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The Slovenian Research Agency, Bleiweisova cesta 30, 1000
Ljubljana, pursuant to Articles 2 and 8 of the Rules on the Procedures of the
(co)financing and Monitoring of the Research Activities Implementation (Official
Gazette RS, No. 52/16; hereinafter: the Rules), in conjunction with Article 15
of the Research and Development Act (Official Gazette of the RS, nos.
22/06-UPB1, 61/06-ZDru-1 112/07, 9/11, 57/12-ZPOP-1A), and based on Methodology
for Assessing Applications for Co-financing of Research Activities No.
6319-2/2013-25 dated 25/01/ 2016 - official consolidated text, No.
6319-2/2013-26 dated 04/03/2016, 6319-2/2013-27 dated 04/03/2016, No.
6319-2/2013-29 dated 26/09/2016, No. 6319-2/2013-30 dated 10/10/2016, No.
6319-2/2013-31 dated 07/11/2016 (hereinafter: Methodology); hereby announce
Public call for (co)financing potential ERC candidates to visit ERC grantees in 2017
- The title and address of the publicly founded body:
Slovenian Research Agency, Bleiweisova cesta 30, 1000 Ljubljana
(hereinafter: Agency)
- Purpose of the public Call for proposals
In order to ensure a more uniform distribution of grantees of the
European Research Council’s funding, the ERC encourages national authorities
to set up visiting fellowship programme to fund potential candidates for
ERC's calls to visit teams of the ERC-funded Principal Investigators. In
accordance with the above, and in line with goals grounded in Slovenia’s
strategic documents (Resolution on the National Research and Development
Programme 2011-2020) (Official Gazette RS, No. 43/11), provided in Chapter
3.3 R&D Cooperation in the EU and globally, and as well with tasks of the
Agency, the purpose of this Call is to stimulate researchers to apply for
three types of ERC grants (Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant and Advanced
Grant), and thereby increase the success rate of the ERC grant applications.
The Call shall be implemented by the Slovenian Research Agency in
accordance with the ERC Guidelines: Fellowship to visit ERC Grantee,
European Research Council, 19 January 2016, available on the following
website:
https://erc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/document/file/Fellowship_Visit_ERC_Grantee.pdf.
- Subject matter and objective of the Call
The subject matter of this Call is (co)financing research fellows
visiting former or current grantees of the European Research Council
(hereinafter: ERC Principal Investigator) that undertake research projects
in any scientific field. The duration of the researcher’s visits from
Slovenia (hereinafter: Visiting researcher) should be for a minimum of three
months and up to six months, commencing within the year 2017. The objective
of this public Call is cooperation between the Visiting researcher and one
of the former or current ERC Principal Investigator with a view to develop
and prepare the project of his/her own. Accordingly, the Call’s ultimate
objective is that within the two consecutive ERC calls of a kind, after the
visit's conclusion, the Visiting researcher applies for an appropriate ERC
grant: Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant or Advanced Grant.
- Entities that can apply to the Call
Entities that can apply to the Call are research institutions and
private researchers entered in the database on implementers of research &
development activities in the Republic of Slovenia and in the Register of
private researchers run by the Agency, meeting the conditions prescribed by
the Research and Development Act.
- Applicant and Visiting researcher shall at the time of submitting the
application meet the following requirements
5.1. Conditions required for Research institution
(1) At the time of submitting the application, the Visiting researcher
has to be employed at the research institution which is the applicant, or
possess the status of a private researcher.
(2) The applicant may lodge several applications, but no more than one
application per researcher.
(3) The research institution, the applicant to this Call, is, in
addition, a research institution through which a Visiting researcher shall
apply for an appropriate ERC grant, as follows from paragraph 3 of this
public Call.
(4) The applicant has to submit a signed statement declaring
that the Visiting researcher shall apply for an appropriate ERC grant within
the two consecutive calls of a kind after the visit's conclusion, as follows
from paragraph 3 of this public Call. In cases where the latter is
unfulfilled, the Agency shall claim the funds paid;
5.2. Conditions required for Visiting researcher
(1) A Visiting researcher must fulfil conditions required for the
Principal Investigator as laid down in the Research and Development Act, the
Rules, the Rules on the criteria for evaluating project leader
qualifications (Official Gazette RS, No. 53/16), and Methodology.
(2) The Visiting researcher ought to have a research number meaning
he/she is in the database on implementers of research & development
activities in the Republic of Slovenia or in the Register of private
researchers run by the Agency.
(3) The Visiting researcher has to submit a signed statement declaring
that he/she shall apply for an appropriate ERC grant within the two
consecutive ERC calls of a kind after the visit's conclusion, as follows
from paragraph 3 of this public Call. In cases where the latter is
unfulfilled, the Agency shall claim the funds paid;
(4) The Visiting researcher, who has already visited the ERC Principal
Investigator on the basis of this Call, cannot submit any other application
to the public Call for (co)financing potential ERC candidates to visit ERC
grantees.
