Programmes and projects |
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Slovenian Research Agency, 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 RS, nos. 4/11, 72/11,
45/12, 96/13, 100/13-corr. and 92/14), in conjunction with Articles 12 and 20 of
the Research and Development Act (Official Gazette of the RS, nos. 22/06-UPB1, 61/06-ZDru-1
112/07, 9/11, 57/12-ZPOP-1A) and based on Methodology for assessing applications
for co-financing of research activities no. 6319-2/2013-14 of 10 December 2014,
hereby publishes
Public invitation for (co)financing research projects in 2015
- Name and address of the budget user
Slovenian Research Agency, Bleiweisova cesta 30, 1000 Ljubljana (hereinafter:
the Agency).
- Subject matter of the Call for proposals
Subject matter of the Call for proposals to receive (co)financing for research
projects in 2015 (hereinafter: the Call is the (co)financing of research
projects:
- small basic research projects and small applicative research projects;
- post-doctoral basic and applicative research projects and post-doctoral
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 EUR 12,000,000.00.
The Call will be realized up to the amount of financial resources available
from the Budget of the Republic of Slovenia. The implementation of the Call
and allocation of co-financing funds shall take into account the distribution
of funds by scientific field annually in 2016 that will roughly preserve
the fund ratios between scientific fields from 2014 (table).
Scientific field |
% |
Natural and mathematical sciences |
21.1 |
Technical sciences |
29.4 |
Medical sciences |
13.1 |
Biotechnical sciences |
10.8 |
Social sciences |
10.1 |
Humanities |
15.5 |
TOTAL |
100 |
10% of the funds for each scientific field is to be used for interdisciplinary
research.
The data on the capacity of the research fields are published on the Agency's
website.
Within each scientific field, at least 10% of post-doctoral
projects need to be selected. At least 35% of technical sciences projects, at
least 25% of biotechnology projects, at least 15% of medical sciences and social
sciences projects, at least 10% of natural sciences projects and at least 5%
of humanities projects shall be applicative. At least 33.3% of the selected
projects shall have younger researchers in charge (up to 10 active years after
obtaining a doctoral degree).
On the basis of the agreement concluded with the Austrian
agency, FWF, and the Hungarian agency, OTKA, an application can be made regarding
projects of cooperation with the Austrian or Hungarian researchers (researchers
working in Austrian or Hungarian research institutions) where the Agency acts
as "Lead Agency" which performs the review of a project. Austrian or Hungarian
researchers deliver their applications together with Slovenian researchers,
while they also send documentation to the Austrian agency FWF or the Hungarian
agency OTKA, as required by the FWF or OTKA. A joint project can only be (co)financed
if the project is co-funded by the Agency and FWF or OTKA.
- Entities that can apply to the Call
Entities that can apply to the Call are research institutions
and private researchers entered in the database on implementers of research
& development activities (hereinafter:the Agency Records) and in the Register
of private researchers run by the Agency meeting the conditions prescribed by
the Research and Development Act (Official Gazette of the RS, nos. 22/06-UPB1,
61/06-ZDru-1 112/07, 9/11, 57/12-ZPOP-1A) and the Rules on the Procedures of
the (co)financing and Monitoring of Research Activities Implementation (hereinafter:
the Rules). Research projects which are co-financed by the Agency and comply
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.
- Objectives of the invitation to tender
Objective of the public call for proposals is to select:
- small (basic and applicative) research projects;
- post-doctoral basic and applicative research projects;
and
- post-doctoral projects for businesses presented by
enterprises and intended foremost to support 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.
- Conditions
The conditions for the selection of research projects are
set in the Research and Development Act, Methodology for assessing applications
for (co)financing of research activities, nos. 6319-2/2013-14 of 10 December
2014 (hereinafter: the Methodology), the Project Rules and the Rules on criteria
for the evaluation of qualifications of project managers (Official Gazette of
the Republic of Slovenia, nos. 41/09 in 72/11, hereinafter: the Rules on criteria
for the evaluation of qualifications of project managers). All listed documents
are a constituent part of the documentation of the Call and are published at
the Agency's website.
A research project is implemented by a project group (hereinafter:
the Group) comprising the team leader, researchers and expert and technical
assistants.
If a project group comprises several project sub-groups in
different research institutions, the applicant can only be the research organisation
employing the research project leader. The applicant shall have an agreement
regulating mutual rights and obligations concluded with other participating
institutions.
Post-doctoral projects are performed by a single post-doctoral
researcher.
The project manager and the team shall have available capacities
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 a status of a private researcher.
Only the researchers being leaders of not more than one research
project one year after the conclusion of the Call (target research programmes
(TRP) and projects under Article 129 of the Rules and newly approved projects
are excluded) can enter the invitation as project managers. A researcher who
has already been the manager of one post-doctoral project or received funds
within the »Early Stage Researchers« cannot enter any other post-doctoral research
project.
An individual researcher can be a candidate in the Call as
the manager of only one research project.
