Eligibility for MCCT Financial Support

Eligibility of participants

To be eligible for MCCT funding a participant must fall in one the following three categories:

• Group 1: Early stage researchers, i.e., those with less than 4 years (full time equivalent) of research activity (including the period of research training). In this group, all researchers are eligible for funding regardless of their nationality or place of work.
• Group 2: Experienced researchers with more than 4 but less than 10 years (full time equivalent) of research activity (including the period of research training). Individuals in possession of a doctoral degree also fall into this category, even if they have less than 4 years of research experience. In this category, all researchers are eligible for funding regardless of their nationality or place of work.
• Group 3: Experienced researchers with more than 10 years (full time equivalent) of research activity (including the period of research training). In this case, only nationals from EU member/associated states, but doing research outside these countries, can be eligible for funding.

On top of these rules, all participants should meet the criteria of being active researchers. “As a general rule, a researcher is defined as a person active in research, including at training level, of at least post-graduate or equivalent level.”

Note on the required degree and research expertise

In order to be eligible you must have finished your undergraduate university studies by the time of the conference (4 November, 2009).

As for your experience in research, this is measured since gaining “the diploma giving access to doctoral studies (the degree must entitle the holder to embark on doctoral studies, without having to acquire any further qualification) in the country in with the diploma was obtained”.

If you have not finished undergraduate studies by the time the selection is done, you cannot register, even if you have already started some post-graduate studies such as master courses.

Note on nationality

The present list of EU member and associated states (thus affecting Group 3 of eligible participants, see above) is as follows:

EU member states: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and United Kingdom

EU associated states: Croatia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Israel, Lichtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Switzerland, and Turkey

Note on quotas

In addition to the aforementioned rules, there are other criteria that should be met in the organisation.

No more than 30% of the eligible participants may be nationals from third countries (i.e. neither EU member nor associate state).

No more than 30% of the participants (eligible and not-eligible) may be nationals from any EU member state, or associate state, or from the all third countries.

Preference should be given to early-stage researchers.

The selection of the candidates will strive for having at least 40% of female participants.