ERA Talents 2024 call is open

Call opening: 6 May 2024, deadline: 26 September 2024 (17:00 CEST)

Total budget 40 M€, budget per project 1 – 3 M€, expected no. of projects 20

Expected duration: up to 4 years

FTOP: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-widera-2024-talents-03-01

Complementary to ERA Chairs, Excellence Hubs, ERA Fellowships and MSCA Staff Exchanges, the ERA Talents scheme aims to boost interoperability of careers in the academic and non-academic sectors and improve employability of R&I talents across sectors, with the centre of gravity in Widening countries. ERA Talents seeks to support the training and mobility of researchers, innovators, and/or other R&I talents across sectors. Projects are expected to contribute to several of the 8 listed expected outcomes - please read the call text carefully.

Consortium should include at least three independent legal entities established in three different EU Member States or Associated Countries as beneficiaries, at least two of which are established in a different Widening Country. The coordinator must come from a Widening country.

Do not forget to:

• Address one or both of following aspects related to improving training and lifelong learning opportunities for researchers, innovators, and other research and innovation talents – (i) training in skills and competences following specific demand from other sectors, and /or (ii) training to build R&I support capacity in both the academic and non-academic sectors,
• Estimate the number of secondees and if funded, a Personal Career Development Plan for seconded staff should be established including a return plan, in particular if the sending organisation is located in a Widening country; approaches promising improved and more sustainable career prospects for the secondees will be regarded positively during evaluation,
• Involve organisations from the academic and non-academic sectors, exploit the complementary competences and create synergies between them; create a win-win situation for all consortium partners by upskilling their human capital, thereby strengthening their future competitiveness and level of excellence,
• To prepare the project, use only the special proposal template (Proposal template) ERA Talents (downloadable at the FTOP call submission and in the attachment)

Detailed information is provided on the secondments – what are the target groups, directions of mobility (between sectors and mainly cross-border and between independent legal entities) and the duration (may be split into several stays with one or several participating organisations but cannot exceed 24 months in total for the same staff member).

The grant covers expenses related to the participating organisations and individual staff members hosted/seconded (e.g., administrative costs, training costs, travel and subsistence costs, salaries for seconded staff, and costs associated with dissemination, communication, and knowledge valorisation). At least 70% of EU requested contribution should be dedicated to the beneficiaries from the Widening countries.

Finally, pay special attention to gender equality objectives and do not forget that the expected impacts are described in the Introduction to the Destination 2 (Attracting and mobilising the best talents) and that grants awarded under this topic are expected to collaborate with each other and participate in mutual learning exercises.

The overview of ERA Talents projects funded under the 2022 call is available on the REA webpage.