Four Bilkent faculty members are being funded by the EU’s Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) program, part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 initiative.
On the basis of the proposals they submitted in response to the 2015 call for proposals, Dr. Tarık Baytekin (UNAM), Dr. Kürşat Çınar (Political Science and Public Administration), and Dr. Erman Ayday and Dr. Mustafa Özdal (both Computer Engineering) have been awarded MSCA individual fellowship grants.
As part of Horizon 2020, the EU’s largest research and innovation program, the MSCA grants support research training and career development focused on innovation skills. The MSCA program promotes innovative research training as well as career and knowledge-exchange opportunities through cross-border and cross-sector mobility of researchers, preparing them for current and future societal challenges and enhancing the attractiveness of research centers in Europe and Turkey.
With the support of MSCA fellowship grants, researchers are able to move from one country to another to broaden or deepen their competences. In effect, the program leverages attempts to reverse the phenomenon of brain drain.
Applicants for MSCA grants face stiff competition from all over Europe. To date, Bilkent researchers have received a total of six grants.
The 2016 call for proposals for MSCA individual fellowship grants will be open from April 12 until September 14. For more information, please see https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/topics/2226-msca-if-2016.html.