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"""Marie Curie Actions in Horizon 2020: regional and international impact"""

Final Report Summary - MC2020 (Marie Curie Actions in Horizon 2020: regional and international impact)

Executive Summary:

The aim of the project was to inform the audience on the future of Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions under Horizon 2020 and how its implementation will contribute to the Europe 2020 objectives. The aim was achieved through the organisation of an international conference on Marie Curie Actions under the Cyprus EU Presidency 2012. The University of Cyprus as the sole beneficiary started implementing the project from June 2012 by organising meetings with stakeholders and developing the content of the conference. The conference took place on 5 and 6 November 2012 in Nicosia and attracted about 300 participants. The international and global impact of Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions was a key element during the discussion but mainly participants discussed the future of Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions under the Horizon 2020. Speakers from European Commission, Marie Curie Fellows, lobby groups and policy makers had the opportunity to debate on the future of Marie Curie actions and to prepare conclusions that were then directed to European Commission and European Parliament.

Regional challenges and especially that of Euro-Mediterranean collaboration with research topics relevant to the regional priorities were also discussed with participants from the Mediterranean region. Water management, climate change, cultural heritage as well as innovation and entrepreneurship were addressed. In addition, the issues of infrastructure and capacities of small EU states were part of the programme and attracted a lot of interest from small member states.

Project Context and Objectives:

The proposed conference covered a wide spectrum of all aspects and challenges regarding researchers mobility implemented by the Marie Curie Actions. Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions aim to promote research as an attractive career option through attractive salaries, good working conditions and competitive career development opportunities. For this reason, the quality of mobility is directly linked to the quality of research.

The conference aimed to serve as a forum where ideas were exchanged, solutions to current problems were proposed and discussed while issues such as quality in mobility, mobility infrastructures, the liaison between industry – academia for the promotion of innovation. Scholars' future career opportunities in research provided the basis for an in-depth discussion.

The conference was comprised of three main parts:
a. A structured session with discussion involving high level stakeholders and policy makers on the link between Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions within Horizon 2020 and the objectives of Europe 2020 strategy.
b. Two parallel sessions on regional and international impact of Marie Curie Actions as well as two sessions on the link between human potential and small states research infrastructures and on the quality of mobility. Finally two open sessions on capacity building projects for Marie Curie facilitated the discussions on assisting young researchers in embarking their career.
c. Award Ceremony for the Marie Curie Prizes.

All areas covered in the project context helped towards a more effective coordination of high quality research in the following manner:
- They encouraged an in -depth discussion on the future of mobility programmes linking them directly with the strategic/political priorities of Europe
- They brought together researchers coming from different scientific fields gathered in a two days conference with the distinct aimed to discuss common challenges and seek solutions
- They acknowledged and rewarded high quality research implemented through mobility with the Marie Curie Prizes
- They provided ground for networking of researchers
- They explored networking in the Euro-Mediterranean region and beyond

Project Results:
On 5 and 6 November 2012 more than 200 researchers, policy makers and representatives of stakeholder organisations participated at the conference "Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions in Horizon 2020: regional and international impact" at the University of Cyprus in Nicosia. The aim of the event was to discuss current and future EU funding for mobility, training and career development of researchers. The conference took stock of some excellent results achieved so far by the Marie Curie Actions and provided the opportunity for participating researchers to give direct feedback to the European Commission. This input will be taken into account in the design of the future Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions in Horizon 2020, the next EU framework programme for research and innovation from 2014 to 2020. During an award ceremony, Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou presented the first Marie Curie Prize to the winners in the categories Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Dr Sarit Sivan), Communicating Science (Dr Claire Belcher) and Promising Research Talent (Dr Gkikas Magiorkinis).

In particular, researchers supported the simplification efforts for the future actions and a further reduction of the administrative burden. Plenary sessions provided stakeholder organisations the opportunity to give their point of view on current issues and future development of the MarieSklodowska Curie Actions. For instance, representatives of CERN and Ireland highlighted the structural impact of Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions on large research organisations and national research funding systems. There was a general consensus that funding for the training and mobility of young researchers is of uttermost importance for the future of Europe. This support should be seen in the long-term perspective and as investment to ensure the welfare of European citizens. Some stakeholders stressed the importance of investigator- and curiosity-driven research, while others called for a policy-driven agenda, including aspects like the strong involvement of the private sector in the training of researchers, inter-sectorial exchanges, gender balance and a firm application of the principles of Charter and Code. In order to achieve policy goals, it was suggested to work in the future rather with incentives instead of strict rules. Another topic that was dealt with during the conference was the importance of adequate research infrastructures for small EU member states in order to be able to attract and retain top scientific talents, and in particular possible synergies between the structural funds and the Marie Curie COFUND Action in this respect. Moreover, stakeholders from the research community (e.g. LERU, ISE) recognised the Commission's efforts to involve them in the design of the future Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions in Horizon 2020, calling for an even more intensive dialogue in the future.

The most important conclusion of the Marie Curie conference was the request for an increased budget for the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions in Horizon 2020. Participants asked the EC to strengthen its support for young researchers in order to create a strong ground for research talent in which excellence can flourish.

More specifically for each topic discussion, the summary of results is presented below:
Plenary Session I , "How Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions in Horizon 2020 can contribute to the Europe 2020 objectives"
Moderator: Georgios Markopouliotis, Head, European Commission Representation in Cyprus
Panel
- Cees Vis, Advisor, Bureau of European Policy Advisers, European Commission
- Martin Hynes, Chief Executive of the European Science Foundation
- Jennifer Brennan, Marie Curie National Contact Point, Irish Universities Association
- Ludovic Garattini, Representative of the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers

Mr Markopouliotis introduced the Plenary Session by mentioning the following:
Europe 2020 is the European Union's ten-year growth strategy. It is about more than just overcoming the crisis which continues to afflict many of our economies. It is about addressing the shortcomings of our growth model and creating the conditions for a different type of growth that is smarter, more sustainable and more inclusive.

