Call for Proposals: EXPLORE#7, Support for International Mobility

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

As part of the I-SITE Excellence Program (P.E.I), the University of Montpellier (UM) is launching EXPLORE#7, the seventh edition of its call for proposals 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

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 profile similar to UM’s: institutions interested in the three pillars of Nourish-Care-Protect, research-oriented, and open to bilateral student exchanges.

*(2) Existing mechanisms (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 allocated to the EXPLORE#7 program is €300,000.

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: November 15, 2024
• Application deadline: January 24, 2025 (11:59 p.m. Paris time)
• Results will be announced via email in mid-March 2025
• Mobility assignments: April 1, 2025, to December 31, 2026

EVALUATION

Following an administrative review of the applications by the UM Office of International Relations, applications will be forwarded for evaluation to the EXPLORE#7 Evaluation Committee, chaired by the UM Vice President for International Relations and composed of members of the UM Academic Council (CAC), the directors of the UM research clusters, and representatives of COMIS member institutions.

The committee will evaluate the eligible applications and propose a ranking to be submitted to the UM Strategic Investment Committee (COMIS). COMIS’s decisions will be communicated via email starting March 12, 2025, to both successful and unsuccessful applicants.

SCHEMES 1 AND 2

1. Individual Mobility

Develop or expand international collaborations for: Doctoral students, with a view to preparing a post-doctoral career plan; Professors and researchers (tenured or on contract at the time of the mobility period); Engineers, technicians, or administrative staff (tenured or on contract at the time of the mobility period).  

2. Outbound Group Mobility Programs

Develop or expand international collaborations (designing training programs, establishing international institutional partnerships, developing a flagship research project, etc.) for a group of 2 to 4 people consisting ofProfessors, researchers, doctoral students, and support staff (tenured or on contract at the time of the mobility) from P.E.I. institutions. Such groups may also include students. The group must be composed of individuals from different departments or institutions.

DETAILS OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The EXPLORE#7 call for proposals (components 1 and 2) provides funding for 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 public transportation expenses (reimbursed at actual cost)limited to one 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

Intended to cover additional costs related to mobility, these grants may under no circumstances be used to fund payroll expenses. Do not apply for the EXPLORE#7 Call for Proposals if funding for the same topic is already available through 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

Applications must be submitted by January 24, 2025 (11:59 p.m. Paris time) using the form below. You will need to provide: a brief description of the project, a letter of support with the approval of the director of your home educational and/or research institution, or of your supervisor for administrative staff, and a letter of invitation from the director of the host educational and/or research institution. For group mobility programs, the application is submitted only once, by the project leader.

SCHEME 3: INCOMING INDIVIDUAL MOBILITY STAYS OF MASTER STUDENTS

ELIGIBLE AUDIENCE

EXPLORE#7 is open to students from partner universities abroad (see list above) for individual incoming exchanges in the form of research internships lasting up to 6 months in P.E.I. laboratories. Students must be enrolled in a master’s program at the time of their exchange. 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 institutions to accommodate the student under favorable conditions, such as providing an internship stipend and funding for consumables. A simple budget estimate must be submitted with the application. In addition, the student’s travel expenses will be covered up to the cost of a round-trip ticket, 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

Applications must be submitted by January 24, 2025 (11:59 p.m. Paris time) by the researcher at the host institution who will supervise the intern 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.