SMART BRAIN · Attracting International Experienced Researchers to the Basque Country in any Research Field

Attracting International Experienced Researchers to the Basque Country in any Research Field

Summary description of the project objectives: The SMARTBrain programme is based on a combination of incoming and reintegration of researchers of excellence (of any nationality) to reinforce the scientific excellence of the Basque system, as well as the excellence of the European Research Area through knowledge sharing on a multi-level basis and through the interaction of researchers in interdisciplinary research fields. The Basque Country, organized in research communities closely linked through its business and social fabric, is building its research system on researchers and capacities. In this environment, that constitutes a simple, transparent and coherent system based on various public and private sources of finance (national, regional and European), transnational mobility represents an action of crucial importance for innovation and, consequently, for the need to ensure enhanced collaboration between the worlds of academic research and industry. The Ikerbasque Foundation’s activity represents an important actor in the culmination of the mission to make the Basque Country a truly scientific–technological community, which combines human skills, infrastructures and, which opens its arms to global knowledge by establishing consortia and collaborative agreements with the most influential knowledge centres worldwide. In this sense, the importance of having international researchers coming to the Basque Country is a key aspect that is included in our programme. Description of the main results achieved so far: After approval of the corresponding amendments, the project has been extended 1 year and a half more. The SMARTBrain project has been running between 01/03/2010 and 31/08/2015. During such period, Ikerbasque has recruited a total of 38 researchers that in total have executed 116,17 fellow/years (i.e. 1.393,98 months) in the framework of the COFUND programme. Taking into account that the initially estimated number of researchers to be recruited was 43 with 118,28 fellows/year, Ikerbasque has executed more than 88% of the project in terms of number of researchers and 98% in terms of implemented fellows/years. During the whole project duration 4 calls were launched in the framework of SMARTBrain (2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013). Among the 4 calls, Ikerbasque received a total of 1.573 applications that were evaluated based on: ➢ Scientific merit and research track ➢ Relevance of research topic and latest publications ➢ Concordance with Basque research capabilities The main work within the project so far has involved the publication, evaluation and negotiation, and contractual procedures related with the implemented calls. After the project end, Ikerbasque expects to maintain its positive progression and keep recruiting researchers during the incoming years, in order to improve the scientific production of the European Research Area and especially of the Basque Country.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз