EEA Scholarship Programme

Programme Summary

Why is the programme needed? The EEA Scholarship Programme in Spain is named “NILS - Science and Sustainability”. The part of the programme dedicated to researcher mobility and co-operation focuses on sustainable development, which is a major global challenge. Dealing with this challenge requires major advances in our understanding of the natural world and our relationship with it. Multidisciplinary research and partnerships between mathematical scientists and other experimental scientists, as well as new ways for them to interact, and greater levels of funding is required to gain advances in this area. The programme’s student mobility part addresses the lack of funding for short term study periods to Donor states for Spanish students on Bachelor and Master levels. What will the programme achieve? NILS’ thematic priorities are based on common strategic challenges identified by Spanish national research plans. Priority will be given to projects dealing with problems related, among others, to climatic change, migration flows, natural resources, health, social dynamics and methodologies. The projects should have a multidisciplinary approach or a clear mathematical content, with a clear scientific/technological approach. Research cooperation shall give rise to new scientific results and to identifying further cooperation opportunities between the partners. How will it be achieved? The programme shall provide opportunities for:

• Spanish degree and master students to have study periods in the Donor States. Up to 100 students will be supported.
• Researchers and groups of researchers to be mobile in order to carry out joint research activities within the priority themes of the programme. Up to 10 research groups and 90 individual researchers will be supported.
• Production of academic and scientific results such as seminars, conferences, scientific papers and articles.
• Identification of further research cooperation opportunities. Project size shall vary from €1,200 to €13,500 for individual mobility, and from €5,000 to €250,000 for coordinated mobility of research groups.

How will bilateral relations be strengthened? The Spanish Scholarship fund under the EEA Grants 2004-09, “NILS mobility project”, which ran from 2009-2011, clearly showed that there is a wide space and interest for mutual cooperation concerning scientific research between Spain and the Donor States. NILS offers the opportunity for international cooperation to researchers at different stages of their careers as well as for Spanish degree and master students to carry out part of their studies in Donor States. Student exchanges will mainly follow the Lifelong Learning Programme/Erasmus scheme. Researchers’ co-operation will be based on both individual and coordinated mobility schemes. The programme is based on partnerships between higher education and research institutions in Spain and Donor States. Bilateral partnerships shall apply to joint research activities: projects shall be prepared by researchers and groups of researchers, and submitted with the support of the legal representatives of the involved institutions. A close cooperation with the Donors Programme Partners, the Icelandic Centre for Research (RANNIS), Iceland, the National Agency for International Education Affairs (AIBA), Liechtenstein, and the Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (SIU), Norway, is foreseen. Who can apply for funding under this programme? Applicants to NILS Science and Sustainability shall be Spanish public and private higher education institutions and universities and public research institutions. Universities apply on behalf of students for bachelor degree student mobility in all fields of study and master student mobility for MSc students. Only Spanish students may apply for student mobility grants. Researchers shall prepare and submit applications that shall be supported by the legal representatives of involved institutions.