The project manager shall have at least 170 available research
hours annually, with the exception of the directors 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 leader and has outstanding
scientific achievements. A project run by a retired researcher shall not exceed
EUR 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.
The SCA has determined the limit value of the sum A1+A2+A3
which the project managers must have in the application for each field separately
- the values for 2014 are:
|
A=A1+A2+A3 |
Natural and technical sciences |
|
Basic project |
5 |
Applicative project |
4.5 |
Basic project, 10 years after doctoral degree |
4.5 |
Applicative project, 10 years after doctoral degree |
4 |
Medicine, biotechnology, social sciences, biology, geology |
|
Basic project |
3.5 |
Applicative project |
3 |
Basic project, 10 years after doctoral degree |
3 |
Applicative project, 10 years after doctoral degree |
2.5 |
Humanities |
|
Basic project |
2.5 |
Applicative project |
2 |
Basic project, 10 years after doctoral degree |
2 |
Applicative project, 10 years after doctoral degree |
1.5 |
or for all categories
A1/2 ≥ 600
or for all categories
A' ≥ 200
or for all categories
A" ≥ 50.
Project managers (of basic or applicative projects) can also
apply with a lower overall score A1 + A2 + A3 if they prove their excellence
with achievements within A" (A" ≥ 50) or A' (A' ≥ 200) or A1/2 (A1/2
≥ 600).
Project managers must satisfy the condition A’ > 0. Applicative
project managers shall meet the condition of A3 > 0.1. The latter condition
shall apply neither to post-doctoral projects nor to applicative project managersobtaining
a doctoral degree less than 10 years ago.
A third of project team members including the project manager
(but excluding technical staff) shall for all fields meet the condition A' exceeding
0. The condition shall be checked for all project teams upon the review of annual
reports.
A post-doctoral applicant meets the conditions for project
manager if he/she defended his/her PhD not more than 3 years ago (Doctoral thesis
in the period from 2012 to 12 February 2015). The post-doctoral applicant will
have defended the PhD before 12 February 2015. If the post-doctoral 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 leave. The same applies to documented sick leaves exceeding three
months.
A post-doctoral applicant shall be employed by the applying
institution or shall be employed by the applying institution by the date of
contract signing for the project at least for the duration of the post-doctoral
project.
Small basic projects and applicative research projects respectively
shall be financed with the annual finance of roughly EUR 100,000. Any
project that applies for EUR 100,000 may be approved in the amount of EUR 100,000
or EUR 50,000. Projects in the amount of EUR 50,000 are usually assigned to
applications near the bottom of the list of the approved applications. The number
of such projects cannot exceed 10% for all fields combined (notably in clinical
medicine, mathematics and social sciences).
Calculated as project research hours, that would mean roughly
3628 annual hours of the A price class (1814 for projects of EUR 50,000), 3192
annual hours of the B price class (1596 for projects of EUR 50,000), 2769 annual
hours of the C price class (1384 for projects of EUR 50,000), 2468 annual hours
of the D price class (1234 for projects of EUR 50,000), 2230 annual hours of
the E price class (1115 for projects of EUR 50,000) or 2034 annual hours of
the F price class (1017 for projects of EUR 50,000).
Each basic or applicative project shall include the applicant
and at least one participating research institution which will together perform
at least 20% of the project value. For this purpose, members of the same university
do not count as different research institutions. If the project has been approved
in the amount of EUR 50,000, the applicant may exclude or reduce the share of
participating research institutions which shall be stated upon application –
Stage II, Item 14 (with the specification of the share of participating research
institutions).
The scope of a basic post-doctoral project and a post-doctoral
project for businesses is 1700 annual research hours (1 FTE) of the B price
class and of applicative post-doctoral projects 1275 annual research hours
(0.75 FTE) of the B price class.
The applicant shall mark in the application form whether
the content of the research project proposal is deemed business secret.
The Agency obtains and calculates quantitative assessments
for individual assessment elements (A1 and A2 scores) and for individual scientific
fields specified in the Methodology. The Agency will use the data entered in
the SICRIS (COBISS) database and the Agency Records (A1 scores) as at the date
of the conclusion of the Call or on the date of last data capture in the SICRIS
(COBISS) database prior to the completion of the Call (A2 scores) for quantitative
calculations.
The Agency obtained the 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 research programme
teams. With regard to the members of the programme groups, the Agency will take
into account only the data entered in the ARRS-RPROG-VPETOST/2014 form where
competent persons vouched for data accuracy with their signature.
Research project managersnot being members of any programme
group shall enter data on the funds of other users in the ARRS-RPROG-VPETOST-D/2014
form published on the Agency’s website and send it by e-mail to
vpetostprogram@arrs.si by 12
February 2015 12.00 noon. A printed, signed and stamped form shall also
be sent via regular mail to:
Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS)
Bleiweisova cesta 30
1000 Ljubljana
also by 12 February 2015, 12 noon. The Agency will take into account
the data from those forms only if the candidate is a member of no programme
group.
