Call for excellent postdoctoral researchers in Marie Curie 'ImπACT' programme

Vrije Universiteit Brussel and B-PHOT are looking for excellent postdoctoral researchers to join the imπACT programme. With the available Fellowships, supported by European Union's Horizon 2020 programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie COFUND Grant Agreement, VUB is looking to create more impact with strategic and applied research while honing the entrepreneurial spirit and skills of the MCSA fellows.

ImπACT is a research and training programme that will equip 20 postdoctoral researchers with the necessary knowledge and technology transfer skills to take up leadership positions in academia, business and civil society and to deploy intersectoral solutions the European R&I landscape so much needs.

Postdoctoral researchers with an excellent research track will be invited to propose a 2-year research and innovation project of their choice within VUB’s 8 research clusters, including Engineering. The coordination team would like to highlight the importance of an outstanding resume.

The applicants have the freedom to propose their own research project as long as there is a clear potential for economic and/or social impact. The impact potential will be maximized through the dedicated training in entrepreneurship, business case development and advanced transferable skills.

For B-PHOT Brussels Photonics, post-docs can join one of our following research teams:

• the optical fiber sensor team,
• the freeform optics team,
• the biophotonics and spectroscopy team,
• the non-linear photonics team, and
• the semiconductor laser team.

In order to participate in the imπACT programme some minimum eligibility criteria apply:

• Applicants must be fluent in English (written and spoken).
• Applicants must comply with the Transnational Mobility Rule: applicants must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Belgium for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the call deadline (31/08/2021).
• When applying and no later than the call deadline, applicants have a doctoral degree or have at least four years of full-time equivalent (FTE) research experience in academia or industry. FTE research experience is measured from the date when a researcher obtained the degree which would formally entitle him or her to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the researcher is.
• At the moment of signature of the employment contract between VUB and the postdoctoral researcher, the latter cannot have any other contract with any other organization.

The MSCA-COFUND imπACT covers a period of 5 years and will include a total of 20 postdoctoral projects. The project will launch 2 calls for applications, each for the recruitment of 10 postdoctoral researchers proposing a 2-year project. Postdoctoral researchers with an excellent research track and resume are encouraged to apply.

Opening of the call: 1st June 2021

Closing of the Call: 31st August 2021 (23:00 CET)

Each postdoctoral fellow receives a 2-year grant of €4.300 per month, including €4.100 living allowance per month + €200 mobility allowance per month. This will result in about €3.500 gross and €2.200-€2.500 net salary, depending on years of experience. Additionally, a one-time €500 travel allowance for the initial travel from the home country to the host institution is foreseen as well as in costs related to health and work insurance. The host institution will support the fellows in the arrangement for housing and other administrative matters when required.

After the closing of the call, all submitted applications will be evaluated in 2 stages and for approximately 3 months. In first stage, the Selection Management Team (SMT) performs an eligibility check. Afterwards, eligible applications are assessed by the Community of Experts (CIE) using the Evaluation Template. The CIE is divided in the following panels:

PE: Physical Sciences and Engineering

LS: Life Sciences

SSHA: Social Sciences, Humanities and the Arts

To ensure an equal representation of PE, LS and SSHA, 2 positions are allocated to each panel and the other 4 available positions will be distributed based on the number of applications submitted.

All applicants will be informed from mid-November onwards and successful projects are expected to start towards the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022.