Five key targets have been set for the EU to achieve by the end of the decade:
Employment: 75% of the 20-64 year-olds to be employed
Education: Reducing school drop-out rates below 10% and at least 40% of 30-34–year-olds completing third level education
Research and innovation: 3% of the EU's GDP to be invested in R&D
Social inclusion and poverty reduction: at least 20 million fewer people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion
Climate/energy: greenhouse gas emissions 20% (or even 30%, if the conditions are right) lower than 1990, 20% of energy from renewable, 20% increases in energy efficiency

Europe 2020 strategy has identified and addressed 7 flagship initiatives. These are:
- Digital agenda for Europe
- Innovation Union
- Youth on the move
- Resource efficient Europe
- An industrial policy for the globalization era
- An agenda for new skills and jobs
- European platform against poverty

First presenter was Mr Cess Vis. He presented Europe 2020 in relation to 2020. The European Union needs a clear vision on where EU needs to go and identify a concrete path on how to get there. He mentioned that in order for EU to get out of the crisis a comprehensive approach is needed, structural reforms need to be made and also targeted financial investment at EU and national level What has already been agreed .needs to continue to be implemented. Under Europe 2020 new political goals need to be achieved such as stability, prosperity and growth. The EU needs sustainable, smart and inclusive growth for the next years to come. The HORIZON 2020 strategy is rebuilding Europe's vision regarding Europe's market share, innovation o how to conduct business and create new jobs as well as reinventing industrial basis. What needs to be done is to give emphasis to people. This is the importance of the Marie Curie Sklodowska Actions that gives to researcher's opportunities for creative projects, mobility abroad, inspiring environments and mobility between disciplines. The next few months are crucial for the decision to be taken for the final envelope of the European budget for the next years to come especially due to the fact that some states request a reduction of the budget. There should a decision for an investment budget to support the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy with an added value of achieving prosperity and stability in Europe.

Second presenter was Martin Hynes. The new European strategy must stimulate young people to embark on research careers and be able to provide them with world class training. And have the mechanisms to attract world class researchers to Europe but also activate future employers of all sectors (promote researcher's mobility). Transnational mobility opens up new horizons for researchers.

To encourage their movement across borders, Marie Curie Actions offer additional funding to existing or new regional and national fellowship programmes for research training and career development. This COFUND scheme can also support and strengthen existing and new international programmes.

The MCS Actions can act as a tool to modernize doctoral education and to enhance mobility during early career. There is potential for technology transfer which has only been demonstrated, it needs a lot to be exploited.

Third presenter was Jennifer Brennan. She talked about how Marie Curie influenced the research in Ireland and how the country proceeded to systemic changes. In Ireland there was an open research system, but recruitment was not open and transparent. The Marie Curie actions provided significant improvements in the career plans and quality of researchers. Regarding the EU flagship initiatives she raised the question as to whether the 80 billion budget proposed for HORIZON 2020 will be kept or be reduced to 65 billion, out of which 5.75 billion will be allocated to MSCA actions that represent a drop from the 9.4 % of Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) budget to 7.8% in H2020. The first calls in H2020 could have a lower budget than the last calls of Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

The fourth presenter was Ludovic Garattini. He presented the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers Eurodoc and said that Member states must have the strategies in place to train enough researchers in order to meet their national research and development strategies. In order to be competitive the number of researchers must be increased but also improve the training for the researchers. What exists now is the European Charter for Researchers and code of conduct for the recruitment of researchers. These provide transparency in recruitment, contracts for all researchers, attractive working conditions and encourage mobility. The "Human Resources Strategy for Researchers" is a tool that helps employers and funders to put the principles of the Charter and Code into practice The "Human Resources Strategy for Researchers", HRS4R supports research institutions and funding organisations in the implementation of the Charter and Code in their policies and practices. The concrete implementation of the Charter and Code by research institutions will render them more attractive to researchers looking for a new employer or for a host for their research project. Funding organisations implementing the Charter and Code principles will contribute to the attractiveness of their national research systems and to the attractiveness of the European Research Area more generally. The logo "HR Excellence in Research" will identify the institutions and organisations as providers and supporters of a stimulating and favourable working environment. What the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers wants are competitiveness, productivity, attractiveness and influence. To achieve this, the European Charter and Code of Conduct for the recruitment of researchers, need to be implemented (from state regulations to institutions) and through HORIZON 2020. European institutions need to be encouraged to participate in HRS4R.

During the questions
Question 1: What we researchers can do to influence our member states in relation to research and allocation of budget?
Cees Vis: Although research ministers already know and are convinced about the importance of research they are not always in a position to influence while on a national government with different views. As the current situation is with the crisis the governments make budget cuts on education and research while concentrating on other issues. Researchers need to pass the message to the Prime Minister directly.
Martin Hynes: Researchers need to talk to industry associations to invest on research since research can create jobs. Faith needs to be reengaged.
Jennifer Brennan: Researchers must try to convince the Members of their Parliament.
Question 2: Is the Charter and Code going to be recommended or a must for research organizations under HORIZON 2020?
Ludovic Garattini: So far it is only recommended
Martin Hynes: Although an important mechanism it is only recommended.
Cees Vis: No decision taken yet.
Question no 3: Under the previous framework programmes there was a lot of bureaucracy in the preparation, submission and management of the projects. Will things be made simpler?
Cees Vis: The EU has taken into account these comments and expenditure and administration of projects will be made better if not simpler without the EU loosing the control. There will be balance between trust and accountability. On the 29th October 2012 there was a press release for the new financial regulations for the calls of Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) in 2013 (more simper forms)
Jennifer Brennan mentioned that bureaucracy depends also on the size of the projects/.
Question no 4: Will researchers in the future be able to realise their ideas or other factors will stop them?
Jennifer Brennan: There will be no shift due to society challenges; there will still be focus on mobility and training
Martin Hynes: still focusing on the mobility of researchers
Ludovic Garattini: it is true that some disciplines are now not taken into account for research work such as the area of humanities
Cees Vis: There is need for structural reforms. Researchers want to see research everywhere but there are obstacles. The desire is there but is not always possible.
Martin Hynes: We need to see where researchers end up after their academic career. What do they actually do afterwards?

