European Funding Opportunities Webinar

This virtual event is organized by EURAXESS North America. For the most updated information and to RSVP, visit their event and registration page.

Interested in European Union funding for your research? Join us as we hear from expert speakers representing European Commission funding mechanisms and more to highlight open calls and funding opportunities for researchers. This presentation is open to all and aimed at those in the U.S. and Canada, regardless of research area and nationality, who are interested in taking a career step to Europe.

Speakers will introduce the MSCA fellowships, ERC grants, Horizon 2020 open calls, and EURAXESS services. A Q&A session will allow attendees to ask specific questions.

Speakers

David Wizel
Head of Sector MSCA Individual Fellowships | Research Executive Agency
David has a background in Political Sciences and Marketing and has dedicated his career to the European Commission since 2002. The main focus of his work has been in the area of research and innovation, first dealing with the evaluation processes. In 2006, he joined the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) as Project Officer. His portfolio included projects from the European Researchers’ Night, Career Integration Grants and COFUND. Since the establishment of the Research Executive Agency (REA) in 2009, David has continued to contribute to the MSCA primarily in the project management coordination. He took up post as Head of Sector for the Individual Fellowships in 2016 with responsibilities spanning the entire lifecycle of projects and interactions with stakeholders.

Philippe Cupers, PhD
Head of the Life Sciences Unit | European Research Council Executive Agency
Philippe Cupers is Head of the Life Sciences Unit at the European Research Council Executive Agency, since May 2019. His responsibilities focus on the coordination of the scientific evaluation of proposals and of the monitoring and follow-up of the funded ERC projects in the domain of Life Sciences. Philippe Cupers joined the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission in 2001, where he worked as scientific officer and then Head of Sector for brain research, scientific officer for setting up the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), Deputy Head of Unit for ‘Health Strategy’ focusing on the development, promotion and monitoring of European health research and innovation strategy and policies (e.g. personalized medicine), and Deputy Head of Unit for “Innovative tools, technologies and concepts in health research.” Philippe Cupers has a PhD in cell biology and biochemistry from the University of Louvain (de Duve Institute). Before joining the Commission, he worked at the Harvard University Medical School, at the Flemish Institute for Biotechnology (University of Leuven), and at GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals.

Mary Kavanagh, PhD
Minister-Counselor, Research & Innovation | Delegation of the European Union to the USA
Mary Kavanagh is the Minister-Counselor for Research and Innovation at the European Union’s Delegation to the United States of America in Washington DC. Her role involves raising awareness of opportunities for EU-US cooperation and exchange in research and innovation and facilitating that cooperation at both government agency and stakeholder levels. She also endeavors to keep her Headquarters abreast of research and innovation policy developments in the USA.

Prior to her current posting in the U.S., she worked in the International Cooperation Directorate of the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation at the European Union headquarters in Brussels. She was the Deputy Head and Senior Expert in the Unit which deals with cooperation with North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Mary has a PhD in Plant Science from University College Cork, Ireland and carried out post-doctoral research in France and Switzerland before swapping the laboratory for science policy.