Paris Region Fellowship Programme

Project Information

ParisRegionFP

Grant agreement ID: 945298

DOI

10.3030/945298

Project closed

EC signature date 14 May 2020

Start date 1 January 2021

End date 31 December 2025

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Total cost

€ 7 650 240,00

EU contribution

€ 3 825 120,00

Coordinated by

REGION ILE DE FRANCE
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ParisRegionFP (Paris Region Fellowship Programme)

Reporting period: 2021-01-01 to 2022-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The Paris Region Fellowship Programme (ParisRegionFP) is an EU co-funded Marie Sklodowska Curie Action (MSCA) in the frame of European Commissions H2020 programme that will strengthen the research capacity and international influence of the Paris Region, in France. The two main challenges of the 5-year programme that started in January 2021 are to :
-Recruit a total of 52 international leaders of all nationalities at post-doctoral positions in research and innovation, covering a large panel of disciplines. The recruitment is done by two calls launched in 2020 and 2021 for 24-month fellowship positions
-Provide intersectoral mobility, specifically created professional training and career development measures for these experienced researchers

The researchers will design and implement their original research project in a first-class research group of their choice belonging preferably to one of the 13 “Domain of Major Interest” (DMI) labels endorsed by the Paris Region. The DMIs are key research sectors (mathematical and computer science, astrophysics, materials, life sciences and health, quantum technologies, social sciences and humanities,..) on which the Paris Region focuses policy support and investments to strengthen its international attractiveness and intersectoral mobility.

ParisRegionFP offers a novel international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral training programme for recruited researchers, covering scientific, academic and industrial topics in these identified key sectors (or DMI scientific themes) as well as hands-on knowledge in non-research oriented transferable skills.

The educational and research programme is implemented by leading universities and extra-academic partner organizations, covering actors from prestigious culture-related organizations and human resource actors to large industries and SMEs in various economic sectors. The scientific actors ensure infrastructure capacity and high-level environment to conduct excellent research. Extra-academic partners contribute to the implementation of ParisRegionFP by hosting experienced researchers during secondments or visits and/or by providing training, mentoring or career development opportunities.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first period of the project, the basic project strategic, administrative, technical, management and monitoring processes were defined and installed. A dashboard tool for project and risk monitoring was created and is continuously updated. The communication tools were created including social media and measures started.

Both calls for post-doctoral fellows were carried out from July to October 2020 and 2021. The recruited fellows started their 24-month fellowships between April 2021 and April 2022 (1st call) and September 2022 to February 2023 (2nd call), based on their individual schedules. 13 fellows from the 1st call have resigned earlier.
The ParisRegionFP guarantees that the fellows benefit from HRS4R implementation in the hosting institutions. To this aim, a “convention” has been signed between the host institutions and the Paris Region. This allows Paris Region to transfer the obligations of the Grant agreement to the host institutions, ensuring that the general frame of the project is respected both in terms of obligations due to the cofounding of the fellowships and in terms of the implementation of the programme.

The ParisRegion FP training and career development ad hoc programme put in place with external specialists started in July 2022, and offers a training support until April 2024 to engaged experienced researchers. It offers them the possibility to acquire, in addition to their scientific training in new research areas, the key transferable competences and skills for their career development: digital, personal, and social, entrepreneurship, as well as cultural awareness & intelligence competences. The consortium of non-academic partners has been mobilized to provide each fellow necessary skills in order to find a mentor for his or her fellowship. Networking activities with Paris region companies are also planned in 2023.

The fellows are strongly encouraged to develop dissemination activities with the help of their host institutions and take part in several communication activities. Specific outreach activities are implemented and direct training for the fellows on outreach is planned in the training programme. It will bring scientific issues to the general public and develop interactions between fellows and citizens.

LinkedIn and Twitter accounts of the programme publish portraits of the recruited fellows and information to researchers’ network.

In application of the regional strategy for economic development and within the frame of the Directorate for Research and Technological Transfer, interactions between research and business activities are facilitated thus increasing the positive impacts on competitiveness and sustainable development in Paris Region.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

World-class researchers are crucial for competitive research and innovation in Paris Region. The ParisRegionFP is committed to nurture free researchers’ circulation in Europe, offer excellent working and living conditions, and further favor researchers’ employability on its territory.

On the regional and organizational level, dissemination of best practices in advertising calls, recruiting and welcoming fellows, providing excellent work and living conditions, supporting training and career development have a major impact on Paris Region human resources implementation. The Paris region and its partners are developing a network of actors specialized in facilitating incoming mobility. It offers welcome desks facilities and a digital platform.


Developing high standard for interdisciplinary, intersectoral and international training and career development, ParisRegionFP contributes to raise the level of education and training in all organizations directly or indirectly involved in the project. ParisRegionFP promotes scientific excellence throughout the Paris Region and beyond by following the recommendations of European Charter and Code for Researchers in terms of research excellence, attractive institutional environment, interdisciplinary, exposure to different employment sectors, international networking, and ethics. Interactions between research and industries will be further facilitated increasing the positive impacts on competitiveness and sustainable development in Paris Region. The outreach activities implemented will bring scientific issues to general public and develop interactions between fellows and citizen.


At the international level, it is expected that there will be a truly leverage effect of regional financial support to increase the international attractiveness of the region, and collaborations with European universities. Since the European Universities Initiatives has been launched by the EU, the Paris Region is committed to support several European alliances or universities created in the last years.

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