NEWSLETTER

Raelize du Plooy has been the Chair of the African Chapter since 2014. She filled us in on the activities she has in mind for the Chapter.

The African Chapter was established towards the end of 2014 and currently has around 60 Members from all across Africa. Our goal is to provide a platform to MCAA members who are based in Africa, hail from Africa, or are interested in networking, sharing research and collaborating.

We know that research in Africa faces lots of challenges, and yet Africa has so much to offer in terms of research opportunities that cannot be found anywhere else – the EU is therefore on a major drive towards collaborative research in Africa. This is particularly the case for research on sustainability, climate change, food security, transport networks and many other areas.

The African Chapter was established towards the end of 2014 and currently has around 60 Members from all across Africa. Our goal is to provide a platform to MCAA members who are based in Africa, hail from Africa, or are interested in networking, sharing research and collaborating. 

We know that research in Africa faces lots of challenges, and yet Africa has so much to offer in terms of research opportunities that cannot be found anywhere else – the EU is therefore on a major drive towards collaborative research in Africa. This is particularly the case for research on sustainability, climate change, food security, transport networks and many other areas.

As African Marie Curie Alumni we have all had fantastic exposure through our Fellowships to collaboration with European institutions and have become part of a distinguished community. We are therefore in a unique position to nurture these relationships so that they are of benefit in the African context. AMCA is meant as a place where we can share our experiences and ideas, discuss our challenges and support one another.

As Chair I have identified a couple of goals on which I would like to focus for the coming year:

Firstly, I think it is very important that we increase awareness of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions among researchers in Africa (especially Early Stage Researchers). There are many African researchers who are not aware of the MSCA’s existence, or do not realise that researchers from outside of Europe can apply.

Secondly, I would also like to create more awareness of the MCAA and AMCA as there are many African MCA Fellows out there that have not yet joined. The more Members we have, the more connections we have to explore opportunities and identify possibilities for collaboration!

Although we are spread over a very large geographical area, making meeting in person very difficult, I am keen to explore organising our first event or possibly two (one in Northern Africa and one in Southern Africa) since the inception of the Chapter. I would also like to increase engagement on our social media platforms, Facebook and LinkedIn.

AMCA has come a long way since its start and as we grow, we are feeling our way as to where we would like to go. I am sure we will continue to go from strength to strength!

Just for you, Moostafa Moonir Shawrav (Chair of the Austrian Chapter) unveils here the Chapter’s strategy for the coming months.

The MCAA Austrian Chapter (MCA³C) has the ambition to set the standard that other Chapters will then follow. The four-Member MCA³C Board, comprised of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Ex- Chair serving as advisor, is working hard to offer a range of training and career development opportunities to its Members, as well as to foster networking among Members for both research and professional collaboration.

We already have a workshop on presentation skills planned for late spring, as well as a career development event for autumn. In addition to our biannual Chapter meetings in spring and autumn, we will be organising more informal social events in various cities throughout the year.

To improve communication amongst MCA³C Members and to reach a wider audience, we will produce a biannual newsletter, regularly update our Facebook and LinkedIn accounts with Member-relevant information, and announce Chapter events through social media, and through our contacts at individual universities as well as the MSCA National Contact Point. Our communications strategy aims to improve Member engagement, reaching MSCA scholars who are not yet Members, and to raise the profile of MCA³C and MCAA within the research community at large.

MCA3C already has plans to organise career fair events for MCAA Members in 2018. MCA³C is also researching a bid to host the MCAA GA 2019 in Austria.

Finally, MCA³C is looking for ways to attract local sponsors for events. In doing so, we hope to address the concerns of sponsors that MCA³C be a recognised entity in Austria, and not just a sub-group of the Belgium-based MCAA. This issue may arise for other MCAA Chapters, and we hope to share our expertise with the community on this matter.

The MCA³C Board would like to thank the current MCAA executive committee, Board and contractor for their continued support and encouragement. Finally, we invite all MCAA Members to become more active in their local Chapters. The success and growth of MCAA Chapters depends on Member involvement at every level!

 

 

MCAA Polish Chapter – Plans and strategy

The Polish Chapter is up and running! Its Chair, Maria Górna, has taken the reins and designed a strategy for the upcoming months.

The MCAA’s newly formed Polish Chapter was created to enhance networking, to provide training and support to the Fellows in Poland, and to serve as a platform for Fellows’ outreach activities.

The vision for the Chapter was developed at the first informal meeting in April 2016 (“MCAA arrives in Poland”), and the Chapter gained an official status at the end of 2016.We held our kick-off meeting in Warsaw on 6 March 2017, gathering over 20 participants. The event was a half-day symposium that included excellent scientific talks from our Chapter Members, some explanations of EU funding from National Contact Point (NCP) representatives, a discussion of planned chapter actions, and a

social gathering. At the meeting, we appointed Members responsible for communications, writing and finances. Since then, we have established an e-mail system, a Facebook page for our community, a LinkedIn group and a draft of a Chapter website.

