Press release
Enterprise Ireland launches second Career-FIT PLUS Call for Proposals
From Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Published on
Last updated on
One year after launching Call One, Enterprise Ireland opens the last call for applications to its Career-FIT PLUS - Career Development Fellowships in National Technology Centres and Technology Gateways Programme. The aim of the Programme is to recruit 50 experienced researchers to work on market-focused research projects in Ireland for three years.
The programme is co-funded by the EU under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie CO-FUND Scheme under Horizon 2020 and it is an innovative concept where top talent and skills coming from all around the world are matched with the research needs of enterprises in Ireland.
This is also a great opportunity for international researchers as they are hosted by a Third Level Institution, spend between 6 to 12 months at the partner company and also work with Enterprise Ireland’s Technology Centres and Technology Gateway Network.
Following an international and independent expert evaluation, Enterprise Ireland approved funding for 25 fellowships involving eight different Technology Centres and Gateways and 22 Ireland-based companies of various sizes and sectors earlier this year. The aim of this call is to award the remaining 25 fellowships available under the scheme.
Welcoming the announcement, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD said:
"There has never been a more important time for Irish businesses to adapt and innovate. This programme gives Irish companies access to world-class research, helping them reach the next stage of their development. For researchers, this is a fantastic opportunity to take part in industry-focused research, making a real impact on the businesses they work with."
Speaking of the opening of Call Two, Garrett Murray National Director for Horizon 2020 at Enterprise Ireland said:
"This is the final opportunity to participate in this successful Programme so I would encourage all the companies and researchers that have an interest in carrying out industry-focused collaborative research to apply for the Programme. We have already seen the benefits that have been derived by stakeholders who engaged in similar programmes and this call for applications provides a great opportunity for companies to engage in Horizon 2020 for what might be their first time to undertake international research collaboration."
Call Two will remain open from September 7th, 2020 until the end of the year. For further information see Career-FIT PLUS Call for Proposals.
ENDS
Following the success of Career-FIT (2017-2022), Career-FIT PLUS aims to enhance the training and mobility of Experienced Researchers through the undertaking of individually-driven, market-focused research projects which will be centered around the domain areas of the designated Technology Centres and Technology Gateways.
Two calls for proposals will award a total of 50 Fellowships to highly skilled researchers to conduct a research project of 36 months in Ireland, including a secondment opportunity in an enterprise partner of the Technology Centre/Gateway.
The Career-FIT PLUS Fellows will have the unique opportunity to carry out research in areas of clear industry focus and gain first-hand experience in a company.
Researchers awarded a Fellowship will be hosted and employed by a Third Level Institution associated with a Technology Centre/Gateway in Ireland.
Fellows will be guided by an experienced Academic mentor as well as a Company mentor who are concerned not just for their scientific progress but also their training and development in line with the agreed career goals. They will further benefit from participation in a structured development training programme that targets enhancement of personal effectiveness as well as competencies relating to innovation management.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 847402.
CareerFit was a similar Programme run by Enterprise Ireland under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie and examples of participants and case studies can be found at horizon2020.ie/career-fit/case-studies.