- The application shall include:
- An outline of the disposition of a future worked out scientific
research project submitted as proposal to one of the ERC’s main calls.
The outline should be written in Slovene and English language in the
form prescribed and required by the ERC;
- A signed statement of the Visiting researcher declaring that he/she
shall at the time of submitting proposal to one of the ERC’s main calls
meet the requirements of the call submitted:
https://erc.europa.eu/funding-and-grants/funding-schemes;
- A signed statement of the applicant and Visiting researcher
declaring that the latter shall apply for an appropriate ERC grant
within the two consecutive calls of a kind after the visit's conclusion,
as follows from paragraph 3 of this public Call;
- Curriculum vitae - showing compliance with the conditions for
assessing the scientific excellence of the researcher, as follows from
paragraph 8.b. of this Call. The form of the Curriculum vitae should be
consistent with the ERC’s instructions;
- A letter of support of the ERC Principal Investigator and hosting
research institution with the prescribed elements:
- Acquaintance of the ERC Principal Investigator and his/her
research institution with the requirements of the ERC Fellowship
initiative;
- Acquaintance of the ERC Principal Investigator with the proposed
research of the Visiting researcher;
- Description of the strategic plan for an active inclusion of the
Visiting researcher into an ongoing project of ERC Principal
Investigator.
- A statement on the acceptance of invitation conditions.
- Evaluation procedure
The evaluation procedure is conducted by the Panel for the evaluation of
applications for visiting ERC grantees. The panel is, in principle, composed
of 18 members who are members of the Scientific Council of the Agency,
foreign reviewers, and Slovenian reviewers of the ERC projects within
Horizon 2020, namely the three members for each scientific discipline who
comprise the panel for a specific scientific discipline (hereinafter:
subpanel). The composition of the panel shall cover all scientific
disciplines whose applications are submitted. The panel shall be appointed
by the Scientific Council of the Agency (hereinafter: SCA) which determines
their duties and duration of the term.
Within each subpanel every application is assessed by two members –
reviewers, whereby one of the two is the reviewer – rapporteur. Whether in
the case of a conflict of interest or on substantive grounds, the panel
member shall propose the inclusion of the external reviewer who is either a
member of the SCA or foreign reviewer.
Reviewers evaluate individual elements of assessment by completing the
evaluation form which contains a numerical and descriptive assessment of
individual indicators – an individual report.
The reviewer – rapporteur prepares a work report, in a systematic and
orderly manner, with an overall assessment for each criterion and indicator.
The coordinated report is signed by both reviewers.
In the event of a significant number of applications reaching the
threshold for inclusion into the draft list of projects, and thereby
exceeding the available funds for co-financing, an integral part of the
evaluation process shall be an oral hearing (interview). The oral hearing is
intended only for those applications whose total score is equal to the lower
marginal threshold, which in the present case is determined by the funds
available. The oral hearing shall be assessed by at least two members of the
subpanel who evaluate the presentation with an assessment from 0 to 5. The
evaluation of the hearing is complementary to the overall assessment.
At the end of the evaluation procedure the panel shall prepare a final
evaluation of the applications and the financially evaluated priority list
of applications, taking into account the principle of representation of all
scientific disciplines in such a way that at least one positively assessed
application for each discipline is included in the priority list. Ranking
list of all other applications shall be carried out on the grounds of the
overall assessment, as follows from paragraph 8 of this Call, and a
potential oral hearing. The panel will then prepare and adopt the draft
priority list of applications for co-financing and submit it for discussion
to the SCA. A decision on the selection of applications for (co)financing is
adopted by director of the agency upon the proposal from the SCA.
- Assessment criteria
The detailed evaluation elements applying to the
excellence of the research project are set out below.
- In terms of research project quality criterion and in line with
Article 99 of the Rules, the following indicators shall be considered:
- To what extent does the proposed research address important
challenges?
- To what extent are the objectives ambitious and beyond the state
of the art (e.g. novel concepts and approaches or development across
disciplines)?
- To what extent is the concept sound and the proposed timescales
and resources necessary and properly justified (based on the outline
of a scientific research project)?
- To what extent is the proposed research methodology appropriate
to achieve the goals of the project (based on the outline of a
scientific research project)?
- In terms of researcher scientific quality and in line with Article
99 of the Rules, the following indicators shall be considered:
- To what extent have the achievements of the researcher typically
gone beyond the state-of-the-art?
- To what extent does the researcher provide evidence of creative
independent thinking?
- To what extent has the researcher demonstrated the ability to
propose and conduct ground-breaking research?