The use of structural funds will be allowed in the future MCSA with the COFUND mechanism. Under the ERASMUS FOR ALL programmes the use of structural funds will be allowed in any Erasmus 2020 project as long as the item covered is not the same.

Session II: Strengthening the Excellence of Human Potential in Research in small EU member states
The Session was moderated by Juanito Camilleri the Rector of the University of Malta in accordance within the procedural guidelines set out by the conference organisers.
The session was addressed by three panelists, namely:
- Philippe Froissard, Deputy Head of Unit Research Infrastructures, DG RTD;
- Constantinos Christofides, Rector, University of Cyprus President, EU Universities of Small States Association;
- Milos Sifalda, from the South Moravian Centre for International Mobility, Czech Republic

These were invited by the moderator to address the following questions amongst others:
Should small EU states aspire to build world-class research infrastructures? Or is this simply capricious?
Why should the EU support its small states to build research infrastructures rather than consolidate its investment in the larger EU states where research has a long established tradition and where the research effort is in proximity to big industry?
Are small EU states at a disadvantage in their aspiration to build research groups of excellence and to participate equitably in researcher mobility programmes?
Given that most universities of small EU states still lack appropriate research infrastructures, how can the EU be made more conscious of the needs of these Universities? Isn't ignoring their plight tantamount to reducing their respective countries to peripheral and second-tier economies of the EU?
Shouldn't each small EU state have at least one seriously funded and world-class Research University, even if there are other tertiary institutions which are focused on teaching?
How can EU programmes aimed at augmenting Research and Innovation, at enhancing mobility of researchers, and at increasing collaboration between academia and industry (including small and medium-sized entreprises (SME)s) be adjusted or refined to enhance the capacity of Universities of small states of Europe to participate more fully and more equitably in such programmes?
The panelists were given circa 15 minutes each and then the discussion was opened to the floor.

Philippe Froissard gave a brief outline of the investment being made on research infrastructures. He explained the scope of ESFRI - the European Research Forum for Research Infrastructure and emphasised the need for all countries to compile a submit a roadmap for research infrastructures.

He stated that small states should make use of structure funds in order to build research infrastructures although he admitted that governments particularly in small states tend to invest such funds in initiatives that address immediate needs.

He also stated that small states may also play a very important role in the neighbourhood strategy of the European Union. For example, Cyprus and Malta can aspire to build research infrastructures to serve the Euro-Mediterranean area.

Constantinos Christofides described the scope of the European Union Universities of Small States Association and made the following points:

-The universities of the small states of the EU have not had the opportunity to build their research infrastructures in the first five Framework Programmes like the universities of the original larger EU states.
-The universities of the small states of the EU need a one-time injection of funds in order to build their research infrastructures, otherwise they cannot compete and participate equitably in EU programmes.
-The universities of small states of the EU are further disadvantaged as they do not have big industry in their proximity and thus private investment in their research effort is limited.
-Care must be taken to ensure that mobility programmes within the EU do not end up promoting a brain-drain from the smaller peripheral states to larger states.
-The universities of small states of the EU cannot hope to build research groups of excellence or to attract and retain world-class research talent unless they have the appropriate research infrastructures. There is no point in being invited to participate in programmes and to compete when not all states and their respective universities are starting from a common starting-point.
-The EU should realise that it is of strategic importance that it provides one-time funds to allow universities of small states to catch up with their counterparts in larger states and to build their capacity to participate more equitably and effectively in EU researcher mobility and RTDI programmes.

Finally Milos Sifalda made his intervention. He described the success of his region to attract research companies and to build an effective research infrastructure close to industry. He emphasised the importance of investment by regional and national Governments to complement the funding instruments provided by various EU programmes.

When the panelists finished their interventions the discussion was opened to the floor with the following question from the moderator.

How can EU programmes aimed:
-at augmenting Research and Innovation,
-at enhancing mobility of researchers, and
-at increasing collaboration between academia and industry (particularly small and medium-sized entreprises (SME)s)
-be adjusted or refined to enhance the capacity of Universities of small states of Europe to participate more fully and more equitably in such programmes?

In the discussion that followed the following points were made:
The EU should encourage national governments in small states to dedicate a significant portion of their structure funds to build appropriate research infrastructures. The EU ought to allow Marie Curie funds and other funds under Horizon 2020 to be complemented with Structure funds - this will no doubt help smaller states particularly those with constraints on national budgets. There is a direct correlation between national spending on R&D and incoming researchers attracted to a country. Therefore, there is a real danger that countries which are not investing enough in R&D will end up suffering a brain drain as incoming researchers cannot be attracted without the right environment, facilities, and work/pension conditions. It is important for the EU to analyse which countries are not participating and benefiting enough from their research and mobility programmes and to take corrective action by adjusting their programmes to be more accessible and equitable. Once again, countries cannot participate unless they have the basic research infrastructure and facilities to do so. It is not clear which financing instruments other than structural funds can be used to build the research facilities in small states of the EU. Particularly because of the current financial situation prevalent in most countries, specific one-time allocations under Horizon 2020 or under Regional Development Programmes should be ring-fenced to allow universities in small states to build their research capacity, as otherwise these will not be in a position to participate and contribute equitably to the success of the various EU programmes. The importance of promoting collaboration between small and medium-sized entreprises (SME)s and universities was highlighted.

The broadening of the scope of disciplines covered by Horizon 2020 to include disciplines such as archeology, the creative industries, services industry, and the humanities was also brought up as such disciplines may be more relevant to smaller states.

Session A: How Marie Curie Actions contribute to solving societal challenges faced by regions in Europe

Moderator: M. Scalisi, Executive Director, Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED)

Mr Scalisi mentioned that this session could help us in solving problems through research, especially in the Mediterranean. The three speakers presented their projects emphasizing the role of research activity in solving challenges the societies face.

