• 27/07/2022
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Kateřina Falk: How to establish a research group - Scienceskum.cz<

Část I: Výběr grantů a proces podávání žádosti do programu Helmholtz Young Investigator v Německu

I should say at the beginning that I have never planned to become a PI (Principal Investigator: Principal Researcher), Professor or Group Head.I've always loved science and I wanted to be a scientist, but I never wanted to fight stress I felt out of constant pressure on grant request and managerial (and bureaucratic) duties associated with such positions.I have always liked to teach, which is part of a classic academic career, but I also felt that I could do it separately without having to be a professor, and I found some good opportunities to do this.My personal goal was to become a researcher who takes care of the technical aspects of scientific experiments in user devices such as lasers or accelerators.Such a position is more of a less management of people and often can do without teaching and without the need to apply for grants.You can lead your own research supported by institutions, albeit with a certain limited range.The main job description of such a researcher is support for users of equipment that come there to make short -term experiments.I had the feeling that such work would be the right thing for me, with a lot of interesting technical challenges, the possibility to conduct original research, with a stable financial situation, long -term prospects and cooperation with a large number of interesting scientific teams.As a bonus, such a scientist will also become a co -author of publications from these experiments.The position of scientists in national laboratories seemed to me as a good alternative.

But: man means life changes.At one point, when I tried to become a permanent employee of one such research facility, I found that due to the unfortunate combination of external factors such a position was no longer a possibility for me.Because of the problems I had to face in my previous institution, I found that independence is the only possible way forward if I want to stay in science.So I started looking for options to achieve that.Meanwhile I have developed several original ideas for my own research.I took part in the great mentoring program of the National Contact Center (NKC) and learned about several options for establishing an independent research group.I was also warned that doing another postdok after I was already a scientific manager could harm my future career in science because it would be considered a step back.A great motivation was also my bad experience that I had with my former employers and thanks to which I no longer felt well in the position and position of my managers who decide everything, from my projects to finance and other resources for my own research.So I decided to write several grants and look for a new position.

Kritéria pro výběr správného programu

The main step was to select the right grant scheme and institution.I have set several factors that were important to me:

In the first phase I was looking for a way to stay in Prague and asked for local grants, such as GACR (Grant Agency of the Czech Republic), but I soon found that the duration of all grants is too short (maximum 3 years).In addition, grants do not have the necessary level of independence.The grant is awarded to the institution, not the applicant and the holder of the grant has no control over it, the finances from the grant may even be taken by the applicant's institution and assigned to anyone else.This was completely unacceptable for me after the negative experience with the management of scientific institutions in the Czech Republic.In addition, the process of submitting applications and reporting results is disproportionately demanding and complicated to take into account the relatively low amount of financing that can be obtained.Expectations of the publication in the first year of the grant when the publication of the publication takes at least 3 years in my field, is then completely crazy.The tender also seemed to me somewhat non -transparent and direct statement of the agency for equal opportunities for me GAČR immediately excluded.GACR also completely ignores the gender question and does not take into account the disadvantage of mothers in science.Other grant programs in the Czech Republic also did not meet my conditions.It was obvious that we would have to move abroad.Due to the above preferences, I limited my search to Germany and Sweden.It turned out that grant programs in Sweden are mostly too short and to get sufficient finances for the group is usually needed more grants, which I did not see ideal.

So I became seriously interested in submitting the grant application ERC (European Research Council).ERC starting grants have several advantageous features: i) they provide financing of EUR 1.5 million for up to 5 years, which is sufficient for a young research group that has to make equipment;(ii) even if the grant is bound to the institution, it can be moved to other places;iii) The primary advantage of ERC grant is complete scientific independence.At the time I started working on ERC requests, I was still based in the Czech Republic and communication with institutions in Germany and Sweden on potential movements was still in a very informal initial stage and there was not enough time to formal agreement with the new host institution.Therefore, I tried to apply under the auspices of my current Czech employer.It turned out that it turned out badly at several levels and I didn't get the support I needed from the institution.

