University of Salamanca Programme to Foster Research Excellence

Project Information

USAL4EXCELLENCE

Grant agreement ID: 101034371

DOI

10.3030/101034371

EC signature date 27 April 2021

Start date 1 May 2022

End date 30 April 2027

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 7 356 000,00

EU contribution

€ 3 678 000,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSIDAD DE SALAMANCA
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - USAL4EXCELLENCE (University of Salamanca Programme to Foster Research Excellence)

Reporting period: 2022-05-01 to 2024-04-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The “University of Salamanca Programme to Foster Research Excellence” (USAL4EXCELLENCE) is an ambitious initiative of the University of Salamanca (USAL), which aims to attract 40 Experienced Researchers positions for 30 months in two calls of 20 positions per each, in order to build a critical mass of scientific leaders with the necessary skills and knowledge to develop and implement research projects that will aid European sustainable socio economic development. USAL4EXCELLENCE attempts to achieve this purpose by fostering international collaboration in research, and by enhancing knowledge and technology transfer between academia and industry in different fields such us Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, Medicine, Science and Engineering. The programme was designed to meet the general objective of stimulation of the region, Castilla y León, to foster excellence in researchers' training, mobility and career development and to contribute to the Regional Innovative Strategy (RIS3) and has all features of the MSCA scheme: international, intersectoral and interdisciplinary research training, as well as transnational and mobility of researchers.

The USAL4EXCELLENCE Postdoctoral Programme goals are:

-To contribute towards improving ERs career development, enabling ERs to become responsible research leaders through training in Responsible Research and Innovation.

- To cooperate with Participating Partner Organisations in contributing to sustainable socio-economic development and boosting the research and innovation capacity of the Castilla y León region.

- To contribute to Europe’s competitiveness and growth by providing possible solutions to major challenges of our society.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

USAL4EXCELLENCE programme was composed of two separate calls. During the first two years the timeframe outlined in the proposal and the grant agreement was followed very closely, with only minor delays in the evaluation phases (less than in month, in both phases) that did not negatively impact the overall schedule of the Project.

The work carried out during this period can be divided into five phases:

• Phase 1. Management: The project website was created. Documentation for each call was made available on the website. Two calls were published and disseminated worldwide. As a result of this dissemination work, around 100 proposals were received for each call.

• Phase 2. Evaluation: An international peer reviewer database was established for each call. Selection and Evaluation process for two calls were successfully completed which involved eligibility checks, ethics and gender issues, external peer review and interview process.

• Phase 3. Fellowships awarded: Some of the selected fellows in the first call began their projects at USAL on September 2022 and others have been joining gradually in 2023. For the second call the general timeframe was also respected and fellows started to join USAL on September 2023. The last 5 are expected to begin their contracts between July 1st and October 1st, 2024.

• Phase 4. Incorporation: The fellows have been well received in their supervisors' departments, Centers or Institutes and are integrated into their respective research groups. Since their incorporation to date, each researcher is at a different stage in the development of their individual projects and career development plans but all are progressing well.

• Phase 5. Training: Throughout the months that the project has been underway, different activities have been organized as part of its training programme. We can highlight two in particular: the mentoring programme and a set of courses in different skills related to research and other transferable skills.

The Mentoring Programme has the goal of helping researchers to develop and add value to their personal and professional skills regardless of their field of work, helping mentees to learn, grow and professionalise, trying to reduce the conflicts that may arise in the process of looking for the next stage of their professional career or getting a stable job.

In addition, researchers are invited to participate in all activities organised by the University of Salamanca and other entities such as Euraxess, MSCA Alumni Association, etc.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

During these first 24 months, USAL4EXCELLENCE has helped to create new jobs by means of new research contracts and collaborations with the business sector, increasing the knowledge-based economic critical mass in the University of Salamanca and in the Region of Castilla y León. In this way, the USAL4EXCELLENCE programme is expected to trigger a boost, not only of the innovation and research activity in the USAL, but also of the knowledge-based economic activity in the Region, thus becoming the core of the consequent virtuous circle.

The extensive public facing and intersectoral dimension of the programme is contributing to the building of a positive public attitude towards the researchers’ profession, helping society appreciate more fully the responsibilities and the professionalism that researchers demonstrate in executing their work at different stages of their careers and in their multi-faceted role as knowledge workers, leaders, project coordinators, managers, supervisors, mentors, career advisors or science communicators.

The programme is also contributing to the USAL’s commitment to advancing the ERA goal of developing and maintaining a supportive research environment, where research groups are valued, encouraged and supported, and provided with all the necessary knowledge to enable them to fulfil their objectives and tasks.

Since 2021 USAL4EXCELLENCE has contributed to the advancement of science at Castilla y León Region. Without the generous support of EC/REA and the local regional government it would not be possible to attract this highly qualified researchers from abroad all over the world.

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