Forskningsservice bjuder in Nätverket för forskningsstöd till träff!
Välkomna den 9 september kl 14-16.30
Vi träffas på Pufendorf och lyssnar till John Phillips och Kerstin Gidlöf som berättar om European Research Council (ERC) och Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) programmen på temat ”Vad kan vara bra veta när jag stödjer LU:s forskare?”
Vi bjuder på fika och möjlighet att träffa kollegor i liknande yrkesroll.
OSA senast 30 augusti via anmälningslänk
Dela gärna inbjudan med kollegor.
Lund University will host a Horizon Europe workshop in Lund 27–28 November 2024 aimed at early career researchers from Lund University, Imperial College London and KU Leuven.
To participate, contact a colleague at one or both participating institutions and submit a joint application by 20 September.
The workshop focuses on Horizon Europe Pillar II and provides opportunities for collaborative ventures in all academic fields, ultimately aiming at Horizon Europe projects and long-term partnerships.
The workshop is run by experienced research support staff and will give participants the framework needed to put together an optimised application. There will also be time for networking and to start preparing a joint application.
Early career researchers with a PhD degree (max 7 years after PhD – eligibility window according to ERC StG rules) employed at Lund University, Imperial College London and KU Leuven.
The workshop is free of charge and travel and accommodation (2 nights) up to SEK 10 000 per participant from the partner universities are covered by Lund University. All meals are included in the workshop.
The department of the Lund University researcher is responsible for travel arrangements (accommodation, travel) of the collaborators. Funds will be transferred to the department of the Lund University researcher after the workshop. No funds can be transferred to the collaborators.
Applications are made through a special application form. The application is submitted by the participating Lund University early career researcher and should include participation of an early career researcher from Imperial College London and/or KU Leuven.
Deadline for applications is 20 September 2024.
Link to special application form
The European Green Deal aims to support the transition to an environmentally sustainable and circular economy. A key element is to support research and innovation in several different areas, from biodiversity, food systems and environmental pollution to sustainable access to natural resources and green communities. Much of the funding is channeled through cluster 6 of Horizon Europe, as well as through the Circular Bio-based Europe (CBE) partnership.
The Work Programme 2023-2024 for cluster 6 on Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment contains only four remaining call topics that close on 24 September 2024. 5 million Euros are budgeted for a call topic to fund one project addressing fall armyworm pests and 28 million Euros are allocated to fund 5 projects under three call topics related to land, ocean and water for climate action.
The work programme for 2025 is under construction and the preliminary launch is expected during Q1 2025. In the draft version for cluster 6, there are 82 dedicated topics.
If you are interested in taking part of the planned call topics for 2025 (draft work programme) for Cluster 6 or for Mission Soil (or other parts of Horizon Europe), please send an email to LU Research Services (forskningsservice@fs.lu.se).
In addition to the opportunities in cluster 6, there are further opportunities from the CBE partnership in 2024. The CBE budget for this autumn’s calls is €213 million and is divided into 18 call themes. In total, the CBE expects to fund around 30 projects, with a deadline for proposals of September 18, 2024.
Read more about all the topics
Although the CBE JU calls follow the same rules and procedures as the Horizon Europe calls, there are some important differences in the project requirements that are worth considering. These include the level of reimbursement to for-profit organisations as well as the scope of the application in terms of page count.
In connection to cluster 6 there are several collaborative funding initiatives, so called Partnerships:
At the time of writing, LU have 23 granted Horizon Europe projects connected to Cluster 6, including Mission Soil and the CBE partnership, listed below. Two of these are coordinated from LU. For more information about these projects search their acronym in the LU Research Portal.