Meanwhile I was interested in alternative possibilities of financing science in Germany.The choice of Germany was a natural step because it is a country with one of the best -funded scientific infrastructure in the world.What is important specifically for my work is the fact that there are high -performance lasers and particle accelerators in Germany that are in abundance and at a high level.Especially in my field there are many institutions with very good reputation.Above all, however, Germany supports a large number of programs for young researchers who want to establish their own group.Whether it is through national financial agencies such as DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) or BMBF (Das Deutsche Bundesmiium für Bildung und Forschung), individual university programs or large research associations such as Max Planck, Helmholtz or Fraunhofer Gesseschaftfunded within various "Young Investigator" programs.It can also be reported directly to the positions of W2 level professors, but this is more demanding, often requires confidential knowledge of the German system and negotiations lasts 2-3 years.These W2 positions are often an attractive starter package that can be used to finance the positions of doctoral students and postdocs, laboratory equipment and as finance on (foreign) trips.At the cost of compulsory teaching, such a W2 professor will receive absolute freedom from the German University in research and lifelong permanent position - in many ways a very nice agreement.It is generally recommended not to report to the positions of W1 level professors because they rarely lead to permanent or particularly good positions, do not provide sufficient funds for research and are focused primarily on teaching with short -term contracts.All German institutions are obliged to take care of equal occasions during the selection procedure.For some interviews I had experts on equal opportunities who have taken care of being a righteous process.The selection commissions are composed of members of very diverse origin and there are measures to suppress potential bias in the selection of the candidate.Germany was also suitable for us for the proximity of relatives in the Czech Republic and Sweden.Language was a drop problem because I never learned German at school, so it meant starting with a new language completely from scratch.Well, the challenge is accepted!

Fortunately, the perfect funding system has been found for me.I filed to Helmholtz Young Investigator Groups.Although this funding system is bound to Helmholtz Center throughout Germany, there is a certain level of flexibility that would allow to negotiate the transfer of funding to another place in Germany.This grant program offers financing of EUR 1.8 million for 6 years.This very generous offer easily covers the costs of employees, some laboratory equipment, travel, consumables etc..The main advantage of Hemholtz and the main reason I chose this program and placement in Dresden in HZDR (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf) is that these centers usually have fully equipped laboratories and generous research funding.Therefore, group funds often do not have to cover all research expenses and can be used to finance other positions for students and postdoks or travel to external facilities and conferences.HZDR really has one of the best high -performance laser devices in the world.Draco and Penelope Laser Systems along with the HIBEF project (within the European X-Fel) in Hamburg offers everything my research might need.The existing infrastructure was my primary motivation.It also helped that I already knew the director of the Institute and his work was very respectful.I felt like I would work well with him and it would be a nice place for work where I could expect support from my superiors, which was confirmed.This grant promises complete autonomy of research interests.Although the focus of the research should be suitable for the Helmholtz Association and the Department of the Research Center, it is considered to be completely independent.A huge bonus is a compulsory partnership with a local university, which gives young investigator the right to teach and lead doctoral students at the university.This program can work on habilitation (associate professor) and/or professors and thus have open opportunities for future careers in research institutes, national laboratories or even universities.This combined path with a base in the Research Institute and an additional position at the university for teaching was ideal for me.An excellent bonus of this position is also participation in thorough "management and leadership" course for all successful candidates, so -called.Helmholtz Leadership Academy.I will talk about this in more detail in the second part of this blog, but in short it is exactly what most positions for the young leader groups are missing.This course provides exactly those social skills (or “soft skills”) needed to build and manage a successful research group.This is something that scientists usually do not teach us and it looks like it in science.So I was excited that the Helmholtz Association was dealing with this in the best possible way.And Dresden have great and free facilities for children's care, beautiful nature (mountains!) And fantastic job opportunities for my husband.So the win on all the bases.

