RSE IRAS

Royal Society of Edinburgh International Research Awards Scheme

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) runs Fellowship ‎schemes for postdoctoral researchers, the largest and most prestigious of ‎which is the Scottish Government funded scheme for six 5-year ‎Fellowships per year. RSE wishes to enhance this scheme.‎ The support costs provided over the Fellowship period are limited and ‎have to cover equipment, consumables and travel. This constrains ‎mobility of Fellows. RSE wishes to make travel funds available to enable ‎Fellows to spend up to twelve months overseas to encourage them to foster ‎collaborative links with researchers outside the UK. RSE will also ‎support the cost of more skills training for Fellows.‎ The COFUND contribution will be paid in the first two years of the ‎Fellowship so that trans-national mobility occurs early in the Fellowship ‎and networks are developed over the 5-year period. The Fellow will be ‎able to spend quality time with the collaborative partner, and will have ‎time to experience the culture of the host country. These opportunities are ‎valuable in the Fellow’s career and personal development, encouraging ‎the formation of long-term research networks. The COFUND contribution will also enhance an existing RSE ‎international exchange scheme that supports short-term visits before, ‎during and after Research Fellowships. It helps to develop initial contacts, ‎build on previous research collaborations and link with research groups ‎overseas. Collaborative links are supported over the longer term to assist ‎in the development of trans-national research networks. This aspect of the ‎Marie Curie scheme will thus enable overseas collaborators to work in ‎Scotland with the Fellow and assist in the Fellow’s reintegration by ‎reinforcing networks. In the enhanced scheme, experienced researchers will have broader ‎opportunities through their choice of topic, destination and research group ‎to develop multi or interdisciplinary skills enabling them to build long-‎term international partnerships.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

An EU mobility programme is helping the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) to offer more comprehensive assistance funding for researchers. Thirteen packages have been offered since 2009, attracting researchers to Scotland and fostering collaboration.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The RSE runs fellowship schemes for postdoctoral researchers, partly funded by the Scottish government. However, the funds available necessitate certain restrictions, thus the RSE wishes to expand the funding to include extended overseas collaboration-building travel. The result is the 'Royal Society of Edinburgh international research awards scheme' (RSE IRAS) project.

Supported under the EU's Marie Curie COFUND programme, the scheme develops personnel through networking. RSE IRAS is scheduled to run over six years to March 2015. The aims include fostering international collaboration and networking, attracting researchers to Scotland, and providing training and support for short visits abroad.

Initial plans were to appoint six research fellows for each year of the project. Five were appointed in 2009 and another five in 2010. Scottish government funding cuts meant no appointments in 2011. An extension was requested and granted, with COFUND support for Fellows awarded in 2012 and 2013. Thus, of a planned 18 appointments, 13 had been made up to the end of the present reporting period.

The outcomes of the RSE IRAS project will be extensive funding support for research Fellows that would not have been possible otherwise. This means career enhancement opportunities, and a better research profile for Scotland.