Programme activities are carried out by the Estonian Research Council (ETAG) in accordance with Decree No. 481 of the Minister of Education and Research of 30 December 2015. It lays down the conditions for the provision of grants under the ‘Internationalisation of research and support for mobility and the next generation’ or Mobilitas Pluss programme.
The budget for Mobilitas Pluss is 35 373 770 euros, 83.5% of which is covered by the European Regional Development Fund.
The programme aims to:
- improve the international visibility of Estonian research, business and higher education and Estonia’s attractiveness as a destination country for study and research;
- strengthen the international competitiveness of Estonian researchers and institutions and companies engaged in research;
- support opportunities for Estonian research institutions and companies to collaborate with transnational research organisations and networks, including through synergy with Horizon 2020 actions;
- expand international collaboration and professional development opportunities for state, research and development institutions, higher education institutions, companies, students and academic staff by improving cross-sectoral and international mobility and collaboration opportunities.
What do we do and what is the objective of our activities?
ETAG will reimburse costs for those partners whose researchers have made it to the second stage of evaluation with their ERC grant applications but have not received affirmative funding decisions from the European Research Council. We provide these researchers with the opportunity of continuing their research in Estonia and to submit a new ERC grant application from an Estonian research or development institution during the next call for proposals.
We will reimburse research costs related to an ERC grant and the costs of the preparation of a new ERC grant application, including travel to R&D institutions in foreign countries where there are successful holders of ERC grants. During the project researchers can make study visits to ERC grant holders for three to six months. If necessary, ETAG will provide help in finding of ERC grant holders. Look here for further information.
The activity aims to increase the number of ERC grant holders in Estonia, since ERC grants are some of the most prized grants in the world of research, and to date Estonian researchers have had little success in applying for them. The higher the number of high-level international grant holders is in Estonia, the more research-attractive Estonia will be.
As a result of the activity, Estonia will have more ERC grant holders. The objective is to support 20 ERC grant applicants.
Who qualifies for receiving support?
For the reimbursement of costs, a researcher employed by a partner has to participate in an ERC grant competition and gain the mark of A or B during evaluation (whilst not actually being funded). Then, the partner has to present the Estonian Research Council an action plan on the relevant form. Among other things, this has to include information on the partner, objective, results, budget and time-frame.
What is the amount of the support and how long is it intended for?
The amount of costs to be reimbursed depends on the rates of research support provided out of state budget funding (but not more than 100 000 euros per annum). The costs are reimbursed for up to 1.5 years.
When will the activities take place?
Activities are carried out on an ongoing basis, provided when the results of ERC calls are made available to the applicants.
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