Grantový program Helmholtz Young Investigator Groups

In order to qualify, a candidate must be at a stage of 2 to 6 years of the doctorate.For each child born in this period, the postponement of this deadline is determined by up to 2 years.Men are also entitled to this extension if they were on parental leave.Although the requirements report at least 6 months spent abroad, during the selection procedure I immediately understood that Helmholtz Association is looking for truly world scientists.All leading groups from the Helmholtz Young Investigator Groups program I have encountered, have had at least 2 years of post -doctoral research or doctoral studies outside Germany or their home country.It makes sense because they are looking for experienced researchers who have a wide range of expertise and contacts, and you can usually only be obtained during longer stays in different countries, not in short internships.It takes at least one year for a person in a new country to see and settle down and to find out how the local institution works.Then it is another year before the person works fully in this place and becomes part of the local culture and society.I would definitely not underestimate this aspect in a potential request and interview.The selection process is three -phase.First, the applicant must contact the local institute with the intention to apply for this grant.The Local Helmholtz Institute will decide whether or not the applicant will be supported.The process starts with an approximately two -page letter about the intention that outlines the main ideas of the proposed research.The Institute will internally evaluate the general quality of the candidate, the proposal of the idea and the way this work fits into the portfolio of their center.Each Helmholtz Center will support a limited number of these applications.If the applicant is successful here, the Center will provide a letter of the applicant's support and ensure a partnership agreement with the local university (in my case it was the Technical University of Dresden), which must be submitted together with the application itself ("Scientific proposal") and the budget plan.The candidate must also submit a signed list of proposed reviewers, their CV (CV), a separate list of publications, a statement on the truthfulness of the data, a cover letter ("cover Letter") and a summary of the application ("summary").All templates of the required documents together with a detailed description of how to submit the application are available on the Helmholtz Association's website in English and German.The application is submitted by Helmholtz's Center through which the applicant for the grant is applying.This also means that you need to have a sufficient time reserve to provide all documents of administrative support in the center so that they can then send them in time.In general, they were very helpful at the HZDR center and provided excellent feedback on my grant request and helped me improve it.Especially useful was help with budget planning, which is very important especially if you are not familiar with salary tables in Germany.

Jak uspět v grantové soutěži

The proposal itself is of course the most important part of the application.Mine had 16 pages including abstract on the front page and references.I used the same format I originally wrote for ERC Starting Grant part B2 and which worked for this design very well.I had to add a little about the relevance of the proposed project for the Helmholtz Research Program to the proposal.The resort helped me build about a half -page text on how the proposed work fits into program research (in my case on "Matter") within the Institute (HZDR) and throughout the Helmholtz Association.It is generally appropriate to provide an ambitious and new idea with a relatively specific focus.My proposal was slightly different by having a somewhat wider shot of research ideas and topics that were interconnected by the central idea.It turned out to have been a successful approach, but it is clear that any thought or every research is unique and therefore requires to be communicated to its own specific way.Fortunately, research centers are usually very helpful in providing feedback and successful group leaders in the program will be happy to help or advise you.Again is a good idea to give them enough time to help you in time.Application deadline is usually every year in April.In addition to project description, methods, technical development, scientific goals and milestones, these proposals should also include a reasonable risk assessment and outline of budget plans.It is useful to provide a description of individual student and postdoctorate projects, as the Helmholtz Association is very careful about the smooth course of these projects and early completion of doctoral theses.I also recommend having good plans “B”.Be aware that PhD projects are limited to 3 years with a possible extension of 6 months to write a dissertation.If the center allows it, there may be other extensions, but it can damage the reputation of the group and the leader.It is therefore important to have a good plan that can be managed in this time scale.

