UPWr on the Horizon

• Challenges for Europe and challenges for scientists – what do they have in common?
• Support for universities from the so-called New EU - what is Widening intended for?
• Projects of UPWr scientists pending approval by the European Commission
• Pillar 2 and clusters, i.e. research areas relevant for scientists from our university
• Pillar 1  – how do you become a host institution?
• What can you learn from writing European projects?

Horizon Europe – like its predecessor Horizon 2020 - is a European Commission flagship programme with a budget of approx. EUR 95.5 billion, which is around 30 percent more than the funding for research and innovation projects under the Horizon 2020 edition. 

European Commission priorities

– The European Commission has clearly defined priorities and objectives as described in the strategy papers. A specific competition is not a stand-alone entity in the Horizon Europe universe, and its positioning within a given pillar, cluster and thematic area is key to understanding the Commission's expectations. It is therefore necessary to familiarise oneself with the chosen topic and find a common ground between the EC objectives and the research goals of a given scientific team – emphasises Dr. Katarzyna Kopańczyk from the International Research Programme Department, which was established to help our scientists understand the guidelines included in the competition documents and, consequently, choose an appropriate programme for a particular project idea.

Another key element is building a project consortium to comprehensively address the challenges that Europe is facing.

– The aim is for the innovative solutions or research results to be applied throughout Europe. The complementarity of the consortium is not only with regards to appropriate geographical distribution, but above all a model of cooperation between universities, entrepreneurs, clusters, NGOs and local government units, which focuses on the needs of citizens and global challenges – emphasises Dr. Katarzyna Kopańczyk, adding that apart from preparing the project concept, i.e. the research plan and implementation methodology, the project must be presented in the context of the European Commission's priorities and goals, such as the European Green Deal, Digital Future of Europe, the Economy Serving People, Promoting the European Lifestyle and National Smart Specialisations. – It is equally important to include the university's research strategy in the projects – explains Dr. Kopańczyk.

PRAs, Horizon Europe pillars and Widening

The Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences has adopted three priority research areas – PRAs. These are Veterinary Science, Technology and Food Science, and Environmental Science. In these research areas, between October 2021 and the end of March 2022, our scientists submitted 22 project applications totalling PLN 7.7 million, and more precisely applications in the areas of environment - PLN 4.7 million, food - PLN 2.5 million, and veterinary science - PLN 0.5 million.

Scientists from the UPWr apply for both Pillar 1, i.e. competitions dedicated to supporting the scientific excellence of European universities and research institutes, and for Pillar 2, i.e. competitions for research based on cooperation of partner units on the social and technological challenges Europe is facing.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE CHOSEN TOPIC WELL AND TO FIND COMMON GROUND BETWEEN THE OBJECTIVES OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION AND THE RESEARCH OBJECTIVES OF THE SCIENTIFIC TEAM CONCERNED

– From our perspective, i.e. a university from a Central and Eastern European country, or the so-called new EU, the area called 'Broader participation and strengthening of the European Research Area', i.e. Widening, is important – says Deputy Vice-Rector for Internationalisation Anna Chełmońska-Soyta, admitting that it is here that the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences has the biggest chance of obtaining funding and becoming the leader of an international consortium of partners.

As emphasised by Prof. Chełmońska-Soyta, the Horizon 2020 programme was summarised by analyses that showed that in the European Research Area there is still a noticeable difference in the scientific level between the best research institutions, such as Oxford University, ETH Zürich, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the University of Valencia and entities from former Eastern Bloc countries and southern Europe. The difference lies mainly in the ability to attract projects from Horizon and other European Commission programmes.

– Hence the decision to create a budget for projects whose leaders must be units from so-called 'Widening' countries, i.e. with a lower research level. As a result, universities such as ours can learn how to effectively prepare applications and then implement projects as consortium leaders - explains the vice-rector for internationalisation, adding that the opportunity for Polish research units stems from the fact that they compete with countries with a similar scientific level and a similar rate of obtaining Horizon projects, and not with leaders in this field.

ANOTHER KEY ELEMENT IS BUILDING A PROJECT CONSORTIUM TO COMPREHENSIVELY ADDRESS THE CHALLENGES EUROPE IS FACING

Another important aspect is that the projects involve training that not only provides an opportunity to learn from the best and latest research methods, but also organise administrative processes at the university to create support systems for scientists that facilitate their project activities.

