Dr. Rodrigo Guiterrez-Dominguez bo 4. decembra 2023 aktivno sodeloval na delavnici o pripravi projektov MSCA izmenjava osebja na MVZI. V pripravah na delavnico sem z njim opravil naslednji razgovor:
1.
At the
beginning, I would like to ask you if you could briefly introduce yourself and
explain your function and the role you play in REA in MSCA SE projects?
I am Head of Sector for
Project Management at European Research Executive Agency (REA) since June 2021.
Previously Research Programme Administrator (2017-2021) at REA and Project
Officer at European Union Agency for Railways (ERA). I hold an M.Sc. in
Industrial Engineering and Executive Master in Public Administration (with
Honors) from IE Business School. Completed PhD courses in Automation and
Robotics. My responsibility entails supervising the implementation of projects
financed by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe MSCA Staff
Exchanges, specifically within the scientific panels of Engineering, Chemistry,
and Environment. In this capacity, I coordinate a team comprising 14 project
officers, and I oversaw the annual evaluation of proposals. Currently, within
the Unit, we manage approximately 500 projects, encompassing projects from the predecessor
H2020 RISE program and recently projects funded under the MSCA Staff Exchanges
calls for 2021 and 2022.
2.
European
Commission this year published an interesting SE impact analysis on the high
innovative potential of MSCA SE projects. In the study are many arguments why
researchers should apply for MSCA SE calls. Which arguments should convince
Slovenian researchers to apply for this call?
The RISE impact analysis
conducted last year reveals that RISE, as a precursor to the MSCA Staff
Exchanges, significantly contributes to various aspects of the MSCA and H2020
research and innovation landscape. Key findings include RISE's substantial role
in generating innovations and patents, its dynamic contribution to global
R&I collaborations, increased participation and commitment from business
partners during H2020, fostering multidisciplinary dimensions and enduring
research collaborations in MSCA, positive impacts on careers and employment,
promotion of gender balance in research consortia, and the provision of
essential skills and networking opportunities through training activities. RISE
stands out as a unique and leading contributor within the MSCA family,
fostering tangible innovations with economic and societal value and leaving a
lasting impact on research staff careers and global collaborations.
MSCA Staff Exchanges aims
to replicate these benefits, driven by program continuity and minor changes for
streamlined project implementation. The second aspect involves the introduction
of flexibility, allowing interdisciplinary secondments within the same sector
for up to one-third of the total budget in the new Staff Exchanges framework. I
am confident that the arguments outlined below will convincingly demonstrate to
Slovenian applicants the advantages of applying for MSCA Staff Exchanges
grants.
3.
Preparing a
project proposal for the MSCA SE is not easy, as the evaluation criteria are
very comprehensive and diverse. When we analysed the reviewers' evaluations of
Slovenian applications, we found that their descriptions of the project
objectives in particular scored poorly on the excellence criterion. What should
an excellent project objective look like?
An excellent project
objective in a MSCA SE proposal should address the following aspects:
·
Relevant to Research and Innovation Goals: The research and
innovation objectives should be well detailed. The proposal shouls explain how
to measure them and they maust be relistic.
·
Scientifically Ambitious: Showcase a level of
scientific ambition that goes beyond incremental advancements. Highlight the
project's potential to make a significant contribution to the field.
·
Innovative and Original: Emphasize the novelty and
originality of the project objectives. Clearly state how the project fills a
gap in existing knowledge and what makes it stand out from previous research.
·
Feasible Methodology: Present a feasible and
well-defined methodology for achieving the objectives. Convince reviewers that
the proposed approach will enable the consortium to deliver the project’s
objectives , and that challenges have been identified with corresponding
solutions.
·
Interdisciplinary Considerations: If applicable, highlight
how the project objectives embrace interdisciplinary perspectives. The proposal
has to justify why the project can be considered interdisciplinary, i.e., the
expertise and methods from different disciplines should be brought together and
integrated to pursuit the project's objective.
