ATTRACT Programme
Summary of the Programme
Duration: 2006-2012
Total Budget: EUR 6,000,000
- 2007 Call: 1 Candidate selected(FNR Contribution: EUR 800.000)
- 2008 Call: The FNR decided not to select any of the candidates
- 2009 Call: 2 Candidates selected (FNR Contribution: EUR 2.557.685)
2010 Call: Deadline 15 April 2010
The ATTRACT programme aims to build on the excellence, dynamism and creativity of research in Luxembourg by attracting young researchers with a high level of ability in science or technology and proven experience in a professional research context.
The programme is designed for researchers not yet established in Luxembourg; it offers them the opportunity to set up an independent research team within a public-sector research institution in Luxembourg that is willing to host them. Research proposals should be submitted jointly by the candidate and the host institution.
Projects submitted should be innovative and of high scientific quality and candidates must be able to show that they have gained a minimum of two and a maximum of eight years’ professional experience since successful completion of doctoral studies. Projects selected under the ATTRACT programme have a lifespan of five years and the financial contribution by the FNR will be up to EUR 1,500,000.
The ATTRACT review panel is composed of a standing panel of four members representing different disciplines and is complemented by one thematic expert reviewer per research project in the current evaluation process (i.e. these members change from year to year). The standing panel members constitute the steering committee of the ATTRACT. Please refer to the guidelines and forms sections for details on the review process.
Current ATTRACT standing panel members:
- Sir Tony Atkinson, Economics: Income distribution and poverty (Nuffield College Oxford, UK)
- Professor Peter Druschel, Information Technologies: Computer Systems (Director, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, Kaiserslautern and Saarbruecken, Germany)
- Dr. François Meyer, Biomedical Sciences: Biotechnology and Health (Ex Senior Vice-President Research & Development AVENTIS France)
- Professor Barbara Reichert, Environmental Sciences: Geology (Geological Institute of the University of Bonn, Germany)
- Professor Pierre Wiltzius, Physical sciences: Materials (Susan and Bruce Worster Dean of Science, Professor of Physics, College of Letters and Science, University of California at Santa Barbara, USA)
The National Research Fund launches annual calls for proposals.
The ATTRACT calls have the following mandatory deadlines:
| 1st Monday in February (14:00 CET) | Joint submission by the candidate and the Luxembourg host research institution of a pre-proposal form with a brief project description |
| Up to 3 weeks after the pre-proposal deadline | The FNR invites candidates to submit a full proposal |
| 15th April (14:00 CET - or following working day) | Joint submission of the full proposal |
| End of June - beginning of July: | Evaluation panel meeting and interviews |
| Mid-end of July: | Funding decision by the FNR and information of candidates |
The exact dates will be published on the FNR website and will be communicated to the applicants in due time.
Modifications in the call 2010:
- Grant size up to 1.5M€
- Full-time PhD working 100% on project can be included in ATTRACT project budget (& AFR is still an option)
- Candidates outside of the eligibility period of the candidate (award date of doctoral degree plus 2 - 8 years prior to the date of the pre-proposal deadline) may be allowed to submit in case of eligible career breaks, which must be properly documented.
Please refer to the Guidelines for full details.