The goal of the program, previously known as Eurolife Short-Term Research Exchange, is to facilitate further research collaboration between Eurolife member institutions. The grants support travel and living expenses for junior scientist to travel to another Eurolife institution and perform research for a period equal to or longer than 2 weeks.
1. Who can apply?
Researchers employed in any of the 9 institutions of Eurolife (at the time of application and exchange) can apply. These researchers must be in their last years of the Doctorate degree or hold a PhD degree (completed within the last 8 years, considering the application’s submission deadline as the reference). Also senior technicians, who are crucial to the analytical work in their research group are encouraged to apply.
2. Duration and amount of the grant
The grant should be used towards travel, accommodation and subsistence costs (during the research exchange) for a period equal to or longer than 2 weeks* (10 working days). The number of grants is limited to 9.
The Eurolife coordinating institution (University Medical Center Göttingen) will reimburse the grants to the home university of the researcher. After the grant period ends, unspent funds should be returned to University Medical Center Göttingen.
Supporting documents should be sent to the local Eurolife Administrator1 (Network Liaison Officers) within one month following the completion of the research exchange. For more details, see Section 7.
*Please note that the University Medical Center Göttingen is unable to host researchers for a period shorter than a month.
3. Staff Exchange
The staff exchange should be focused on research, innovation or knowledge transfer in biomedicine or medicine. The exchange should be undertaken in any of the 9 institutions of Eurolife.
4. Applications
Submissions must include the application form. This application must contain personal details from the researcher applying for the grant, as well as information about the research project. Further requested information must be attached as an annex:
4.1. Proposal outlining (1) the research to be performed and (2) the benefits of the exchange (not exceeding 1 page in length). This document must include a clearly recognizable working title and an indication of keywords.
4.2. Curriculum vitae of the applicant, including a publications list.
4.3. For Postdocs, certificate of the PhD degree (copy). The date of completion must appear on the document.
4.4. Invitation letter / letter of acceptance from the Eurolife hosting research group. This letter must detail why the institution is particularly suitable for the execution of the research project, the support to be provided and the name(s) of the mentor/scientific host.
Applications should be sent by email to the local Eurolife Administrator1 (Network Liaison Officers). Documents should be signed and sent in a pdf format.
5. Evaluation
Each Eurolife institution conducts its own selection procedure and provides a list of ranked candidates in order of merit to the Eurolife coordinator institution (University Medical Center Göttingen). The first-ranked candidate from each institution is automatically accepted. Second places (and any further places, should they be available) are decided by the Eurolife representatives of the University Medical Center Göttingen and the Eurolife Steering Committee group after consideration of all applications, with the aim to achieve a balanced representation with regard to topics, gender and university affiliation with due consideration of rank order and merit.
The following criteria will be prioritised:
5.1. The achievements of the applicant to date (scientific and other qualifications, and particular conditions which have influenced the academic progress).
5.2. The quality of the proposed research to be carried out.
5.3. The benefits of the short term exchange for the applicant, host institution and sending institution.
All points will be judged separately and all scores will contribute to the final rating.
The name of the granted researchers will be published on the Eurolife website (www.eurolifeuniversities.org). Moreover, final decision will be communicated via e-mail to all applicants.
6. Supporting report
Within the maximum period specified in the Section 5.4., the grant holder must deliver:
6.1. A supporting report (not exceeding 1 page in length) outlining the research performed and the key outcome of the exchange.
6.2. A duly signed declaration which clearly states the dates of arrival and departure of the foreign researcher to and from the host institution where the research has taken place.
6.3. Supporting travel documents (transport and accommodation invoices).
This documentation must be sent to the local Eurolife Administrator1 (Network Liaison Officers) in order to determine if some funds should be returned to the Eurolife coordinator institution.
The granted researchers are also required to submit the supporting report (document 7.1.) to the General Eurolife Administrator (Eurolife@med.uni-goettingen.de).
7. Publication and publicity
The grant holder must acknowledge the support of the Eurolife network in reports or other published materials that arise from the research performed during the exchange. The General Eurolife Administrator (Eurolife@med.uni-goettingen.de) should be notified when research papers associated with the grant are published.
1Network Liaison Officers
Universitat de Barcelona Amanda Fillat (eurolife@ub.edu)
Trinity College Dublin Bridget Gavin (research.medicine@tcd.ie)
University of Edinburgh Ellen MacRae (ellen.macrae@ed.ac.uk)
University Medical Center Göttingen Agnieszka Buelens (Eurolife@med.uni-goettingen.de)
Medical University of Innsbruck Sabine de Haan (Sabine.de-Haan@i-med.ac.at)
Leiden University Medical Center Pieter de Koning (P.J.A.de_Koning@lumc.nl)
Karolinska Institutet Anna Dahlerus (Anna.Dahlerus@ki.se)
University of Strasbourg Camille Dieudonne (cdieudonne@unistra.fr)
Semmelweis University Zsuzsanna Kurti (kurti.zsuzsanna@semmelweis.hu)