• H2020
• Global Collaboration

A new initiative has been launched to encourage top Argentinian scientists to come to Europe as members of research teams lead by European Research Council grant holders.

The agreement was signed in the capital Buenos Aires by the Argentinian Minister of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation, Lino Barañao, and the director for international co-operation of the European Commission’s DG Research and Innovation, Maria Cristina Russo. The signing ceremony took place in the context of the EU-Argentina Conference ‘10 years of Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation’.

Welcoming the deal, ERC President Jean-Pierre Bourguignon said: “ERC projects offer a first class scientific environment that can be further enriched by ERC grantees welcoming researchers from other parts of the world, who bring new talent and novel expertise. Argentinian scientists joining ERC teams, thanks to the new initiative, will boost their international profile. I am convinced that the bonds created during such exchanges are lasting, as they really widen the researchers’ horizons and help develop new ideas. This initiative is part of the ERC’s quest to make Europe an attractive place for the best talent and to stimulate international exchange.”

The initiative will boost opportunities for Argentinian top scientists of the National Scientific Technical Research Council, or CONICET, to be part of ERC-funded teams for six to twelve months or multiple short term visits. The common initiative signed is in the form of an ‘Implementing Arrangement’ of the existing EU-Argentina Scientific and Technological Co-operation agreement, initially signed in 1999 and renewed in 2011.

The first agreement of this kind was signed in 2012 with the US National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide opportunities for NSF researchers to join ERC-funded teams. In 2013, a similar agreement was signed with the Republic of Korea.