The core philosophy of the European Talent Academy is to support young researchers on their individual career paths and to connect them with strategic European partners. Organized by TUM Brussels for the first time in 2020/2021, the Academy offers a platform where like-minded people can exchange ideas.
Here, a brand new, young network is being created between TUM and its partners Imperial College London (Imperial) and Politecnico di Milano. In addition, the ETA aims to raise awareness of the EU policy background in specific research areas and to prepare the complexity of European instruments for participants in a hands-on way.
Supporting and connecting European research talent
After the ETA program had initially been piloted in tandem by TUM and Imperial in the first cohort, in the second year a third partner was added in the form of the Politecnico di Milano, thus perfectly following the spirit of European research funding logic.
At this year's edition on the topic Artificial Intelligence as a key enabling technology to empower society? A European approach on excellence and trust to boost research, 23 researchers from the three top universities participated. After two virtual kick-off meetings in December 2021 and March 2022, the highlight of this year's program was a two-day workshop in Brussels.
The workshop, held May 12-13, featured the following three main topics:
- Nurturing Individual Talent: From ERC to MSCA
- Collaborative Research: getting connected to Europe
- From successful project management to pitching your research right
Information and inspiration for the further career path
The career paths of researchers are very individual. The ETA wants to show ways to support these unique career paths through EU funding. Therefore, it is an integral part of the program to provide insights into the individual funding instruments of the EU, such as the European Research Council (ERC) Grants.
With Prof. Bart Keuykens from Ghent University, a successful ERC grantee could be won again this year to give the ETA participants valuable tips for a successful ERC application.
The workshop also focused on collaborative funding in the second pillar of Horizon Europe. In addition to the presentation of existing funding instruments, speakers from the European Commission and the EU Think Tank CEPs provided information on the political background of the European Commission in the field of artificial intelligence.
Another important agenda item of the workshop was collaborative research under the second pillar of Horizon Europe: In addition to presenting existing funding instruments, speakers from the European Commission and the EU think tank CEPS provided information on the Commission's policy background in the field of artificial intelligence.
If you are interested in the European Talent Academy or the partnership with Politecnico di Milano, which is currently being established, please contact TUM Brussels liaison officer Maria-Valerie Schegk.
More about the European Talent Academy
See the full program of this year’s European Talent Academy
More about the Flagship Partnership between TUM and Imperial