Programmes and projects
Research projects
Calls
	Schedule

LEGAL NOTE: The following text is intended for information only. The only legally binding text is the Slovenian version, as published also in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia (no. 76/11).

The Public Research Agency of the Republic of Slovenia, Bleiweisova cesta 30, 1000 Ljubljana, pursuant to Article 8 of the Rules on the Procedures of the (co)financing and Monitoring of Research Activities Implementation (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, no. 23/09 and 72/11; hereinafter: the Rules), in conjunction with Article 12 of the Research and Development Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, nos. 22/06-UPB1, 61/06-ZDru-1, 112/07 nd 9/11; hereinafter: the Act), and based on the Methodology for assessing applications for co-financing of research activities in 2011 – Sections A-Č, no. 6319-1/2011-4 of 25.7.2011 (hereinafter: the Methodology), hereby publishes

Call for proposals to receive (co)financing for research projects in 2012 – call in 2011

1. Name and address of the budget user
   Public Research Agency of the Republic of Slovenia, Bleiweisova cesta 30, 1000 Ljubljana (hereinafter: the Agency).
    
2. Subject matter of the Call
   Subject matter of the Call for proposals to receive (co)financing for research projects in 2012 (hereinafter: the Call) is (co)financing of research projects:
   1. big and small basic research projects and big and small applicative research projects;
   2. postdoctoral basic and applicative research projects and postdoctoral projects for businesses.

Scientific fields of the Call for proposals to receive (co)financing for research projects and the planned annual funds:

The annual funds of the Call equal € 11,000,000 EUR. The Call will be realized up to the amount of financial means available from the Budget of the Republic of Slovenia. Allocation of co-financing funds in 2011 in line with the Call shall take into account the distribution of funds by scientific field that will roughly preserve the fund ratios between scientific fields from 2011, taking into account an additional redistribution of 200.000 EUR to the medical sciences

5% of the means for each scientific field is to be used for interdisciplinary research.

The priorities in seelction of research projects, as set by the Scientific Council of the Agency (hereinafter: the SCA), are:

The Agency may select one big applicative project for the following topical priorities:

• a big research project for the sub-fields with the biggest growth of citations as compared to invested means by the Ageny (i.e. space science, ecology, pharmacology and toxicology)
• a big research project lead by an extraordinary and established Slovenian researcher, who has been working abroad for at least five years and is returning to Slovenia (with at least 20% employment)
• a big research project for the sub-fields with the biggest growth of means obtained from the business sector or biggest means obtained from the business sector in relation to to invested means by the Ageny (i.e geology, mining and geotechnology, civil engineering, electrical machines, traffic, metabolic and hormonal disorders, vegetables production and processing, architecture and design). The project leader needs to have A3 > 5 or a sold patent, or established know-how on the topic where he applies and receives payment
• a big research project for a project leader with two international patents in the last five years
• a big research project from an excellence or competence center
• a big research project from medical sciences
• a project for 100.000 EUR, that is jointly applied for by a slovenian research organisation (RO) and at least three ROs from slovenians abroad

The applications for big projects, which are included in the list of projects selected for co-financing based on the score, will be discussed by the panel, which will decide, with regard to the priorities, whether the selected project will be co-financed as a big or as a small project. The Agency selects at least three big projects (200,000 per year). Such a project must be the one with highest rated in the research area within the appropriate type of projects (fundamental and applied).  At least 10% of projects selected within each field must be postdoctoral. At least 50% of projects must be applicative within technical sciences, 25% in medicinal and social sciences, 20% in natiral sciences and 15% in humanities, respectively. At least 25% of selected projects shall be lead by younger researchers (i.e. up to 10 active years after receiving doctoral degree).

Applicants may submit projects in cooperation with Austrian researchers (researchers working in the Austrian ROs), where the Agency acts as "lead agency" that carries out the review of the project. Austrian researchers deliver their applications together with Slovenian researchers, while they send documentation to the Austrian agency FWF, as required by the FWF. A project can only be (co)financed by the Agency if the project is co-funded by both agencies.

3. Entities that can apply to the Call

The call may be entered by a legal entity or natural person listed in records of data on implementers of research & development activities (hereinafter: the Agency Records) and meeting the conditions prescribed by the Act and the Rules. Research projects co-financed by the Agency and complying with the framework programme of research and technological development activities of the EU shall be open to research entities from the EU, provided such entities finance their part of the research from their own funds. The applicants may enter such entities as collaborating research teams.

