Deadline: 14 October 2025
The Network of European Institutes for Advanced Study (NETIAS) launched the initiative Constructive Advanced Thinking (CAT), designed to foster teams of excellent early-career researchers who work on new ideas to understand and to tackle current or emerging societal challenges. The programme offers short research stays at various participating institutes, allowing participants to develop their ideas and network with fellow researchers and the local research community. Collaborations with stakeholders outside academia, including industry, policymakers, and NGOs are encouraged. For three years, early-career researchers (including PhD students) may benefit from funding for short stays.
Topics
Projects must address emergent societal challenges.
Funding & Duration
Participating teams will benefit from a series of short research stays for exchange and networking at participating institutions (check the list here). CAT covers travel and accommodation expenses for the team meetings/short work stays in the participating institutes, and, in some cases, a small amount of other research-related expenses. A maximum of six research stays, each of up to two weeks, will be funded. These meetings should take place two to three times a year. CAT does not fund salaries.
Eligibility
Teams of three to five early-career researchers that may include stakeholders outside academia. Each team must include participants from at least two different countries (including non-European countries). There are no restrictions on nationality.
The Principal Investigator (team leader) must hold a stable research position in a European (EU, including UK and associated countries) higher education and/or research institution for the entire duration of the project. The Principal Investigator must have obtained their PhD between January 2016 and September 2025. No team member can have obtained their doctorate before January 2016.
PhD students are eligible to be part of the team.
Obligations
At mid-term, the continuation of the institute’s support to the team’s work will be subject to approval after evaluation of a short progress report.
At the end of their project, in addition to the organisation of (a) final meeting(s) presenting the results, the CAT teams will be expected to produce a final report in the form of a text, video, website or other media, that will be made public.
In keeping with the policies of the participating institutes, the researchers keep the intellectual property rights to their work.
How to apply
Proposals must be submitted via a specific online application platform.
Please note that each team must provide support letters from internationally renowned researchers (who are not part of the team). Each team can also provide one or more letters of support from stakeholder organisations (policymakers, industry, NGOs).
The CVs of all members named in the proposal must be attached.
Supporting material
Additional information, including previously selected projects, can be found here.