More particularly:
(a) Ms Corsi presented the research project "Radiography of the past. Integrated non-constructive approaches to understand and valorize complex archaeological sites"
(b) Mr Zachariades presented the research project "Assessment of Economic Impacts of Climate Change in Cyprus"
(c) Mr Waldmann presented the research project "Gas Seeps and Submarine Slides in the Eastern Mediterranean: Toward Comprehensive Geohazard Prevention".

There were a couple of questions to Mr Zachariades regarding clarifications on the findings of his research.

Mr Scalisi asked the three speakers what their experiences were through the Marie Curie fellowship and what obstacles they faced. The speakers said that the whole experience enhanced their knowledge on the specific area of research and they had the opportunity to learn new things (eg. how to handle financial issues). They also had flexibility and mobility gave them new opportunities, they participated in conferences, found new partners and acquired new skills useful for their career. They suggested that researchers should not be discouraged with any management difficulties or workload they may face since the benefits are many. In his closing remark Mr Scalisi mentioned that the mobility of researchers is very important. The ERASMUS For All Programme as well a mobility programme especially for the Mediterranean region, will promote mobility not only within the EU but also from the outside the EU. It will be beneficial not only for the Mediterranean region but for the whole Europe.

Parallel Session B: The international dimension of Marie-Curie Actions
Moderator: Melita Kovacevic, Chair, Council of Doctoral Education, European Universities Association

Ms Kovacevic introduced the subject saying that internationalization is one of the key features for both Higher Education institutions and for research itself. So, in order to have internationalization, mobility is in focus. Mobility can vary in terns of types, length and scope, i.e. it could take place within Europe but more and more it is becoming global and comprises of all the continents. In particular, when speaking of the international dimension of the Marie Curie (MC) Actions, we think of a more global type of mobility, with fellows going in and out of Europe to other geographical areas.

Marie Curie International Fellowships under the 7th RTD Framework Programme: an overview. Francois Willekens, Marie-Curie International Fellowships, Research Executive Agency, European Commission

Mr Wilekens started by pointing out that indeed, the International dimension is not within Europe but between the EU and third countries.

Then, he went on to present 3 schemes under the Action:
a) International Incoming Fellowships (IIF): the basic characteristic is MOBILITY (as is the characteristic in the MC in general) for experienced researchers moving from a Third Country to a member state. Objective: transfer of knowledge through mutual beneficial research cooperation
b) International Outgoing Fellowships (IOF): for experienced researchers moving from a member state or an associated country to a third country. Objective: Acquire new knowledge and after 1 year to transfer this new knowledge to their home institutions-avoid brain drain
c) International Research Staff Exchange IRSES -a new scheme open to all staff of a research organization (non-profit) Objective: exchange knowledge and built up lasting networks.

After the introduction of the 3 schemes, Mr Willekens presented some figures of the period 2007-2012 on: the number of applications, the available budget, the number of grants. By analyzing figures of incoming, outgoing and IRSES fellows in relations of their home and host countries, it is clear that there is a tendency of increasing both number of applicants and awarded fellowships. He concluded that all 3 schemes are enjoying a good reputation. He emphasized that MC fellowships are well recognized and appreciated both by institutions and researchers. MC actions are introducing new schemes and IRSES is a good example of a flexible new scheme that works really well and has found its place within the schemes.

Studies, Training, Socio-Economical Valorization and Management of Natural, Cultural and Monumental Property for the Promotion of the Local Societies of Latin America (Argentina, Brazil and Mexico), Jose-Luis Brianso, Professor, Universidad Autonoma de Bercelona-STRAVAL
Mr Brianso gave an extensive overview of the STRAVAL, its tasks and objectives as well as the institutions participating in it. It is an introduction of valorization, management and comprehensive recovery of identified sites and their environments in the associate universities of Latin America, by means of training courses, conferences, seminars, open days etc. it is an attempt to transfer the best practices, comparing among all the sites chosen for the project on the basis of concrete examples of good practices identified in the EU or Associated states.

Findings from a survey of Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) and Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) researchers who have been trained on the Marie Curie Actions at CERN, Seamus Hegarty, Talent Acquisition Group, HR Department, CERN. CERN itself is an international research hub in Europe.

Mr Hegarty mentioned the background on preparing the questionnaire and the methodology used. He presented the results of the questionnaire, which dealt with a big variety of relevant questions related to research training, learning process, training of additional skills such as language, transferable skills etc, career planning, employability etc.

The data showed very nicely the advantages of the system as well as they pointed to some weaknesses that would require additional attention.

The results revealed the impact of MC on:
Competencies acquired, independent thinking, scientific communication, job prospects in home country and abroad, first career move or if they moved into another position. The results were encouraging
Bearing in mind what has been said above, the conclusions are:
a) Positive impact on recruiters and on the structure of CERN
b) Researchers are a valuable additional resource
c) Very positive impact of Marie Curie Actions in Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) and Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)
d) on the recruited researchers as well as on CERN
e) Researchers are a valuable additional resource
f) Room for improvement
g) Increase complementary training uptake
h) Increase researcher Outreach activities
i) Improve recruitment geographical spread
j) Exciting programmes, prestige, looking forward to H2020!

Beneficial plant-microbe interaction, Majse Nafisi, Research Fellow, Harvard Medical School and University of Copenhagen

Ms Nafisi is an IOF. She gave an outline of her research work on the Endophyte Project in the context of the MC programme.

Ms Nafisi shared her experience as an IOF. She emphasized that the MC is a very good experience, and is a respected and well-known fellowship not only in the EU but outside. The MC gave her the opportunity to go to one of the leading institutions in molecular biology, enhanced her knowledge and skills and pushed her forward to develop an independent research profile, allowed her to make new collaborations and become part of an increased scientific network. The only problem is bureaucracy.

Concluding remarks given by the speakers:
Mr WIllekens: people investing in projects have positive results and the Programme acquires good reputation. The objective is to find excellent researchers and to support them
Mr Brianso: STRAVAL is a good framework for the cooperation between Europe and Latin America, and could also act as a framework for cooperation between other developed and developing countries of the EU and third countries. It is important to have more IRSES between North and South.
Mr Hegarty: referring to the comments of the Plenary, he emphasized that the distribution could vary from institution to institution, in particular CERN has significant prevalence of male researchers.
Ms Nafisi encouraged participants to apply.