4. Objectives of the Call

Objective of the Call is to select:

1. big (basic and applicative) research projects;
2. small (basic and applicative) research projects;
3. postdoctoral basic and applicative research projects; and
4. postdoctoral projects for businesses entered by enterprises and intended foremost for the flow (transfer) of young doctors of science to the business sector and implemented so that the researcher may after receiving the doctoral degree obtain additional research experience and knowledge in the business sector.

5. Conditions
   
   The conditions for selection of research projects are set in the Act, the Methodology, the Rules, and the Rules on criteria for evaluation of qualifications of project leaders (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, no. 41/09; hereinafter: the Project Manager Rules). All listed documents are a constituent part of the documentation of the Call and are published at the Agency's website.
   
   The research project is implemented by the project team (hereinafter: the Team) comprising the team manager, researchers and expert and technical assistants.
   
   If the project team comprises several project sub-teams in different research institutions, the applicant can be only that research institution which employs the research project manager. The applicant shall have an agreement regulating mutual rights and obligations signed with other participating institutions.
   
   Postdoctoral projects are performed by a single postdoctoral researcher.
   
   The project managers and the Team shall have available capacity to implement research projects (the maximum permitted capacity is 1700 hours annually or 1 FTE) and shall be employed in the research institution implementing the project or have the status of a private researcher.
   
   The project manager shall have at least 170 available research hours annually, with the exception of managers of public research institutions. Notwithstanding the previous paragraph, a project manager can be a retired researcher with 0 hours, who meets all other conditions for a project manager and has outstanding scientific achievements. A project lead by a retired researcher shall not exceed € 50,000 annually.
   
   The conditions related to available capacity and employment shall be verified upon contract signing. The contract shall be signed within three months following the decision on the project selection. An individual researcher can be a candidate in the Call as the manager of only one research project.
   
   A researcher may be eligible to apply to the Call only if he/she is leader of not more than one research project (not counting Targeted research projects) one year after the conclusion of the Call. A researcher who has already been the manager of one postdoctoral project cannot enter any other postdoctoral research project.
   
   The SCA has determined the limit value of the sum A1+A2+A3+A4 which the project managers must have in the application for each field separately - the values for 2011 are:
   
   Big basic project:
   A1+A2+A3+A4 = 11 natural and technical sciences
   A1+A2+A3+A4 = 10 medical sciences and biotechnology
   A1+A2+A3+A4 = 6 social sciences
   A1+A2+A3+A4 = 5 humanities
   
   Basic project and big applicative project:
   A1+A2+A3+A4=5.5 natural sciences
   A1+A2+A3+A4=5.0 technical sciences
   A1+A2+A3+A4=2.5 medical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences and geology
   A1+A2+A3+A4=3.5 biotechnology and biology
   A1+A2+A3+A4=2.0 social sciences and clinical medicine
   A1+A2+A3+A4=2.5 humanities
   
   Applicative project (including basic project if not more than 10 years have passed since the project manager received the doctoral degree):
   A1+A2+A3+A4=3.5 natural sciences
   A1+A2+A3+A4=4.0 technical sciences
   A1+A2+A3+A4=1.5 medical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences and geology
   A1+A2+A3+A4=2.5 biotechnology and biology
   A1+A2+A3+A4=1.5 social sciences
   A1+A2+A3+A4=2.0 humanities
   
   Applicative project, if not more than 10 years have passed since the project manager received the doctoral degree:
   A1+A2+A3+A4=3.0 natural sciences
   A1+A2+A3+A4=3.0 technical sciences
   A1+A2+A3+A4=1.0 medical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences and geology
   A1+A2+A3+A4=2.0 biotechnology and biology
   A1+A2+A3+A4=1.0 social sciences
   A1+A2+A3+A4=1.5 humanities
   A third of project team members for basic and applicative projects for all fields must meet the condition: A1+A2+A3+A4=1.
   
   (Basic and applicative) project managers can also apply with a lower overall score A1+A2+A3+A4 if they prove their excellence with achievements within A". The project leaders, except for postdoctoral projects, must satisfy the condition A’ > 0. Another condition for the leader of the big basic projects is A "> 0. The project leaders of applied projects must meet the requirement that they have A3 > 0.1.
   
   A postdoctoral applicant meets the requirements for project leader if he/she defended his/her PhD not more than 3 years ago, or will have defended it before 15.12.2011. If the postdoctoral applicant has used the parental leave – with one year counted per one child – the allowed time since the PhD is increased above 3 years for the duration of the actual time spent on parental leave. Equal rules apply to documented sick leaves exceeding three months.
   
