Final Report Summary - FELLOWSEA (Programme for Post-Doctoral Talent Attraction to Campus do Mar, FELLOWSEA)
The Programme for Post-Doctoral Talent Attraction to Campus do Mar, FELLOWSEA, was developed by the University of Vigo (UVIGO) which intends on building particularly favorable environment to attract the best experienced researchers in marine and maritime research. Within the proposed 48 months co-funding period (36 months of fellowship), FELLOWSEA offered to 9 incoming experienced researchers, non-Spanish residents, the opportunity to develop her/his research project within the framework of a vast network of institutions participating under Campus do Mar, an International excellence initiative in marine and maritime themes for the service of Society. Fellows enjoyed full trans-national mobility experience accessing to research facilities of the partners hosted by one of the several research groups existing in the UVIGO. Researchers were selected through a transparent and international evaluation process, following the European Charter for Researchers and the European Code of Conduct for the recruitment of researches (UVIGO-HRS4R) in which candidates merits were evaluated qualitatively as well as quantitatively taking into consideration the whole range of experience of the candidates. Trans-national mobility of researchers helped FELLOWSEA hosting centers to achieve their talent attraction aims and furthermore to transform the Galicia-Northern Portugal Euro-Region in one of the main Transnational Campus of International Excellence “Campus do Mar” based in ocean pillar. Ocean related research has a vital economic relevance for this territorial context and even at European level.
FELLOWSEA specifically aims to:
• Fostering mobility by offering trans-national and individual-driven research fellowships in the whole Galicia-Northern Portugal Euro-Region (location of hosting centers and territorial scope of the network Campus do Mar). providing new ways of work, points of view, knowledge, know-how, and above all networking. Furthermore, it represents an excellent opportunity to achieve more ambitious goals in the coming years and also extending the Programme to other schemes, such us outgoing or re-integration fellowships
• Improving the training of researchers as well as transfer of knowledge in the fields of marine and maritime research.
• Paving a way between basic research and applied research. The itinerary proposed to the fellows will allow them to be part of both issues (availability to participate in private research centers linked to the industry), therefore being able to convert in value the research and to add competitiveness to the euro-region.
• Encouraging researchers to pursue a career with a truly European dimension not only benefiting from the research environment in their country of origin but also encouraged to making valuable international experiences during their mobility period.
• Contributing to European excellence of research by means of the improvement of marine and maritime knowledge in Europe, thanks to contribution of researchers and the development of their careers.
One of the goals of the FELLOWSEA was not discriminate against researchers in any way on the basis of gender, age, ethnics, national or social origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, language, disability, political opinion and social or economic condition. FELLOWSEA developed a strong gender-action plan, as it was written in the proposal, to promote female participation within this Fellowship Programme. Among them, specific benefits or incentives for women when recruiting to demonstrate the clear intention to attract women, such as tele-working and more flexible schedule, conditions offered to the candidates during the negotiation period. Thanks to this gender-action plan, three of female FELLOWSEAS, adhered to tele-working and flexible schedule to child care. From the 23 presented candidates, 12 were women and 11 men, a ratio close to 50%. Even more, the success ratio for women was very high: seven of nine positions were for women.
FELLOWSEA Selection process
The Selection Committee composed by 9 researchers of different institutions was constituted in February 2015 and launched the call that was published in may 2017. It was disseminated through different web pages, massive mailing, Nature and Science Adds, press. It was open two months and continuously contact though e-mail, phone calls and skype with the candidates was maintained to solve problems (more than 100 contacts). Also two Question and Answer session were celebrated.
The 30th of June 2016 the call close; 23 candidates from 7 different nationalities presented their candidacy. The first step of the evaluation process started in october 2017 with the selection of the experts for the CV review. The 10th of February 2016 the second step of the evaluation process took place; selection committee evaluated the capacity of the research groups to host the fellow and contribution to fellow career development and the analysis of the proposed research project, objectives, technical approach and expected results; relationship between the proposed applicant research and the current research efforts at FELLOWSEA hosting centers in the framework of research lines of Campus do Mar. No ethical issues arises during this step.
The final consensus meeting of the Selection Committee was celebrated the 11th of February 2016. Based on the Individual Evaluation Report the final ranking and selection of approved (first choice) and a reserve list of candidacies was published. The research field where the candidates incorporated were: Coastal planning and coastal management, Omic technologies applied to the marine environment, Operational oceanography: ecological modelling, Global change: observational, experimental and modeling approach, Assessment and mitigation of the impact of marine resources exploitation, Technologies for the marine industrial sector, Marine resources: integrated management, transformation and value, Analysis and evaluation of the coastal environment
The Institutions of origin of the candidates were: Universidade de Coimbra and Universidade de Aveiro (Portugal), California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco (USA), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (France), Linnaeus University (Sweden), University of Aberdeen and University of Rieding (UK), University of Thessalia (Greece), and University of Toronto (Canada).
