High expectations raised for new cooperation of 7 European universities

The announcers of the new CELSA Research Fund’s first invitation to tender count on the researchers of BME.

Scientific projects bringing together the participating universities are expected to be submitted.

The conditions of application include that one researcher each from at least two partner universities of CELSA (Central Europe Leuven Strategic Alliance) should take part in the supported research, and one of them must be an employee of the Catholic University of Leuven.

In the next three years the CELSA partner institutions will commence thirty scientific projects altogether, which corresponds to around ten programs per year. The announcers’ aim is to support projects of significant scientific value, thus facilitating not only the cooperation of the partner institutions but also the successful submission of the projects to the tenders of other (Pan-)European research and innovation funds (for instace, the Horizon 2020).

The objective of the CELSA-network is to aid the participation of the partner universities in joint researches. The Catholic University of Leuven had initiated the establishment of the organization that was inaugurated in Prague in May 2016 with the participation of seven partner universities: the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Loránd Eötvös University, Semmelweis University, the University of Ljubljana, Charles University, the Czech Technical University, and the Catholic University of Leuven. On behalf of BME the Articles of Association was signed by rector János Józsa and chancellor Gyula Barta-Eke.

The universities joining the initiative have committed to cooperate in the fields of research, education and serving the community. They jointly take part in educational, research related, and exchange programs, and strive to explore further ways to collaborate.

The newly announced call is the first joint action. The applications are to be submitted by 2nd May, 2017. The research programs receiving support are expected to start in October 2017.

Detailed invitation to tender and guideline