We intend to generate awareness of the MCAA and the Polish Chapter through participation in conferences and events that promote science. One such event was The European Forum of Young Innovators 2016, where one of the founder Members represented the Chapter in discussions on the role of young innovators over the next decade. We support the National Contact Point, which in October 2017 will hold an ERA Career Day in five different Polish cities; Chapter Members will act as MSCA and science ambassadors. We are also collaborating with the Polish Chemical Society in the Poland-wide celebrations to mark Maria Skłodowska-Curie’s 150th birthday. This includes active participation in the “Medicine, Science, Culture” conference in Warsaw on 6-9 November 2017 and joint representation at open events like the Baltic Science Festival.In order to increase visibility of the MCAA and our Fellows we aim to subsidise keynote appearances of Members invited to speak at topical conferences, provided the event programme mentions a “MCAA Keynote Speaker”. In addition to public outreach, some of the budget has been earmarked for organising soft-skills training for our Fellows. In particular we’d like to enable Chapter Members to participate in workshops held in English at the host institutions of other MCAA Members and MSCA-funded networks. We also plan to provide support to incoming Fellows through a buddy programme, whereby a volunteer MCAA Member will help

an incoming Fellow with mobility and orientation, especially offering practical guidance on Poland-specific administrative obligations. Finally, on our future website we hope to have a database of (consenting) Chapter Members’ skills and competences, which could encourage industry or other organisations to invite Members to act as scientific advisors.

All interested MCAA Members are cordially invited to engage in and propose further Chapter activities. We will also hold regular local networking events, the first of which is in Warsaw on 21 April. We hope to see you there!

UK Chapter
Launch

 

1. Stefan, you're the Chair of the MCAA UK Chapter and you organised its first general meeting on 4 March at University College London. Could you tell us about the Chapter in the current "Brexit context"?

Members were glad to be able to have a forum where they could share their thoughts and concerns about Brexit; but this was not the only reason for our meeting. It was the first ever UK-wide meeting of MC Fellows. About 80 researchers participated. Some even travelled from abroad to join us (e.g. from  Germany and Greece).

2. What was said during the "Strengthening academic connections in Europe" discussion?

This was a presentation by Professor Richard Catlow, Professor of Chemistry at University College London and Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society. Professor Catlow presented statistics regarding international scientific collaborations and underlined that there is strong will by both UK and European scientists to keep collaborating after Brexit.

entitled “Training: Impact and Engagement”. It start started with an individual introduction of the members in the room. She showed various types of public engagement being mplemented: written (such as Twitter and blogs) and oral (such as podcasts, festivals and science cabaret). She also explained why it's good to do it and that if one starts small, it need not be a daunting experience. The last part of the workshop was a list of tips for giving a good presentation, which she demonstrated with examples.

Fran Cardells (Salesforce, London) ran a workshop for PhD students. He pointed out that, as we are living in a PhD first world, researchers here develop most of the skills that will be in high demand by 2020. With an abundance of career opportunities and research projects, it is important that young researchers find their true passion and how it connects with big global challenges. He underlined how marketing your profile and research requires
formulating a problem, action and impact.

Michael Browne (Head of the European Research Office, University College London) ran a workshop for Experienced Researchers. He explained the differences between the various ERC grants, and he presented a platform, Crowdhelix, he has helped to develop through which connections with industry can be made.

Brian Cahill and I led a session entitled “Problems & Fixes”, where researchers could share the problems they encountered during their fellowships. One such issue was pension contributions.

5. Who won the Marie Curie Slam? How was the overall atmosphere?

The evening social event took place at the Marlborough Arms in Bloomsbury, a beautiful

traditional pub. We enjoyed pub food and a range of ales – yes, a quintessential British experience. A key highlight was the Marie Curie Slam hosted by Liam Shaw, a PhD student at UCL, who tickled the audience’s funny bone with his witty and satirical comedy. The slam gave former and current Marie
Curie Fellows the opportunity to present their research ideas to a friendly audience in the very casual setting of the pub. Dominika Bijos was the winner from among six participants. She talked effortlessly about her biomedical research and won a trip to the Science Slam at the MCAA General Assembly in Salamanca. Valerie Benti was the runner-up, she talked – and sang – about cancer cells pushing healthy
cells away. Overall, the evening social was a great opportunity for exchange of ideas and for researchers of diverse fields to get to know
each other.

6. What did participants learn at the Chapter meeting?

Participants have responded well, indicating that they were glad to have more information on the possible effects of Brexit, as well as imaginative ideas on how to go about communicating research and aiming for good impact. Many have also mentioned that they made connections with other researchers and have exchanged helpful advice.

7. What's next for the UK Chapter?

The UK Chapter hopes to engage in career training and networking events. One idea we are looking into is to invite alumni to talk about their careers and how they benefitted from their fellowship. There are a number of high-fliers we would be keen to hear from! Members are welcome to suggest events that might be interesting to them. 

3. What about the "Beyond Brexit: international collaboration and communication in science and humanities" discussion?

Brian Cahill (MCAA General Chair), Matina Tsalavouta (Head of the Communication Office at Rothamsted Research) and Jane Winters (Professor of Digital Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, University of London) gave examples of their experiences in international collaboration. The general feeling was that the impending Brexit has created much uncertainty for international researchers. A shared awareness of the risks and hopes connected to this question that became manifest during our discussion.

4. What were the conclusions of the working group meetings?

Elodie Chabrol, a Research Associate at University College London, ran a workshop