European Framework Programme

Marie Curie Individual Research Fellowships                                                                           Marie Curie logo

The call for Marie Curie Fellowships opened 14th March 2013 and will close on 14th August 2013  

                                 
http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions

Marie Curie Research Fellowships are for postdoctoral research. They enable high-achieving researchers of any nationality and field to carry out an innovative project in a European research lab or centre, developing their skills and international networks.

Keele University welcomes hearing from any researcher interested to apply with us for a Fellowship. The University has a long history of success in this programme and we will use our experience to guide and support each researcher throughout the application process. Keele is a vibrant, forward-looking University in which different disciplines work closely together, and academics collaborate with research teams worldwide. Marie Curie Fellows will be working alongside experienced academics who are leaders in their field.

Marie Curie Fellowships are one of the actions in the Marie Curie programme (otherwise known as ‘People’), which is part of the European Commission’s main research funding programme Framework Programme 7 (FP7).  Marie Curie contributes to making Europe a strong and high-quality research area by supporting transnational and cross-sector mobility, providing attractive employment and training opportunities, and equipping researchers with the skills that they need for the modern economy.

Common features

Individual researchers must apply in conjunction with their host institution

  • Mobility is central to the Fellowships – researchers need to move from one country to another
  • Duration: Last between 12 and 24 months. Researchers coming into Europe from certain non-European countries or moving outside Europe can extend their Fellowship for up to 12 months
  • Activity: Researchers carry out an innovative and multi-disciplinary research project at their host institution. This project forms part of the application
  • Funding: Researchers receive an attractive salary and travel allowance, with additional funding for their host to cover project costs and overheads
  • Field: All research fields can apply and have an equal chance of funding

There are three types of individual fellowship

  • Intra-European Fellowship for Career Development (IEF) – for researchers moving from one European country to another with the aim of gaining new skills or experience in other sectors, helping them in advance in their career
  • International Incoming Fellowship (IIF) – for top-class researchers arriving in Europe from a non-European country, looking to exchange their knowledge and to develop long-term relationships for research
  • International Outgoing Fellowship (IOF) – for researchers from Europe to spend time working outside Europe, to gain new knowledge from a high-level organisation that they then transfer back to Europe

Researchers based in Europe can also apply if they are returning to research after a break in their career

Eligibility

Researchers need to have a PhD or at least 4 full-time years of experience carrying out research by the deadline for submission

  • Moving from one European country to another: not have spent more than 12 months in the last 3 years living and working in the UK (not including holidays and national service). Researchers wanting to re-start their career cannot have been active in research for more than 3 years in the last 5 years
  • Moving into Europe from outside Europe: not have spent more than 12 months in the last 3 years living and working in the UK (not including holidays and national service)
  • Moving from a European country to a third country: be nationals of a European country or have lived and worked in Europe for 5 or more years

Application process

Writing the application can be a confusing process. The University has a strong track record of success in this programme and will guide and support researchers through all stages of their application, helping  

  1. Researchers interested to apply should contact Keele University’s European Research Funding Officer Katherine Shepherd at k.e.shepherd@keele.ac.uk explaining their interest and attaching a current CV. Katherine can also answer any questions
  2. Support staff will work with researchers to understand their needs and decide how the University can accommodate these. Where a Fellowship is available, researchers will be allocated a dedicated and suitably experienced researcher to supervise them in the project and application, and who will help in designing an interesting project
  3. Application documents are available at the Participant Portal. Researchers and hosts should read carefully the Work Programme and Guide for Applicants before writing their application, and visit the official Marie Curie website. Examples of successful applications and a help-sheet are available
  4. Submission is online and consists of two parts – A (administrative) and B (main proposal). Researchers will need to create an account at the European Commission’s Authentication Service (ECAS). University staff can then complete the Part A documents   

CALL DEADLINE 14 AUGUST 2013, 4PM GMT

Indicative funding

  •  Living allowance*
    • Researcher with less than 10 years of experience (€58,000)
    • Researcher with more than 10 years of experience (€87,500)
  • Mobility Allowance*
    • Researcher with family (€1,000)
    • Researcher without family (€800)
  • Contribution to training expenses (€800 per month for the host)
  • Overheads (€700 per month for the host)*

*Adjusted by UK correction factor 134.4  

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