COFUND-CERN-2011

COFUNDing of the CERN Fellowship Programme 2011

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'For many years, CERN has operated a trans-national Fellowship programme, offering scientists and engineers challenging opportunities in particle physics research, and in related fields of physics and technology. CERN secured COFUND grants in 2008 and 2010. They offer CERN a timely opportunity to enhance the mobility element of this programme without nationality limitations. The 2011 Call comes at a time when the startup of the Large Hadron Collider has made CERN one of the most exciting places to work for the global physics and technology community.

Applicants will propose their own research projects. Selection will be based on the scientific potential of the proposal, and on the demonstrated excellence of the candidate. Working on frontier research and technology projects and profiting from the unique facilities available at CERN, the co-funded Fellows will deepen their knowledge in their own field and acquire international visibility and reputation. They will broaden their skills using the numerous training opportunities and through their exposure to an interdisciplinary and multi-national environment. Inter-sectorial skills will be fostered through CERN’s industrial collaborations and technology transfer projects.

Employment conditions will be improved by offering three-year appointments rather than the standard two-year terms of CERN Fellows. At least two of these three years will be spent at CERN. We consider this provision to be justified by the size of the Laboratory, the diversity of the research and training opportunities, and by the uniqueness of CERN’s facilities. However, mobility will be enhanced through the opportunity to spend up to one third of the Fellowship in external institutions, including industrial laboratories. These improvements, enabled by the COFUND action, will further increase the competitiveness of CERN’s Fellowship Programme.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Research mobility programmes facilitate a sort of cross-pollination of ideas, allowing scientists to develop new expertise and bring it back home to bear fruit. Additional funding of a very well-established and productive programme has made it even better.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has a long history of supporting international fellowships. The start-up of CERN's Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator, was perfect timing for CERN's third EU-funded COFUND project, COFUND-CERN-2011 (Cofunding of the CERN Fellowship Programme 2011).

COFUND grants are designed to supply additional financial support to existing regional, national or international research programmes. In this case, it has enabled CERN to extend the fellowship duration from two years to three. CERN is giving fellows the opportunity to spend up to one year at a university, research institute or industrial company while continuing to work on a topic related to the original work at CERN. This is expected to not only enhance the fellows' experiences, but potentially provide opportunities for employment at the end of the fellowship, as has happened in the past.

Sixty-one fellows were selected during four committee meetings from 2012 to 2014. They come from the EU, Armenia, China, Cuba, Russia, Switzerland and the United States. Research topics cover areas including experimental and theoretical particle physics, accelerator and detector physics, information technology, data acquisition, electrical engineering and technology transfer.

A new opportunity was created for COFUND-CERN-2011, namely a fellowship for a scientist returning after a career break. A highly ranked Armenian theoretical physicist is now returning to her research activities with the grant.

CERN is a world-class research organisation with unique facilities not available elsewhere. Combined with its stimulating intellectual environment, it offers fellows the opportunity to pursue their own projects, develop new skills and expertise, and gain international visibility and prestige. The COFUND-CERN-2011 project is supporting CERN's ability to further increase the competitiveness and impact of its Fellowship Programme with benefits for many nations welcoming their scientists back to their home institutions.