FRRB EARLY CAREER AWARD CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
One year after the publication of the Call for Funding for Network Projects – Second Edition, the Regional Foundation for Biomedical Research is focusing on young researchers.
The FRRB has published the new EARLY CAREER AWARD call for proposals, which, as the title suggests, is dedicated to all researchers in the early stages of their scientific careers. With this new measure, the FRRB and the Lombardy Region are demonstrating their support for the most promising young people who propose innovative projects, allowing them to establish or consolidate their own laboratories and research groups. The call for proposals is open to young Italians or foreigners who wish to develop a research project at a regional healthcare institution (IRCCS or ASST) based in Lombardy. Each winning project will have the opportunity to receive up to a maximum of €600,000, divided over three years, and the institution managing the funding must guarantee the project’s principal investigator the best conditions for the project to be carried out successfully.
Young researchers who are awarded funding and propose a project to be carried out at a public IRCCS will automatically enter the so-called ‘researcher pyramid’, a pathway that guarantees a 5-year fixed-term contract, renewable for another 5 years, designed to resolve the precarious situation of researchers at these institutes.
Like the other calls for proposals published by FRRB, this call also focuses on Precision Medicine, to ensure that research can make a concrete contribution to the development of a form of medicine in which the patient plays an increasingly central role.
The scientific theme is deliberately broad, to allow young researchers to express their innovative ideas in areas such as:
a) genetics, “Omics,” bioinformatics, and systems biology;
b) physiology, pathophysiology of organs and systems;
c) applied medical technologies, advanced diagnostics, and new therapies.
FRRB confirms its commitment to measures that promote inclusion and gender equality in the world of research (the Foundation has been participating in the European TARGET project since 2017 http://www.frrb.it/it/target), and therefore encourages the submission of research projects whose scientific director is a woman.
The call for proposals also provides for extensions to the eligibility period in relation to “career breaks,” i.e., interruptions in career due to maternity and paternity leave or serious illness. The opportunity to attend specific courses on gender equality will also be offered. For more detailed information on the call for proposals, please consult the full text and the documents attached to it, which can be downloaded from the “Documents to download” section.
Project proposals can be submitted via the Bandi Online platform, which can be accessed from the RESEARCHERS AREA of the FRRB website or at http://www.bandi.servizirl.it
In view of the high number of proposals received in response to the call for proposals and the excellent scientific quality of the projects, the FRRB Board of Directors, in agreement with the Lombardy Region’s Directorate-General for Welfare, has proposed to increase the initial budget of the Call for Proposals of €8,112,809.52 by an additional €1,030,000.00, bringing the final total budget to €9,142,809.52. This increase was approved by Regional Resolution No. XI/3476 of August 5, 2020.
Presentation event for winners of the Youth Competition
On Friday, June 18, an event was held to present the 16 winning projects of the EARLY CAREER AWARD competition, through which FRRB promotes the independent careers of talented young researchers and scientific excellence in Lombardy.
To view the recording of the event, click here.
FINAL RANKINGS
Final ranking of the “Early Career Award” Youth Competition published