Plenary Session III, "EU Funding for Research and Mobility under the researchers' scope"

06 November 2012, 09:30-11:30
SFC01, University of Cyprus Capmpus, Aglantzia, Nicosia

Moderator: Gregory Makrides, Director of Research and IR University of Cyprus, President of the European Association of ERASMUS Coordinators, Executive Director of the European Office of Cyprus

Panel

- Alessandra Luchetti, Head of Unit Marie Curie Actions, DG Education and Culture, European Commission
- Wolfgang Eppenschwandtner, Initiative for Science in Europe
- Maria-Antonietta Buccheri, Chair, Marie Curie Fellows Association
- Katrien Maes, League of European Universities

Main points raised:
What comes to one's mind when hearing about Marie Curie Actions?
New ideas, new research, new innovation, new jobs, networking, brain gain, brain circulation, employment, infrastructure development, growth, investment is PEOPLE's potential and thus, the potential will be given to make the whole of Europe a centre of excellence and when it becomes a centre of excellence we may see movement of more «employers-researchers» from outside Europe coming into Europe, investment and growth, and with the growth of new investors we may see the economic growth of the states of Europe. Consequently, we may see circulation of wealth and we may see a Europe as one real polyethnique big nation.

Highlight the importance of the Marie Curie Actions for strengthening the human potential in R&D in Europe and supporting the career development of researchers

Generally, Marie Curie Actions are synonymous to scientific excellence, innovation and mobility. These actions have at their core the human factor as the most important resource for carrying out research and thus, the actions are dedicated towards training and providing skills to the research community at all stages of their research career.

The bottom-up, international-interdisciplinary-intersectoral nature of these actions was emphasized in this session. Their bottom-up approach allows researchers to choose their field of investigation and "satisfy their curiosity". However, more than 50% of projects funded are the ones that deal with the world´s and especially Europe's "grand challenges" for instance, climate change and ageing population. MCAs are perceived as highly sensitive to gender issues having the highest percentage of female researchers. Further, the mobility dimension of the actions was emphasized as adding skills to researchers enhancing their career development and widening their horizons. MCAs are perceived as of high level quality and of great success within the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). They are the programmes that attempt to attract and involve the industrial sector since for example, in IAPPS, industry involvement is obligatory.

Identification of problems experienced by MC fellows
A presentation of the results of a study carried out among fellows to investigate their experience and problems faced during their fellowship and afterwards, were presented. This study was implemented by Marie Curie Fellows Association (MCFA) which is an association that brings together researchers who have been fellows of Marie Curie grants. From this study it was indicated that 90% of Fellows are in general really satisfied with these actions which they indicated that they have a positive impact on their careers.

However, some problems that researchers face while receiving an MCA grant and after the period of receiving the grant ends were enumerated. Those problems have to do with mobility as being detrimental to some researchers and especially in those situations that their universities do not perceive mobility as an opportunity but, rather as a threat of taking away from them their staff. There is also a lag of career perspectives, not uniformity of career structures, brain drain, taxes and pension funds issues, difficulties of balancing career and family life, difficulty of finding an employment afterwards, lag of awareness regarding possibilities of knowledge transfer and lag of involvement of all types of organizations.

Suggestions

- Create a Career Service for Marie Curie Fellows in order to raise awareness of current and potential employment opportunities
- Try to make the design of MCA simpler (having fewer instruments and not being so broadly divided)
- Deal with rigidity by making these actions more flexible (e.g. remove mandatory returns in outgoing fellowships, IPR issues, taxes and social security issues, allow participation of all kinds of organizations such as charity organizations, NGOS etc)
- Try to work with incentives in order to deal with restrictiveness and regulation
- Provide incentives to increase women participation (e.g. promote mobility early in their life, introduce quota of women in each research team funded by an EU grant, special grants only for women scientists, better schooling system services, better support for families, day care facilities in every host institution)
- Create a type of Council for Marie Curie Actions similar to ERC
- Provide incentives to increase the number of Universities that adopt the European Charter for researchers
- Increase in funding for frontier research (top talent)
- Train people to combine research and business skills means making Europe more effective at turning ideas into marketable innovations
- Enhance and strengthen the international cooperation dimension (MCAs must welcome more researchers of all nationalities as well as research organizations beyond the EU, cooperate with non-EU countries should be supported in terms of priority areas of strategic interest and instruments, create international networks of the highest order that make sure that the best research worldwide can flow into the EU, support research infrastructure by special grants to renovate the research infrastructures of the institutions that do have research merit).

MSCA in Horizon 2020
Within Horizon 2020, the aim of Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions is to achieve continuity from the current schemes while at the same time target for simplification. For instance, from the eight actions of the current MCAs only four actions will remain within HORIZON 2020. This was a result of merging some of the current actions, as was the case of the four individual actions of fellowship that have now become one. Negotiations will simplify, exchange of innovative staff will be reinforced and future actions will be more supportive to the industry sector. However, the issue of taxation is something that has to do with the national level. As far as gender issues are concerned more measures for facilitating work/life balance are evident such as parental leaves and incentives for women to restart their careers. The overall aim is to strengthen researcher mobility and development of attractive careers.

Nevertheless, the current proposed amount of the MSCA budget will drop in 2013 and 2014 within Horizon 2020. Many voices are heard towards the detrimental effects of this decrease in the budget due to the fact that these actions have been of the most successful within Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). A petition is running at the moment sending a strong message from researchers to the European Commission that research funding at European level needs to be strengthened including MSCAs.

Plenary Session IV: Quality in Mobility
Moderator: Associate Professor, Vasiliki Kassianidou, University of Cyprus

Panelists:
-Frederik Olsson-Hector, Research Executive Agency, European Commission
-Pierantonios Papazoglou, EURAXESS Service Network
-Arne Reich, European IPR Helpdesk

- Dr Frank Heemskerk, CEO Research and Innovation Management Services bvba was unable to attend the conference but he prepared a short text which was read out by the moderator.

