Pillar II: Talent ecosystems for attractive early research careers
Funds cross-sector consortia building 'talent ecosystems' that connect researcher training with employer needs to make early research careers more attractive.
This is a single-stage call funding 12 grants from a EUR 29 million budget at EUR 2 million to EUR 4 million in EU contribution each, paid as a lump sum. Participating organisations are expected to already hold the HR Excellence in Research Award, or commit to working toward it during the grant. Applications need at least three independent legal entities from different Member States or Associated …
This topic funds consortia that create 'talent ecosystems' — cooperation between research training providers and employers, especially in the non-academic sector — to give researchers attractive, sustainable careers and align researcher skills with labour-market needs. A talent ecosystem can centre on a specific sector, such as AI, health or energy, or be broader, and is expected to outlast the funded project itself.
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Guides for this application
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