SINERGIA – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – International Training Networks (18 months available)

SINERGIA (Advanced technologieS for drug dIscovery and precisioN mEdicine: in vitRo modellinG human physiology and diseAse) project aims to provide breakthrough strategies for the implementation of new in vitro preclinical platforms in terms of innovative technologies, biological models and drug screening approaches in the effort of bridging the gap between current, simplistic in vitro cultures and faithful and effective future physiological models.

SINERGIA comprises a Consortium of high-profile Universities, Research Institutes, Hospitals and Large Companies and SMEs, located in Italy, Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

SINERGIA aims at improving the dialogue among the main stakeholders in the drug discovery field, and at developing advanced models of human physiology and diseases, to be ultimately introduced in the preclinical stages of the drug discovery pipeline. SINERGIA’s research programme addresses three investigational areas of the DDP – namely drug benefit, drug safety and precision medicine – with the aim of bringing advanced models built on innovative Technologies from bench to the pharmaceutical market. SINERGIA research objectives are: i) drug benefit, ii) drug safety, and iii) precision medicine.

SINERGIA’s approach will be:

• Multi-sectoral, encompassing academia, biotechs and Contact Research Organizations, and also accounting for the support of clinicians from hospitals enrolled as beneficiary or partner organizations
• Multi-technological, involving the exploitation of different and complementary cutting-edge technologies, i.e. microfluidics, bioreactors, 3D-printing, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that will be synergistically used to generate relevant in vitro models of human physiology and diseases
• Multi-disciplinary, in that the researchers will be involved in individual projects, spanning from technology development to disease modelling. SINERGIA will establish new in vitro models enabling for drug discovery by taking advantage of cutting-edge technologies that are currently emerging as extremely promising and innovative, either alone ot through their possible combinations.

Training will be achieved either through research or by education. Research training includes Secondments at partner premises, Training by education includes transferable skills training and comprises attendance to both local training activities and network-wide training activities. In addition, ESRs will attend 3 SINERGIA Summer Schools.

SINERGIA offers to the recruited fellows the possibility to visit and conduct part of their training and work at different research institutions and/or hospitals (secondments)at a relatively early stage in their career. In this way, they will be able to acquire additional multidisciplinary knowledge which will be extremely valuable for their career, and will be provided with a significant broadening of their training curricula. For each researcher at the beginning of his/her project, a specific plan will be defined, as a combination of training at universities, companies and hospitals.

For further details and to submit your application, please visit www.sinergia2020.polimi.it.

What is funded

SINERGIA is opening a position on research and training for a period of 18 months to be carried out at Politecnico di Milano (Italy). The project topic is the Development of a patient-specific a lab-on-chip cardiac microtissue model of dystrophin deficient cardiomyopathy. For any specific requests on this project, please get in contact with Prof. Marco Rasponi (marco.rasponi@polimi.it).

The successful candidates will receive an attractive salary in accordance with the MSCA regulations for Early Stage Researchers. The exact (net) salary will be confirmed upon appointment and is dependent on local tax regulations and on the country correction factor (to allow for the difference in cost of living in different EU Member States). The salary includes a living allowance, a mobility allowance and a family allowance (if married or equivalent).

Duration

18 months, starting as soon as possible (target starting date in June/July 2022).

Eligibility

EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie eligibility criteria

Applicants can be of any nationality. They need to fully respect all two eligibility criteria (to be demonstrated in the Europass CV):

• Early-stage researchers (ESR) are those who are, at the time of recruitment by the host, in the first four years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers. This is measured from the date when they obtained the degree which formally entitles them to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the research training is provided, irrespective of whether or not a doctorate was envisaged.
• Conditions of international mobility of researchers: Researchers are required to undertake trans-national mobility (i.e. move from one country to another) when taking up the appointment. At the time of selection by the host organisation, researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Short stays, such as holidays, are not taken into account.

Requirements

• MSc degree or equivalent in a relevant discipline (e.g.; bioengineering, biology, biophysics, biotechnology, medicine; check the specific projects);
• excellent research skills and experience in research by means of scientific publications will be favored (e.g. conference papers, journal articles, book chapters);
• high level of proficiency in English language
• outstanding communication skills as well as organizational talent and willingness to engage in international, interdisciplinary collaborative research, workshops and secondments;
• ability to work on own initiative and manage own workload, as well as to keep to tight deadlines