Candidates started signed their contracts the 1st of April 2016. They incorporated to the following research groups of the University of Vigo, as hosting institution: Archeology, Phylogenomics, Immunology, Physical Ocanography, Biological Oceanography, Coastal Ecology, TeamNanoTech, Food and Agro Environmental and Marine Pollution
Thanks to the FELLOWSEA programme, seven of the nine FELLOWSEAS have been retained in the Galicia-Northern Portugal Euro-region R&D System, one of the major objectives of the programme. Five got a tenure track position at the University of Vigo (S. Magadan, S. Martínez, I. Fernández, A. Fernández and A. Querejeta). I. Rodríguez got another Marie Curie Fellowship at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory in Braga (Portugal) and P. Sánchez got a permanent position as researcher at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography in Vigo. E. Mente went back to the University of Thessaly in Greece as a professor. Only M. Almeida is unemployed two months after finishing Fellowsea project.
In summary 8 out of 9 fellows found positions in the European research system, seven in the Galicia-Northern Portugal Euro-region
FELLOWSEA specifically aims to:
• Fostering mobility by offering trans-national and individual-driven research fellowships in the whole Galicia-Northern Portugal Euro-Region (location of hosting centers and territorial scope of the network Campus do Mar). providing new ways of work, points of view, knowledge, know-how, and above all networking. Furthermore, it represents an excellent opportunity to achieve more ambitious goals in the coming years and also extending the Programme to other schemes, such us outgoing or re-integration fellowships
• Improving the training of researchers as well as transfer of knowledge in the fields of marine and maritime research.
• Paving a way between basic research and applied research. The itinerary proposed to the fellows will allow them to be part of both issues (availability to participate in private research centers linked to the industry), therefore being able to convert in value the research and to add competitiveness to the euro-region.
• Encouraging researchers to pursue a career with a truly European dimension not only benefiting from the research environment in their country of origin but also encouraged to making valuable international experiences during their mobility period.
• Contributing to European excellence of research by means of the improvement of marine and maritime knowledge in Europe, thanks to contribution of researchers and the development of their careers.
One of the goals of the FELLOWSEA was not discriminate against researchers in any way on the basis of gender, age, ethnics, national or social origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, language, disability, political opinion and social or economic condition. FELLOWSEA developed a strong gender-action plan, as it was written in the proposal, to promote female participation within this Fellowship Programme. Among them, specific benefits or incentives for women when recruiting to demonstrate the clear intention to attract women, such as tele-working and more flexible schedule, conditions offered to the candidates during the negotiation period. Thanks to this gender-action plan, three of female FELLOWSEAS, adhered to tele-working and flexible schedule to child care. From the 23 presented candidates, 12 were women and 11 men, a ratio close to 50%. Even more, the success ratio for women was very high: seven of nine positions were for women.
FELLOWSEA Selection process
The Selection Committee composed by 9 researchers of different institutions was constituted in February 2015 and launched the call that was published in may 2017. It was disseminated through different web pages, massive mailing, Nature and Science Adds, press. It was open two months and continuously contact though e-mail, phone calls and skype with the candidates was maintained to solve problems (more than 100 contacts). Also two Question and Answer session were celebrated.
The 30th of June 2016 the call close; 23 candidates from 7 different nationalities presented their candidacy. The first step of the evaluation process started in october 2017 with the selection of the experts for the CV review. The 10th of February 2016 the second step of the evaluation process took place; selection committee evaluated the capacity of the research groups to host the fellow and contribution to fellow career development and the analysis of the proposed research project, objectives, technical approach and expected results; relationship between the proposed applicant research and the current research efforts at FELLOWSEA hosting centers in the framework of research lines of Campus do Mar. No ethical issues arises during this step.
The final consensus meeting of the Selection Committee was celebrated the 11th of February 2016. Based on the Individual Evaluation Report the final ranking and selection of approved (first choice) and a reserve list of candidacies was published. The research field where the candidates incorporated were: Coastal planning and coastal management, Omic technologies applied to the marine environment, Operational oceanography: ecological modelling, Global change: observational, experimental and modeling approach, Assessment and mitigation of the impact of marine resources exploitation, Technologies for the marine industrial sector, Marine resources: integrated management, transformation and value, Analysis and evaluation of the coastal environment
The Institutions of origin of the candidates were: Universidade de Coimbra and Universidade de Aveiro (Portugal), California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco (USA), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (France), Linnaeus University (Sweden), University of Aberdeen and University of Rieding (UK), University of Thessalia (Greece), and University of Toronto (Canada).
Candidates started signed their contracts the 1st of April 2016. They incorporated to the following research groups of the University of Vigo, as hosting institution: Archeology, Phylogenomics, Immunology, Physical Ocanography, Biological Oceanography, Coastal Ecology, TeamNanoTech, Food and Agro Environmental and Marine Pollution
Thanks to the FELLOWSEA programme, seven of the nine FELLOWSEAS have been retained in the Galicia-Northern Portugal Euro-region R&D System, one of the major objectives of the programme. Five got a tenure track position at the University of Vigo (S. Magadan, S. Martínez, I. Fernández, A. Fernández and A. Querejeta). I. Rodríguez got another Marie Curie Fellowship at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory in Braga (Portugal) and P. Sánchez got a permanent position as researcher at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography in Vigo. E. Mente went back to the University of Thessaly in Greece as a professor. Only M. Almeida is unemployed two months after finishing Fellowsea project.
In summary 8 out of 9 fellows found positions in the European research system, seven in the Galicia-Northern Portugal Euro-region
