H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions –Doctoral Networks

H2020Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

– Doctoral Networks

Mid-term check meeting

Roxana PAULOVICI860470 – CHAMELEON (EJD)10 September 2021

Purpose of Mid-Term meeting

Definition of contingency plans

Recruitment Assessment• progress • procedure

Eligibility rules• clarification• verification

Rights and obligations • fellows • beneficiaries

Assessment of any deviation

Constructive dialogue

Mid-Term check outline

§ Rights and obligations of coordinator, beneficiaries and fellows

§ Funding mechanism and eligibility rules

§ Project timeline and reporting

§ Where can I get help as coordinator/beneficiary/fellow?

Role of the Coordinator§ Article 41.2b of the GA

§ Monitor that the action is implemented properly§ Act as intermediary for all communication between consortium and

the REA§ Request and review any document or information required by the REA§ Submit the deliverables and reports to the REA§ Ensure that all payments to other beneficiaries are made without

unjustified delay§ Inform the REA of the amounts paid to each beneficiary

Coordinator cannot delegate these tasks to any other beneficiary or subcontract them to a third party

Role of the Beneficiaries§ Article 41.2a of the GA

§ Keep the PP Beneficiary Register up to date§ Inform the coordinator of events likely to affect the implementation of

the project§ Submit to the coordinator in good timeü Individual financial statementsü Data needed to draw up the technical reportsü Ethics committee opinions/notifications/authorizations for activities raising ethics

issuesü Any other document required by the REA

Beneficiaries are jointly liable for the technical implementation of the action.Beneficiaries have individual responsibility for their own financial statement.

§ Art. 32.1 : Obligations towards recruited researchers

• ensure that the researchers enjoy at the place of the implementation at least the same standards and working conditions as those applicable to local researchers holding a similar position

• ensure that the employment contract specifies:• the monthly support for the researcher under this Agreement• the obligation of the researcher to work exclusively for the action• the arrangements related to the IP rights between the beneficiary and the researcher

during implementation of the action and afterwards• the obligation of the researcher to ensure the visibility of EU funding

in communications or publications and in applications for the protection of results

• assist the researchers in the administrative procedures related to their recruitment;

Obligations of all the Beneficiaries (1)

§ Art. 32.1 : Obligations towards recruited researchers

• inform the researchers about:• the description, conditions, location and the timetable for the implementation of the research

training activities under the action and the name of the supervisor• ensure that the researchers do not receive, for activities carried out in the frame of the action, other

incomes than those received from the beneficiaries• ensure that the researchers do not have to bear any costs for the implementation of the action as

described in Annex 1• host the researchers at their premises• provide training and the necessary means for implementing the action• ensure that the researchers are adequately supervised• ensure that a career development plan is established and support its implementation• ensure an appropriate exposure to the non-academic sector

Recruited researchers must NOT be requested to pay visa-related fees or tuition fees for their research training and/or PhD degree programme (e.g. student registration, access to student services (e.g. library, computing), teaching, supervision, examination and graduation) neither from their own funds, nor from the researcher's unit cost.

Obligations of all the Beneficiaries (2)

Obligations of the Fellows§ Article 32

As a Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow, you have rights and obligations that mostly concern employment conditions, integrity and excellence. Below some obligations:

- Working exclusively for the action and receiving income for the activities of the fellowship only from your host organisation, or another entity participating in the action

- Ensuring visibility and recognition of received EU funding in communications, publications and patent applications

- Informing the host organisation as soon as possible of any events, circumstances or changes in status that are likely to affect your fellowship

- Submitting an evaluation questionnaire and a follow-up questionnaire, at the end of your fellowship and two years afterwards

MSC Researcher Information PackageØ overview of the rights and obligations of fellows supported by the Marie Skłodowska-

Curie actions, including:

§ what is understood by good working and support conditions, and how fellows can address problems.

§ importance attached by the EU to gender equality, research integrity, openaccess to research outputs, and outreach activities with the public.

§ how non-research activities can be part of a fellowship in order to develop the career of the fellow (e.g. teaching).

Ø All recruited MSC researchers should receive this document as soon as they sign theircontract.

MSCA Fellows in Innovative Training Networks Information note | Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (europa.eu)

“

REVISED EDITION of 24 March 2017 The European Code ofConduct for Research Integrity of ALLEA (All EuropeanAcademies - The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity - ALLEA)and ESF (European Science Foundation)

The Code serves the European research community as aframework for self-regulation across all scientific andscholarly disciplines. It sets out principles of research integrity,criteria for good research practice, and describes the violations ofresearch integrity and how to prevent them.

