Call for Proposals: "Education, Research & Outreach" – European Teaming Project
This call for proposals is part of a European project funded by the H2020 Teaming program (“Biopolis”). The Biopolis project aims to support the development in Portugal of a center of excellence in research, development, and innovation in the fields of biodiversity, agro-biodiversity, and ecosystem services.
This center will be based at an existing laboratory, CIBIO. The University of Montpellier (UM) and its affiliated governing bodies are partners in this capacity-building project and are involved in all aspects of the development of the Center of Excellence.
Objectives
This call for proposals aims to provide financial support for knowledge transfer activities from the UM to CIBIO that contribute to the education and training of CIBIO staff (WP5), the development of the Biopolis Center of Excellence’s strategic scientific program (WP4), and the communication, dissemination, and exploitation of the Biopolis Center of Excellence’s activities (WP6).
Proposals may include:
Training activities for young researchers (doctoral and postdoctoral students), technical or administrative staff, and non-academic professionals who wish to acquire skills related to biodiversity, in any format, including summer schools, advanced courses, individual laboratory training, etc.
Scientific events of all kinds and at every possible scale (individual or multi-partner projects, national or international) that will contribute to education and training or to the development of the BIOPOLIS research program.
Events or initiatives that contribute to the communication, promotion, and implementation of the activities of the Biopolis Center of Excellence.
Eligible expenses include travel costs between Montpellier and Porto (round-trip), event organization costs, personnel costs for staff involved in organizing and implementing the activities, and, in some cases, laboratory expenses incurred as a result of the proposed activity.
Project Eligibility
Two types of proposals are eligible:
- Proposals developed jointly by CIBIO and UM research units must be approved by the management of both parties and submitted by the lead/host research unit.
The 10 UM research units involved in the Biopolis project (AGAP, AMAP, CEFE, CEEM, CBGP, DIADE, IHPE, IPSIM, ISEM, and MIVEGEC) are eligible for the call. The scientific project must align with at least one of Biopolis’s main research pillars (biodiversity, agrobiodiversity, and ecosystem services). All scientific disciplines are welcome. - Proposals developed solely by UM members are also welcome, but they will be evaluated in two phases. First, a letter of intent will be submitted for evaluation. If the letter of intent is deemed sufficiently promising for the Biopolis project, applicants will then be invited to submit a full proposal based on the recommendations from this initial evaluation.
Activities and events may take place either in Montpellier or in Porto. The selection committee may recommend one location over another, depending on funding opportunities and the expected impact for Biopolis.
Submission Guidelines
Proposals must be submitted by the lead/host research unit. The application must be completed using the provided template, in PDF format, and submitted via email.
Amount and eligible expenses
- Travel expenses between Montpellier and Porto, round-trip, for event organizers, trainers, participants, and interns employed by CIBIO or by the UM research units participating in Biopolis.
- The personnel costs of UM human resources dedicated to event organization and knowledge transfer (based on timesheets submitted monthly by the research and technical staff involved).
To encourage participation by UM staff, the corresponding funds* may be transferred to UM laboratories upon request (provided that a compatible agreement from their employer allows for the transfer). In all cases, the submission of monthly timesheets will be required for all UM staff (and staff from associated institutions) involved in carrying out the project.
*Note: Projects involving the co-supervision of doctoral students or early-career researchers under Biopolis funding are excluded from this scheme. - Expenses related to event organization, such as venue rental, technical support, catering, inviting external members, etc.
- Contributions toward the research expenses of UM laboratories dedicated to this activity (particularly for laboratory training). The grant for doctoral students or postdoctoral researchers employed by CIBIO and co-supervised by researchers from UM and CIBIO, as part of a collaborative project, may reach €10,000 per year per project.
Please note that a single application may combine several of the expense categories listed above. Depending on the nature of the project, expenses may be spread over several periods, potentially spanning several years (until the end of the Biopolis project in September 2027).
Expenses will be covered by Teaming funds from UM or CIBIO, depending on eligibility. The proposed budget must specify any co-funding from other sources and/or any associated restrictions. If applicable, the budget must be adjusted accordingly.
Calendar
This call for proposals is open from July 7, 2023, to August 6, 2024. Any extension will depend on the remaining budget. Once a project has been submitted and selected, it will have an implementation period of one and a half years.
Selection Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated upon submission by a selection committee composed of representatives from UM’s research governance body, the Biopolis coordination team in Montpellier, and the CIBIO/Biopolis executive committee.
The results for a given project will be announced within two months of the submission of the application.
Proposals will be selected based on the following criteria:
- The activity’s added value for education and training, the development of CIBIO’s strategic research program, or the communication, dissemination, and utilization of CIBIO’s activities.
- Quality of the organization and content of the initiative.
- A balance between the cost and the potential impact of the action.