Call for Expressions of Interest ExposUM "Science-Society Interactions
Call for expressions of interest and call for incubation of ExposUM territorial projects.
Support for visibility, communication and dissemination of science-society initiatives by the I-SITE research community and its partners
To encourage cross-disciplinary projects1 projects with a territorial impact and networking between research and civil society players, the ExposUM institute is offering a new support scheme aimed at research teams from the I-Site community and their associative partners, to showcase their research on themes linked to the exposome, environmental health or global health around territorial issues at the Science-Society interface. This support is intended for initiatives in the design phase (funding exploratory actions to enable a future research-action project), in progress (funding internships, surveys, dissemination events to finalize a research project) or completed (valorization of the initiative via media supports, communication and/or scientific dissemination).
Events must include at least one communication activity (conference, event, film or documentary screening) to showcase the initiative at the Science-Society interface and share transdisciplinary experience across the I-SITE.
For further information, please contact Aurélie Binot, head of the Science-Society Interfaces division, or Mariline Poupaud, scientific support manager for the division.
How we support you
This call for expressions of interest initiated in April 2024 by the Institut ExposUM will be open until March 2025. Each project will receive funding of up to €8,000 (excl. VAT).
Proposals can be submitted "as they come in" until March 31, 2025. An evaluation procedure will be set up every three months by an adhoc selection committee.
Where appropriate, methodological and operational support will be provided via MSH SUD's action-research facilities, on which the UM relies as part of ExposUM's "Science-Society Interfaces" axis (scientific support, communication, audio-visual support, advice on running events, assistance with networking, hosting in MSH SUD's workspaces).
Background and objectives
The ExposUM Institute2 is an initiative of the University of Montpellier and its partners3 around the notion of exposome4 with the aim of establishing an out-of-bounds, decompartmentalized reference institute for the study, training and science-society interaction of the environmental determinants of human health. The Institute aims to provide an innovative conceptual framework for the study of multiple environmental risks and their combined effects on human health, through 3 areas of work: knowledge generation, knowledge application and knowledge transfer. As part of the challenge of applying knowledge, a workstream focusing on "Science-Society" interfaces willsupport and strengthen collaborations between researchers∙es within the I-SITE perimeter and other actors∙rices from civil society (local authorities, associations and cooperatives, citizen collectives, government departments such as the Agence Régional de Santé etc.) on research issues related to multiple environmental risks.
Eligibility criteria
This call for proposals is open to all events - setting up research networks, seminars, study days, workshops, conferences, congresses, exhibitions, seminars, field surveys, internships, scientific events - on exposome-related topics.5based on transdisciplinary approaches and involving scientific research in collaboration with civil society (public institutions, associations, private players, etc.).
The event must have the ambition to apply knowledge relating to the exposome (any determinant of human health of environmental origin in the broadest sense), i.e., define global mitigation strategies adapted to the local context and encourage innovation by creating a "Science-Society" interface to valorize the results. Events at the Science/Policy interface will be particularly welcome.
Events must include at least one communication activity (conference, event, film or documentary screening) to raise the profile of the initiative.
The scientific event must be organized by a researcher from a research unit within the I-Site perimeter.6 with the agreement of the director of the research unit, or by an association with the agreement of the director.
Funding payment terms and eligible expenses
The funding allocated by the ExposUM Institute will be paid directly to the winning research units/associative structures (via service provision). Co-financing by partner structures is not compulsory, but will be appreciated. Rates for participation in the communication action (if applicable) will be compatible with openness to a wide audience, including students.
Eligibility of expenses :
- Eligible expenses: operating expenses directly linked to the implementation of the survey (small equipment, operating costs, missions), internship bonuses, services, organization of an event (excluding prestige meetings such as gala dinners and goodies).
- Ineligible expenses: capital expenditure, management costs, indirect expenses, salaries
Selection criteria and procedure
The selection will be made by a dedicated committee made up of the management committee and the president of the ExposUM COSS.7 and three I-Site members with transdisciplinary research experience. The committee will meet at least every three months, at the end of each quarter. The following criteria will be considered:
- Proposals must involve an I-Site research team and civil society players, focusing on the exposome concept.
- Relevance to Institut ExposUM's strategic priorities: initiating new partnerships, territorial issues, One Health approach, Global Health and the South, promoting the involvement of the Humanities and Social Sciences.
