L'Université européenne de Bretagne has launched 1st May 2010 a new mobility program, called R BUCE WEST.

This program has nothing to do with the Airbus air Company. The acronym means Research based Universities chairs of excellence west France, and it aims at creating research fellowships (chairs of excellence) in Western France, in Brittany.

This program is cofinanced by 40% by the European Commission (FP7, Marie Curie Action, People Program, COFUND).

Program objectives:

• Hosting international scientists for a two-year mobility period, which is actually longer than usual, at Briton research laboratories to support research (by either reinforcing existing research or creating new research themes)
• Attracting famous researchers from all around the world in order to have a more dynamic European research area

History:
The UEB applied in February 2008 for an European call for proposals. Only two French mobility programs were selected, the one supported by the UEB, and another one supported by the PRES Universud Paris (called R-BUCE UP).

Activities implemented
The UEB has launched 3 calls for applications in September 2010, February 2011, and July 2011. 32 applications files were submitted in total for 23 fellowships that have been advertised.

Research projects were assessed on the following criteria:

• scientific and technical quality of the research project
• know-how of the fellow applicant (number of publications, participation to conferences, teaching activities, patents published, etc)
• well-being of the fellow applicant (researcher's ability to transfer knowledge, experience in project management, ability to work in a team and in an international atmosphere)

Results:
4 international researchers have currently started their fellowships.
Pr Tinashe Mutsvangwa and Pr Peter Reilch at Telecom Bretagne, Pr Adam Macierzanka at Agrocampus Ouest, and Carlo Sansour at the Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Rennes.