A COFUND to prevent the Austrian brain drain The Erwin Schroedinger programme gives researchers the opportunity to work abroad, develop their skills, and build relationships with international partners, which can lead on to an academic career. We spoke to Dr Barbara Zimmermann about how the programme helps to support Austrian science and strengthen the country’s research base. The Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
research themes are identified through a bottom-up approach, which Dr Zimmermann believes is central to addressing major social and economic challenges. “Without basic research, you can’t engage in applied research,” she points out. “If you work with a bottom-up approach, you enable scientists to ask important questions and identify the major challenges facing society.” A high degree of knowledge is required for this kind of work, underlining the wider importance of the Schroedinger programme in helping to equip researchers with the skills and experience they need for an academic career. More than half of ex-Schroedinger fellows now hold a chair or professorship, and Dr Zimmermann says the FWF plans to continue the programme and build further on its success. “We saw after the last evaluation that the programme is really having a great impact on career development and Austrian Science, so we plan to continue to run it in future,” she says.
has run the Erwin Schroedinger fellowships since 1985, offering researchers across all academic disciplines the opportunity to work abroad, gain experience, and develop their skills. This is part of the FWF’s work in supporting basic research and strengthening Austria’s scientific base. “We want to strengthen Austria’s international performance and capabilities in scientific research. We aim to develop Austria’s human resources for scientific research, in both qualitative and quantitative terms,” outlines Dr Barbara Zimmermann, head of strategy at the FWF’s career development department. While the Schroedinger fellowships have proved successful in these terms, with many fellows going on to pursue rewarding careers in academia, the authorities are also keen for researchers to eventually bring their knowledge and expertise back to Austria. “In an earlier evaluation we saw that the programme is very effective in terms of career development, the most problematic phase is in encouraging fellows to return,” says Dr Zimmermann.
Return phase This issue is now being addressed, with the FWF looking to improve the Erwin Schroedinger programme further by including a return phase, to encourage fellows to come back to Austria following their time abroad. While this is important to the wider goal of strengthening Austrian research, those Schroedinger fellows who decide to stay on at institutions outside Austria also have a significant role to play, helping to build research relationships and networks with international partners. “The Schroedinger programme has helped to internationalise Austrian research,” stresses Dr Zimmermann. The Schroedinger fellows who stay abroad can act almost as research bridgeheads, helping their compatriots integrate into international networks, which Dr Zimmermann says is essential to a career in academia. “Nowadays you can only do good science if you are involved in international cooperations. It’s not possible to build a real research career purely on the national level,” she stresses.
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Without basic research, you can’t engage in applied research. If you work with a bottom-up approach, you enable scientists to ask important questions and identify the major challenges facing society. The programme itself is open to postdoctoral researchers from all disciplines, giving them the opportunity to work abroad at a leading institution, then return to Austria to continue their studies. All proposals are subjected to a peer review procedure by scientists from outside Austria, and the only assessment criteria is the quality of the research. “We base our decisions solely on the quality of the proposals. It doesn’t matter to us whether it’s a history, physics, medicine or archaeology proposal - the only point is that it must be of excellent quality,” says Dr Zimmermann. The
SCHROEDINGER FELLOWS Erwin Schroedinger Fellowships Dr Barbara Zimmermann Head of Department Strategy – Career Development FWF Austrian Science Fund 1090 Vienna, Sensengasse 1, Austria T: +43 1 505 67 40 8501 E: barbara.zimmermann@fwf.ac.at W: www.fwf.ac.at W: scilog.fwf.ac.at @fwf_at @fwfopenaccess
Dr Barbara Zimmerman administers with her team at the Career Development Department the Erwin Schrödinger programme and she has managed the four Cofund Grants since 2009 together with Susanne Woytacek.
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