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If you are a postdoc or a Ph.D. candidate who is about to graduate, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF) is a fantastic opportunity for you. As part of the new Framework Program for Research & Innovation Horizon Europe, it is a 2-year program that offers researchers the necessary skills to run an independent research project. As a bonus, you get to do this in a new environment abroad that allows for unique experiences, new networks, and knowledge transfer.
Radboudumc is now launching the Steppin’ Up program, which will train applicants to write a successful MSCA-PF application and prepare them for the experiences to come. As the 7th-ranking European participant in Horizon 2020 regarding ‘Health, demographic change, and well-being,’ Radboudumc very much appreciates the concept of the MSCA-PF and the knowledge transfer it will bring.
Maria Ibars Serra is a postdoc at the Radboudumc, department of Physiology, who was awarded an MSCA fellowship. She is now also involved in designing the Steppin’ Up program to help prospective fellows. Maria is from Catalonia, Spain. She moved to the Netherlands for her postdoc and now lives in Nijmegen with her husband and little son. She specializes in nutrition and metabolism. For her Ph.D., Maria studied polyphenols and their role on brain regulation of energy homeostasis in obesity.
“I was looking forward to applying my knowledge in the medical field but continuing my research on fundamental science, and also acquire a new set of skills” says Maria, when asked why she chose Radboudumc. She was thrilled to find a vacancy within the group of Joost Hoenderop, with a link to nutrition and metabolism but from a molecular and mechanistic point of view. She also appreciates having access to vast patient data here at Radboudumc. Maria was supposed to spend a part of her fellowship period at the Jackson Laboratory in the USA, continuing her current work focusing on magnesium transport. But then, the pandemic hit. She is now looking forward to that new experience once our lives get back to a sort of normalcy.
When asked about the most important things the MSCA fellowship brought her, she replies: “The freedom to work on a project that I planned and designed myself and opportunities for training not only scientifically but also related to personal development.” Maria thinks that the Radboudumc provides a highly stimulating atmosphere with state-of-the-art facilities, cutting-edge research, close contact with patients, and many brilliant international and national researchers. And, last but not least, a very active group of post-docs, organized through the Radboud Postdoc Initiative.
If you are a highly motivated young researcher seeking stimulating experiences to develop yourself like Maria, MSCA-PF would be a good fit for you. And you are in luck because Radboudumc is more than happy to help you with the Steppin’ Up program. The program is aimed at both incoming and outgoing candidates. The support will include masterclasses and intensive guidance from the Grant Support Office. Once you know what you want to work on and found a supervisor who can be the host, you can submit an Expression of Interest (Eol) before June 15th. More information and the application form are available on the program’s website.
But first, Maria has some advice: “Show the outline of your project to your peers, brainstorming with them can be very useful before writing the whole proposal. Once you have a draft let other people read your proposal to get feedback. It will help to have a proposal that shows that your research is relevant, has societal impact, and can be implemented thanks to your work and the support of your hosts. Book enough time in your schedule to work full-time on the writing. In my case, it helped a lot that I was able to spend an entire month only on the writing. Although there is a limit of 10 pages, I also spent some time creating a visual overview of the project, which can help the readability of the proposal.“
Blog by Ozlem Bulut
