Excellence in Research

During the implementation of the Campus program, development of (Chairs of Excellence Program) has continued in collaboration with Banco Santander resulting in the incorporation of 74 world-class faculty. In Annex I, there is a table summarising the data of the four completed sessions. Furthermore, new chairs have been created with both the Rafael del Pino Foundation and the Ramón Areces Foundation.

At its meeting on 1st December 2011, the Consejo de Gobierno de la UC3M (UC3M Governing Council) approved the Cátedras de Excelencia Permanentes (Permanent Chairs of Excellence Program), whose objective is to provide a complementary allocation for world-class scholars joining the departments of UC3M. The funding available to cover the costs involved was provided by Banco Santander, with a limit of 30,000 euros per chair; details are outlined in the second clause of the Adenda al Convenio Específico de Colaboración (Addendum to the Specific Collaboration Agreement) between UC3M and Banco Santander, dated 30th May 2011.Through this program, three professors were incorporated in the 2013/14 academic year and one in the current 2014/15 academic year.

In line with the policy of attracting talent, in the 2009/10 academic year, three postdoctoral fellows were incorporated for a stay of two years for the first time at UC3M; this came about as a result of joint call by the 4U Alliance of Universities. In the 2010/11 academic year, six additional postdoctoral fellows were incorporated through this program. Moreover, in February 2009, the University also established a call for forty postdoctoral fellowships aimed at candidates from around the world; these fellows were incorporated in the 2009/10 academic year. In February 2010, a call was established through this general program, to incorporate a further twenty postdoctoral fellowships and ten grants in the University Master’s programs for the 2010/11 academic year. Continuing as part of this program, calls were made for a further twenty postdoctoral fellowships and ten grants for the University Master’s programs for the 2011/12 academic year. In December 2011, an International Call was launched, with the aim of attracting fellows through the University’s website; specialist websites and a series of selective electronic mailings were used. A total of 879 applications were received of which, more than 41% were from PhD’s from other countries, in particular, India, Italy and the USA.
In the 2011/12 academic year, once again, six fellows were incorporated at CCIII as part of the postdoctoral fellowship call between the 4U Alliance of Universities, and in March 2012, a new call was made which included the possibility that two of the fellows could come from any university inside or outside Spain. In March 2012, a call ensued for 22 more postdoctoral fellowships as a result of the International Call established the previous December. Additionally, this program included four grants for University Master’s programs in March 2012.

Finally, on 21st May 2013, a call was announced for sixteen new postdoctoral fellowships by means of a campaign to attract PhD’s which had been launched in November 2012; there were 233 respondents from more than 25 countries. To these fellowships, a call was made for six additional postdoctoral stays through the 4U Alliance OF Universities program in June 2013.

On 1st March 2014, UC3M launched its new inward international mobility program under the name CONEX (CONnecting EXcellence to UC3M), jointly funded by the European Commission (FP7-Programa Marie Curie-COFUND). The call is aimed at researchers who have not lived in Spain during the previous three years and offers a total of six places to highly qualified PhDs with more than ten years’ research experience since obtaining their doctorate; in addition, ten places are offered to PhDs who intend to establish their own project and research team and who have between four and ten years’ research experience since obtaining their doctorate. This first call has been very successful, receiving a total of 175 applications for the sixteen places on offer.

The two new strategic lines in Biomedical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering have allowed new research activities, striving for international excellence, to be established. In June 2102, Biomedical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering laboratories were set up and the construction of the new Juan Benet II building was completed; the latter was opened for use at the beginning of the 2012/13 academic year.

In order to recognise excellence in research, incentive payments linked to achievements in research, publication and teaching were established in October 2011. Once the necessary evaluation objectives were established, the following merits were awarded: 240 for research, 357 for publications and 220 for teaching. In 2014, 646 merits were awarded, 366 for publications and 280 for teaching.

In the field of research, the momentum given to participation in European projects, demonstrated through the Programa Propio de Investigación (UC3M Based Research Program), in relation to three types of funding should be noted: funding for the preparation of proposals; funding for co-financing of projects, and funding for writing and reviewing proposals coordinated by UC3M.

Additionally, the UC3M Based Research Program has allowed the reinforcement of the most active research groups by means of research and development techniques in project management. Reports on the incorporation of these techniques are published every two years.

Furthermore, the OPERA organization in Brussels has focused its activities on supporting participation in European research projects which conform to the requirements of the universities participating in the 4U Alliance: Universidad Autónoma in Barcelona; Universidad Autónoma in Madrid; Universidad Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona; Universidad Carlos III in Madrid.

Since OPERA was set up in 2009, it has carried out the following activities:

• Seeking new funding sources for UC3M.
• Support for the presentation of institutional proposals within the A4U framework; for example COFUND and FSE. Furthermore, the presentation of reports on UC3M within the EU should be noted.
• Specific support for presented proposals, with special interest in proposals coordinated by UC3M.
• Attendance at events organized by the European Commission, with the objective of keeping the University community informed of new innovations and opportunities in European funding.
• Support for research staff in organizing meetings related to the project in Brussels; in 2013 alone, more than 200 researchers met in Brussels.
• Accompanying and supporting UC3M and its researchers in their direct contacts with the European Commission, executive agencies and other organizations and universities in Brussels.

Apart from the participation of researchers in international research projects, the institution has also obtained international funding through organisations such as COFUND, part of the FP7 People Program, which finance the exchange of personnel between institutions. Within the framework of this program, the CONEX project, which was set up in 2013 and will continue until 2018, will allow researchers of any nationality who are not currently residents in Spain to carry out their research activity at UC3M. The researchers can take advantage of opportunities for training and professional development and, at the same time, the University can benefit from their knowledge and experience. This project, which receives funding from a variety of sources, such as the EU and MINECO, has announced two proposals to incorporate 28 international scholars: eight senior, highly experienced researchers, able to establish their own lines of innovative investigation at UC3M, and 20 junior researchers who will develop and expand their abilities at the University. The first two researchers to benefit from this program will arrive in the final semester of 2014 and will remain at the University for three years.

