FLAG-ERA

First FLAG-ERA Joint Transnational Call attracts 480 research partners from Europe and beyond

A total of 108 proposals has been submitted involving 480 principal investigator-lead partners to the first FLAG-ERA Joint Transnational Call (JTC) that closed on the 27th of January 2015. The FLAG-ERA JTC 2015 will support research projects in synergy with the two FET Flagships, the Graphene Flagship and the Human Brain Project.

As far as the Graphene topic is concerned, a total of 16 National/Regional Funding Organisations (NRFOs) from 14 (mainly European) countries provided funding for the call.  Eventually, 78 proposals involving 367 partners from 19 countries were submitted.  As a matter of fact, FLAG-ERA allowed researchers from countries not participating in the call to participate provided that they secure their own funding, for example as existing Principal Investigators of the Graphene Flagship Core Project.  The sub-area that attracted the highest number of submissions was ‘Energy’ (14 proposals), followed by ‘New layered materials and heterostructures’ (12 proposals) and ‘Biological and chemical sensors’ (10 proposals).

The topic on the Human Brain Project was supported by 13 NRFOs from 11 mostly European countries.   The topic attracted 30 proposals involving 113 partners from Europe and beyond (Canada, Israel and the USA).  The sub-areas that attracted the highest number of proposals were ‘Targeted mapping of the human brain’ and ‘Targeted mapping of  the mouse brain’ (8 proposals each), followed by ‘Theoretical and mathematical foundations of neuroscience’ and ‘Neuroinformatics’ with 4 proposals each.

The proposals are currently undergoing an eligibility check and will be assessed by an international Scientific Evaluation Panel (SEP) with the help of external peer reviewers. On the basis of the assessment by the SEP and of the available funding, a list of projects recommended for funding will be established.
It is expected that all partners in the projects recommended for funding are accepted as associated members by the Flagship Core Projects.

For more information about this call, please visit: FLAG-ERA-call-2015