   A postdoctoral applicant shall be employed by the applying institution or must be employed by the applying institution by the date of contract signing for the project at least for the duration of the postdoctoral project.
   
   The Call specifies two sizes of basic and applicative research projects, namely:
   1. small projects with the annual finance of roughly € 100,000. Any project that applies for 100.000 EUR may be reduced to 50.000 if they are ranked on the bottom of the list of approved projects. Calculated as project research hours, that would mean roughly 3620 annual hours of the price class A (1810 for projects of € 50,000), 3210 annual hours of the price class B (1610 for projects of € 50,000), 2810 annual hours of the price class C (1400 for projects of € 50,000) or 2520 annual hours of the price class D (1260 for projects of € 50,000); and
   2. big projects with the annual finance volume of roughly € 200,000. Calculated as project research hours, that would mean roughly 7240 annual hours of the price class A, 6420 annual hours of the price class B, 5620 annual hours of the price class C or 5040 annual hours of the price class D. The applicants entering a big project shall specify in the application form to which part of the project proposal the increased funding relates (Stage II – Item 14 of the application form: supplement to the research project proposal if the applicant enters a big project).

Basic or applicative big projects shall also:

1. applicative projects:
   • include at least three Slovenian research organisations different by type (with regard to the status (research institute, university and an enterprise
   • include a foreign participating partner (with no financial obligations); and
   • prove co-financing.
2. Basic projects:
   • include at least two Slovenian research organisations different by type (with regard to the status (research institute, university or an enterprise);
   • include a foreign participating partner (with no financial obligations).

Each project (€ 100,000 and 200,000) shall include the applicant and at least one participating RO which will together perform at least 20% of the project value; for this purpose other members (faculties) of the same university do not count as participating RO. If the project has been approved in the amount of € 50,000, the applicant may exclude or reduce the share of participating research institutions which must be stated upon application – Stage II, Item 14 (with specification of the share of participating research institutions).

The scope of basic postdoctoral projects and postdoctoral projects for businesses is 1700 annual research hours (1 FTE) of the price class B and of applicative postdoctoral projects 1275 annual research hours (0.75 FTE) of the price class B.

The applicant shall mark in the application form whether the contents of the research project proposal are deemed as business secret.

The Agency obtains and calculates quantitative assessments for individual assessment elements (A1, A2 and A4 scores) and for individual scientific fields specified in the Methodology. The Agency will use data entered in the SICRIS (COBISS) database and the Agency Records (A1, A2 and A4 scores) at the date of conclusion of the Call to calculate quantitative assessments.

The Agency obtained data for calculation of funds of other users based on the Methodology (A3 score) directly from research institutions (hereinafter: the RI) for all project managers who are members of programme research teams. The Agency will take into account for members of programme groups only data entered in the ARRS-RPROG-VPETOST/2011 form on which competent persons vouched for data accuracy with their signature.

Research project managers not being members of any programme group shall enter data on funds of other users in the ARRS-RPROG-VPETOST-D/2011 form published on the Agency’s website and send it by e-mail to vpetostprogram@arrs.si by 15.12.2011, 12 noon. A printed and signed form shall also be sent via regular mail to:

Public Research Agency of the Republic of Slovenia (ARRS)
Bleiweisova cesta 30
1000 Ljubljana

Also by 15.12.2011, 12 noon. The Agency will take into account data from those forms only if the candidate is a member of no programme group.

6. Application to the Call
   The Call will be carried out in two stages. All applicants enter Stage I of the Call by a short application using the ARRS-ZV-JR-Prijava/2011-I form.
   
   Application to the Call is made by an application form using the ARRS-ZV-JR-Prijava/2011-I form on the Agency’s e-Forms web portal eObrazci. The portal can be used by researchers entered in the Agency Records, administrators of the e-Forms portal in the RI, authorised persons representing the RI and additional users. There are two ways of logging in the e-Forms web portal:
   • using a digital certificate (SIGEN-CA, SIGOV-CA, NLB-CA, POSTArCA or HALCOM-CA);
   • using username and password (researchers can obtain password on the e-Forms portal by themselves, other users get it from the administrator of e-Forms in the RI or the Agency).

A detailed explanation of the procedure of logging in and obtaining password is enclosed hereto.

The application form is simultaneously filled in Slovene and English – it needs to be filled in both languages.

7. Assessment criteria
   Evaluation conditions, criteria and indicators for assessing project proposals are specified in the Rules and Project Manager Rules, and the assessment method in the Methodology.
   
