2019 Marie Curie Individual Fellowship (H2020-MSCA-IF-2019)

[Krishchem]

I am also curious about people opinions on the following: let's say you are doing a postdoc in a lab you like and your msca fellowship is in another one. Would you drop your current position to accept the msca? I imagine if is to go back to your country you will accept anyway.

That's an interesting question and well suited to my case. As I said, I recently started a postdoc position at USA and I am happy about the progress of my research work at the current lab. I feel It would be unwise to leave the current position as I am in the first half of contract. The financial support is not so bad and at per to the standard of USA university labs (I am also getting benefit of tax treaty here). On the other hand, MSCA is by itself a career building fellowship for future academic jobs. MOST IMPORTANTLY, MSCA is meant provide significant freedom to work and grow as independent researcher, which is very important for success in an academic job. These issues are creating huge dilemma to me and I am still not sure what is best option here.

BTW, I have a stable job at my home country (But I am not fully satisfied with it and have plans to change it after a good postdoctoral period). I have taken study leave to work as postdoc.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Indeed, your case is a tough one, but you have few options to choose between. I would say that this fellowship is a huge step towards independence; someone told me that usually people that have gotten a msca IF have more chances to get a erc starting grant. I'm not sure whether is true or not, but make sense since you know how to write in "EU language". In my case I got another fellowship with another lab; project is OK but I am not too excited about. However, my PI seems interested in my professional growth and I am also in the med school which allows me to continue to study a part time degree in medicine (I am in third year). The msca is based with one of the most important clinic and institution for a specific field; also they offered me some sort of stability after it. So I also don't know what to do.

I agree with you. I also know few persons who got ERC starting grant after completing MSCA IF agreement. What I understood from the trend of recruitment for academic jobs, they (recruiters) seems to prefer CVs which reflect some prestigious fellowship over standard postdoctoral research period (of course the lab quality matters too). One basic reason is that one had to earn the fellowship by writing a quality project proposal. Good to hear that you got a fellowship. Even if you don't avail it, reflection of this always helps. Further, it seems that you have a good PI who really cares about your professional goals and allowing you to pursue another degree. It will be tough to chose correct option once you get this fellowship, I know. But it is always better to have dilemma on choosing one from many options rather than not having one . All the best.

[megasphaera]

That's an interesting question and well suited to my case. As I said, I recently started a postdoc position at USA and I am happy about the progress of my research work at the current lab. I feel It would be unwise to leave the current position as I am in the first half of contract. The financial support is not so bad and at per to the standard of USA university labs (I am also getting benefit of tax treaty here). On the other hand, MSCA is by itself a career building fellowship for future academic jobs. MOST IMPORTANTLY, MSCA is meant provide significant freedom to work and grow as independent researcher, which is very important for success in an academic job. These issues are creating huge dilemma to me and I am still not sure what is best option here.

BTW, I have a stable job at my home country (But I am not fully satisfied with it and have plans to change it after a good postdoctoral period). I have taken study leave to work as postdoc.

Thanks for sharing your experience. Indeed, your case is a tough one, but you have few options to choose between. I would say that this fellowship is a huge step towards independence; someone told me that usually people that have gotten a msca IF have more chances to get a erc starting grant. I'm not sure whether is true or not, but make sense since you know how to write in "EU language". In my case I got another fellowship with another lab; project is OK but I am not too excited about. However, my PI seems interested in my professional growth and I am also in the med school which allows me to continue to study a part time degree in medicine (I am in third year). The msca is based with one of the most important clinic and institution for a specific field; also they offered me some sort of stability after it. So I also don't know what to do.

I agree with you. I also know few persons who got ERC starting grant after completing MSCA IF agreement. What I understood from the trend of recruitment for academic jobs, they (recruiters) seems to prefer CVs which reflect some prestigious fellowship over standard postdoctoral research period (of course the lab quality matters too). One basic reason is that one had to earn the fellowship by writing a quality project proposal. Good to hear that you got a fellowship. Even if you don't avail it, reflection of this always helps. Further, it seems that you have a good PI who really cares about your professional goals and allowing you to pursue another degree. It will be tough to chose correct option once you get this fellowship, I know. But it is always better to have dilemma on choosing one from many options rather than not having one . All the best.

True. Anyway I don't think I will get it
So not a real problem anyway

Also a couple of friends that got the IF told me: you don't refuse this kind of fellowship. You are crazy if you do it, it's too prestigious to reject it.

Should not be the case since there are PI out there that wrote the fellowship from beginning to end.

[Robrad30]

It seems people are getting antsy, we’ve doubled the page number since Sunday!

[SimpaLif]

It seems people are getting antsy, we’ve doubled the page number since Sunday!

It's nothing compared to last year.

[Robrad30]

It’s early days!

It seems people are getting antsy, we’ve doubled the page number since Sunday!

It's nothing compared to last year.

[megasphaera]

It’s early days!

It seems people are getting antsy, we’ve doubled the page number since Sunday!

It's nothing compared to last year.

Nah last year was really crazy. We were quite anxious about the results. Imagine getting on the 29 of jan and not getting the results. Then people started to do crazy stuff like back coding the link and found the matrix, using mayan calendar to see if they got the fellowship and so on.

[Shapovalov]

Last year, page 45 was reached on Jan 28th.
This year is one week ahead of that.

[PetetheCat]

It looks like everyone is in a similar position.

I'm just under 2 years into my first postdoc, in a different EU country than my host institute. And am seriously considering leaving academia if I don't get the MSCA IF. Will probably apply again this year, but maybe not even that. Don't know if I can survive this life of desperately craving for a temporary position (only 2 years!) for which we need to move countries. Not to mention that my wife would need to search for jobs each time, even though she has a permanent (non-academic) job.



Anyway, for those who are currently in good position that they won't want to leave, you need not worry. The latest starting date is 1st September 2021 (that's not a typo. Really, 2021). Gives you plenty of time.

As for the part time thing, by default all grants are full time. You need to apply for "permission" to do it part time. However, by my understanding, this should be quite straightforward. It's only a matter of the paper-work and the agreement between you and your host institute. The only exception is that the outgoing phase of a GF has to be full time.

I have a nice stable and well-paid job that I enjoy, but I want to make the move (back to the UK) that the MSCA would support. If I get the funding I would kick it off to Sept 1, 2021. It would actually be a gift to have that long to plan an international move. And I applied to the CAR, so if I get it, I have three years of funding.

[PetetheCat]

It’s early days!

It's nothing compared to last year.

Nah last year was really crazy. We were quite anxious about the results. Imagine getting on the 29 of jan and not getting the results. Then people started to do crazy stuff like back coding the link and found the matrix, using mayan calendar to see if they got the fellowship and so on.

I can't imagine that we will be as crazy as last year. Everyone was SURE that the results would be out earlier because they had been in all previous years. This time our benchmark is the predicted results day, so we should all be calm, right . . . ?

[Robrad30]

SHOULD all be calm. Probably won’t be though.

It’s early days!

Nah last year was really crazy. We were quite anxious about the results. Imagine getting on the 29 of jan and not getting the results. Then people started to do crazy stuff like back coding the link and found the matrix, using mayan calendar to see if they got the fellowship and so on.

I can't imagine that we will be as crazy as last year. Everyone was SURE that the results would be out earlier because they had been in all previous years. This time our benchmark is the predicted results day, so we should all be calm, right . . . ?