If the candidate is successful in this second round, it will be invited to the final interview.Invitations usually send in July / August and interviews are held in September, which will give the candidate the time to prepare.Interviews are held at the headquarters of the Helmholtz Association in Berlin and the Association covers all the cost of accommodation and travel.Although at this stage candidates already have about 50% chance to be selected (usually invite about 30 people and up to 15 are financed every year), but good preparation is still necessary.I was personally assisted by the director of the Institute and one of the previously successful candidates.I first showed my presentation before the director of HZDR, who gave me some very useful comments that significantly increased the chances of getting a grant.It is very important that the presentation is short and on time.They really do not like when candidates drag their time to present.So I recommend to practice the presentation thoroughly.My lecture had only 9 slides and lasted a total of 10 minutes.Unlike a similar presentation at ERC Starting Grant, the presentation should focus less on science, but more against the background of candidate, management plans, relevance of research for Helmholtz, cooperation with international partners, other scientists in Germany and local university, as well as doctoral leadership.Of course I also provided them with a nice overview of key research points and explanations why the project is interesting and demanding, but I did not go to any technical detail.In this respect, this reminded me more popular scientific lectures than conference contributions.It is important to note that the selection commission consists of scientists of all disciplines from history to quantum physics.Personally, I was surprised that the commission had so many members, in my interview there were about 15-20.There were another 5-10 minutes on the questions.Various questions from the technical to those related to managerial skills have been coming from the commission.They asked me why the research I proposed has not yet been done, why I want to go to this particular laboratory, why I want to leave my place to date, how I would deal with the situation where the PhD project did not bring the desired results (here closed the Emergency Circleplans), or how I initiate my international cooperation (here I answered honestly and said that I mostly rely on informal contacts, which turned out to be a winning answer).It is recommended to stay for a while after the interview is over, because the meeting is followed by an informal coffee break with members of the commission where they want to talk to you further.After you have completed an interview, it is certainly difficult to resist escape, but believe me, it is good to stay there.The best on this grant program is that you will find out the result very soon after the interview.So I found out that my proposal was successful the next day!I estimate that the total success rate will be 10-20% depending on the number of applicants in a given year, ie similar to ERC.However, I feel that applicants' selection is more transparent and more open to Helmholtz.I think they can afford to pay more attention to each application for a much lower number of applicants because they are limited by the field and the initial preliminary selection on the part of the Research Centers.

Overall I must say that I am very satisfied with this program.The whole concept is well thought out, managed and organized.Has a clear goal and purpose.Later, when I applied for further European funding, I have always felt great support from both our institute and from the headquarters in Berlin or even from the European Helmholtz office in Brussels.The annual reports I have to give are well structured and are not very time -consuming.Generally, administrative support so far has been great and allowed me to focus mainly on my research, management and teaching without excessive administrative load. Moc jsem ocenilaHelmholtz Leadership Academy.I also used their counseling and mentoring programs.This position also offers very good prospects for the future.Assuming the evaluation in 4.The year will take place well, the candidate has a good chance to get a permanent position in the Institute.This scheme also offers great opportunities to transform towards the professor position W2/W3.So I can honestly recommend everyone to try to get this grant.If your research fits into a range of research programs Helmholtz, this may be the best way to become a leading scientific group in Europe.There are, of course, other similar grant programs administrated directly by research centers in Helmholtz and other associations such as Max Planck or Fraunhofer Institutes.So it is definitely worth contacting and finding out the different options that could be interesting for you.Good luck and do not hesitate to write me if you have specific questions about these grants and the process of submitting and evaluating requests.

Additional addition to the article based on the reaction of the grant agency of the Czech Republic.

I apologize for the inaccuracies in my blog about the grant programs of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (GACR).I did not want to damage the agency's name or disseminate false or outdated information with the article.So I thank the agency for the clarifying answer.It is true that I was looking for these grant programs between 2016 and 2017 and at that time the rules were very different.I like to hear that many have changed in recent years and perhaps it will help young scientists today.I admit that I did not investigate the current conditions of grants in any way and only reflect on the situation four years ago and at that time I really had no choice but to go under the conditions at that time.Depending on what I hear from colleagues in the Czech Republic about institutions and grant conditions, it is still what to improve, but I am glad that he is devoted to this GAČR and I keep my fingers crossed for the future.

Author: Kateřina Falk

Also read an interview with Kateřina Falk, who provided us during the last Christmas conference of the CzexPats in Science

Kateřina Falk

is the physical and popularizer of science.It deals with plasma physics, interactions of mass with powerful lasers.She graduated from Imperial College London and won the doctoral title at the University of Oxford.As a scientist she worked for three years in the National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico.She participated in the project of the Laser Center Eli Beamlines in Dolní Břežany near Prague.Today is the head of his own scientific group Helmholtz Center in Dresden - Rossendorf and lectures at the Technical University of Dresden.She is the award of important scientific awards, including the British Parliament Award Set For Britain for young scientists, special annual awards of scientific teams in Los Alamos and Czech Impulse Neuron.