The system of Marie Curie Fellowships has, under the European Community's Fifth Framework Programme (1998–2002) for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities, been extended to include an Industry Host Fellowship scheme. The objectives of the scheme are to make research training opportunities in industrial and commercial environments available to young postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers, and to encourage cooperation and the transfer of technology between industry and higher education institutions. This paper presents the rationale behind the scheme in the context of the Fifth Framework Programme and provides an overview of its key features.
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References
1.
The system of Marie Curie Fellowships is formally outlined in the European Council Decision No 1999/174/EC adopting a specific programme for research, technological development and demonstration on improving the human research potential and the socio-economic knowledge base, 1999.
2.
European Parliament and Council, Decision No 182/1999/EC concerning the Fifth Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities, 1998.
3.
Fifth Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities, Official Journal of the European Communities, L26, 1.2. 1999, p 7.
4.
European Council, Decision No 1110/94/EC concerning the Fourth Framework Programme of European Community activities in the field of research and technological development and demonstration (1994 to 1998), 1994.
5.
Details can be found in the Commission's Work Programme on Improving the Human Research Potential and the Socioeconomic Knowledge Base, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, 1999.
6.
The background to the current peer review system used by the European Commission for the evaluation of Marie Curie Fellowships can be found in McSweeneyB., ‘TMR Fellowship Peer Review System’, ESTA Newsletter, No 3, 1997, pp 14–15.
7.
Details for applicants can be found in the Commission's, Guide for Proposers: Marie Curie Industry Host Fellowships, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, 1999.
8.
IRDAC, Towards a European Industrial Host Fellowship Scheme, Opinion of the Industrial Research and Development Advisory Committee of the European Commission, Brussels, 1997.
9.
The initial results are encouraging. The first evaluation round for applications to the Human Potential programme had a total of 256 eligible proposals from 13 countries, suggesting that the level of interest in the scheme, even at this early stage, is reasonably established. The balance between SMEs and larger concerns is also encouraging, with almost one-fifth of applications coming from small or medium-sized enterprises.
10.
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK.
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Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
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As defined in the Commission's Recommendation No 96/280/EC concerning the definition of small and medium-sized enterprises, 1996.
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Any country in which an applicant has been based for more than 12 months out of the two years immediately preceding their selection by the host company.
14.
A detailed description of the evaluation process can be found in the Commission's Guide for Evaluators: Marie Curie Fellowships, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, Luxembourg, 1999.
15.
The deadlines for future submissions to the Human Potential programme are 15 June 2000 and 13 June2001.
