“Butterflies in your stomach”, “14 mock interviews” and “believing in yourself”. These are some key ingredients to transform a research idea into reality.

Irene Gallina, Cecilia Laterza and Martha Pamato are three researchers from the University of Padua who have achieved something truly remarkable: first earning a Marie Curie fellowship from the European Commission as early-career researchers and then, after a few years, an ERC Starting Grant.

For Irene, planning ahead was essential. She matured the intention to develop an independent line of research when she was still a post-doc. With a solid background in the molecular biology of DNA repair and replication, she only had a few preliminary results to back her ambitious research idea. “I felt I was not ready to apply for an ERC Starting Grant”. However, the interdisciplinary nature of her project made an MSCA fellowship an ideal stepping stone: “my research idea required a slight change of topic towards virology” she explains.

She designed her MSCA proposal as a sort of Proof of Concept for the feasibility of a broader research vision. The fellowship enabled her to gather the crucial preliminary results at the department of Molecular Medicine: she had what she needed to write the more competitive ERC proposal. “Of course I was lucky that this plan worked out fine. The story could have ended in many other ways. Having in mind the possible future steps when applying for the Marie Curie has been extremely helpful in tailoring my MSCA project and in making the transition to the ERC proposal easier”. 

Cecilia began drafting her MSCA fellowship when she was a post-doc at Lund University in Sweden, working on neurological disorders with a background in neuroscience. Driven to explore a more interdisciplinary approach, she found the perfect fit at the department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Padua, working closely with bioengineers. “I got an enormous support from the International Research Office of the University of Padua in writing, managing and organizing the application “she says.

While MSCA proposals are prepared jointly with the hosting research lab, the ERC project demands a different approach: “You have to develop your research idea by yourself. You can have help from collaborators of your former lab, but you start being independent and responsible for all the steps, from grant writing to grant management”. Thanks to the ERC Starting Grant she obtained a position as Associate Professor at the department of Biomedical Sciences. 

Martha obtained her bachelor’s degree at the department of Geosciences before spending 11 years abroad. Then she moved back to it, where she conducted her MSCA fellowship on diamond formation, and now she is continuing her work with an ERC Starting Grant. “I wanted to bring back home everything that I learned abroad. Becoming Associate Professor here is a dream coming true. I knew here I would have access to the best facilities needed for my research, and the International Research Office was of incredible support at every stage”. 

Each of them has a single piece of advice to offer to aspiring researchers. “Come up with a core idea that really makes you excited” says Irene. “If you feel butterflies in your stomach when thinking of doing that research, then it’s really worth pursuing. Trying to transmit this feeling to the evaluators is a great plus”.

Alongside passion, commitment is essential, according to Cecilia. “Never give up, even though the ERC is a very competitive application”. She also emphasizes the distinction between the two funding schemes. “Stress the conjunction between you and your hosting lab, for the MSCA, while seek input and support from other researchers for preparing the ERC proposal: I think I had 14 mock interviews before the actual ERC interview. Test your idea as much as possible. You really need to be convinced that your research idea can make the difference”.

And if success doesn’t come immediately, persistence is key, Martha advices. “If you never try, if you never get out and play, you will never succeed. I was also lucky to have three ERC grantees at the department of Geosciences when I decided to apply: I just went and asked them for advice: I really bothered them a lot. Believe in yourself, or at least surround yourself with people who believe in you”. 

Watch the full interview here.