- Ability to mobilize both experienced and young researchers
- Striving for equitable gender representation
- Credibility, amount and relevance of the financial request
Filing procedures and timetable
- Proposals may be submitted continuously from the opening of the AMI in mid-April 2024 until March 31, 2025 to this e-mail address, mentioning [AMI axe 2 ExposUM] in the subject line.
- Proposals must be drawn up in English or French, using the proposal form and following the instructions given therein.
- Proposals will be evaluated quarterly by the selection committee. Decisions will be communicated to applicants at the end of each new quarter (July 2024, October 2024, January 2024, April 2025).
- The initiative must take place within 6 months of notification of award.
Commitments of the carrier
Project sponsors undertake to :
- Include the logos of the University of Montpellier, France 2030, Institut ExposUM and Région Occitanie in all documents and media relating to the initiative.
- Submit a qualitative and quantitative report no later than 3 months after the end of the initiative.
- Provide Institut ExposUM with access to the initiative's deliverables (e.g. report, video recording, internship report, survey results).
- In the case of an event, please provide the Institut ExposUM with a short presentation (1/2 page) at least 1 month before the event, which may be used in the University of Montpellier's communication materials.
Call for Incubation of Territorial Projects (AIP) ExposUM "Interactions Sciences-Société" (Science-Society Interactions)
This call has been closed since June 2024.
This support was intended to incubate a transdisciplinary research-action proposal, i.e. involving the academic sector and civil society players such as associations, local authorities, cooperatives, citizen collectives, government services such as the ARS etc. Among the projects supported in 2024 by this call, two will be selected to receive more substantial support during 2025 (envelope of 20 to 50k€ per project). For example, ExposUM is supporting two projects in 2024: one on characterizing and raising awareness of the risks of tick-borne diseases in Occitania, the other on eco-citizen institutes for observing and understanding pollution, and the emergence of an institute in the Aude region.
- A transdisciplinary approach is based on researching and producing knowledge with society rather than for society, engaging stakeholders in shared challenges (Seidl et al. 2013, Utrecht University Transdisciplinary Field Guide) ︎
- Winner of the ExcellenceS call for projects (PIA4) and supported by the Occitanie Region ︎
- Cirad, CNRS, Ifremer, Inrae, Inria, Inserm, IRD, ENSCM, Institut Agro, CHU Montpellier, ICM, Région Occitanie ︎
- The exposome is the sum total of lifelong exposure to environmental and social factors, the effects of which, combined with the intrinsic characteristics of individuals, underpin health and the onset, evolution and severity of infectious or non-communicable human diseases. In this sense, it is the environmental counterpart of the genome, with which it interacts throughout an individual's life. ︎
- For example, environmental pollution, water/health links, vector-borne infectious risks, air quality, prophylaxis, vaccination, awareness-raising ... ︎
- ABSYS, AGAP, AIDA, AMAP, ANALYSES, ART-Dev, ASTRE, BC2M, BCM, BioWooEB, BRM, CBGP, CBS, CDE, CEE-M, CEFE, CEMIPAI, CEPEL, CERCOP, ChimEco, CRBM, CREAM, DEFE, DGIMI, DIADE, DiaScope, DMEM, ECO&SOLS, ECOTRON, EDPFM, EDSM, ESPACE-DEV, EuroMov DHM, Forêts et Sociétés, G-EAU, GECO, Génopolys, GM, HortSys, HSM, IATE, IBMM, ICGM, ICSM, IDEDH, IDESP, IEM, IES, IGF, IGH, IGMM, IHD, IHPE, IMAG, IMAGINE, INM, INNOVATION, INTERTRYP, IPSiM, IRCM, IRIM, IRMB, ISDM, ISEM, ITAP, L2C, LBE, LBN, LDP, LEPSE, LICeM, LIRDEF, LIRMM, LISAH, LMGC, LPHI, LSTM, LUPM, Maraîchage, MARBEC, MISTEA, MIVEGEC, MMDN, MoISA, MRE, MRM, MSH Sud, OREME,, PCCEI, Pech Rouge, PHIM, PhyMedExp, QualiSud, Recyclage et Risque, SantESiH, SELMET, SENS, SPO, Sys2Diag, TETIS, TransVIHMI, Vassal, VBIC ︎
- https://www.umontpellier.fr/universite/projets-emblematiques/exposum ︎