   Project proposals are assessed in a two-stage procedure:

Stage I

1. Preliminary selection
   
   The SCA based on an analysis of the five-year production of Slovenian researchers by research field (particle physics subfield is taken into account separately in physics) and accounting for the available funds for research fields determines researchers who can automatically enter the second round of assessment. Those researchers are informed on the possibility of automatic entry in the second round of assessment upon publication of the Call and if they send an application to the Call, they will only enter the project’s title, a short abstract and Cv of the project leader, and fill in administrative data on their application form for the first stage. If they do not submit an application until conclusion of the Call, they cannot enter Stage II of the assessment. The SCA selects researchers based on the classification by order of the sum of assessments A1+A2+A3+A4 in the list within a field. All selected researchers must have scores in category A' and the total score of A1+A2+A3+A4 at least equal to the condition for applying a basic project. Scores for A1, A2 and A4 from the SICRIS database have been calculated as on 10.10.2011.
   
   The number of thus selected researchers roughly equals 50% of the number of projects entering Stage II. Interdisciplinary research and post-doctoral projects have no preliminary selection.
   
    

Selection through the Call

Applications for projects are checked by members of the Scientific councils of the (scientific) fields (hereinafter SSA), and in the case of candidature to the inadequate area of science propose a transfer to the appropriate area, with an explanation based on the OECD (SCI, SSCI) classification of publications of the project leader and the topic of proposed research. In the event that the applicant is a member of the SSA the proposal for transfer is done by another investigator based on the proposal of the President of the SSA.

The Agency will use assessments from the assessment procedure to classify projects as A or B category.

A category: projects included in the A category are determined from projects within a field by descending scores B1 + B2 + B3 + B44 + B5. The A category also includes postdoctoral projects where the applicant has entered a project at a research institution other than that of his current employment. The A category projects have not yet been selected for financing. A project must have the B1+B2+B3 score of at least 15 (threshold) to be considered for the A category.

B category: Projects included in the B category are those not included in the A category. The B category projects are rejected. The B category includes all projects with the score B1 + B2 + B3 less than 15 and other projects not included in the A category.

Stage II

The Agency calls upon the applicants included in the second stage of the project selection (A category) to submit within three weeks on the ARRS-ZV-JR-Prijava-2011-II form (hereinafter: the Stage II Application Form) the supplemented research project proposals on the e-Forms portal.

The project composition is included in the Stage II Application Form. The project composition from the Stage II Application Form cannot be changed upon contract signing.

The applicants entering projects with an enterprise as the Implementer, co-implementer or co-financing the project shall, in accordance with the Rules on state aid in research & development, no. 007-6/2009-8 of 17 June 2009, submit filled in form for granting state aid, ARRS-ZV-JR-Prijava/2011-II-DP.

8. Volume of the Call T
   
   The planned annual amount for the call is € 11.0 million EUR. Allocation of co-financing funds in 2012 in line with the Call shall take into account the distribution of funds by scientific field that will roughly preserve the fund ratios between scientific fields from 2011, taking into account the additional redistribution of 200.000 EUR to the medical sciences.
   
   The Call will be implemented in line with the funds earmarked in the budget of the Republic of Slovenia and the Agency's budget.
   
   The Agency will finance basic projects up to 100% of eligible project costs. The Agency will finance applicative projects up to 75% of eligible project costs. The applicants entering applicative projects shall cover at least 25% of eligible project costs from other interested users and submit evidence on project co-financing (agreement on co-financing) for the entire period of project implementation with regard to the research hour price in the beginning of financing. If enterprises enter an applicative project independently (with no public research institution), they do not have to submit evidence of project co-financing but must disclose their share of co-financing in financial reports.
   
   With regard to the load of researchers with research hours financed from the budget of the Republic of Slovenia, the Agency will in line with the Decree on criteria and standards for allocating resources for the implementation of the National Research and Development Programme (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, nos. 74/04, 32/05, 26/06, 80/07, 89/08 and 102/09) finance individual researchers with regard to the share of employment for research, up to a maximum of 1700 research hours annually. The minimum annual workload of a researcher per project is 17 hours. A participating RI shall contribute at least 170 hours in the project implementation period where the minimum scope of a participating RI in a year shall be 170 hours. The number of hours of a participating RI during the project implementation can be 0 hours in a year.
    
9. Duration of research projects
   
   The planned start of (co)financing of project implementation is 1.12. 2012.
   
   The Agency will (co)finance selected projects up to three years except for postdoctoral research projects which will be (co)financed for two years. The selected research project will be allocated an annual number of research hours, meaning determining the annual number of research hours for all years of project duration in the Call.
    
