.
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- MSCA Staff Exchanges 2022 call
The new MSCA Staff Exchanges 2022 call (HORIZON-MSCA-2022-SE-01) is officially open, whose goal is to provide support for joint research and innovation (R&I) projects through staff exchanges within partnerships between universities, research infrastructures, businesses and other socioeconomic actors in Europe and beyond, thereby strengthening cross-sectoral and international collaboration.
The deadline to apply is March 8, 2023 at 17:00 CET.
Below is some of the key information regarding the call:
- Applications must be submitted by a consortium comprising at least three independent legal entities in three different countries, two of which are based in a different EU member state or in a country associated with Horizon Europe.
- The maximum duration of the project is 48 months from the start date established in the Grant Agreement.
- The total EU contribution for MSCA staff exchanges amounts to a maximum of 360 person-months per project.
For detailed information please refer to the MSCA Work Programme 21-22, in particular p. 35 for the call and p. 94 for its specific conditions. In addition, the call is also available through the Funding and Tenders.
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- Info day PRIMA 2023 calls
On February 1 at 11:30 a.m., an online information event related to PRIMA 2023 calls is scheduled, organized by the Ministry of University and Research together with the Italian Secretariat of PRIMA and in collaboration with APRE.
The PRIMA program aims to strengthen capacities in R&I and develop joint innovative solutions in water supply and food systems in the Mediterranean region, improving their efficiency, to make them more resilient, efficient and sustainable. There are three thematic areas: water supply; agricultural systems; and agrifood supply. They are complemented by actions addressed to the WATER ENERGY FOOD ECOSYSTEMS (WEFE) NEXUS.
Following the publication of the preliminary version of the FIRST Annual Work Plan 2023, European design experts will present the calls contained therein for the year 2023. They will also explain the methods and process for preparing project proposals within Section 2 (nationally funded).
The event is open to all interested persons, upon registration here.
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- NGI Enrichers - PAIRED TEAMS Call
As part of the European project NGI Enrichers - Next Generation Internet Transatlantic Fellowship Program, the first "PAIRED TEAMS call" has been launched to support researchers and innovators, both with technical backgrounds and in the humanities, social sciences and multidisciplinary fields, working on the development of the Next Generation Internet and related technologies.
The first "PAIRED TEAMS call" will select up to 12 applicants to fund 3- to 6-month expeditions to the United States or Canada to foster long-term collaborations with host organizations on NGI-themed technologies and services while enhancing knowledge sharing. The funding is intended to cover travel, subsistence (EUR 3,800 for each full month of stay) and visa expenses for visiting fellows from Europe of both the winning fellows and their hosts. During their time abroad, the selected fellows will participate in bootcamps and coaching with mentors, increase their visibility, help build collaboration, and more!
The call deadline is January 31, 2023.
To participate in the Paired Teams call, you must identify a U.S. or Canadian host organization willing to establish a research or innovation collaboration on NGI-related topics and then submit a project proposal in accordance with the guidelines published here. All information is available here.
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The New European Bauhaus (NEB) is a creative and interdisciplinary initiative launched in January 2021 that aims to connect the European Green Deal to everyday living spaces and experiences with the goal of imagining and building a sustainable and inclusive future together. Seven Horizon Europe calls are dedicated to this initiative while nineteen others call for creating synergies with the communities created by the New European Bauhaus.
List of 2023-2024 NEB calls in Horizon Europe
To fully understand the logic and mission of this initiative, APRE is organizing an online information session on January 19, 2023 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. for researchers from Member Institutions (including UNIPR) with the aim of providing the public with valuable and useful information on how to properly respond to the calls and include the most appropriate measures within their project proposal. It is possible to register for the event at this link.
Relator of the event will be Erminia Sciacchitano (Ministry of Culture - MIC), New European Bauhaus National Contact Point for Italy and former Policy Officer "Culture - Heritage, Economy of Culture" for DG Education and Culture of the European Commission, who will tell about the New European Bauhaus with the experience and knowledge of those who have seen the initiative come to life.
