EXPLORE#5 CALL FOR PROJECTS, SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY

Objectives

This call for projects aims to promote international exchanges and collaborations, increase the attractiveness and visibility of the site and contribute to structuring new initiatives. The program is part of an overall project to build the university of tomorrow, which will remain open and non-exclusive. Therefore, proposals for new international collaborations that meet both the eligibility and selection criteria of this call and offer an important value-added to the P.E.I may be considered for funding, including for candidates whose academic research themes do not directly correspond to the P.E.I pillars.

FUNDED ACTIVITIES

This call for projects provides  three distinct schemes:

1. Support for incoming or outgoing individual mobility stays for the exploration of new international collaboration projects by : professors, researchers, research professors, PhD students,  engineers, technicians or administrative staff ;
2. Support for outgoing collective mobility stays to develop new international collaborations (pedagogical, academic and/or scientific) by : professors, researchers, research professors, PhD students,  engineers, technicians or administrative staff, such projects may involve students ;
3. Support for incoming individual mobility stays of Master students for research internships to enable the development of new strategic collaborations.

PRIVILEGED PARTNERS

A strong but non-exclusive preference will be given to collaborations with the privileged partners of the P.E.I and the CHARM-EU alliance. Applications may also be based on existing international partnership tools of the P.E.I members.

P.E.I and CHARM-EU Alliance partners:

ASSESMENT CRITERIA FOR SCHEMES 1 AND 2

The projects submitted must be consistent with the scientific vision "Feed - Care - Protect" and all the themes/disciplines that can contribute to it. Therefore, proposals for new international collaborations that meet both the eligibility and selection criteria of this call and offer an important value-added to the P.E.I may be considered for funding, including for candidates whose academic research themes do not directly correspond to the P.E.I pillars. In addition to the criteria of consistency and quality of the project, the following selection criteria will be taken into account:

• Exploratory and structuring character of the application, and presenting an added value for the P.E.I (reinforcement of excellence, acquisition of new skills, innovation) including for requests for mobility of agents not directly related to these themes;
• Stimulating the openness of Montpellier's communities to international collaboration by enhancing the partnership networks of institutions dedicated to the international stage and by developing collaborations with public or private stakeholders in the fields of training, research and development, or for pedagogical and organizational innovation;
• Collaborative effect induced within the P.E.I. through group mobilities potentially involving several P.E.I. training and/or research structures;
• A commitment of the hosting and outgoing structures in the exchange, in particular in terms of human and financial resources mobilized, is expected. Collaborations between academic/research structures involved in the P.E.I will be particularly appreciated.

Funding for mobility for the sole purpose of attending a symposium or conference is excluded from the EXPLORE call for projects.

APPLICATION PROCESS FOR SCHEMES 1 AND 2

You must submit your application before June 2, 2023 (12:00, Paris time) via the following form: https://sondage.umontpellier.fr/ls/index.php/957535?lang=en. You will have to provide: a brief description of the project, a letter of support with approval from the director of the applicant's teaching and/or research institution, or from the supervisor for administrative staff and a letter of invitation from the director of the host teaching and/or research institution. For collective outgoing collective mobility stays, the project leader submits the application only once.

3/ INCOMING INDIVIDUAL MOBILITY STAYS OF MASTER STUDENTS

ELIGIBLE PUBLIC

Considering that sustainable relationships between research teams can emerge through exchange of Master students (via internships) between two laboratories, EXPLORE#5 opens on an pilot basis to students from partners universities of the P.E.I and the CHARM-EU alliance (see list above) by way of research internships for a maximum period of 6 months (excluding travel days) in a P.E.I laboratory.

To be eligible, students must be enrolled in a Master's degree (M1 or M2) or in an Engineering degree (4th or 5th year) in a foreign university partner of the P.E.I or of the CHARM-EU alliance during their mobility. The students are not subject to any nationality condition, but may be subject to the usual access checks to the laboratories.

DETAILS OF THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR SCHEME 3

The EXPLORE#5 call for projects provides a maximum financial support of 5,000 € to the host laboratory. This support may be proportionally reduced in the case of mobility of less than 6 months. This amount must allow the structures to welcome the student in good conditions: gratification of the internship, financing of consumables, etc. An estimated budget must be attached to the application.

ASSESMENT CRITERIA FOR SCHEME 3

The projects submitted must be consistent with the scientific vision "Feed - Care - Protect" and all the themes/disciplines that can contribute to it. In addition to the criteria of consistency and quality of the project, the following selection criteria will be taken into account:

• Introduction to research: discovery of a "Research" problematic in view of an introduction to the research activity;
• Learning content: acquisition of scientific techniques, conducting experiments, etc.. ;
• Induced collaborative effect : development of collaborations between researchers from strategic foreign laboratories and researchers from P.E.I. and CHARM-EU Alliance laboratories through student mobility;
• A commitment of the hosting and outgoing structures in the exchange, in particular in terms of human and financial resources mobilized, is expected. Collaborations between academic/research structures involved in the P.E.I will be particularly appreciated.

APPLICATION PROCESS FOR SCHEME 3

The application must be submitted before June 2, 2023 (12:00, Paris time) via the following form: https://sondage.umontpellier.fr/ls/index.php/957535?lang=en by the researcher of the host structure who will supervise the student. You will have to provide a brief description of the project including an estimated budget, a letter of support with a visa of approval from the director of the student structure and a letter of invitation from the director of the hosting structure.

EVALUATION

After an administrative analysis of the applications by the International Relations Department, the applications will be sent for evaluation to the EXPLORE#5 Evaluation Committee, chaired by the UM Vice-President in charge of international relations and composed of members of the UM Academic Council (CAC), directors of the UM research clusters and representatives of the COMIS member institutions. The EXPLORE#5 Evaluation Committee will produce an evaluation of the eligible applications and will propose a ranking submitted to the UM Strategic Investments Committee (COMIS).

SCHEDULE

• Launch date of the call for applications: May 2, 2023 (12:00 noon, Paris time)
• Deadline for applications: June 2, 2023 (12:00 noon, Paris time)
• Evaluation by the EXPLORE#5 Evaluation Committee: July 2023
• Decision by the UM Strategic Investments Committee (COMIS): July 18, 2023
• Announcement of the results by e-mail: end of July 2023
• Mobility stays may start: between October 1, 2023 and December 31, 2024
  

Existing schemes of P.E.I. members active internationally :

• Platforms in partnership for research and training (dP) of the CIRAD
  
• International cooperation tools of the CNRS
  
• Cooperation tools of the INSERM
  
• International Joint Laboratories (LMI) of the IRD
  

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTPELLIER
Direction des Relations Internationales
Service Mobilité
163 rue Auguste Broussonnet
34090 Montpellier
Tel: +33 (0)4 34 43 23 23
Email