10. Selection of research projects
    
    10.1. – Stage I
    
    The applications will be assessed by the procedure and method set by the Rules and the Methodology.
    
    The working body will prepare a draft project list to be included in Stage II of the selection (A category, see Item 7 of the Call) and the draft project list to be rejected in Stage I of the selection (B category), and submits them to the SCA for discussion.
    
    The SCA will adopt the draft financially evaluated priority project list of the A category to be included in Stage II of the application selection and the draft project list of the B category to be rejected after Stage I of the selection. The draft decision is submitted for adoption to the Director of the Agency. The Management Board of the Agency decides on redresses after stage 1.
    
    10.2. – Stage II
    
    The panel prepares the draft priority project list and submits it to the SCA for discussion. The SCA prepares the draft financially evaluated priority list for project selection after Stage II of the assessment and submits it for approval to the Director of the Agency. The Management Board of the Agency decides on redresses after stage 2.

11. Method, form and deadline for application submitting – Stage I
    
    11.1. Submitting the application form with a digital signature
    
    The application to the Call is made and submitted by an application form using the ARRS-ZV-JR-Prijava/2011-I form on the Agency’s e-Forms web portal. A submitted application shall be complete, if it contains both digital signatures (authorised person of the RI and the research project manager). The applications must be submitted by 15 December 2010, 12 noon.
    
    We advise the applicants not to submit applications on the last day of the set period because the server may overload.
    
    An application is in time if it was submitted to the web portal eObrazci by 15 December 2010, 12 noon.
    
    11.2. Submitting the application form without a digital signature
    
    If the applicant and/or the research project manager have no digital signature, the application form should be submitted in electronic form unsigned (on the Agency’s e-Forms web portal) and in print, including an authentic signature of the authorised person of the RI and the research project manager and the stamp of the RI.
    
    Both electronic and printed form of the application shall be completely the same in terms of contents.
    
    Printed applications shall be submitted in closed envelopes marked “DO NOT open – CALL FOR PROJECTS” and obligatory marking of the application (ARRS-ZV-JR/2011-I /...) with indication of the field on the envelope (a field from Item 7 of the application form) and name and address of the applicant, sent to the address:
    
    Public Research Agency of the Republic of Slovenia (ARRS)
    Bleiweisova cesta 30
    1000 Ljubljana
    
    Timely applications shall be those submitted in print and electronically by the deadline. An application shall be timely if submitted to the Agency’s e-Forms web portal (with status “Submitted”) or received in the mail room of the Agency by 15 December 2010, 12 noon. Timely shall be also applications sent by registered mail from Slovenia by 15 December 2010, 12 noon (postal stamp).
    
    11.3. Completeness of applications
    
    An application shall be complete if submitted in the prescribed form on the applicable form (Item 11.1 – electronic, Item 11.2 – electronic and printed) and containing all data as prescribed herein. An application will be counted as incomplete if the applicant will not supplement it in the given time.
    
    The committee for opening applications shall disregard untimely and incorrectly marked applications, which will be returned unopened to the sender.

12. Applications opening date
    The committee for opening applications will open all timely delivered and properly marked applications at the registered office of the Public Research Agency of the Republic of Slovenia, Tivolska cesta 30, 1000 Ljubljana, on 19 December 2011, 10 a.m.
     
13. The deadline by which the applicants will be informed on the Call’s results
    The applicants will be informed on the projects rejected after Stage I of the selection by the end of April 2012. The applicants will be informed on the project selection after Stage II, expected in November 2012.
     
14. Method, form and deadline for application submitting – Stage II
    The application submitting procedure will be similar to Stage I. The applicants entering Stage II will be informed in writing on the method, form and deadline of submitting application forms.
     
15. Place, time and person where interested parties can obtain documentation of the Call
    
    15.1. Documentation of the Call is available on the Agency’s website (http://www.arrs.gov.si/sl/razpisi/).
    15.2. Any additional information related to the Call can be obtained by interested parties on the Agency’s website http://www.arrs.gov.si and the Public Research Agency of the Republic of Slovenia, Bleiweisova cesta 30, 1000 Ljubljana, and telephone number 400 5960 Vanja Rodič, Almira Bremec, Tina Valenci and Mateja Gašpirc). 

Documentation of the Call:

• Sample of the Application Form for Phase:
  • ARRS-ZV-JR-Prijava-2011-I-Vzorec.pdf (format Acrobat, 467KB)