Main points raised:
This session "Quality in mobility" aimed to discuss how the quality in mobility could be translated as the long-term impact of Marie Sklodowska Curie fellowships on researchers' careers. During this session, the panel identified issues, crucial to the improvement of the quality of MSCA and set out new policies. The session focused on how the quality in mobility could be evaluated and enhanced within the following four dimensions:
1. Intellectual property rights
2. Intersectoral mobility
3. Industry involvement
4. Gender aspects

Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)
First of all, IPRs do not concern issues related only to patents but, issues that are related to copyrights and authorship rights. The management of IPRs is a very important part of any successful project within the 7th Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration activities (Seventh Framework Programme (FP7)). Marie Curie Actions are not an exception and participants should take the time to understand relevant rules and establish an effective and tailored plan for the protection of research results and exploitation of IPRs arising within their projects.

Within the current Marie Curie Actions it was clarified that there are already established procedures on how to secure the IPRS. There is also a website that is dedicated in providing help at the European level regarding IPR issues where relevant information can be found. Provisions of IPR issues within MCAs are regulated within the consortium agreements where roles and responsibilities of each contracting partner can be and should be identified.

By their very own nature, MCA carry with them the issue of mobility and thus, they have to face important challenges in regard to protecting, managing and exploiting their IPRs. Researchers at all career stages should reap the benefits of the exploitation (if any) of their R&D results through legal protection and, in particular, through appropriate protection of Intellectual Property Rights, including copyrights. Even though, there is no unified IPR legislation.

Suggestions:
Policies and practices should specify what rights belong to researchers and/or, where applicable, to their employers or other parties, including external commercial or industrial organization and be provided under specific collaboration agreements or other types of agreement.

Inter-sectoral Mobility and Industry Involvement
Mobility was defined as a multidimensional concept since it is not only related to mobility in between countries but also mobility between sectors and industries. Mobility is all about transferring knowledge between research organizations and enterprises. In addition, Marie Curie Actions welcome researchers coming both from the public and private sectors.

A strong participation by enterprises, including small and medium-sized entreprises (SME)s, is considered a crucial added value for this programme. The enhancement of industry-academia cooperation in terms of research training, career development and knowledge sharing, taking into account the protection of intellectual property rights, is encouraged throughout. The emphasis on small and medium-sized entreprises (SME)s is evident from the fact that it accounts for more than 50% of all businesses participating in two of the Marie Curie Actions that receive around half of the budget of the programme: the Initial Training Networks (ITNs) and the Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPPs). These two actions support early-stage researcher training and research staff exchange between academia and industry.

Areas of Concern and Solutions
There is a difficulty from the part of the industries to acknowledge that in fact there is a link between the academic and the business world. This is extremely important for actions related to ITNs and IAPPS where industry involvement is of immense importance. In addition, there is a concern regarding how to make industries and academics understand the requirements of doctoral students in terms of carrying out simultaneously their job and research responsibilities.

One of the methods to deal with this "relationship" of academia-industry is to set up channels of communication and consultancy groups. The earlier and deeper involvement of the industry sector within the academic world is another facilitator of this relationship. For example, enterprises can be involved from the early stages of undergraduate degrees through the establishment of internships and placements of students to enterprises.

Another issue was the absence of information regarding the the necessary mobility skills and of the fact that it is often not clearly spelled out which are the skills that will be acquired during the training period. The latter can be resolved by setting up a training plan from an early stage of the fellowship. At the same time, there is the need of more direct and customized actions in terms of funding opportunities and related awareness. Other concerns include legal and administrative barriers, lag of staff exchange between academia and enterprises and not efficient and effective supervision skills.

Moreover, another issue raised was that academics attempt to become entrepreneurs but, without the required skills. An idea can only lead to innovation if it is successfully implemented thus, academics should have entrepreneurial skills in order to set up the right business model, to identify the needs of the market and target groups (who are the customers) and whether the market is ready to accept the "innovation" and, be knowledgeable of financial and risk management issues.

Stimulating an entrepreneurial, creative and innovative mind-set is a shared goal of education, training and research. Thus, inter-sectoral staff exchange schemes need to be established and are ideal to answer to the skills deficit concern. Further to this, another mechanism to deliver this to researchers is through excellent doctoral training.

Furthermore, incentives should be given to small and medium-sized entreprises (SME)s and to other organizations of the private sector in order to increase their involvement. small and medium-sized entreprises (SME)s through the innovation target will manage to grow and the general involvement of industry will create a labour market for researchers. The filling of patents and commercialization of new technologies especially, in the academic environment should be promoted as well as lower taxation that will allow incentives for small and medium-sized entreprises (SME)s investment in R &D.

Private sector organizations are often claiming that academia is not developing people with the right skills set, while academia claims they can't train people for every single specialist job in society. In this debate one forgets sometimes that training academic independent and analytical minds first is creating a very valuable foundation and that training of professionals skills comes on top of that. Beyond a range of technical skills, also the right attitudes (willingness to learn quickly, to work in teams, to manage, to communicate) could equally be important for a career in the private sector. Often there is not enough attention to these aspects in academic environments; especially for (post)docs and perhaps career counseling could focus on developing those a bit more.

Early exposure of young academics in all aspects of EU projects (proposal development, budgeting, negotiation, project management, reporting, exploitation and dissemination) offers a chance, as here many of the skills mentioned above can be learned in a team environment, in particular when there are industrial partners in the consortium, who may offer training in the context of their organization. Mobility schemes are ideal to prepare or complement such larger R&D projects and international consortia and learn in the context of different environments.

Time is needed for mechanisms and players to grow up.

New policies
Launched in 2012, the Industrial Doctorates were developed to support the interactions within the "knowledge triangle", bringing the researchers over to the industrial sector for at least 50% of the duration of their PhD. The first four-year projects are now underway.