·
Are the gender dimension and other diversity
aspects relevant in the project’s research and innovation content? If not, the
proposal has to well justify why this is not applicable.
·
Are the mandatory open science practices
well integrated in the methodology and adapted to the proposed work? If not, the
proposal must justify why they are not appropriate for the project.
·
Is the management of research data and other
research outputs in line with the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible,
Interoperable, Reusable)?
·
Is the use and/or development of Artificial
Intelligence (AI) systems and/or AI-techniques relevant to the project? If yes,
the proposal should provide clear explanations on technical robustness of the
proposed system(s).
By addressing these
aspects, your project objective will have a better chance of being evaluated
positively for the excellence criterion in an MSCA SE proposal.
4.
Slovenian applicants
also did not do a very good job of describing the expected economic and social
impacts of the project. Project impacts are very important for the European
Commission as they are already defined in the MSCA Work programme, which sets
out the funding framework. What advice would you give to Slovenian researchers
to better describe the economic and social impacts in the future?
To better describe the
impacts of their projects, Slovenian researchers should consider the following
advice:
·
The proposal must delineate activities that result
in the development and sustainability of new, enduring research
collaborations.
·
It should elucidate how the project will facilitate
knowledge transfer for the benefit of participating organizations.
·
Clearly outlining how the project will enhance
research and innovation potential within Europe and/or globally is
essential.
·
The proposal needs to clarify how the project
contributes to unlocking the potential of individuals, enabling staff
members to acquire new skills and improve their knowledge and career prospects.
·
Detailed measures outlining how the project's
impact will be maximized, including an initial draft of the dissemination
and exploitation plan tailored to the proposal and strategically planned,
should be included.
·
The proposal must incorporate planned measures for
the management of intellectual property.
·
Applicants should explicitly state whether the
project is expected to have a lasting scientific impact beyond its scope
and duration.
·
Assessing whether the project will create enduring
economic/technological impacts beyond its scope and duration is crucial.
·
Consideration should be given to whether the
project is anticipated to have societal impacts beyond its scope and
duration.
By incorporating these
considerations into their project proposals, Slovenian researchers can enhance
their descriptions of the proposal impacts, increasing the likelihood of
success in MSCA applications. Furthermore, before finalizing their proposal, they
should seek feedback from colleagues, mentors, or experts in the field.
Incorporate their insights to ensure that the description of the impacts is
clear, compelling, and aligned with MSCA expectations.
5.
It is
probably not surprising that Slovenian researchers also received a very high
number of weaknesses in the implementation criteria in terms of risk assessment
and mitigating measures. The weaknesses in risk assessment are repeated from
call to call. How do you think risk assessment and mitigating measures should
be written? Do you have any good examples?
Effective
risk assessment and mitigating measures in project proposals are imperative to
showcase a comprehensive understanding of potential challenges and a proactive
strategy for addressing them. Therefore, the consortium must demonstrate in the
proposal that potential risks hindering the project from achieving its
objectives are well-identified, and corresponding mitigation measures
(contingency plans) are in place.
For instance, if the
project involves exchanges with entities from third countries, the consortium
should recognize the potential risk of a funding shortage for these partners
and provide a mitigation measure. In this specific case, as funding is only
available for third country partners from certain countries, others will
actively seek alternative funding sources (e.g., national funds) and ensure
knowledge transfer for their proposed activities. Additionally, signing a
Partnership Agreement with third country partners enhances measures to secure
these arrangements.
Another example pertains to
the average duration of an MSCA SE project being four years, posing a potential
risk of participant withdrawal. In this scenario, the consortium should outline
a mitigation measure to minimize the impact. For instance, if feasible, another
participant from the consortium could assume the tasks or work packages of the
withdrawing participant. Alternatively, if needed, a new entity possessing the
same specific expertise could be incorporated into the project with the
approval of the REA.