Acronym | Titel |
TrAnsformative climate ResilienCe by nAture-baseD solutions in the continental bio-geographical region | |
Boosting photosynthESis To deliver novel CROPs for the circular bioeconomy | |
SCALED-UP PRODUCTION OF NEXT-GENERATION CARBOHYDRATE- DERIVED BUILDING BLOCKS TO ENHANCE THE COMPETITIVENESS OF A SUSTAINABLE EUROPEAN CHEMICALS INDUSTRY | |
Bioprospecting and production of bioactive molecules from European bryophytes | |
CARE – Circular consumption Activities to tRansform households toward material Efficiency | |
CLImate Mitigation and Bioeconomy pathways for sustainable FORESTry (coordinated by LU) | |
CULTIVATE: CO-DESIGNING FOOD SHARING INNOVATION FOR RESILIENCE | |
Demonstration of Dune-Dike hybrid blue-grey Nature-based Solutions | |
Future Agricultural Resource Management and Water Innovations for a Sustainable Europe (coordinated by LU) | |
Fostering European cellular Agriculture for Sustainable Transition Solutions | |
The ForestWard Observatory to Secure Resilience of European Forests | |
Pan-European Food Systems Science Network | |
NATURESCAPES: NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS FOR CLIMATE RESILIENT, NATURE POSITIVE AND SOCIALLY JUST COMMUNITIES IN DIVERSE LANDSCAPES | |
OBSERVATION OF ECOSYSTEM CHANGES FOR ACTION | |
The Path Towards Addressing Adverse Impacts of Light and Noise Pollution on Terrestrial Biodiversity and Ecosystems | |
Understanding pesticide-Pollinator interactions to support EU Environmental Risk Assessment and policy | |
RestPoll: Restoring Pollinator habitats across European agricultural landscapes based on multi-actor participatory approaches | |
Seaweed based market applications | |
Soils for Europe | |
Enhanced Urban Greening Plans for Biodiversity Mainstreaming in Society | |
Water4All – Water Security for the Planet |
If you are interested to know more about EU-funding or aim to apply for a specific call, don’t hesitate to contact us at Research Services for support.
The funding is aimed at researchers with a PhD degree who are employed at Lund University, as well as research colleagues at select partner universities in countries that have recently been associated or soon will associated to the Horizon Europe programme.
The funds, up to a maximum of SEK 60 000 per award (SEK 25 000 within Europe), are intended to develop collaborations that have the potential to lead to externally funded research projects and joint publications.
The activities can start after the award has been granted and must take place by 31 July 2025.
Salary costs, consumables and scholarships for students are not eligible.
Applications are made through a special application form and should include the purpose of the collaboration, description of activities and confirmation of interest from the researcher at the partner university.
Deadline for application is 21 August 2024.
The EIC Pathfinder Challenges funding programme is part of Horizon Europe and supports the discovery of innovative and groundbreaking scientific technologies that have the potential to shape our future. It supports early-stage development of future technologies (e.g. various activities at low TRL 1-3), up to proof of concept.
This year, EIC Pathfinder has launched five predefined thematic areas, so called Pathfinder Challenges. The deadline for submission of Challenge proposals is 16 October 2024, and up to €120 are allocated to this year’s calls.
The European Union is at the forefront of the green transition and aims at reaching climate neutrality by 2050. The EIC Pathfinder is already supporting projects in the areas of renewable energy conversion and storage, renewable fuels and chemicals, and low-carbon technologies for the transport and construction sectors. It has also contributed to the development of emerging technologies, aimed at strengthening digital sovereignty and setting EU standards.
Three of the Pathfinder Challenge topics this year are aimed at green technologies and two aim to strengthen EU’s technological leadership and competitiveness in key digital technologies. This is in line with the EU Digital Strategy aimed to a digital transformation for people and businesses, but also contributing to the climate-neutral target by 2050.
The Challenge topics for 2024 are:
The calls will open in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before summer. Until then the call texts can be found in the EIC Work programme (page 34). It is important to note that each topic text is accompanied by a specific Challenge guide, meaning that the rules for participation may be different for each challenge.
Below you find a brief presentation of the different challenges as well as useful links. For these calls, we at Research Services offer guidance and support to researchers at Lund University. We can help you in matching your proposal to the call, give feedback on draft texts, advice on administrative issues as well as budget template and advice on budget. Don’t hesitate to contact us with your questions!
The EIC Pathfinder Challenges support both international collaborative and individual initiatives from legal entities established in a Member State or an Associated Country. You find the eligibility criteria in the EIC Work programme. You may also contact us at Research Services about this.
Download the proposal template for the Pathfinder Challenges (PDF, page 33)
This Challenge aims to fund innovative projects that develop devices that store sunlight directly on the long term in the form of fuels and chemicals to enable a decentralized energy, transport and production system.
Project proposals should address one (and only one) of the following three areas:
The EU has a commitment to radically reduce emissions, and this Challenge aims to support breakthrough innovations and methodologies to decarbonise cement and concrete, and surpass current Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) technologies. The Challenge is looking for groundbreaking projects with an aim to develop game-changing and cost-effective innovations that can capture, store and utilise carbon dioxide. This challenge is supporting the development of breakthrough technologies in one or more of the following domains:
This challenge aims to promote the development and production of environmentally friendly and sustainable alternatives to food packaging and agricultural products. Proposals must seek to deliver nature-inspired sustainable alternatives to fossil carbon derived plastics and associated production processes. The aim is to develop new materials that are recyclable, reusable, biodegradable and have a reduced environmental impact in the design and manufacturing process. They should be able to replace plastic materials while maintaining their positive functional properties.