The Code is used as a reference document in the Horizon 2020Model Grant Agreement.

Research Integrity

Good research practices are based on fundamentalprinciples of Research Integrity: reliability, honesty,respect, accountability

The Code describes good research practices in the followingcontexts:

• Research Environment• Training, Supervision and Mentoring• Research Procedures• Safeguards• Data Practices and Management• Collaborative Working• Publication and Dissemination• Reviewing, Evaluating and Editing

Research Integrity

Ø Fully based on unit costs

Ø 1 person-month = 1 unit

Ø Amounts in EUR per unit cost

Ø Total costs = cost per unit x number of units

Funding mechanism

Researcher InstitutionLiving

allowance*Mobility

allowance**

Family allowance

Research, training and networking

costs

Management and indirect

costs

3 270 600 500 1 800 1 200

*multiplied by the country correction coefficient (base rates applied for WP 2018-2020)(where the fellow is employed)** if applicableECB's official website for the exchange rate https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/exchange/html/index.en.html

Costs categories

A. Costs for Recruited Researchers B. Institutional costs

Full time (100%)Suspension (0%)Part time (1-99%)Maternity leave (0%)Parental leave (0%)

Continuous reporting Researchers

Sick leave: periods for which the researcher was absent for more than 30

days cannot be charged to the action.

They should be reported as a suspension.

Individual financial statements

Automatically filled in from Researcher'sDeclaration(s)

Automatically filled in from Researcher's Declaration(s)

Automatically filled inbased on unit costs

Date of recruitment

‘Date of recruitment’ means the first day of theemployment of the researcher for the purposes of theaction

(i.e. the starting date indicated in the employmentcontract/equivalent direct contract).

Eligible researchers

Early Stage Researchers (ESR)Ø ESR shall at the time of recruitment by the host organisation, be in the

first four years* (full-time equivalent research experience) of theirresearch careers and have not been awarded a doctoral degree

Ø Duration of recruitment: min 3 to max 36 months(typical recruitment: 36 months)

Ø Any nationality

Ø Mobility rule

* is measured from the date when a researcher obtained the degree which would formally entitle him or her to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the researcher is recruited, irrespective of whether or not a doctorate is or was ever envisaged

SecondmentsØ In EJD, recruited researchers can be seconded to other beneficiaries and/or

to partner organisations for a duration of up to 30% of their recruitmentperiod, but this limitation does not apply to EJD insofar and may varyaccording to the institution and country legislation.

Secondment: a period spent by a fellow at a beneficiary’s or a partner organisation'spremises other than those of the beneficiary which has recruited him/her under theaction- must involve physical mobility of the fellow.- supervision and training/research activities

Short Visit: fellow is rather an “observer”

“

Start 1/6/2020 12M 24Mt June 2022 36M 48M 31/05/2024

Periodic technical report (M24-26) Individual financial statements

Progress report (M13)

MID-TERM CHECK (M13-15) Sept 2021

CONTINUOUS REPORTINGPublishable Summary, deliverables, milestones, critical risks, publications,

patents, gender and Researcher Declarations

INTERIM CHECK (M26-28) July – August 2022

FINAL CHECK ( M-50-52)

June- July 2024

Final technical report (M48-50)Individual financial statements

RP1 RP2

Project timeline

Checks (Art. 20.3 of the GA)

§ Interim (periodical) reporting + Final reporting(remote assessment unless otherwise agreed with PO and with the help of an external expert reviewer)

Necessary to submit within 60 days of the end of each reporting period:

(1) Periodic technical report(2) Periodic financial report (individual financial statement per each beneficiary)

Electronic submission via

the Participant Portal;

electronic signature

Periodic technical report has 2 parts:

•Part A (publishable summary, deliverables, milestones, etc., answer to H2020 KPIs) – retrieved from CC•Part B (explanation work carried out, overview of progress, update on PUDF, explanation ondeviations from DoA) – uploaded as pdf in the Participant portal

Reporting obligations and REA monitoring (1)

üContinuous reporting (CC): as soon as the GA is signed, the 'continuous reporting' module is available.Allows consortium to continuously update publishable summary, deliverables, milestones, etc. and allows the REA to monitor project.

üPeriodic reporting: at the end of each reporting period, the coordinator has 60 days to submit a period/final report (Art. 20 of the GA).

