Re: 2020 Marie Curie Individual Fellowship (H2020-MSCA-IF-2020)
Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2020 10:52 pm
Yeah, to be honest you shouldn’t need so much input for the scientific or “excellence” portion of the fellowship, but you will need some help with the other bits. Your supervisor or at least someone in the institute will need to help you here as it’s a pretty important part of the application. They’ll need to help you write a piece detailing why they are a good fit for you in a supervisory capacity and you also need a much much more detailed plan for your placement into the institute other than that they will “integrate you into the activities of the department”. It will need to be pretty detailed plan as they really require you to demonstrate a two way transfer of knowledge. For example, I just started my MSCA this week in a biotech startup and my supervisor is the CEO. While they will likely be very busy most of the time, we have a plan in place for me to learn skills I think I’ll need to progress my career, which is the whole point of it really. If you’re thinking your potential supervisor isn’t going to support you properly, it might be better to look for a different one who will? You’re a valuable resource. If you’re successful, you will bring your own money. A supervisor should be really keen to support your application so you shouldn’t have a problem finding a great one who will.
alozzup wrote: ↑Thu Jun 04, 2020 12:13 pmThank you for your replies!
It turns out I'm eligible for the CAR so that's what I'll aim for. The UK office said I don't need any evidence, I only need to provide my certificate to the host institution in case of an audit.
Both, I'm wondering how crucial his help is in both the application process and implementing the project (eventually).
I am an early-stage researcher so would like to get some feedback, but at the same time I'm a fully independent researcher so wouldn't expect to have someone constantly guiding me and reading my work as during a PhD (which wasn't even the case). What I wonder is if it's a mistake to apply with a host institution that is a good match with my project but with a supervisor that - at least at this stage - doesn't seem to want any excessive involvement in the project. He said he'll integrate me in the activities of the Dept, which is good enough for me, but I wonder if it'd be good enough for the application.PetetheCat wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2020 4:22 amFor #2, this seems a nuanced question. I am trying for a third (!!) time for the CAR with the same supervisor, having made the reserve list the first time and then having a reviewer who really took against my project idea last time. I have a good relationship with him, he has a good track record, and I will be supported appropriately. I don't know what it means to not read your work. It's not a PhD, so it's not like you will be submitting chapters. But I would certainly expect that my supervisor will read articles I'm going to submit before I send them off and will give me some feedback. It seems like you could be in a horrible situation if you have a supervisor who won't actually support you as a senior mentor, especially as if you relatively recently finished your PhD you are very much an early-stage researcher.
When the MSCA is reviewed, they look for real details on how you will be "integrated" into the host institution. E.g. which research groups will you join, what is the formal supervisory structure, and what other supports will you get at the institution. This is a real question that the reviewers look at. So you will have to figure out what this will be when you are writing. Are you going to lie about how much support you will get? This seems to go against the spirit of the MSCA, as it is supposed to be a training fellowship and the reason these questions are looked at is because they want to see that you will have support. Do you really want to be in a situation where you don't have support? I think that's a question only you can answer, which is perhaps contingent on options for alternative supervisors
Of course I don't want to lie, nor I think I need to since the host organisation would be the perfect place to carry out my research - I'm just quite insecure about the whole process and and the supervisor's involvement, it's my first time applying for a Marie Curie and I don't even know where to start!
Congrats on making it to the reserve list on the first try and fingers crossed for this year!