Call for Proposals: EXPLORE#6, Support for International Mobility

[Call for Proposals] - Published on December 14, 2023 in Mobility

As part of the I-SITE Program of Excellence (P.E.I), the University of Montpellier (UM) is launching EXPLORE#6, the sixth edition of the support for international mobility call for projects.

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 from various P.E.I institutions; 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.

OBJECTIVES

This call for proposals aims to foster international collaborations, enhance the appeal and visibility of the Montpellier campus, and support new initiatives. Within the framework outlined above, any project that explores new international collaborations or expands existing ones into new areas of activity, and that offers clear added value to the P.E.I., may be considered for funding.

Preferred Partners

Priority is given to the list of partners below; 75% of the resources are earmarked for this priority. Proposals not included in this list are therefore still eligible, up to a limit of 25% of the resources.

*(1)Universities with a similar profile to UM: institutions interested in the three pillars of Feed-Care-Protect, research-oriented and open to bilateral student exchanges.

*(2) Existing international partnership tools (if the value-added is demonstrated):

• 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

ALLOCATED MEANS

The budget allocated to the EXPLORE#6 program is €400,000.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

The candidates are invited to reduce their impact and to favor, when possible, less polluting modes of transportation. When applying online, candidates must enter the amount of CO2e potentially emitted during the round trip, using the Ademe calculation tool.

SCHEDULE

• Call for proposals opens: December 18, 2023
• Application deadline: February 18, 2024 (11:59 p.m. Paris time)
• Review by the EXPLORE#6 Review Committee: February 19–March 15, 2024
• Decision by the UM Strategic Investment Committee: March 26, 2024
• Announcement of results by e-mail: from April 1, 2024
• Mobility stays may start: from May 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025
  

EVALUATION

After an administrative analysis of the applications by the International Relations Department, the applications will be sent for evaluation to the EXPLORE#6 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#6 Evaluation Committee will produce an evaluation of the eligible applications and will propose a ranking submitted to the UM Strategic Investments Committee (COMIS). Results will be sent by email from April 1, 2024 to successful and unsuccessful applicants.

SCHEMES 1 AND 2

1/ INDIVIDUAL MOBILITY STAYS

To develop or extend international collaborations for: • PhD students, seeking for potential post-doctoral professional research opportunities; • Professors, researchers, (tenured or contractual at the time of the mobility period) • Support staff (tenured or contracted at the time of the mobility period).

2/ OUTGOING COLLECTIVE MOBILITY STAYS

To develop or extend international collaborations (setting up a new training program, building an international partnership between institutions, developing a structuring research project, etc.) for a group of 2 to 4 people composed of professors, researchers, PhD students, support staff (tenured or contractual at the time of the mobility period) from a P.E.I. Institution. Such groups may also involve students. The group must include people from different faculties or P.E.I institutions.

DETAILS OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The EXPLORE#6 call for projects funds grants consisting of:

• A daily allowance, which varies according to the country of destination (see Order of July 3, 2006 setting the rates of mission allowances), for a minimum of 5 days when travelling in Europe and for a minimum of 10 days when travelling outside Europe (excluding travel days). The allowance is capped at 30 days per beneficiary regardless of the total duration of the mobility;
• Coverage for transportation costs based on actual expenses, up to the cost of a round trip per beneficiary. This coverage is capped based on the distance between the departure and arrival points, calculated using the tool developed by the European Commission :
  • From 0 to 999 km: €600 per recipient
  • From 1,000 to 7,999 km: €1,300 per beneficiary
  • Over 8,000 km: €2,000 per beneficiary

These allowances are intended to cover the additional costs of mobility and cannot be used to finance the wage bill. Do not apply to EXPLORE if there is already a funding opportunity on the same theme within the P.E.I..

Evaluation criteria

Funding for mobility for the sole purpose of attending a symposium or conference is excluded from the EXPLORE call for projects. In addition to the criteria of consistency (scientific vision: "Feed - Care - Protect" and all disciplines that can contribute to it) 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 outgoing collective mobility stays potentially involving several academic and/or research structures of the P.E.I;
• 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

You must submit your application before February 18, 2024 (23:59pm, Paris time) via the following form 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.

SCHEME 3: INCOMING INDIVIDUAL MOBILITY STAYS OF MASTER STUDENTS

ELIGIBLE AUDIENCE

EXPLORE#6 is open to students from partner universities abroad (see list above) for individual incoming mobility in the form of a research internship lasting up to 6 months in P.E.I. laboratories. Students must be enrolled in a master’s program at the time of their mobility. Students are not subject to any nationality requirements, but may be subject to the usual security checks for access to the laboratories.

DETAILS OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT

A lump-sum grant of up to €5,000 is paid to the host laboratory. This grant is reduced proportionally for mobility periods of less than 6 months. This amount is intended to enable the host institution to accommodate the student under appropriate conditions, such as providing an internship stipend and funding for supplies. A simple budget proposal must be submitted with the application.

In addition, the student’s travel expenses will be covered for one round-trip, based on the distance between the departure and arrival points: 0–999 km: €600; 1,000–7,999 km: €1,300; over 8,000 km: €2,000.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The following selection criteria will be taken into account:

• Introduction to research: discovery of a research problematic;
• Learning content: acquisition of scientific techniques, conducting experiments, etc.. ;
• Collaborative effect induced within the P.E.I. : development of collaborations between researchers from foreign laboratories and researchers from P.E.I., thanks to student mobility scheme;
• Both the sending and receiving organizations are expected to commit to the exchange, particularly in terms of the resources they provide.

APPLICATION PROCESS

The application must be submitted before February 18, 2024 (11:59pm, Paris time) via the following form 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.