The first selection, which closed at the end of May, was well received: there were 64 applications from senior researchers and 86 from junior researchers; the applications came from no less than 51 nationalities, as shown on the following map:

Among the improvements made to the research management systems at UC3M, and in line with the integration of the University’s research database and the institutional repository completed in 2012, it is important to highlight the introduction of the ORCID code (Open Researcher and Contributor ID). ORCID is a persistent digital identifier which identifies researchers by voice, guaranteeing the correct selection and interaction of bibliographic references and, therefore, improving the evaluation procedure of both faculty and researchers. This initiative puts UC3M amongst the most prestigious universities in the world.

Funding for research activities in 2013 reached almost 20.5 million euros. This figure reflects both the capacity of our research to compete for national and international public funding and our ability to put our research findings to use in the business world.

The following graph shows the evolution of external funding obtained for Research, Development and Innovation:

This year, for the first time in five years, international funding obtained by UC3M increased significantly by approximately 30% in relation to the previous year. This figure is especially salient in a year in which hardly any new agreements were reached at national level. This increase is also significant because of the level of funding obtained for European projects which increased from 2 million euros in 2012 to 13 million euros in 2013. These figures do not include funding destined to other institutions, received by UC3M in its role as project coordinating body.

• Contracts Article 83

Contracting scientific and technological projects on behalf of companies is one of the principal sources of funding for research carried out at UC3M. Furthermore, this helps to facilitate knowledge sharing between the academic world and the business world.
Contracts signed in 2013 give cause for moderate optimism. Funding obtained had declined steadily since 2011, in line with the general economic situation; however the decrease in 2013 was much lower: just 6% compared with a decline of 26% in the previous year.

The fall in funding obtained is in contrast to the number of contracts signed annually, which has remained steady. This reflects the sustainable nature of the University’s relationships with companies and their interest in research carried out by UC3M, despite the current economic climate.
If contracts for legal services, such as legal advice, which are managed on behalf of UC3M by the Estudio Juridico (Law Center), are also taken into account, the funding obtained by Article 83 contracts rises to 6 million euros. This is shown in the table of funding received by source of funds.

• International Programs

In recent years, the Seventh Framework Program of the EU (2007 to 2013) has been consolidated as a source of funding for activities carried out by research groups on Campus Carlos III. In 2013 the total funding obtained through research activities in international consortiums rose to €13,028,850; this represents an increase of 381.97% on 2012.This increase, notably in European projects, is a direct reflection of the capacity of research groups at the University and is a result of measures, introduced in recent years, to encourage participation in these types of programs.

If the Seventh Framework Program is studied globally and compared with previous framework programs, each one lasting for four years, a significant increase in the number of projects presented can be seen.

Throughout the 7FP period, UC3M presented a total of 503 proposals. Furthermore, 78 proposals were presented to other international programs, accounting for 13.4% of total research projects submitted.

With regard to funding obtained through 7PM, this has quadrupled in relation to 5PM and 6PM, while the number of projects obtained has doubled in relation to the two previous framework programs.

With regard to the number of projects coordinated by the University, 7FP is responsible for 12% of the projects obtained, doubling the relevant figures for 5FP and 6FP.

In recent years, the Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial (CDTI–Center for the Development of Industrial Technology) has been updating the report Participación Española en el 7PM de I+D de la Unión Europea. (Spanish Participation in 7FP Research and Development in the European Union) In this report, the following data relating to Universidad Carlos III are mentioned:

• UC3M’s participation in European projects is above the Spanish average of 10.8%.
• UC3M is among the 25 Spanish organizations which have received the best return from their participation in 7FP.
• UC3M is in the top ten of Spanish institutions in Socio-economic Sciences and Humanities and Space and Information Technology,

Supporting researchers in seeking international funding for their projects, and keeping them up to date regarding the working of the European Framework Programs, has always been a priority for Campus Carlos III.
At the end of 2013, the first plans for the Horizon Framework Program 2020 (H2020), the successor to 7FP, were published. In the first months of 2013, a strategy to promote the H2020 program on Campus Carlos III was announced, this strategy includes the following:

• The creation of a website dedicated specifically to H2020, where all the information relevant to the project can be found. The following website, in which both official and non-official documentation is shared, is for exclusive Access by UC3M staff: (https://portal.uc3m.es/portal/page/portal/ugi_cg/pas_financiacion_investigacion/horizon_2020)
• Development of a basic guide to H2020, with the objective of providing a general summary of the program and encouraging participation in the first sessions.
• Creation of distribution lists for each of the three main sections which make up H2020. These lists will allow specific and personalized information about H2020 to be distributed, as well as promoting the multidisciplinary approach of the proposals.
• Organization of specialist seminars.

 With regard to the publication of articles in internationally renowned journals, according to IUNE, the Observatorio de la Actividad Investigadora en la Universidad Española (Observatory of Research Activity in Spanish Universities), Campus Carlos III has developed very positively in recent years.

The evolution of the number of articles published in WoS magazines in recent years along with the number of articles published in reviews in the first quartile has been very positive, as can be seen in the following graphs.

The following table shows the evolution of the total number of theses per permanent professor, defended at UC3M between 2004 and 2013. (Data from IUNE.)

Finally, the number of six-year research periods per professor has increased from 2.05 in 2009 to 2.49 in 2013 and in the following graph shows the favorable evolution of relative six-year research period on the faculty of the UC3M: