Abstract

MSCA Cofund is an attractive and competitive scheme under Pillar 1 in H2020 and Horizon Europe and represents an opportunity to secure half of the funding needed to increase your research base. Managing a cofund means planning and organizing calls for project proposals; the evaluation and selection process that follows the closing of applications; supporting candidates prior to joining the programme and also providing them with high-quality training and development opportunities.

Usually run for a period of 5 years, cofunds are particularly challenging in the recruitment of researchers, and transparency of the evaluation and selection process. In this 15-minute round table, we will discuss the 2 main topics in managing cofunds: i) Dissemination and evaluation; and ii) Training and Development.

To this end, 4 Irish PMs from different HEI/Research Centres will lead the discussion in one topic where we will discuss and capture the attendees’ points of view and actions taken towards efficient management while keeping high quality of the evaluation and selection, training, and well-being of the fellows during the pandemic. This session is aimed at PMs in all stages of their career, and especially those who are beginning the post-award journey of their cofunds.

The Learning outcomes from this session include main issues to watch out for when managing a cofund; ideas for support and collaborative opportunities within a network of cofund managers and NCP, and how to maximize training and development opportunities. We will capture a comprehensive idea from all participants in the selected topics and generate a report with our findings for dissemination to the EARMA network (JoRMA)