The INCIPIT CO-FUND project aims are providing an innovative, multidisciplinary and intersectoral training in the field of Life and Biomaterial Sciences for Early Stage Researchers (ESR) and creating a node of excellence in the South of Italy by pooling the different and complementary expertise of 8 research institutes of the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), as well as the competencies of 3 Doctoral Schools and several academic, non-profit and industrial Organizations.
INCIPIT envisaged the recruitment of 35 PhD students through transparent and equitable selection procedures, based on merit and equal opportunities. The calls were open to applicants from everywhere in the world. This contributed to create for the INCIPIT PhD students an international context and strengthen science diplomacy. On the other side, it provided critical mass and gave an additional boost to the much-needed internationalization of the PhD research programmes in the South of Italy. The participation of different research institutes of CNR (IAC, IBB, IBP, ICAR, ICB, IEOS, IGB, IPCB), with different and complementary expertise (ranging from biology and genetics to mathematics, statistics, engineering, computer science, chemistry and medicine and offering well-equipped laboratories and cutting-edge technologies) ensured to the fellows the intersectoral exposure and the interdisciplinarity research options. The participation of private industries in some of the PhD activities and the specific training on transferable skills favoured the strengthening of Academia-Industry links while providing the PhD students with tools useful to their employment/career and to the socio-economic growth of countries.
The action concluded with 30 ESR PhD graduated in different topics with 66,6% of women. The Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) have been recruited by the CNR and hosted in eight of its institutes located in Naples and Catania.
INCIPT PhD programme included: laboratory activities to carry out doctoral research projects; theoretical courses run by the Doctoral Schools of the Università degli Studi della Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli' (previously named Second University of Naples (SUN), the University of Naples Federico II and the University of Catania; activities related to transferable skills. ESRs attended multidisciplinary courses and had the possibility to choose 1-2 day theoretical or practical courses, according to their curriculum and interest. Secondment abroad was another opportunity given to the ESRs.
INCIPIT exploited the triple "i" dimension of the training: 1.International mobility: they have been embedded in an international scientific environment and part of existing networks of international collaborations, had the opportunity of secondments abroad, new collaborations with international partners; attendance to international summer schools. 2.Intersectoral exposure: experts from industry and non-profit research organizations have been invited to give trainings on various topics, from communication to lay public, project management, to entrepreneurship, intellectual properties and ethical issues, take part to CNR collaboration with industry; 3.Inter-disciplinarity: some ESRs had tutors from different sectors to have both mathematical and bio-imaging insight, for example or to apply some practices to different sectors.
