BIOTRACER's Mobility Programme

Integrating Science and Industry 

AIM
The aim of the 3rd Round of the BIOTRACER Mobility Programme is to encourage mobility of scientists and students (Masters and PhD)  with a particular aim of completing Project Deliverables and finalising manuscripts for publication. All grantees must be fully or partially working in and paid by BIOTRACER, and a registered user of the e-managment tool (www.biotracer.bal-pm.eu). 

The deadline for applications is 30 September 2009. 

Application form 

CONTENT
The Mobility Programme offers financial support to work in another partner organisation (BIOTRACER partner or another appropriate organisation) relevant to one's BIOTRACER tasks (up to €3000 per month). After completing the visit, a report shall be submitted. 

New in Round 3
In this 3rd Round of the Programme, the minimum length of stay has been reduced to one week to accommodate the possibility of partners working together to finish manuscripts or Project Deliverables in a more efficient manner. These short Mobility visits will be granted in exceptional cases. The financial support available for a one-week visit is up to €1000 (two-week visit is up to €1500, one-month visit is up to €3000).

In addition, BIOTRACER partners may apply for Mobility grants to visit organisations outside of the BIOTRACER Consortium. Of course, visits to organisations outside of the BIOTRACER Consortium must be appropriate and make sense regarding the BIOTRACER tasks of the visitor. 

PARTICIPANTS
Here is a list of the recent participants of the BIOTRACER Mobility Programme.

BACKGROUND
As a result of the success of the first and second rounds of the Mobility Programme, we have decided to open a third round. Many of the partners in BIOTRACER may have a limited knowledge of the work conducted in the other partner organisations. BIOTRACER is organised by Work Packages and Tasks to achieve the deliverables as described in the Contract. In order to obtain the best results, a broad integration of project partners is necessary. One way of promoting this is to encourage participants to apply for the Mobility Programme, where they can visit and work with another type of partner organisation (BIOTRACER partner organisation or another appropriate organisation).

Applicants for the Mobility Programme could be scientists, Ph.D. students or M. Sc. students from universities/research organisations benefiting from a visit to an industry partner, or industry partners benefiting from a visit to a research organisation. There is a specific need in the project for better integration of our INCO partners. Therefore, mobility of INCO partners is encouraged. In agreement with the Gender Action Plan in the Contract, women are strongly encouraged to apply for mobility grants.

It is possible to make an exchange between two partners, e.g., the two partners conducting alternate exchange visits in each others’ organisations. This would be especially beneficial if working on the same project task. It is also possible to conduct an exchange visit from a university/research organisation to another university/research organisation or from industry to industry, although this kind of exchange will not be given the highest priority in the programme.

OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Mobility Programme are the following: 

  • Transfer of information between research and industry.
  • Gain understanding of and respect for the work carried out by other partners in the project.
  • Integrate participants in the project, e.g., enlarged internal network of project participants.
  • Assist to the building of the BIOTRACER Community through information flow and integration of project participants.
  • Encourage broader female participation in the project.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE
A simple application form should be completed and forwarded to the Communications Officer, Jeffrey Skiby (jeesk@food.dtu.dk).

The application deadline is 30 September 2009.

Kieran Jordan, Acting Scientific Manager, will make a ranked list of applications, prioritised according to the criteria given below. The Acting Project Coordinator, Solveig Bouquin, will make the final approval of this list and awards will be made. During the selection process, the length of the requested period may be adjusted.  

EVALUATION CRITERIA
In order of importance:

  1. Relevance to BIOTRACER deliverables
  2. Industry-Science visits
  3. Involvement of INCO partners
  4. East-West Europe visits
  5. Mobility of women
  6. Visits between organisations that cross Research Areas and Work Packages

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
The financial support from BIOTRACER will be up to €3000 per month to support travel and subsistence of the individual upon acceptance of the Mobility Programme Post-visit Report. The financial support may not include research consumables or laboratory equipment. The amount of reimbursement (up to €3000 per month) will be based on an invoice sent from the recipient's institution to the BIOTRACER Project Office. Invoices should be preferabley submitted at the same time as the Post-visit Report, but must be submitted within the accounting year of travel, i.e., no matter when travel is made in 2010, the invoice from the recipient's institution must be received by the BIOTRACER Project Office by 31 December 2010. Please see Conditions below concerning the eligibility of costs.

CONDITIONS

  • The minimum stay in another organisation must be one month, and the maximum length of stay is three months.
  • A Post-visit report shall be provided upon completion of the visit (a template for report is available on the 'Members Only' site).
  • Eligible costs incurred must fulfil all of the following conditions:
    • they must be actual, economic and necessary for implementing the visit,
    • they must be determined in accordance with the usual accounting principles of the contractor,
    • they must be recorded in the accounts of the contractor that incurred them, no later than the date of the establishment of the audit certificate, and
    • the accounting procedures used in the recording of the costs and receipts shall respect the accounting rules of the State in which the contractor is established.

OTHER INFORMATION
Other alternatives for mobility include The Marie Curie Fellowship scheme. Further information on this can be found at http://www.ukro.ac.uk/mariecurie/application_info/index.htm