- Short term study visits to ERC grant holders
- Support for participating in the ERC mentoring initiative
- Training events for writing ERC grant proposals
- Training events for ERC grant interviews
NB! Training events and study visits funded by this activity are available only for researchers who are employed by Estonian R&D institutions.
Programme activities are carried out by the Estonian Research Council (ETAG) in accordance with Decree No. 481 of the Minister of Education and Research of 30 December 2015. It lays down the conditions for the provision of grants under the ‘Internationalisation of research and support for mobility and the next generation’ or Mobilitas Pluss programme.
The budget for Mobilitas Pluss is 35 373 770 euros, 83.5% of which is covered by the European Regional Development Fund.
The programme aims to:
- improve the international visibility of Estonian research, business and higher education and Estonia’s attractiveness as a destination country for study and research;
- strengthen the international competitiveness of Estonian researchers and research performing organisations, including companies;
- support opportunities for Estonian research institutions and companies to collaborate with transnational research organisations and networks, including through synergy with Horizon 2020 actions;
- expand international collaboration and professional development opportunities for the state, R&D institutions, higher education institutions, companies, students and academic staff by improving intersectoral and international mobility and cooperation (opportunities).
What do we do and what is the objective of our activities?
As part of the activity, we will reimburse the costs of attending international training events of both ETAG and its partners both in Estonia (international trainers) and abroad. Furthermore, we provide study visits to institutions that have been successful in international research collaboration, and implement the ERC mentoring initiative.
The objective for training events is to develop researchers’ skills in drafting and implementing R&D projects. International training events, study visits and mentoring opportunities are currently inaccessible to researchers in many instances, either because of their high cost or, alternatively, limited access. The main objective for training events, study visits and implementing the ERC mentoring initiative is to raise the capabilities of researchers to prepare successful project and grant applications, in particular within the framework of Horizon 2020, and thereby increase Estonia’s participation in the EU framework programme.
The activity expands the opportunities for researchers to pursue professional development and learn from the best international practices. Researchers who have received the top researcher grant or support for applying for ERC grant cannot participate in this activity.
The objective is to provide training or study visits for 100 researchers. Training events, study visits and the implementation of the ERC mentoring initiative are organised by ETAG, involving partners. Among other things, we collect proposals from partners regarding the objectives and needs for training events and study visits. In collaboration with the partners, we identify the researchers to be trained or mentored.
Short term study visits to ERC grant holders
- We will reimburse costs of study visits up to two month with the aim to visit ERC grant holders and learn from them how to write a grant proposal.
- The approximate cost of one study visit is up to 7000 euros.
- Support will be given to partners (institutions who have sent researchers to a study visit) based on actual expenses after the visit.
- Open calls for short term study visits to ERC grant holders will be held twice a year – in May and October.
- Applications for the short term study visits will be submitted in ETIS.
Support for participating in the ERC mentoring initiative
- We cover the costs of external mentors (ERC grantees and former ERC panel members) participating in the initiative;
- Partner organisations can apply for the support to researchers who have:
- Submitted an ERC grant application and reached the second stage of evaluation;
- Are going to submit an ERC application to a currently open ERC Call for proposals.
- Partner organisations can apply for 500 € per one researcher participating in the ERC mentoring initiative.
- Submission of applications is on-going, according to the ERC call calendar and evaluation.
- Applications for the support for participating in the ERc mentoring initiative will be submitted in ETIS.
Training events for writing ERC grant proposals
Training events will take place in Estonia. The trainers have extensive experience in running ERC workshops. ETAG and/or RD institutions who are organising the event will inform the possible participants about the dates of training events.
Interview training for applying for ERC grant
Training events and study visits are organised when it turns out which researchers have been invited to an interview by the ERC. These researchers will be sent to training events abroad.