Proposals must look to address one or more of the current uses of plastics in the food system (e.g. agricultural mulch, food packaging), and utilise bio-based sources and raw materials such as:
One of the biggest challenges in electronics is energy consumption and heat dissipation. Recent developments in chip technology make it possible to reduce energy consumption in electronic devices and systems while improving performance. However, there is much room for improvement and this call aims to investigate new materials to greatly reduce energy consumption and meet application-specific needs of smart edge devices.
The aim of this call is to address the challenges faced by the European space industry due to the uncontrolled presence of space debris. The amount of space debris has escalated significantly and was estimated in December 2023 at 11 500 tons. This is a collision threat not only to space infrastructure but also to air and maritime traffic. This Pathfinder Challenge aims to develop environmentally friendly, compact and affordable solutions for orbits and methods for recycling space debris in space.
The projects are expected to develop break-through concepts in one or more of the following areas:
An important goal in Lund University’s research strategy is to increase external funding with a particular focus on funding from the EU. “Our ambition is to strengthen the university’s participation in the EU framework program in both terms of number of projects that are granted with the goal of becoming Sweden’s main participant.” In addition to the local goal at LU, there is a national goal that Sweden should receive at least 3.7% of the total amount of funding granted in Horizon Europe (2021 – 2027).
In light of these local and national goals together with the fact that one of Research services most important task is to support researchers in the process of applying for external funding, the purpose of this report is to provide figures, insights and opportunities for improvement in Lund University’s performance in attracting external research funding. Our hope is that the figures presented in this report will provide more insights about areas where LU is successful as well as were there are room for improvements and urge to collection of forces.
Download the report – External funding for research at Lund University_2023 edition (PDF, 18,9 MB)
Research Services invites you to our ERC Starting Grants workshop on Monday, 27 May. The workshop is open to researchers who are planning to apply for an ERC Starting Grant (StG) with Lund University as their host institution. The workshop will be run by experienced staff from Research Services, and will cover the written and unwritten rules for success in with ERC Starting Grants, as well as giving you the framework you need to put together an optimized application.
You are welcome to register for this workshop if you are planning to apply for an ERC StG in the next call (call 2025) with Lund University as your host institution, or if you are interested in applying for an ERC grant in the future. The workshop will be held in Lund, in English. Lunch will be provided.
Date: 27 May 2024, 09:00 – 16:00.
Venue: Auditorium, ‘Inspira’ building, Medicon Village, Lund (https://www.mediconvillage.se/contact-and-visit/)
Extra session and training camp for ERC Starting Grants
In addition to the ERC workshop on 27 May, Research Services will arrange two connected events with the aim of giving ERC StG applicants an extra boost in the 2025 call. You are welcome to register for these activities if you are planning to apply for an ERC Starting Grant in the 2025 call.
On 10 June we have arranged an extra session to help you kick-start your proposal writing, and to receive feedback on your CV/Track Record. The session is in preparation for the ERC training camp later in late summer. In order to attend this session on 10 June, you must submit a short project synopsis, CV and track record (2 pages each, in total max 6 pages) by 3 June. Details on where to submit this material will be included in your confirmation email for attendance at the extra session at the end of May. This session will be held in person in Lund.
Date: Monday, 10 June, from 9.00 to 12:00.
Venue: Sharience, ‘The Spark’ building, Medicon Village, Lund (https://www.mediconvillage.se/contact-and-visit/)
On 13 – 14 August there will be a two-day, overnight training camp where you can participate in detailed discussions of application strategy with ERC evaluators and ERC grantees, as well as receive extensive feedback on your draft proposal. To attend this training camp, you must provide a draft proposal (section B1 of the application, including CV and Track Record) by 5 August. Submission details will be included when your place at the training camp is confirmed. Please note that places are limited, and in the event of oversubscription, we will allocate places to ensure equal access across the faculties. You may only attend the ERC training camp once.
Date: 13 – 14 August
Venue: Flädie Mat & Vingård, Bjärred (transport and accommodation will be provided)
Registration:
Please register at this link (for all events) by 23 May 2024.
If you are interested in submitting an ERC Starting Grant proposal but are not able to attend these events, you can still receive support. To do so, please contact John Phillips and Kerstin Gidlöf directly to discuss your needs.
You are also welcome to contact us for further information on the ERC Starting Grants scheme or on the support events described above.
Welcome to our digital webinar!
Do you have results from an EU-funded project that has a commercial potential?
