Jornada informativa organizada el 24 de octubre de 2017 sobre las convocatorias del European Research Council (ERC) dentro del Programa Marco Europeo Horizonte 2020. El evento, celebrado en la Casa de la Ciencia (CSIC), fue organizado por la Agencia Andaluza del Conocimiento en colaboración con el Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas y el MINEICO.

1. How to increase ERC success rate: an
applicant’s perspective
Alejandro Luque
Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA), CSIC
October 23, 2017

2. About me
2001 Graduate in Physics, Universidad de
Sevilla (Spain)
2005 PhD Universität Bayreuth (Germany)
2005 Post-doc Ruhr-Universität Bochum
(Germany)
2005-2009 Post-doc Center for Mathematics
and Computer Science, Amsterdam
(Netherlands)
2010-2012 Jae-doc Instituto de Astrofísica de
Andalucía (CSIC)
2012 Ramón y Cajal
2015 ERC Consolidator Grant

3. Scientific background
PhD in nonlinear waves in plasmas.
Since 2005: physics of electric discharges.
Since 2008: high-altitude atmospheric
discharges (e.g. sprites).
ERC project about lightning (propagation,
high-energy emissions).

4. A gift from heaven

9. My experience applying for an ERC grant

10. My experience applying for an ERC grant

11. My experience applying for an ERC grant

12. Tip #1
TELL
A
STORY

13. • NO: My field is interesting. I am good at it. Fund me.
• YES: While researching topic X I found a possible
solution to Y.

14. Tip #2
THINK
POSITIVE
NEGATIVE

15. • What are the risks of the project?
• What is my weakest point as a researcher?
• Who else is trying to do something similar?
• …
• Why this project should not be funded?

16. Tip #3
PRELIMINARY
RESULTS

18. Tip #4
PRACTICE
A LOT

19. 5 min talk × 100 times = 8 hours (only!)

20. Most important tip
APPLY

21. Thoughts on how to improve success rate
• Support young scientists.
• Review and rehearse projects and presentations.
• Reduce bureaucracy to make ERC grants more desirable.

22. Thoughts on how to improve success rate
• Support young scientists.
• Review and rehearse projects and presentations.
• Reduce bureaucracy to make ERC grants more desirable.

23. Thoughts on how to improve success rate
• Support young scientists.
• Review and rehearse projects and presentations.
• Reduce bureaucracy to make ERC grants more
desirable.

24. THANK
YOU

26. Lightning propagation and high-energy emissions within
coupled multi-model simulations
Alejandro Luque

31. Hypothesis and method

32. Hypothesis and method

33. Hypothesis and method

34. Hypothesis and method

35. Hypothesis and method

36. Hypothesis and method
We can do it!

37. Budget
1. Personnel: 92% of direct costs
◦ Lots of code to be written.
◦ Personnel costs very restricted in local funding.
2. Small budget for equipment: HPC cluster available from
the host institution.

38. The candidate
1. Designed the main hypothesis from his research on
sprites.
2. Direct experience in developing numerical models:
◦ Streamers (advection-reaction).
◦ Electromagnetic propagation.
◦ Corona circuit model.
◦ High-energy particle Montecarlo.
◦ Boltzmann-equation solver.
All published as open source.

39. Why fund eLightning?
1. Solve a problem open since 1934.
2. Contribute to the emerging field of high-energy
atmospheric physics.
3. The time is now: high-speed observations,
computational means.
4. European lightning research has lagged behind US.
5. Understand one of the most beautiful shows in nature.
Thank you!