- Partnership quality is assessed against the Application form and the
Letter of support of the ERC Principal Investigator, as follows from
paragraph 6.e., whereby the following shall be taken into consideration:
- To what extent does the proposed research project correspond
with the ongoing research project of the ERC Principal Investigator?
- To what extent is the proposed plan for an active inclusion of
the Visiting researcher into the ongoing project of ERC Principal
Investigator well-defined and feasible?
- To what extent is the relevant research infrastructure available
to the Visiting researcher?
Each criterion is assessed on a scale from 0 to 5 in accordance with
paragraph 5 of Article 33 of the Rules. For admission to the selection for
the co-financing application must reach the threshold of three points for
each criterion and 10 points in total. In the event that the application
fails to achieve the threshold, it will be rejected.
- The amount of available funds for the call and (co)financing of the
visits
The planned annual amount for the Call is EUR 240.000.
The Call shall be implemented in line with the funds earmarked in the budget
of the Republic of Slovenia and the Agency’s budget. The Agency shall, in
respect to this Call, (co)finance Visiting researcher’s visits with:
- a reimbursement of expatriation allowances, including accommodation
costs, costs of one roundtrip to and from the city of the ERC research
group, the cost of public transport to the place of the host
institution, and meal expenses in total sum of 1.550 EUR per month,
multiplied by the Country correction coefficient for living allowance,
attached as an Annex to the invitation documentation. For countries
where the correction coefficient is not indicated in this Annex, a
correction coefficient of 100 is to be taken into account.
The Agency shall (co)finance Visiting researcher’s visits for a minimum
of three months and up to six months. The Agreement between the Agency and
the applicant sets out the amount as well as the rights and obligations and
the terms and conditions applicable to the grant awarded.
A Visiting researcher who has visited the ERC Principal Investigator on
the basis of this Call has to submit a final work report of the visit after
the visit’s conclusion. The report shall be signed by both the Visiting
researcher and the ERC Principal Investigator.
- Method, form, and deadline for submitting applications
10.1.
Submitting the application form with a digital signature
(1) Application to the Call is made and submitted by an application form
using the ARRS-MS-ERC-FS-JR-Prijava/2016 on the Agency's web portal
eObrazci. A submitted application shall be considered complete if it
contains both digital signatures (of the authorized person of the RI and the
researcher).
(2) The application shall be submitted both in Slovene and English.
(3) Application shall be deemed duly if it is secured with both digital
signatures on the web portal
eObrazci by
1 March 2017, 15:00.
10.2. Submitting the application form without a digital signature
(1) If the applicant and/or the researcher have no digital signature, the
application form should be submitted unsigned in electronic form to the
Agency's eObrazci web portal and in print, bearing the original signature of
the authorized person of the RI and the researcher respectively and the
stamp of the RI.
(2) Both electronic and printed forms of the application shall be
completely the same in terms of content.
(3) Printed applications shall be submitted in closed envelopes marked
"DO NOT open - CALL FOR (CO)FINANCING POTENTIAL ERC CANDIDATES TO VISIT ERC
GRANTEES IN 2017 and with the name and address of the applicant, sent to the
address: Javna agencija za raziskovalno dejavnost RS, Bleiweisova cesta 30,
1000 Ljubljana.
(4) The applications shall be deemed timely when submitted in printed and
electronic formats by the deadline. An application shall be timely if
submitted in electronic form to the Agency's eObrazci web portal by 1 March
2017, 15:00 whereas the printed format is to be received in the mail room of
the Agency by 1 March 2017, 15:00. Applications sent by registered mail from
Slovenia by 1 March 2017 (postal stamp) shall also be deemed timely.
10.3. Completeness of applications
(1) An application shall be considered complete if submitted using the
prescribed form and format (point 10.1- with digital signature, point 10.2 -
without digital signature) and containing all data as prescribed herein.
Incomplete applications will be addressed in accordance with the Rules.
(2) The committee for opening applications shall disregard untimely and
incorrectly marked applications, which will be returned unopened to the
sender. (unless the name of the applicant is not clearly written on the
envelope, then the application will be opened).
- Applications opening date
The committee for opening applications will open all timely delivered
and properly marked applications at the registered office of the Slovenian
Research Agency, Bleiweisova cesta 30, 1000 Ljubljana, on 3 March 2017.
- Deadline by which the applicants will be informed of the results of
the Call
The applicants will be informed on the outcome of the Call within eight
days after the adoption of the decision by the director of the Agency.
- Place, time, and contact person where interested parties can obtain
documentation of the Call
This public Call will be published from the date of publication in the
Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia on the Agency’s website
www.arrs.si. Any additional information related to the Call can be obtained
by contacting Bojan Volf, the person responsible for the Call, by phone (01)
400 5973 or by email: bojan.volf@arrs.si.
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