The main goal of MSCA-IF grants is to develop the careers of experienced scientists through the implementation of an individual research project in a selected institution in Europe or abroad, as well as through participation in a number of training sessions and conferences. Although it is the interested scientist who proposes the topic of an individually run project (bottom-up approach), the role played by the host university or research institute in the whole process is equally important.
The project application is always prepared in consultation with the host institution, which becomes the direct beneficiary of the grant and the coordinator responsible for its implementation as well as the employment of the researcher with whom the project was submitted. That is why a proactive approach of the scientific institution is so important, particularly at the stage of proposal submission. Due to the fact that only 17% of applications from Poland submitted in 2014-2019 had a real chance of receiving funding under MSCA-IF, and in 2019 the success rate for our country was 4,29% (the average success rate is 15,75%), it is worth considering what actions can be taken by Polish scientific institutions to increase their chances in the currently open call.
MSCA IF grants – benefits for institutions
There is no doubt that applying for an MSCA-IF grant usually requires an involvement from the host institution’s side. However, it should be underlined that receiving this grant brings many tangible benefits to the organization hosting the scholarship holder. Apart from the enhancement of the international profile of the scientific institution, it also means greater prestige and numerous financial benefits, including the possibility of hiring an externally financed researcher, as well as increasing the institution’s budget by additional funds from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (called Premia na Horyzoncie). What is more, obtaining a MSCA-IF grant often provides institution with a greater recognition in the international academic community, a more extensive network of scientific contacts or an increase in the number of publications in international journals for which parametric evaluation points are awarded (it has an indirect impact on the category of scientific institution). It is also worth mentioning that thanks to experience in the implementation of the prestigious project, MSCA fellows have a bigger chance of receiving grants from the European Scientific Council (ERC) at a later time.
Institutional strategy and the chances of receiving funds
If an organization is interested in the implementation of MSCA individual grant as a host institution, it is worth to express this intention in an appropriate manner. One of the possible ways to do this is to prepare the expression of interest and its dissemination, e.g. by publishing it on a website. Before publishing the announcement on the website, the key is to define both the profile of the institution and the profile of the candidate who would be hosted with MSCA-IF grant by interested scientific institution. First of all, one should wonder about the extent to which our institution is “attractive” for coming researcher and what we can offer him or her. In other words, the institution has to describe its offer concerning additional trainings for grant beneficiaries or short study visits at the institution’s expense, i.e. all activities supporting the development of the scientific career. In addition, from the foreign researcher’s perspective the possibilities of receiving extra funding (besides the MSCA grant) are fundamental, especially after its termination. Therefore, supporting activities in applying for research projects in the country (NCN, NAWA, FNP) and abroad (e.g. in the framework program) are important. It is also crucial to ensure the researcher about the support that the institution offers in the preparation of the proposal itself, especially in such areas as:
- cross-cutting issues, i.e. gender equality, RRI, ethics
- workshops/ trainings (including presentation of research results, open science, entrepreneurship, research team management, methodological training)
- results (dissemination, exploitation, communication, outreach of research results)
- management (access to infrastructure, resources; ensuring interdisciplinarity; creating a career development strategy; research timeline; description of potential problems (risk management); administrative and organizational support.
Secondly, it is equally important to match the candidate’s profile to the profile of the academic supervisor and the host institution – the closer cooperation between the scientist, the academic supervisor and the institution, the greater chance of receiving a grant under the MSCA-IF program. Therefore, in addition to the convergence of the scientific field or research topic of the scientific supervisor, in particular, attention should be paid to:
- research experience and personal skills competence of the applicant,
- scientific originality of the project (including interdisciplinarity and innovation),
- development of the beneficiary’s scientific career path.
Expression of interest – where to post it?
In addition to announcement on organization’s website, institutions can also look for partners / candidates or post their expression of interest on specially dedicated websites, including:
- EC: Funding & tender opportunities Portal Partner Search
- EC: Euraxess (partnering)
- Net4MobilityPlus (Net4M+): MSCA Expressions of Interests (EOI)
One of the expression of interest’s example can be found here.
Certainly, valuable tips on the preparation of the application, as well as on the implementation of the project itself, can be also provided by the Institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), which have previously hosted or currently host MSCA-IF scholarship holders:
- Center for Theoretical Physic PAS: GalaxyDance project and N-MuQuaS project
- Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center PAS: Super-DENSE project and BHmapping project
- Institute of Philosophy and Sociology PAS: PrinTeam project
- Instiute of Mathematics PAS: GEOGRAL project
- Mossakowski Medical Research Centre PAS: Proteasome in cancer project
Contact details and useful links
All institutions interested in applying under the current MSCA-IF call are encouraged to contact the experts of the National Contact Point who will be delighted to answer your questions. Contact details are available here.
More information will be given during the Net4Mobility+ webinar, taking place on 2nd June 2020 or on the websites listed below:
- EC website on MSCA
- N4M+ project: handbook, statistics, success stories
- Poland in MSCA: Country Profile
- Marie Curie Alumni Association
- MSCA Self Assessment tool
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Published: 2020-05-22, updated: 2020-06-11
Author: J. Kramarczyk