An INTERIM/FINAL CHECK is organized remotely to assess the progress of eachreporting period (can be carried out on site if necessary)

Electronic submission via theParticipant Portal; electronicsignature

§ Art. 19.1:

§ The coordinator must:§ establish a Supervisory Board§ submit any deliverables identified in Annex 1§ submit a 'researcher's declaration' within 20 days after the recruitment of

each researcher§ submit a progress report§ organize a mid-term meeting

Researchers declarations (RDs) contain:•Personal data (name, date of birth, nationality, gender, family charges, email of researcher, etc.)•Data related to the project allowances: start date and end date of recruitment/secondment, hosting institution, etc.•RD is a basis for IFS (Individual financial Statement) and thus need to be regularly updated (particularly before submission of periodic report)

Reporting obligations and REA monitoring (2)

Reporting obligations and REA monitoring (3)

Deliverables:

• To be uploaded directly on the Participant and Tender Portal by the Coordinator

• Scientific deliverables and other deliverables must be submitted as defined in

Annex 1 of the Grant Agreement.

• In case of an update of a deliverable, the PO needs to be notified and re-opens the session

• In case of late submission of a deliverable, the PO needs to be notified

Publications:

• To be listed all publications where the fellows are authors. Link to be provided

• Open access to peer-reviewed publications:

• Each beneficiary must ensure open access (free of charge, online access for any user) to all peer-reviewed scientific publications relating to its results (art. 29.2 GA).

https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/docs/h2020-funding-guide/cross-cutting-issues/open-access-dissemination_en.htm

Reporting obligations and REA monitoring (4)

Reporting obligations and REA monitoring (5)

Any communication/outreach/dissemination activity related to your project needsto acknowledge the EU funding you have received, according to the grantagreement that you have signed.

This project has received funding from the European Union’sHorizon 2020 research and innovation programme under theMarie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No [number].

http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/docs/h2020-funding-guide/grants/grant-management/acknowledge-funding_en.htm

Acknowledgment of EU funding

Mid-Term checkConfidential discussion with the fellows

Fellow's rights:

§ Administration: Grant Agreement provisions awareness, working conditions§ Career development plan§ Supervision and integration§ Planned training activities, secondments, courses, trainings

Open discussionsv

Ø In a country where the duration of PhD study is formally 4 years, the participantis strongly encouraged to find additional funding from other sources in orderto fund the 4th year of doctoral studies.

Where are those rules?

Online Manual - Online Manual - Funding Tenders Opportunities (europa.eu)

Euraxess Portal:https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/

H2020 Funding and Tender Portal – IT HOW TO (IT TOOLS):https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/funding/display/ECResearchGMS/

Helpdesk: By phone: 0032 2 29 92222

http://ec.europa.eu/research/enquiries

Register as an expert (for PIs):

https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/work-as-an-expert

Register to Marie Curie Alumni Platform (for MSC fellows):

https://www.mariecuriealumni.eu

Useful links:• Information Package for MSCA fellows (rights and obligations):https://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/sites/mariecurie2/files/information-package-msca-fellows-1.2_en_0.pdf

• Grant Agreement (funding and tenders Portal) Especially ITN section

http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/grants_manual/amga/h2020-amga_en.pdf

Guide for applicants ITN 2019-2020

https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/other/guides_for_applicants/h2020-guide-appl-msca-itn_en.pdf

• Guide for reduction of grants http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/other/sgl/h2020-guidance-grant-reductions_en.pdf

In the researcher's declaration (RD) the start date of the recruitment is 1 October 2017 while in the employment contract the start date is 15 October 2017.

What shall the beneficiary do?

1.Nothing, since the unit costs cover the full month

2.The beneficiary should inform the Coordinator, who can ask REA to re-open the RDso that the starting date can be updated

3.The beneficiary should contact the LEAR and ask him/her to correct the data in the Participant Portal

The fellows/ESRs have the feeling that they don't receive the correct amount of allowances listed in the work-programme and guide for applicants

What should the ESRs do?

1.The ESRs should wait and meet the Project Officer at the mid-term check, since it is organised at the beginning of their fellowships

2.The ESRs should talk to the supervisor and if he/she doesn't know, the fellows can submit a complaint to the EU

3.The ESRs should first contact the administration of the host institution, if there are still doubts, they can seek for advice from the National Contact Points

Thank you !Questions ?

[email protected]