Sensing and Sensibility - Transcending Disciplines for a Responsible Future

Project Information

STAR

Grant agreement ID: 945422

DOI

10.3030/945422

EC signature date 19 March 2020

Start date 1 October 2020

End date 30 September 2026

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 3 530 880,00

EU contribution

€ 1 765 440,00

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITAET SIEGEN
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - STAR (Sensing and Sensibility - Transcending Disciplines for a Responsible Future)

Reporting period: 2020-10-01 to 2022-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The goal of the Fellowship Programme: Sensing and Sensibility – Transcending Disciplines for a Responsible Future (STAR) is to provide a fruitful environment for attracting, developing and globally interconnecting experienced researchers who are able to address the complex questions associated with the grand challenges of the present. “Sensing” addresses the increasingly interweaved sensoric interfaces between humans, the environment and digital technologies, “sensibility” summarises the indispensable attitude towards actively guiding these transformation along a humanistic approach and responsibly for our environment. The Fellowship Programme was designed for a duration of 60 months offering funding opportunities for 20 experienced researchers and their projects. Following a selection process based on openness, transparency, merit, impartiality and equality, and striving to respect the principles set out in the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers in the very best manner, the programme ensures absolute neutrality by giving all selection power to external experts. Recruited fellows are supervised by highly experienced researchers, safeguarding high-quality research outputs. STAR is a bottom-up Fellowship Programme, which is structured in seven thematic challenges offering a wide range of highly flexible research opportunities and world-leading inter-sectoral connected partners. In addition, high-level research and training opportunities increase researchers employability and career opportunities by expanding necessary skill sets. To increase positive effects on the European Research Area, STAR will offer two different recruitment schemes promoting mobility and the transfer of knowledge within Europe and beyond: INCOMIMG and OUTGOING.

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

The STAR programme was implemented in October 2020. Until now 2 calls for proposals were completed, recruiting 14 researchers from across the world and representing 12 different countries of origin. The recruited fellows received 2-3 year contracts to work on a project of their choice in one of the two mobility schemes INCOMING (at the University of Siegen) or OUTGOING (at a research facility of the researchers choice worldwide). Each incoming fellow has at least one host at the University of Siegen, while all outgoing fellows are supervised by at least two hosting chairs. So that collaborations and secondments could be planned and realised in different European and Non-European countries. In total cooperations with 9 international universities and research institutions have been established so far. Also, collaborations have been established among chairs within the university by hosting candidates together, collaborating for publications or sharing research facilities.
As part of our Human Resources Strategy for Researchers the recruitment procedure the university ensured an open, transparent, merit-based, impartial, and equitable recruitment procedure for all candidates. To build on the highest possible standards regarding neutrality in the selection process, all selection power was given to external experts.
The programme is designed to increase the employability, visibility and career opportunities of participating researchers. Although it is difficult to quantify the success regarding the outcome of an employment within STAR it is obvious that the program increases visibility within the scientific community. STAR fellows are also encouraged to take part in the universities training programme offered by the House of Young Talents to widen their complementary skillset during their fellowship.

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)

STAR fellows are a huge asset to the universities research itself, acting as a connective link between research facilities within the university by creating new collaborations among institutes, but also by establishing new cooperations or enhancing already existing connections to research institutions worldwide. In return, the fellows receive excellent training in their subject area and thus increase their own opportunities in research and beyond for their future careers. The mandatory training programme expands the opportunities of the candidates by giving them the necessary knowledge for their further career. They gain experience in conducting their own research project, which is a huge step towards independency, needed for a career in the scientific landscape. This can lead, on the long run, to a long-term employment of high-skilled researchers at the University of Siegen and other European universities.
Overall, the STAR programme increases career perspectives for our fellows and contributes to the competitiveness of the University of Siegen, our partner institutions but also to the European research landscape as such. It allows us to draw talents from all over the world and therefore adding to the quality of research and innovation in Europe.

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