International and interdisciplinary research funding, intersectoral mobility will retain its high significance. In all future fields of funding, the MSCA will aim at enhancing international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility (so-called "triple-i-dimension"). Under Horizon 2020, there will be a broad definition of industry involvement and intersectoral mobility, which will include the participation of businesses (including small and medium-sized entreprises (SME)s) and other socio-economic actors.

Gender
MCAs are considered really successful regarding equality of gender issues since almost 40% of MC fellows are women and women and men have basically, the same success rate. One reason for this is that these actions allow women to fully enjoy their maternity rights and to restart their career after a maternity break guarantees that they will have the same opportunities as men. This will continue to be the case with the aim to increase further the participation of women researchers by designing the actions in a way that allows researchers to achieve an appropriate work/life balance. Gender balance issues are strengthened and expressed through the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers adopted in 2005.

There was also a suggestion that it would be better for this issue to be renamed as a family issue rather than a gender issues per se since some of the current problems of the actions have to do with family issues. Another issue raised was whether the actions have any mechanisms in place to deal with people that have disabilities in combination to the fact there is "Europe aiming for inclusion". However, it was indicated during the discussion that there is no special treatment within the actions to manage issues regarding people with disabilities.

Suggestions to further strengthen the role of women in science and innovation.
According to the recommendations by the Marie Curie Fellowship Association (MCFA), this could be achieved by:
- Day care facilities: support the implementation of day care facilities in every host institution
- Dual career opportunities: where an applicant with a spouse working in research would be able to apply for funding for their spouse to hold a fellowship either in the host institution or an institution in the host country
- Better schooling system services - Support a more homogeneous (and affordable) schooling system for researchers' children across Europe
- Special grants only for women scientists: create fellowships only for women in the fields of research where they are not enough represented
- Introduce a quota of women in each research team funded by an EU grant. The introduction of "50/50" rule would be fine, and maybe the only way, since the training of the researcher is a very long process
- Better support for families

Potential Impact:
The proposed project aimed to support, through the Presidency event on Marie Curie Actions, quantitatively and qualitatively the human potential in research and innovation in Europe. The selection of themes, speakers and presenters took into account the overall strategy described by the key political flagships and initiatives of the European Commission namely Europe 2020 strategy and particularly the common denominator between the flagships Youth on the Move, New Skills for New Jobs and Innovation Union. In addition, regional priorities of the Euro-Mediterranean research institutions were incorporated in the conference content.The design of the conference also took into account the need to link mobility to the quality of research and innovation which are considered crucial tools for overcoming the current financial crisis and achieving the goals of EU2020.

The emphasis on issues that concern young researches in particular, ready to embark on a research career have been chosen having in mind and flagship addressing research as a key element for empowering young scientists of Europe and creating new jobs for them.

The programme of the conference is indicated below and it highlights three main parts of it. The discussion on Marie Curie Action in view of the implementation of Horizon 2020 and its link to the political priorities of EU2020. The 4 sessions on: A. Thematic global challenges, B. The impact of MC Actions, C. The link to research infrastructures and capacity building with a special reference on small states and D. The quality in mobility. Finally, the conference provided the opportunity to award the first 3 new Marie Curie Prizes.

Sunday, 4 November 2012
SFC03, University of Cyprus Campus, Aglantzia, Nicosia
17.00-19.00 Registration
19.00-20.30 Welcome Reception

DAY1
Monday, 5 November 2012
8.30 – 9.30 Registration
SFC03, University of Cyprus Campus, Aglantzia, Nicosia
9.30-10.00 Opening Ceremony - Welcoming
SFC01, University of Cyprus Campus, Aglantzia, Nicosia
- Androulla Vassiliou, EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth
- George Demosthenous, Minister of Education and Culture, Republic of Cyprus
- Constantinos Christofides, Rector, University of Cyprus
Master of Ceremony: Myrtani Pieri, Molecular Biologist, FameLab International winner 2011

10.00-11.30 Award Ceremony for Marie Curie Prizes
Presentations by Marie Curie Prize winners 2012
Communicating Science
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Promising Research Talent
Presented by Androulla Vassiliou, EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth

11.30-12.00 Coffee break – Press Conference

12.00-13.30 Plenary Session I
SFC01, University of Cyprus Campus, Aglantzia, Nicosia
"How Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions in Horizon 2020 can contribute to the Europe 2020 objectives"
The session aims to provide a space for the stakeholders to discuss their perspective on how the MSC Actions will contribute to Europe 2020 objectives.
Moderator: Georgios Markopouliotis, Head, EC Representation in Cyprus
Panel
- Minister, Republic of Cyprus
- Cees Vis, Advisor, Bureau of European Policy Advisers, European Commission
- Martin Hynes, Chief Executive of the European Science Foundation
- Jennifer Brennan, Marie Curie National Contact Point, Irish Universities Association
- Ludovic Garattini, Representative of the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers

13.30-14.45 Lunch break

Parallel Sessions
14.45-16.15 Parallel Session A
SFC01, University of Cyprus Campus, Aglantzia, Nicosia
"How Marie Curie Actions contribute to solving societal challenges faced by regions in Europe"
The session will give examples of Marie Curie projects on topics that are of relevance for the Euro Mediterranean region, in particular for the island of Cyprus such as climate change and energy.
Moderator: Marcello Scalisi, Executive Director, Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED)
"Radiography of the past. Integrated non-destructive approaches to understand and valorise complex archaeological sites"
Cristina Corsi, MC fellow – Senior researcher, Coordinator of the MC IAPP 2009 project Radio-Past, GA 230679
"Assessment of Economic Impacts of Climate Change in Cyprus"
Theodoros Zachariadis, MC Fellow, Cyprus University of Technology
"Gas Seeps and Submarine Slides in the Eastern Mediterranean: Toward Comprehensive Geohazard Prevention"
Nicholas Waldmann, MC Fellow, University of Haifa

