Abstract

In the last few years Ca’ Foscari has set out a new policy, the Brain gain policy, with the aim to attract the best talents worldwide through a strong international process of recruitment.
Actions fostered by Ca' Foscari to enhance international recruitment of our researchers:
ERC Grantees Recruitment
Ca’ Foscari is constantly hiring ERC awardees as associate and full professors.
Ca’ Foscari has a long experience in moving projects and provides full support to the researcher, giving benefits for faster integration and incentives to guarantee excellent recruitment and working conditions (HRS4R). This has meant +16 ERC PI at Ca’ Foscari since 2014.
Global@Venice Fellowships
GLOBAL_AT_VENICE - Research and Training for Global Challenges is a 60-month Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND project co-financed by Ca’ Foscari: through two international calls we recruit 15 brilliant research fellows to offer a truly international, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral training. Experienced researchers with an international profile will work at Ca’ Foscari and a network of strategic partners to develop their two-year research projects.
Tenure-Track Position for Marie S.Curie Global Fellowships
Ca' Foscari can offer a tenure-track position to researchers who have been awarded a three-year Global Fellowship. This initiative together with the Marie Curie +1 (see below) and a team dedicated to giving support during the pre-award phase has incredibly enhanced our reputation and attraction toward young talents. As a result, since 2014 Ca’ Foscari University has confirmed its performance as a top Italian Host Institution with 138 Marie Curie Individual Fellowships granted, and the top 5 in Europe.
Marie Curie +1
Thanks to this internal selection procedure the winners of the Marie Curie Individual Fellowships who choose Ca’ Foscari as a host research institution can benefit from an additional paid year, so as to consolidate the results of their research as well as their position within the university.
"Rita Levi Montalcini" Young Talents Programme
In 2015 the Italian Government establishes the “Rita Levi Montalcini Program” for young researchers working abroad funding tenure track positions to attract them to Italy.
Ca’ Foscari has promoted the expressions of interest and applications for “Rita Levi Montalcini Programme”, and has already hired 8 researchers with tenure track positions through this merit-based program as proven by the fact that 2 of them have then got an ERC grant
Fondo Italiano per la Scienza (FIS)
The call by MUR - Italian Ministry for University and Research supports fundamental research projects, in the framework of the Fondo Italiano per la Scienza established in 2021 and in line with the ERC - European Research Council actions.
Lots of the candidates were already MC winners at Ca’ Foscari, thus demonstrating that the brain gain policy, the hiring of young talents has triggered a virtuous circle in terms of EU funding acquisition.
Takeaway message: This international recruitment policy has a strong impact on stimulating the participation of our university in the competition for EU funding, with great results. Moreover, it contributes to brain circulation thus addressing the implementation of the European Research Area and enhancing the quality of our publications and teaching.