Contributor Ada Yee<\/em><\/p>\n If you\u2019re a student seeking experiences abroad, a newly-minted PhD wanting work in industry-leading countries, or an academic looking to settle in Europe, start by typing \u201cEURAXESS\u201d into your Web browser.\u00a0 During the <\/span>Naturejobs<\/i> Career Expo 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts, we heard from representatives of EURAXESS, a European Commission[https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/index_en.htm] initiative designed to encourage researcher mobility and facilitate European research careers. The workshop showcased a range of funding opportunities and resources for researchers of all training levels and\u2014although most attendees were European\u2014all nationalities.<\/span><\/p>\n EURAXESS online resource community<\/b><\/p>\n For those just starting with their European job search, or for those navigating an overseas transition (including visa paperwork and finding a school for your kids), the session gave a guided tour of EURAXESS\u2019s free-to-use online resource community<\/a>.<\/p>\n Through the jobs section of the site<\/a>, job seekers can access an online job portal and upload CVs for organizations\u2019 perusal. So far, the site has collected more than 8,500 job ads, and about 8,000 organizations\u2014including research institutions, universities, and companies\u2014have registered to view CVs, noted Stephanie Jannin, one of EURAXESS\u2019s North America regional representatives.<\/span><\/p>\n EURAXESS services also include centers dedicated to helping researchers and their families with the logistics of moving to Europe. Jannin described \u201ca network of over 500 professionals working in over 200 offices across Europe.\u201d Contact information for the centers is found in the services portion<\/a> of EURAXESS\u2019s site.<\/p>\n Finally, Jannin highlighted EURAXESS\u2019s upcoming Science Slam competition<\/a>. Entrants can indulge their creative side by giving a 3-minute performance (finalists go on to give a 10-minute live version) explaining their research to a lay audience. \u201cHow do you explain your work to your friends?\u201d Jannin prompted the audience. \u201cIs it easy? Do you think it\u2019s important?\u201d This contest might be your first step towards Europe: winners are flown to Europe to meet with an institute of their choosing.<\/p>\n Funding for beginner to advanced researchers<\/b><\/p>\n EURAXESS can connect you with information but doesn\u2019t directly fund researchers. Instead, North America representative Viktoria Bodnarova directed the audience towards several options for grant support.<\/p>\n One set of options is the Marie Sk\u0142odowska-Curie Actions (MSCAs)<\/a>. Created in the 1960s and named for the famous scientist\u2014her maiden name since added, perhaps to reflect her multi-nationality\u2014these funding opportunities are open to applicants from any country, as long as they plan to move to Europe, away from Europe (and come back), or between European countries for their research.<\/p>\n Candidates with at least four years of research experience (which need not, but can include PhD studies) should apply for an Individual Fellowship (IF)<\/a>. For IFs, you must craft your own research proposal and find a host institution. Those with less training or those who may want to pursue graduate studies in Europe should look at the Individual Training Network (ITN). In this case, institutions post projects on the MSCA website (and often also EURAXESS<\/a>\u00a0or Naturejobs<\/em>), where you can check them out and apply<\/a>.<\/p>\n Finally, for researchers trying to fund their own labs, there are the European Research Council (ERC) grants. Again, these are nationality-blind; about 70% of beginner-to-middle stage ERC grants go to North American applicants. The grant requires you relocate to Europe if you\u2019re not there already, but it\u2019s portable between European host institutions. \u201cThe host isn\u2019t evaluated, so you can go anywhere you want,\u201d said Bodnorova. Each grant provides up to \u20ac<\/b>2 million of funding for everything from equipment to salary. \u201cIf you ask institutions to host, 99.9% of them will say yes,\u201d according to Bodnorova, because the grants are seen as a label of excellence<\/p>\n Indeed, in addition to the benefits of research abroad, the prestige afforded by ERC and MSCA funding was a theme of the workshop. Only 10-12% of MSCA applications are funded. “It\u2019s pretty competitive,\u201d said Nagore Ortiz-Vitoriano, who did her PhD in Spain before coming to MIT as an MSCA fellow. \u201cEverybody was telling me it\u2019s difficult to get.\u201d<\/p>\n But that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s unattainable, she added: \u201cYou just need a good project. Go for it and trust you can do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Tips for applying? Start early (think 7-8 months ahead), be organized (Ortiz-Vitoriano included a Gantt chart<\/a>), outline a contingency plan, and choose a host carefully, perhaps discussing ideas with them over Skype. \u201cKnow where you want to be for a few years,\u201d adds Ortiz-Vitoriano. \u201cNow I have a big network that I will collaborate with when I go back to Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Contributor Ada Yee … Read more<\/a> Continue reading