How the EUROCORES Scheme works
The EUROCORES Scheme
The scheme provides a flexible framework which allows national basic research funding organisations to support top class European research in and across all scientific areas. The scheme stimulates research which is
• of the highest quality
• innovative
• investigator-driven
• collaborative
• and multidisciplinary.
The European Science Foundation (ESF) provides programme coordination and support for the networking of funded scientists.
Research funding remains with participating national organisations.
Step 1. Selection of new Ideas (EUROCORES themes)
As a part of a structured approach to EUROCORES development, the ESF invites new and challenging ideas for EUROCORES programmes (EUROCORES theme proposals) from the scientific community. Such “bottom-up” EUROCORES themes can be submitted to the ESF once a year (the call for themes is published in March with a deadline around 1st June). After a selection process of EUROCORES themes, the ESF seeks agreement with interested funding organisations on the scientific scope and participation in each EUROCORES programme.
Step 2. Selection of Collaborative Research Projects and funding decisions
Following an agreement with participating funding organisations, the ESF publishes a Call for proposals for each EUROCORES programme inviting Collaborative Research Project (CRP) proposals from the scientific community. CRPs consist of a number of Individual Projects (IPs) based in different European countries. CRP proposals are assessed through a common International Peer Review managed by the ESF. A EUROCORES Programme normally involves 9-23 funding organisations and usually funds 5-15 CRPs (selected out of 50-100 outline proposals) consisting of 40-80 IPs with a total Programme budget of 5-10 Mio Euros.
Step 3. Collaborative Research, Networking and Dissemination
How is a EUROCORES Programme funded?
Research Funding
Participating national funding organisations fund successful CRPs through the IPs. Each CRP is typically funded for 3 or 4 years. Depending on the rules of the participating funding organisations and on the agreements for each Call for Proposals, funding may include support for:
• salaries (PhDs, Post-docs, senior scientists, technicians, etc.),
• equipment and consumables,
• publications and general dissemination,
• access to large infrastructures (e.g.ship-time),
• participation in conferences and other travel within the CRP.
EUROCORES Networking
Once the CRPs of a EUROCORES Programme have been funded, the programme is expected to implement networking activities accross the funded CRPs through workshops, conferences, schools, specialised courses, short-term visits etc. The networking phase starts around 3 months after the final decision on funding with a meeting of the Scientific Committee (Project Leaders of funded CRPs)
Networking and dissemination activities are the key characteristics and the main objectives of the EUROCORES Programme. They are meant to encourage and facilitate scientific collaboration and diffusion accross the Collaborative Research Projects (CRPs) within a given domain or if appropriate across different domains and programmes.
Until 2008, EUROCORES networking is supported through a contract with the European Commission under the Sixth Framework Programme (EC Contract no. ERAS-CT-2003-980409).
