iC3 calls for MSCA applications as it celebrates 100% funding success

The iC3 polar research centre in Tromsø has launched a call for MSCA postdoctoral fellows to join its team. During the latest funding round, iC3 achieved a 100% success rate in its MSCA postdoctoral fellowship applications. 

“I’m delighted that more researchers who are passionate about polar science are coming to join our team here in Tromsø,” said iC3 director Jemma Wadham. “We managed to attract fantastic applicants in 2023 and did our best to support them in writing winning research proposals. We will work hard to repeat this success during the 2024 round of applications.” 

The European Union’s flagship MSCA (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions) postdoctoral fellowships are highly competitive and attract applications from outstanding early career researchers from around the world. The average success rate for MSCA proposals is only 14%. 

The MSCA postdoctoral scheme is open to applicants of all nationalities who hold a PhD degree. Applicants choose a potential supervisor and then apply to the European Union for funding to do up to three years of research at the supervisor’s institution.

Researchers interested in joining iC3’s team through the ongoing round of 2024 MSCA applications should first identify and contact a potential supervisor working in their field. If the supervisor agrees to collaborate on the application, iC3 will support the candidate in writing a strong grant proposal. This may include an invitation to travel to Tromsø to participate in the university’s one-week intensive Arctic MSCA [Application] Support Program. 

Once they start working in Tromsø, MSCA fellows will benefit from iC3’s dedicated mentorship and training programme. The centre actively helps early career researchers to gain new skills, secure grant funding, get their research published, and build their professional networks. Each MSCA fellow will be embedded in one of the centre’s working groups and have access to world-class facilities including Arctic and Antarctic research stations, ice-going research vessels and in-house laboratory and modelling capacity.

iC3 is a polar research centre that drives global efforts to quantify how ice sheets influence Earth´s carbon cycle, climate and ocean ecosystems in the past, present and future. It is based at UiT the Arctic University of Norway, which is the top university worldwide in terms of Arctic research output. During 2023-24, the university successfully obtained 56 grants from Horizon Europe, including numerous MSCA fellowship grants. Among all universities in Norway, UiT had the highest success rate for Horizon Europe funding applications.

“As a postdoc at UiT there is access to one of the greatest polar research networks globally. The infrastructure that is well established here has enabled wider research opportunities, collaborations and access to facilities. This has been a fantastic move for my academic career following my PhD,” said Sarah Tingey, a current postdoctoral researcher affiliated to iC3.