Encouraging early-stage research
The EU-funded 'Marie Curie cofunding for Rubicon NWO' (RUBICON) project provided grants to researchers at Dutch universities and research institutes to pursue a career devoted to postdoctoral research. The overall aim was to improve the chances of young postdocs continuing in academia. Run by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), the mobility scheme enabled recent PhD holders to improve their career prospects by spending up to two years acquiring the necessary knowledge, competences and experience beyond the Netherlands. Postdoctoral researchers also had the option of carrying out projects at Dutch research institutes for a set 12-month period. Fellowships were awarded to all nationalities and science disciplines. Researchers had to apply within a year following PhD completion. Researcher mobility was key to the selection process since international research experience was seen as beneficial later in the academic career of a beneficiary or when applying for other NWO grants. RUBICON succeeded in replacing doctoral stipends with salaries. As a result of improved social benefits, it nearly doubled its yearly fellowship intake to the Netherlands while securing jobs for outgoing fellows at the host universities or institutes. Nearly three fourths of the fellows continued their research activities within the European Research Area (ERA) once their grant finished. thanks to RUBICON, early-stage researchers gained valuable experience at leading research facilities around the world and in the Netherlands. They are now armed with the skills and knowledge needed to establish themselves in the Dutch and European research communities. By facilitating mobility and supporting research careers, RUBICON will help to strengthen the ERA.
Keywords
Young scientists, researchers, postdoctoral research, fellowships