Crossing the Bridge - September 2012

Nilay Papila

Recognizing the potential impact of "brain circulation era," TASSA aims to communicate with its fellow members, researchers, professionals and those who are willing to contribute to and benefit from this era of transfer/share of knowledge. The most desirable action of this era is to facilitate the mobility of the researchers and "bridging" their research with colleagues all around the world. This objective requires "bridges" and ability to "cross" them. Introducing the "Crossing the Bridge" column we aim to explore the means of paying the "toll on the bridges," i.e. funding opportunities for your research exchanges between the U.S.A. and Turkey.

RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE TURKISH SCIENCE DIASPORA

Interested in a research visit to Turkey? Or is it time for your sabbatical leave and you want to spend your sabbatical in one of the research institutes in Turkey? Do you want to move back to Turkey permanently, but with a sound start-up funding? Or are you planning to invite your colleagues from Turkey to your institute in the USA?

In any and more of these possibilities with intriguing flavor of "brain circulation," funding and sponsorship of research is essential to facilitate your plans. The question is how to find your way for accessing the right sponsoring agency and/or funding mechanism.

Starting from this issue, we, as TASSA team, will be providing our up-to-date information to guide your way to the right funding resources for your needs. As getting funding from outside the U.S.A. can be more challenging, we will mainly focus on funding opportunities TÜBİTAK and European Union (EU) programs offer to support researchers’ mobility. Through these programs, you can get funding for the following activities:

• Recruiting new research staff from Turkey
• Inviting colleagues from Turkey for their sabbatical leave
• Exchanging research personnel between the U.S.A. and Turkey
• Training young researchers from Turkey in their research field and/or
• Going for a research visit or sabbatical leave in a research entity in Turkey.

In each issue, we will screen open calls for proposals and provide an updated list of call deadlines. We will also focus on one of the upcoming programs. In this issue of The Bridge we provide an overview of available funding opportunities from Turkey and EU along with strategic assistance while assessing the right calls and timing for proposals aligned with your interests, ideas, and your institutional priorities and strategic plans.

We hope that this "share of knowledge" will contribute to TASSA’s mission to promote research cooperation between the U.S.A. and Turkey and hopefully, give momentum to the “brain circulation” between the U.S.A. and Turkey in an efficient way.

1. EUROPEAN UNION 7th FRAMEWORK PROGRAM (FP7) MARIE CURIE INDIVIDUAL FELLOWSHIPS

Marie Curie Actions (People Specific Program) acknowledges that one of the main competitive edges in science and technology is the quantity and quality of its human resources. To support the further development and consolidation of the European Research Area (ERA), the overall strategic objective is to make Europe more attractive for researchers through the following support programs.

1.1. International Incoming Fellowship (IIF)

IIF provides support for top-class researchers from USA to work on research projects in Turkey. The duration of the fellowship is between 12 and 24 months (full-time equivalent). Average budget for the IIF project is € 200 000.
For further information:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/about-mca/actions/iif/

1.2. International Outgoing Fellowship (IOF)

IOF provides support for top-class researchers from Turkey to work on research projects in the U.S.A.. The duration of the fellowship must be between 24 and 36 months (full-time equivalent), with an initial outgoing phase of 12 to 24 months and a final mandatory reintegration phase of 12 months within the return host organization. Average budget for the IOF project is € 200 000. For further information:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/about-mca/actions/iof/

1.3. Career Integration Grants (CIG)

CIG is intended to improve considerably the prospects for the permanent integration of researchers who are offered a stable research post (the duration of which must be at least the same as that of the grant) in Turkey after a mobility period in the USA where the researcher has been active during the past years. The duration of these grants is up to 4 years. It provides support of € 25 000 per year.
For further information:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/about-mca/actions/cig/

1.4. International Research Staff Exchange Scheme (IRSES)

IRSES helps research organizations to set up or strengthen long-term cooperation with others, through a coordinated exchange program for their staff. A staff exchange program can receive IRSES support for a period of 24-48 months. The maximum duration of the individual staff exchanges will be 12 months. It provides support of € 25 000 per year.
For further information:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/about-mca/actions/irses/

2. EU FP7 IDEAS - EUROPEAN RESEARCH COUNCIL (ERC)

The objectives of the ERC are to reinforce excellence, dynamism and creativity in European research and improve the attractiveness of Europe for the best researchers from across the world, as well as for industrial research investment. This prestigious program provides lots of opportunities for talented researchers who would like to come to Turkey and do high-risk, high-gain and groundbreaking research. The ERC offer the following support programs:

2.1. ERC Starting Grant

ERC Starting Grants are designed to support researchers (Principal Investigators (PIs)) at the stage of which they are starting their own independent research team or program. The scheme will support independent and excellent new individual research teams. The PI shall have been awarded their first PhD at least 2 and up to 7 years prior to the publication date of the call for proposals of the ERC Starting Grant. The grants can be up to €1 500 000 for a period of 5 years.
For further information: http://erc.europa.eu/starting-grants

