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EUTOPIA-SIF 4th Call

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Overview

The submission will open on 14 September 2023.
The submission of the main application material will close on 14 December 2023, at 13:00 CET.
The submission of the full research proposal will close on 11 January 2024, at 13:00 CET.
An optional pre-application stage will be available to help candidates find a host research group from 14 September to 05 October 2023, 13:00 CET.
Post-doctoral positions of selected candidates will start in September 2024.

Applications must be submitted online and in English.
Please refer to the Guide for Applicants for detailed information about the application procedure.
You can reach the coordinators of the programme at eutopia-sif@cyu.fr
For more information about the EUTOPIA-SIF programme, its application and selection procedure, we will organise a webinar for candidates on Wednesday 18 October, 10:00-11-30 CET. The webinar recording is available here.

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Information for Submission

The EUTOPIA European University Alliance is pleased to announce the opening of 16 post-doctoral fellowships under the EUTOPIA Science and Innovation Fellowships Programme (EUTOPIA-SIF). Positions will start in September 2024 at EUTOPIA-SIF partner universities.

EUTOPIA-SIF fellowships offer the opportunity to high-profile young researchers to develop their research projects in the stimulating academic environment of the EUTOPIA Alliance. Extensive research mobility is integral to the fellowships with two compulsory secondment periods: one at another EUTOPIA university (co-host university) and one with an external academic or non-academic partner institution to foster the fellows’ entrepreneurial spirit, tangible research impact and innovation. Furthermore, fellows will access a rich training programme, career guidance and academic supervision.

EUTOPIA-SIF post-doctoral fellows will be recruited by one of the six EUTOPIA universities that are part of the programme — Vrije Universiteit Brussel, CY Cergy Paris University, University of Gothenburg, University of Ljubljana, Pompeu Fabra University-Barcelona, The University of Warwick — based on an individual research project and the quality of their academic profile for a 24-month post-doctoral contract with highly attractive conditions. The selected candidates from the 2023/24 call will start their positions in September 2024.

As academic experts following an interdisciplinary approach, fellows will address questions central to understanding and shaping the future of our planet, the technologies that shape our lives and the societies we will live in. Interdisciplinary interactions are particularly encouraged within the EUTOPIA-SIF programme, built on the principle that major scientific and societal challenges can only be solved by collaborating with experts from different areas. Applications from fellows from all disciplines, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Humanities and Arts, are welcomed in connection with the following Key research areas:

Materials engineering: including advanced analytical science, photonics, new material science, quantum technology
Data & Intelligence: including Artificial Intelligence, complexity, mathematical modelling, information-systems engineering
Health: including immunology and antibacterial resistance, cancer, ageing, reproductive health, neurosciences
Sustainability: including energy, circular economy, mobility, urban planning, material heritage, water management
Welfare & Inclusion: including business management and finance, governance, ethics, inequality, law and demography

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Eligible Host Universities

Although The EUTOPIA Alliance was expanded in late 2022 to encompass ten regionally and nationally distinct European universities, the EUTOPIA-SIF programme runs on a separate grant. Only the following six universities are eligible to host or co-host SIF fellows: Vrije Universiteit Brussel, CY Cergy Paris University, University of Gothenburg, University of Ljubljana, Pompeu Fabra University-Barcelona, The University of Warwick.

The four more recent members of the Alliance (the Ca’Foscari University of Venice, the NOVA University Lisbon, the Technische University Dresden and the Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca) are not eligible as hosts or co-hosts of the applicants.

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Who can apply?

Recognised Researchers (stage 2 in the EURAXESS definition), PhD holders or equivalent, of any nationality complying with the MSCA-COFUND mobility rule. No seniority condition applies; however, candidates cannot hold a permanent position at the start of the fellowship.

Applicants are entirely free in the design of their research projects. However, they must indicate one or more of the programme’s Key Research Areas to characterise their project. All disciplines, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Humanities and Arts, are welcomed in connection with EUTOPIA-SIF Key Research Areas.

MSCA Mobility Rule: EUTOPIA-SIF fellows must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the selected primary host university country for more than 12 months in the three years before the call deadline.

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Why apply?

MSCA COFUND EUTOPIA-SIF is a highly competitive programme offering very attractive conditions to young researchers for research excellence and career development:

2-year employment contract as a Marie Sklodowska-Curie COFUND fellow at one of the EUTOPIA universities, with a monthly average gross salary of 4 349 € and a supplementary budget and travel expenses.
Entire budget academic freedom to pursue your research project in the state-of-the-art infrastructures of EUTOPIA research centres and a stimulating interdisciplinary and international academic community.
International and intersectoral mobility through secondment periods at the fellow’s EUTOPIA-SIF co-host university and with an external secondment host, which can either be an international academic institution or a non-academic partner. More than 45 companies, local authorities and non-profit organisations actively support the programme, encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship.
Extensive training programme includes transferable skills development, academic leadership, and active career mentoring by senior academic supervisors.
The local environments of all EUTOPIA universities offer attractive living conditions and a high quality of life. Each university will actively support fellows and their families with mobility-related queries.

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NOTA BENE

When registering to the EUTOPIA-SIF platform, candidates may choose the optional pre-application stage to enhance their chances of finding a hosting research group.
Candidates may decide to proceed directly to the submission of a full proposal.
In line with the chosen Key Research Area(s), candidates must indicate at least one and up to three pairs of host and co-host universities and the programme’s EUTOPIA research group(s) that they plan to collaborate with. They may indicate prospective academic supervisors.
Support letter: The candidate must provide a support letter from the prospective host group selected as the first choice. More information on this mandatory application material can be found in the Guide for Applicants.
It is strongly recommended to contact the prospective EUTOPIA research groups and academic supervisors before applying.
Applications will be assessed on their scientific quality, experience and prior results of the candidate, feasibility and potential impact of the proposal and the candidate’s career development perspective as a EUTOPIA-SIF fellow through a rigorous two-stage selection process, including an external review of all eligible proposals by renowned experts and interviews with short-listed candidates.
Researchers interested in supervising a SIF fellow can be found on the partnering tool.

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Call timeline

Thursday, 14 September 2023	Opening of the submission platform
Thursday, 5 October 2023	Pre-application deadline
Thursday, 14 December 2023	Deadline for submission of Step 1 – main application material
Thursday, 11 January 2024	Deadline for submission of Step 2– detailed research proposal and reference letters
Friday, 19 January 2024	Outcome of the eligibility check
Friday, 26 January 2024	End feedback by heads of targeted research groups on the submitted projects
Thursday, 1 February – Friday, 8 March 2024	Review stage: Assessment by the Review Panel and ranking
Wednesday, 3 April 2024	Shortlist for interviews
16-24 April 2024 (TBC)	Interview stage: Interviews of short-listed candidates and ranking
End April 2024	Decision by the Board of Directors on fellowship offers
Mid May 2024	Notification of results to applicants
By end of May 2024	Contract set-up (after acceptance of fellowship offers)
September 2024	Start of the fellowship positions