EUTOPIA-SIF Third Call (CLOSED)

EUTOPIA-SIF post-doctoral fellows will be recruited by one of the six EUTOPIA universities which 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 - (host university) on the basis of 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 2022/23 call will start their positions in September 2023.

EUTOPIA-SIF fellowships offer the opportunity to high-profile young researchers to develop their own 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 with the aim of fostering the fellows’ entrepreneurial spirit, tangible research impact and innovation. Furthermore, fellows will access a rich training programme, career guidance and academic supervision.

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

As academic experts following an interdisciplinary approach, fellows will address questions that are 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 in the Arts and Humanities are welcomed in connection with the above-mentioned Key research areas.

Who can apply?

Recognised Researchers (stage 2 in the EURAXESS definition), PhD holder 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 characterize their project. All disciplines, namely applications from the Arts and Humanities, 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 3 years before the call deadline.

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 for research and travel expenses.
• Full 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 organizations 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.
• Attractive living conditions and high quality of life offered by the local environments of all EUTOPIA universities. Each university will actively support fellows and their families for mobility-related queries.

***

• When registering to the EUTOPIA-SIF platform, candidates may choose to use 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: 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 all the prospective EUTOPIA research groups, as well as potential academic supervisors, before submitting the application.
• 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.