TÜHI MSCA postdoctoral fellowship support initiative helped three postdoctoral researchers succeed
Last year, TÜHI as a host institution organized a new initiative for prospective MSCA postdoctoral researchers which included a grant writing training camp. As a result, three new postdoctoral researchers will start their work in TÜHI.
Last spring, Tallinn University School of Humanities (TÜHI) invited young researchers to apply to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship programme (MSCA PF) with TÜHI as a host institution. The scheme included support throughout the whole process, as well as an invitation to a training camp. Altogether, more than 40 young researchers applied and 11 researchers from 10 countries were selected. During the camp, participants benefited from 5 intense days of training for writing the different parts of the proposal, discussions and support from the trainers, supervisors and research advisors in the writing process.
After the event, the candidates continued working closely with their supervisors and trainers to refine their applications in anticipation of the MSCA call deadline in autumn. Research Fellow at TÜHI and Senior Adviser for Doctoral Studies Development, Tanya Escudero, who initiated and coordinated this initiative, was also one of the trainers during the camp and supported the candidates until the submission. In her words, "this was a new venture for both TÜHI and TLÜ, but we were determined to give visibility to our school and try to attract new talents. We are very happy with the results obtained and we look forward to welcoming back several of the candidates we supported. The process was long and demanding, from launching the call for expressions of interest, through the selection of candidates and organisation of the camp, to providing individual feedback to the candidates closer to the submission. But we believe this example has shown that such initiatives are a valuable and essential tool to make our institution stronger, more internationally competitive and diverse”.
The results of the call in February confirmed the success of this project: seven candidates submitted an application with TÜHI as a host institution. Out of those seven two were funded through MSCA fellowship and one through ERA fellowship (above 94.4% score); two more obtained a score above 83%, passing the qualification threshold, and will be applying to get support for their project through ETAG.
The three already confirmed post-doctoral projects will focus on gender-sensitive approach to sustainable mobility (Maria Lindmäe, supervisor Tauri Tuvikene), Chinese literacy and education (Federico Valenti, supervisor Lisa Indraccolo) and colonialism and translation in travel writing (Nicolas Cayann, supervisor Daniele Monticelli).