Parallel Session B
SFC07, 010, University of Cyprus Campus, Aglantzia, Nicosia
"The international dimension of Marie Curie Actions"
The session will highlight the international impact of Marie Curie Actions by setting the scene with policy discussion and presenting success stories of international projects.
Moderator: Melita Kovacevic, Chair, Council of Doctoral Education, European University Association
"Marie Curie International Fellowships under the 7th RTD Framework Programme: an overview"
Francois Willekens, Marie Curie International Fellowships, Research Executive Agency, European Commission
"Studies, Training, Socio-Economical Valorisation and Management of Natural, Cultural and Monumental Property for the Promotion of the Local Societies of Latin America, (Argentina, Brazil and Mexico)(STRAVAL)"
Jose Luis Brianso, Professor, Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona
"Findings from a survey of Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) and Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) researchers who have been trained on the Marie Curie Actions at CERN"
Seamus Hegarty, Talent Acquisition Group, HR Department, CERN
"Beneficial plant-microbe interaction"
Majse Nafisi, Research Fellow, Harvard Medical School and University of Copenhagen

16.15-16.45 Coffee break

16.45-18.15 Plenary Session II
SFC01, University of Cyprus Campus, Aglantzia, Nicosia
"Strengthening the excellence of human potential in research in small EU member states by improving their research infrastructure and by capacity building"
The aim of this session is to discuss how universities and enterprises of small EU member states can improve their research infrastructure in order to attract excellent researchers to their countries and to be able to train and retain them.

Moderator: Juanito Camilleri, Rector, University of Malta
Panel
- Philippe Froissard, Deputy Head of Unit Research Infrastructures, DG RTD
- Constantinos Christofides, Rector, University of Cyprus, President, Association of Universities in Small EU States (EU²S²)
- Miloš Šifalda, South Moravian Centre for International Mobility, Czech Republic

18.15-19.00 Open session 1
SFC01, University of Cyprus Campus, Aglantzia, Nicosia
EU IPR Helpdesk
In case you need personal assistance on a specific IPR issue, want to be informed about the latest developments in the world of IP and R&D in Europe, or are interested in a training session on IPR – the European IPR Helpdesk is the right partner to turn to.
The session will present the IPR helpdesk and will give an option for questions from the participants.
Arne Reich, European IPR Helpdesk

Open session 2
SFC07, 010, University of Cyprus Campus, Aglantzia, Nicosia
Marie Curie Road Show
The aim of the open session is to present the Marie Curie Actions Road Show, to provide some details on the two editions of the Road Show and to give detailed information about the members of the initiative to the potential researchers interested in applying for a Marie Curie IEF.
Massimo Busuoli, Head, ENEA Liaison Office

20.30 Dinner- Hilton Hotel, Nicosia
Post dinner speech by Prof. Pierre Joliot- Curie, Biologist, Researcher CNRS, Member of the College de France, Member of Academia Europea and Grandson of Marie Curie

DAY 2
Tuesday, 6 November 2012

9.30-11.30 Plenary Session III
SFC01, University of Cyprus Campus, Aglantzia, Nicosia
"EU funding for research and mobility under the researchers' microscope"
The aim of this session would be to mobilise discussions and reflections on how the role of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions should be strengthened in promoting researcher mobility and developing attractive careers.

Moderator: Gregory Makrides, Director of Research and IR University of Cyprus, President of the European Association of ERASMUS Coordinators, Executive Director of the European Office of Cyprus

Panel
-Alessandra Luchetti, Head of Unit Marie Curie Actions, DG Education and Culture, European Commission
-Wolfgang Eppenschwandtner, Initiative for Science in Europe
-Maria-Antonietta Buccheri, Chair, Marie Curie Fellows Association
-Katrien Maes, League of European Universities

11.30 – 13.00 Poster session by Marie Curie Fellows and other young researchers
SFC02, 101 (1st floor), University of Cyprus Campus, Aglantzia, Nicosia

13.00 – 14.00 Lunch

14.00 – 15.30 Plenary Session IV
SFC01, University of Cyprus Campus, Aglantzia, Nicosia
"Quality in mobility"
The session will look at intellectual property rights, industry involvement and gender issues as core aspects in mobility and will discuss ways to provide quality assurance to the researchers.
Moderator: Vasiliki Kassianidou, Associate Professor, University of Cyprus, Coordinator, Marie Curie ITN, NARNIA
Panel
-Frederik Olsson-Hector, Head of Unit, Research Executive Agency, European Commission
-Pierantonios Papazoglou, Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) Programme Committee Member and National Contact Point for "PEOPLE", "ENVIRONMENT", "SPACE", and EURAXESS Bridgehead Organisation Coordinator
-Arne Reich, Project Manager, European IPR Helpdesk

15.30 – 16.00 Coffee Break

16.00 – 16.30 Summary/Conclusions of the Conference
SFC01, University of Cyprus Campus, Aglantzia, Nicosia
Closing remarks

Jan Truszczynski, Director General for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, DG Education and Culture, European Commission
Martin Lange, Policy Officer, PEOPLE Programme, Marie-Curie Actions, European Commission

The conference was supported by other European and global networks such as UNIMED, UNICA and Small States University Association, European Office of Cyprus, as well as bythe Cypriot EU Presidency (Planning Bureau). The role of the networks was to disseminate and promote to members and list of partners the invitations and information concerning the conference. Additionally the representatives of the coordinating organisation had a round of meetings with key stakeholders in Cyprus such as the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism and the Business Chambers informing them about the project and ensuring their support and collaboration. Along with European Commission (DG Education and Culture) and Planning Bureau, the organisers prepared the list of invited speakers and invited participants. Additionally, a well-structured communication and dissemination plan was prepared in order to ensure visibility of the event but also the impact of the results. The communication plan attached in this report includes all channels of communication for the promotion of the conference. The organisers developed a special website, a twitter and Flickr account as well as email campaigns for the conference. In addition, special press conferences and press releases were organised in advance, during and after the conference. Finally, the communication plan was accompanied by a contingency plan to ensure the smooth implementation of the conference.

The website is kept open and will be supported for additional months so that the next Marie Sklodowska Curie conference organisers can easily reference the information.

List of Websites:

http://www.marie-curie2012.eu