Programme launch: The launch event was held at the Lero headquarters at the University of Limerick. It was well attended. The attendees were very interested in the programme, and there was a lot of discussion during the networking event. There was excellent press coverage in the media. Articles were published in a number of leading online news outlets and print media.
Programme promotion: SyMeCo developed a visual identity for the programme, including a logo, brand assets and a dedicated website (
https://symeco.lero.ie/(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)) and X account (
https://twitter.com/SyMeCoCOFUND(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)). Our strategy focused on attracting high-quality applications and internationally publicising the programme through various channels and means including call publication in Euraxess, launch event, press releases, published articles, websites, social media, and call dissemination through national and international networks, international conferences and distribution lists.
Evaluation and Selection: SyMeCo published two internationally advertised calls for proposals. The first and second calls evaluation and selection processes were highly competitive. They were based on international peer review followed by an interview stage. Overall, SyMeCo received 87 eligible applications for a total of 16 fellowships available. The fellows were selected following an open, transparent, merit-based, impartial and equitable selection procedure. The selection was based on international peer review, followed by an interview stage. The recruitment for the 10 fellows funded in the first call has been completed, and the recruitment for the 6 fellows funded in the second call is ongoing. The second call fellows are due to commence their fellowship in July 2025.
Gender balance: SyMeCo implemented a targeted dissemination strategy to improve its reach to potential female applicants, which was very successful. Overall, 29% of the eligible applications were from female applicants, and 25% of the SyMeCo fellows funded were female. These figures are higher than the European average for female doctoral graduates in ICT (22%)* and higher than the female representation for the fellows recruited in the ALECS COFUND programme (20%) successfully implemented and coordinated by Lero. Therefore, 25% female representation across SyMeCo fellows is a significant achievement given the challenging recruitment environment
The training programme is being implemented, and the fellows funded in the first call have already participated in various training and career development opportunities. In addition, some fellows have already delivered peer-reviewed publications or submitted publications. Furthermore, the fellows have completed communication and outreach activities. There is a full training schedule planned as well as secondments. All fellows will avail of the complete training programme.
* European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, She figures 2021: gender in research and innovation: statistics and indicators, Publications Office, 2021,
https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/06090(odnośnik otworzy się w nowym oknie)