Take the opportunity to listen to our digital webinar about EIC Transition funding.
When: 19 April 2024, 11:30 – 12:00
The EIC Transition is a funding programme under Horizon Europe targeting innovation activities that goes beyond the experimental proof of principle in laboratory. It has no predefined thematic priorities and is open to proposals in any field of science, technology or application.
The EIC Transition offers support to projects that have identified EU-funded project result(s) with promising commercial potential that could be the basis for innovation and promising new businesses. It supports both the maturation and validation of novel technologies from the lab to the relevant application environments.
Grants of up to EUR 2.5 million to validate and demonstrate technology in application-relevant environment (starting at TRL 3/ 4 aiming to achieve TRL 5/ 6) and develop business and market readiness.
You can apply as single entity or as a smaller consortium with up to five partners.
If you aim to apply, don’t hesitate to contact us at Research Services for help, advice and guidance.
Visit the European Commission website for more information about the call
You are invited to a seminar on the European Research Council’s (ERC) vision for excellent research in Europe, and what it has to offer researchers in Sweden. Jesper Svejstrup, Professor at the University of Copenhagen and Vice-President of the ERC’s Scientific Council will present on this topic, and join a panel with Joan Yuan and Hanna Isaksson, ERC grantees at Lund University, to discuss the opportunities that this funding can provide. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about one of the world’s most-respected research funders from one of its leaders!
Date: 30 April 2024
Time: 13:00 – 15:00
Location: Fernströmsalen, Forum Medicum, Sölvegatan 19
Register for the seminar, by 26 April 2024
Det har gått synnerligen bra för Lunds universitets forskare när det gäller att kamma hem utlysningar inom Horisont Europa, EU:s ramprogram för forskning och innovation. En viktig orsak till framgångarna är den stödfunktion som finns på universitetet och som hjälper forskarna att göra rätt vid ansökningarna.
Bäst i Sverige och femte bäst i hela Europa. Det blev betyget för Lunds universitet när sammanställningen över vilka lärosäten som dragit in mest pengar och flest kontrakt inom Horisont Europa under 2023 var klar. Sett till pengar drog universitetet in drygt 63,4 miljoner euro.
– Horisont Europa är Lunds universitets näst största externa finansiär och otroligt viktig för vår verksamhet, säger Rickard Eksten, forskningshandläggare vid avdelningen Forskningsservice.
Tillsammans med kollegorna Anna-Karin Wihlborg och John Phillips guidar han de forskare som är intresserade av att söka anslag från EU.
– Till oss kan forskarna komma och prata om sina idéer och så hjälper vi dem att hitta rätt. Vi fungerar som bollplank genom hela ansökningsprocessen, säger Anna-Karin Wihlborg.
När LUM ber dem att analysera varför just 2023 blev ett så framgångsrikt år för Lunds universitet, lyfter de fram flera orsaker som de tror har bidragit. Den viktigaste är helt enkelt att Lunds universitet har så duktiga forskare, konstaterar John Phillips. Och ramprogrammet passar dem.
– Inom Horisont Europa finns välkända finansieringsmöjligheter som våra forskare känner till och inte är rädda att söka. Det är väl anpassat för våra forskare som har en internationell karaktär, säger han.
Dessutom spelar de stödprogram som finns vid universitetet en viktig roll. Hos Forskningsservice kan man som forskare få hjälp med att söka finansiering inte bara från EU, utan också från svenska finansiärer som Wallenbergstiftelserna och amerikanska federala finansiärer.
– Stödstrukturen är välkänd ute på fakulteterna. Många forskare blir beviljade medel och de kan i sin tur dela med sig av sina erfarenheter till yngre kollegor. På det sättet finns här många bra förebilder, säger John Phillips.
Att både Schweiz och Storbritannien haft begränsningar i att erhålla medel från Horisont Europa under den pågående sjuårsperioden är en annan anledning, eftersom det innebär minskad konkurrens. Från och med 2024 associeras Storbritannien till programmet igen, vilket kan komma att påverka Lunds universitets chanser att få anslag.
– Men man ska komma ihåg att Storbritannien då också går in med pengar för att få vara med, så det blir en större kaka att dela på. Därför ser vi det som en möjlighet snarare än ett hot att de kommer tillbaka, säger Rickard Eksten.
Extra glädjande tycker de tre forskningshandläggarna att det är att forskningsprojekt från de flesta discipliner finns bland de som beviljats medel. En tredjedel av de forskare som beviljats anslag i Horisont Europa fick det för första gången. Bland annat fick Juridiska fakulteten sitt första ERC Starting Grant förra året och Forskningsinstitutet för psykologiskt försvar i Helsingborg fick sitt första koordinerade samarbetsprojekt.