The UPWr in Widening

Scientists from the UPWr submitted four applications in the field of Widening for a total amount of approx. EUR 1.9 million, all of which are currently being assessed by EC reviewers. Two proposals - submitted in the Twinning competition - were written in collaboration with leading institutes in the fields of food sensorics, biocatalysis and fungal technologies. Another two were submitted in the field of vector-borne diseases and the One Health concept, and in the field of climate change mitigation and environmental monitoring with remote Earth observation techniques - both under a new mechanism in the Widening field, called the 'Excellence Hub' initiative. Its aim is to strengthen the ecosystems of innovation, built through the cooperation of companies, research institutions, governmental bodies and social entities, and to develop a common R&D&I strategy in the region and between ecosystems from different countries.

– We have experience in the Twinning competition, where we received funding for a project called Gathers. We therefore know how to prepare these applications, although every year there are additional competition requirements, and the high number of submitted applications - in the last competition only 100 out of 391 submitted projects will receive funding – means there is no guarantee of success -–explains Dr. Katarzyna Kopańczyk, adding that so far we have not taken advantage of the full range of competitions offered in the field of Widening. - However, I hope that next year we will take on new challenges, for instance in the EraChairs competition, which seeks to reinforce the scientific excellence of coordinating institutions by implementing structural changes, including the establishment of a new research group headed by a world-class scientist-research manager, the so-called ERA Chair holder – adds the director of the Department of International Research Programmes.

Our scientists in Pillar 2

The second pillar of the programme covers a wide range of competitions divided into six thematic areas, so-called clusters. Due to the profile of our university, we are the most active in cluster 6 – 'Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment', but we also submit applications to clusters 4 – 'Digital, Industry and Space' and 5 – 'Climate, energy, transport'. Our scientists from the veterinary science and technology and food science PRAs can also find interesting competitions in cluster 1 – 'Health'.

IN ADDITION TO THE PREPARATION OF THE PROJECT CONCEPT, I.E. THE RESEARCH PLAN AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION METHODOLOGY, THE PROJECT IS REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE THE PRIORITIES AND OBJECTIVES OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, SUCH AS FOR EXAMPLE THE EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL, THE DIGITAL FUTURE OF EUROPE, THE ECONOMY SERVING PEOPLE, PROMOTING A EUROPEAN LIFESTYLE AND NATIONAL SMART SPECIALISATIONS.

In the six-month period from October 2021 to March 2022 in Pillar 2 scientists from the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences submitted 14 applications for a total of EUR 4.9 million, three of which were submitted by the UPWr as the consortium leader. This requires the project manager to coordinate the project work plan and budget, as well as to write a comprehensive proposal taking into account the comments and requests of all the consortium partners according to the so-called multi-actor approach. It assumes cooperation between the academic community, business, local government units and society.

– Our experience with framework programmes of the European Commission shows that it is worth starting from participation as a project partner. The very invitation to join a strong consortium confirms the level of international recognition of the university or a specific team – emphasises Vice-Rector Chełmońska-Soyta, adding that some previous experience as a consortium leader is not an obstacle, as confirmed by the statistics at the end of the H2020 programme. They show that 38% of the projects were awarded to newcomers. – And this allows us to be optimistic about the chances of our university receiving a project in which we are the consortium leader – adds Prof. Chełmońska-Soyta.

Professors Witold Rohm, Andrzej Białowiec or Ewa Burszta-Adamiak have already built teams that have become a brand, and they are often invited to projects without any special effort and have gone through the stage 'from partner to leader'.

– When we were working on the OneNest proposal, in which we are acting as the leader, it turned out that our consortium members were looking for partners to prepare a different proposal and we received an invitation, which resulted in submitting a proposal with our participation. That's how it works. If you can prove yourself once or twice it leads to further invitations and the inclusion of other teams from the UPWr, because the competition is usually interdisciplinary – says Prof. Witold Rohm, recalling that the Horizon rule of minimum participation of three partners from three different countries does not always work in projects submitted to the second pillar of the programme due to the huge range of problems to investigate.

– This scope requires the involvement of several partners so that the proposed solution is comprehensive and takes into account aspects, for example, concerning different climatic zones or characteristics of a given region. Therefore, the role of the leader of such a consortium requires a specific time commitment – admits Prof. Rohm.

Work on preparing the OneNest application lasted from November 2021 to March 2022. The idea behind the project was born earlier, but the team of Prof. Witold Rohm was waiting for the opening of the competition, which will be the best chance to obtain funding. And it is exactly here that the role of the team from the Department of International Research Programmes is important.

- Our team analyses competition documentation, compares different options and proposes to scientists the most appropriate competitions for specific research ideas - says Dr. Katarzyna Kopańczyk, adding that in addition the department tries to complement the competencies of one team already 'on board' the project by activating another team. An example is the Symbiota proposal, which was developed by research teams from environmental engineering and biotechnology.

