EXPLORE#7 call for projects, support for international mobility

[Call for projects] - Published on November 15, 2024 in Mobility

As part of the Programme d'Excellence I-SITE (P.E.I), the Université de Montpellier (UM) is launching EXPLORE#7, the seventh call for projects to support international mobility.

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

The aim of this call for projects is to encourage international collaborations, enhance the attractiveness and visibility of the Montpellier site, and contribute to new initiatives. Within the framework given above, any project exploring new international collaborations, or extending existing collaborations towards new actions, and presenting a clear added value for the P.E.I. may be considered for funding.

PRIVILEGED PARTNERS

Priority is given to the list of partners below; it is planned to devote 75% of resources to this priority. Proposals outside this list remain possible, up to a maximum of 25% of resources.

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

*(2) Existing systems (if added value 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 for EXPLORE#7 is €300,000.

ECO-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 projects: November 15, 2024
• Application deadline: January 24, 2025 (11:59pm Paris time)
• Results announced by e-mail: mid-March 2025
• Mobility commitment: from April 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026

EVALUATION

After an administrative analysis of the applications by UM's International Relations Department, they will be forwarded for evaluation to the EXPLORE#7 evaluation committee, chaired by UM's Vice-President for International Relations and made up of members of UM's Academic Council (CAC), directors of UM's research clusters and representatives of COMIS member institutions.

The commission will produce an evaluation of eligible applications and propose a ranking submitted to the UM Strategic Investment Committee (COMIS). Decisions made by the COMIS will be shared by e-mail with successful and unsuccessful applicants from March 12, 2025.

SCHEMES 1 AND 2

1. INDIVIDUAL MOBILITIES

Develop or extend international collaborations for : Doctoral students, with a view to preparing a post-thesis professional project;Teachers-researchers, researchers (tenured or contract staff on contract at the time of the mobility period);Engineers, technicians or administrative staff (tenured or contract staff on contract at the time of the mobility period).  

2. COLLECTIVE OUTGOING MOBILITY

Develop or extend international collaborations (setting up a training cycle, building an international institutional partnership, developing a structuring research project, etc.) for a group of 2 to 4 people made up of teacher-researchers, researchers, PhD students, support staff (tenured or contract staff on contract at the time of mobility) from P.E.I. structures. Such groups may also include students. The group must be made up of people from different components or establishments.

DETAILS OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The EXPLORE#7 call for projects (sections 1 and 2) 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;
• Taking care of public transportation costs based on actual expenseswithin the limit of one round trip per beneficiary. Coverage is capped according to the distance between the departure and arrival points, calculated as follows the tool developed by the European Commission :
  • From 0 to 999 km: €600 per beneficiary
  • From 1,000 to 7,999 km: €1,300 per beneficiary
  • More than 8,000 km: €2,000 per beneficiary

These allowances are intended to cover the additional costs associated with mobility, and under no circumstances can they be used to finance payroll costs. Do not apply to the EXPLORE#7 call for proposals if funding is available on the same theme within the P.E.I. .

ASSESSMENT 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

Applications must be submitted by January 24, 2025 (23:59, Paris time) using the following form. You will need to provide: a brief description of the project, a letter of support with an approval visa from the director of your assigned teaching and/or research structure, or from the line manager for administrative staff, and a letter of invitation from the director of the host teaching and/or research structure. For group placements, the application is submitted only once, by the project leader.

SCHEME 3: INCOMING INDIVIDUAL MOBILITY STAYS OF MASTER STUDENTS

ELIGIBLE PUBLIC

EXPLORE#7 is open to students from foreign partner universities (see list above) for individual incoming mobility in the form of a research internship lasting a maximum of 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 laboratory access checks.

DETAILS OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT

A maximum lump-sum grant of €5,000 is paid to the host laboratory. This support is proportionally reduced for mobility periods of less than 6 months. This sum must enable the structures to welcome the student in good conditions: gratification of the internship, financing of consumables, etc. A simple provisional budget must be provided at the time of application. In addition, the student's travel expenses will be covered up to a maximum of one round trip, depending 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.

ASSESSMENT 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;
• A commitment to the exchange on the part of the home and host structures, particularly in terms of resources mobilized, is expected.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications must be submitted by January 24, 2025 (23:59, Paris time) by the researcher from the host organization who will be supervising the trainee , using the following form.

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.