– Det är en medveten strategi att ha ett bredare deltagande från olika discipliner. Det är glädjande att vi ser fler ansökningar och högre beviljandegrad över hela ramprogrammet, säger John Phillips.
Han poängterar att ett anslag från EU i förlängningen har fler vinster än de rent ekonomiska; det ger också forskaren en möjlighet att synas och lyfta både sitt forskningsfält och sitt universitet i internationella forskningssammanhang. Eftersom många av anslagen går till samarbetsprojekt där flera lärosäten är involverade, ger det också en möjlighet till värdefullt nätverkande.
Vad har ni för tips till LU-forskare för att det ska fortsätta gå så här bra?
– De ska inte ge upp, de ska fortsätta söka och engagera sig i ramprogrammet. De får gärna tänka i längre tidshorisonter om flera år framåt. Det tar tid att bygga upp bra projekt både vetenskapligt och nätverksmässigt, säger John Phillips.
– Jag skulle sammanfatta det så här: planera i god tid, ta del av stödet som finns och bygg ditt nätverk, säger Anna-Karin Wihlborg.
Ursprungligen publicerad i LUM: https://www.medarbetarwebben.lu.se/artikel/darfor-ar-lu-femte-bast-i-europa-pa-att-ta-hem-eu-medel
Research Services will organise three different webinars during the spring on the various Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions calls.
The MSCA Doctoral Networks aim to train creative, entrepreneurial, innovative and resilient doctoral candidates, through broad collaborations between universities, industry, public bodies and other actors. The programme is open to all research areas. The programme funds PhD positions and research and training activities.
The webinar aims to give an overview of the programme and offer a possibility for the participants to ask and discuss strategic questions regarding the planning and writing of the proposal.
Target audience: The webinar is open to all senior researchers that can act as supervisors for doctoral students, and thereby participate as project partners or coordinators. The webinar is not relevant for doctoral students looking for PhD positions.
Time & tool: 7 May, 15:00 – 16:30 via Zoom. The webinar will be held in English.
Speaker: Isabel Dellacasa Lindberg and Erik Litborn, Swedish National Contact Points for MSCA
Register for the webinar via this link, no later than 6 May, 12:00.
Read more about MSCA Doctoral Networks on the European Commission website
Target audience: The webinar is open to all who have an interest in the MSCA Fellowship programme. We encourage all fellows and supervisors planning to apply to participate in the webinar.
Speaker: Isabel Dellacasa Lindberg, Swedish National Contact Point for MSCA, Swedish Research Council,
Time: 18 March 2024 at 14:30 – 16:00
Register for the webinar via this link, by 16 March
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships are 2-year European fellowships, or 3-year Global fellowships, for researchers holding a PhD. The fellowships aim to give the fellows new skills through advanced training, international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility. Applications are made jointly by the researcher and the host institution. The programme is open to all research areas.
The webinar aims to give an overview of the programme and the planning and writing of the proposal.
Read more about MSCA PF on the European Commission website
The COFUND action provides funding for new or existing regional, national and international doctoral or postdoctoral programmes for research, training and career development. Through a co-funding mechanisms COFUND promotes sustainable training and international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility.
The webinar aims to give an overview of the programme and offer a possibility for the participants to ask and discuss strategic questions regarding the planning and writing of the proposal.
Time & tool: 4 April, 10:30 – 12:00 via Zoom. The webinar will be held in English.
Speaker: Erik Litborn, Swedish National Contact Point for MSCA
Register for the webinar via this link, no later than 3 April 12:00.
Read more about MSCA COFUND on the European Commission website
For all questions about MSCA, please contact Research Services: Kerstin Gidlöf, Karin Langborger, or Anneli Wiklander
Research Services invites you to an ERC Advanced Grants workshop on 15 March via Zoom. The workshop is run by Yellow Research and will provide you with an in-depth overview and practical information on the ERC Advanced Grants scheme, as well as deeper understanding of the proposal format and the key issues relating to planning and writing a proposal. The workshop is open for those planning to apply for an ERC Advanced Grant in the upcoming 2024 call as well as those interested in applying for an ERC grant further on.
Date: 15 March 2024, 9:00 – 12:00
Location: Zoom
Register via this form by 11 March
Preliminary deadline for the ERC Advanced Grant call 2024: 29 August 2024
For more information about the call: Advanced Grant | ERC (europa.eu)
Please contact Kerstin Gidlöf (kerstin.gidlof@fs.lu.se) if you have any questions.
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