Our scientists in Pillar 1

For the first time in the history of our university, applications for Marie Skłodowska-Curie individual grants (MSCA-PF) were submitted in which the UPWr acted as a Host Institution. The grant finances a maximum of two years of stay of a foreign scientist implementing a research and training project under the supervision of a specific scientific supervisor indicated in the project application. In the autumn of 2021 two such applications were submitted, prepared by Prof. Filip Boratyński and Prof. Magdalena Szymura.

– The European Commission received more than 8,000 applications in this competition, with 1,150 ending up with funding. Ours didn't receive any support, but the supervisors who were applying for it agree that they are worth submitting and you should not give up. Statistically, you need to try at least twice before you receive funding. This is confirmed by Prof. Tomasz Hadaś, who was awarded the MSCA grant on his third approach. And he has already completed an internship at the University of Stuttgart, which resulted in an international project with funding from the National Science Centre – emphasises Director Kopańczyk.

And Prof. Filip Boratyński adds that the MSCA-PF individual grant application is a shorter version of each application submitted to the Horizon programme. Candidates get to experience the philosophy behind its preparation, which is a great lesson for future applications.

– Knowledge of the European Commission's priorities and objectives and, above all, the ability to relate these to an individual project is essential in order to achieve research independence and develop the ability to carry out a project according to a planned work schedule and budget. This can be very challenging for people from outside Europe – admits Prof. Boratyński, adding that his candidate received high scores and may decide to reapply. – Though he also stands a good chance of winning funding from another programme for post-docs - Polonez BIS, organised by the NSC. The only thing still ahead for him here is an interview with a panel of experts, and if he presents himself well he stands a good chance of coming to Wroclaw.

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie action group is not only about individual grants. Institutions can also apply to the programme – as partners of the so-called Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN). These are networks of academic and business units that aim to educate and train creative, entrepreneurial and innovative doctoral students capable of transforming knowledge and ideas into products and services that bring economic and social benefits. The institutions jointly implement a project consisting of individual projects carried out by doctoral students who obtain their doctoral degree during the project.

– We hope to receive funding for this type of project in the near future. The international doctoral school, operating in an interdisciplinary and intersectoral environment, is the best showcase of our university. On the one hand we need to boost the attractiveness of becoming a scientist and emphasise international cooperation and mobility from day one, while on the other hand we need to provide doctoral students with better career prospects also in the business sector - says the Vice-Chancellor for Internationalisation.

– The competition is huge. In the past competition, out of almost 1,100 submitted applications only 144 received funding, so the success rate oscillates at around 13%. In Life Science the threshold for financing a project is 93%, while in Social Sciences it is 89%. Therefore, in this area I see our role as a partner in projects under the strong coordination of a leading unit with experience in international doctoral education - emphasises Prof. Anna Chełmońska-Soyta, adding that at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences there are some great units that already offer English language master's studies, and the next step should be a similar approach in the network of doctoral schools.

Practice makes perfect

Professor Jan Kazak worked in a team that applied for funding for a doctoral network project (MSCA-DN), the leader of which was the Bar-Ilan University in Israel.

– Despite receiving high scores, we were placed on the waiting list. The leader ensured that there was an extensive list of institutions supporting the project, so doctoral students could count on valuable internships. The list of these institutions included, among others, the WHO (World Health Organisation), Age Platform Europe, the World Psychiatric Association and Human Rights Watch. And all this is perfectly in line with the project on the ageing of population and climate change - says Prof. Kazak, adding that the Bar-Ilan University will again be applying for funding for the planned research.

– Design mechanisms are very motivating and help to structure the research concept. Sometimes we get the project, sometimes we don't, but regardless of whether we manage to obtain funding, it sometimes happens that teams that have put in so much effort to prepare the project decide to implement their research plans anyway – emphasises Prof. Kazak.

Horizon Europe is the European Commission's largest programme for funding research and innovation, but other European Commission programmes are no less important, especially those dealing with specific topics such as LIFE, which focuses on the environment and climate protection, and Digital Europe, which deals with digitisation in the general sense.  Researchers from the UPWr are also gaining experience in them.

– We hope that at least as many proposals as so far will be prepared by the end of this year. The competitions in the Marie Skłodowska-Curie part of the programme are about to start, with deadlines for submission this autumn. I strongly encourage contacting the International Research Programmes Department. Its staff have extensive knowledge in the field of international programmes and will be happy to clarify many issues related to them and, above all, to help you decide whether to join a project and how to prepare the project application – concludes the Vice-Rector for Internationalisation, Prof. Anna Chełmońska-Soyta.