2.2. ERC Consolidator Grant

This grant is designed for PIs at the stage at which they are consolidating their own independent research team or program. The PI shall have been awarded their first PhD over 7 and up to 12 years prior to the publication date of the call for proposals of the ERC Consolidator Grant. The grants can be up to a maximum of €2 000 000 for a period of 5 years.
For further information: http://erc.europa.eu/consolidator-grants

2.3. ERC Advanced Grant

PIs for the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant are expected to be active researchers and to have a track record of significant research achievements in the last 10 years which must be presented in the application. Advanced Grants can be up to €2 500 000 for a period of 5 years. However, up to an additional €1, 000, 000 can be made available in some situations.
For further information: http://erc.europa.eu/advanced-grants

3. TUBITAK FELLOWSHIPS - THE SCIENCE FELLOWSHIPS AND GRANT PROGRAMS DEPARTMENT

3.1. "2232 Postdoctoral Reintegration Fellowship" Program

This fellowship program aims to encourage postdoctoral researchers in the U.S.A to return and conduct part of their research in Turkey. Applications are accepted until the last Friday of each month. The total duration of the fellowship is up to 24 months. This scholarship program covers living allowance (maximum TL 3250), travel allowance (given as the reimbursement of travel expenses—only for return ticket for Turkey—after submission of the formal receipts), and health insurance (maximum $100).
For further information: http://www.tubitak.gov.tr/2232/

3.2. "2221 Visiting Scientists Fellowship" Program

Researchers having a doctorate or at least 5 years’ work experience are eligible to apply for this fellowship. Applications are submitted electronically by the institution until the last work day of each month. The duration of the fellowship is between a week and 12 months. for visits up to 4 weeks, remuneration may be provided to the visiting scientist. For long stays (3-12 months) the amount of support can be up $3000 per month.
For further information: http://www.tubitak.gov.tr/sid/985/pid/547/index.htm

3.3. "1010 Global Researcher" Program

Global researchers should be residing abroad and during the project period the global researcher should stay more than one month during each visit to Turkey. The travel expenses of the global researchers are covered by the project budget. In addition, for the time period in which the global researcher stays in Turkey, a payment of no more than 50% of the salary paid to the global researcher in his/her organization is provided.
For further information: http://www.tubitak.gov.tr/evrena

3.4. "2236 CO-FUNDED Brain Circulation" Scheme (Co-Circulation Scheme)

The Co-Circulation Scheme is supported partially by the EU FP7 Marie Curie Actions COFUND call and TÜBİTAK, coordinated by BİDEB. The scheme, improving the conditions of the 2221 Visiting Scientists Fellowship Program and offering financial support to 100 Turkish and foreign experienced researchers for a period of 20-24 months (for the 4th/last call duration will be 12 months), provides both research and employment opportunities for researchers in academic or industrial institutions established in Turkey. To be eligible to apply, researchers must either be in possession of a doctorate or have at least 4 years of full-time equivalent research experience. Researchers must also not be residing in Turkey for more than 12 months in the 3 years prior to the relevant call deadline. The gross salary cost (including living, travel and mobility allowances per month) for a researcher with more than 10 years’ experience is €4792 and for an experienced researcher with less than 10 years’ experience is €4167. The annual research cost contribution for each researcher is €7200.
For further information: http://co-circulation.tubitak.gov.tr/

3.5. "2218 National Postdoctoral Research Fellowship" Program

Turkish scientists performing research in the fields of Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technological Sciences, Medical Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities will receive support for their research carried out in Turkey. Those who have a PhD in these areas or who have no more than 4 months until they receive their PhD degree can apply for this program. The amount of the fellowship is TL 2250 per month for applicants without any other income and TL 1000 per month for applicants with an income. 
For further information: http://www.tubitak.gov.tr/2218

3.6. "2216 Research Fellowship Program" For Foreign Citizens

This program financially supports foreign doctoral students and young postdoctoral researchers in the fields of Natural Sciences, Engineering and Technological Sciences, Medical Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities to perform part of their research in Turkey. To be eligible for this program, applicants must be enrolled in a PhD program abroad and must certify that they have sufficient command of the language in which the research will be pursued. Additionally, applicants have to be accepted by one of the universities or research institutes in Turkey. Postdoctoral researchers must be under the age of 35 as of the application year. The maximum duration of this fellowship is 12 months. The maximum living allowance for this fellowship is TL 2250 per month. Travel costs and health insurance may be partially covered.
For further information: http://www.tubitak.gov.tr/sid/985/pid/547/index.htm

UPCOMING CALLS FOR PROPOSALS

[Back to TASSA Newsletter The Bridge vol 1 issue 3 ]

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