Eleven universities and technical
institutes in less developed regions in Europe are to receive up to €2.4
million each in EU funding to boost their research capacity though the
appointment of the first ever "ERA Chairs", Máire Geoghegan-Quinn,
European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, announced on
Monday. The initiative aims to bridge Europe's innovation divide by
attracting top academics to organisations so that they can compete with
centres of excellence elsewhere in the European Research Area (ERA).
Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn said: "The
response to the first ERA Chairs call was enormous. It showed there is a
real desire among research organisations across Europe to raise their
game. I want to make sure that no one with potential is left behind, so
Horizon 2020 will provide funding for more ERA Chairs in places where
they are needed the most."
The first pilot call was open to
research organisations located in less-developed EU regions or similar
areas in countries associated to the EU's seventh research framework
programme (FP7). A total of 111 proposals were submitted for evaluation,
largely exceeding expectations. Nearly all Member States with eligible
regions were represented.
Once recruited, the ERA Chairs and
their teams will undertake research in a wide spectrum of scientific
fields, such as aquaculture, environmental chemistry, veterinary
medicine, human computer interactions and low carbon emission in cities
(see table).
Around 15 more ERA Chairs are expected to be announced next year following the first Horizon 2020 call published in December.
Background
The selected institutions have to
award ERA Chairs to outstanding academics who have the capacity to raise
standards and attract more high level staff as well as money from other
sources, such as EU research funding or regional funds. The positions
must be published and respect ERA guidelines (gender balance, fairness,
transparency, etc.). ERA Chair holders can come from anywhere in the
world.
Under Horizon 2020, ERA Chairs
will be funded as a core scheme under the actions on "Spreading
excellence and widening participation". The first Horizon 2020 call
launched on 11 December 2013 (IP/13/1232)
included a budget of €34 million for the next round of ERA chairs and
the deadline for applications is 15 October 2014. Details of the new
call and eligible regions are available on the Participant Portal.