- 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-RPROJ-JR-Prijava/2014-I form.
The application to the Call is made by using the ARRS-RPROJ-JR-Prijava/2014-I
form on the Agency’s web portal
eObrazci.The
portal can be used by researchers entered in the Agency Records, administrators
of the eObrazci
portal in the RI, authorised persons representing the RI and additional users.There
are two ways of logging in the
eObrazci 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
eObrazci
portal by themselves, other users get it from the administrator of
eObrazci
in the RI or the Agency). The application form is simultaneously filled
in Slovene and English – it needs to be filled in both languages.
- Assessment criteria
The evaluation conditions, criteria and indicators for assessing
project proposals are specified in the Rules and Project Manager Rules, whereas
the assessment method is set out in the Methodology.
Project proposals are assessed in a two-stage procedure:
Stage I
Prior to the publication of the Call, Pursuant to Article
85 of the Rules the Agency invites project managers in writing to apply for
a limited number of research projects within the Call.The invitation is submitted
to the heads of research programmes with members, project managers, whose financing
of one or more research projects (basic, applicative) shall complete one year
from the latest public call for proposals for research projects, namely by 17
September 2015. The implementation period does not include the period covering
the extension of the deadline for the project implementation, excluding additional
funding, in order to extend the period of generating eligible project costs.
If the members of a research programme apply for a number
of projects exceeding the number of completed research projects, their applications
directly enter the second stage of the Call. In the response to the invitation,
the head of the research programme submits the names of researchers who are
members of the programme group as at 22 December 2014 and who will be engaged
in the application to the Call as the managers of research projects. The head
of the research programme and co-implementers of the research programme decide
by mutual agreement on the applicant and the research project managers.
If the members of a research programme submit more research
project applications than specified in the previous paragraph, all the applications
are first evaluated in stage I similarly to all other applications meeting all
terms and conditions of the invitation.
Applications for projects are checked by members of the Scientific
councils of the (scientific) fields (hereinafter: SCF), and in the case of applying
for a project in an 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 manager and the content of proposed research. If a member of
the SCF is at the same time an applicant, another researcher put forward by
the chair of the SCF shall propose any reclassification.
The Agency will use assessments from the assessment procedure
to classify projects as the 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+B4+B5.
The A category also includes post-doctoral 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
shall have the B1+B2+B3+B4+B5 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+B4+B5 less than
15 and other projects not included in the A category.
Stage II
(1) The Agency calls upon the applicants included in the
second stage of the project selection (A category) to prepare within three weeks
a supplemented application by using ARRS-RPROJ-JR-Prijava-2014-II form (hereinafter:the
Stage II Application) and submit the supplemented research project proposal
to the web portal
eObrazci.
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-financer of the project shall, in accordance
with the Rules on state aid in research & development, no. 007-6/2009-8 of 17
June 2009 and no. 007-7/2014-1 of 26 September 2014, submit a filled in form
for granting state aid, ARRS-RPROJ-JR-Prijava/2014-II-DP.
- Amount of the Call
The planned annual amount for the Call is EUR 12,000,000.00.
Allocation of co-financing funds in 2016 in line with the Call shall take into
account the distribution of funds by scientific field annually that will roughly
preserve the fund ratios between scientific fields from 2014.
The Call shall 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 up to 75% of eligible project costs of
applicative projects. At least 25% of eligible project costs of applicative
projects will be covered by other interested users and the applicants shall
submit the evidence on project co-financing (agreement on co-financing), namely
for the entire period of project implementation with regard to the research
hour price in the beginning of financing. Projects cannot be co-financed by
research institutions entered in the records of research institutions kept by
the Agency, except companies. Co-financing shall mandatory be in cash. A co-financier
of an applicative project can be a co-contractor of the same applicative project,
namely up to maximum 10% of the volume of the project, except when a company
is the applicant of the same applicative project.
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. 103/11, 56/12 and 15/14), 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. During the project implementation, the number of hours of
a participating RI in an individual year can be 0 hours.
After a project is approved, the applicant must open a special
webpage on the website of its RI which will be intended for the project.Mandatory
contents of the webpage are:description of the content of the project with the
basic data on financing, project group composition with the links to SICRIS,
project phases and their implementation, bibliographic references arising directly
from the project implementation and the logos of the Slovenian Research Agency
and other co-financers. The webpage must be maintained active 5 years after
the project completion. The Agency will maintain the common website of all projects
approved within the Call.
- Duration of research projects
The planned beginning of the (co)financing of project implementation
is 1 December 2015.
The Agency will (co)finance selected projects up to three
years except for post-doctoral research projects which will be (co)financed
for two years. The selected research project will be allocated an annual number
of research hours, which means that thus the annual volumes of research hours
for all years of project duration in the Call are determined.
- Selection of research projects
10.1. – Stage I
The applications will be assessed by the procedure and method
set by the Project Rules and the Methodology.
A professional body will prepare a draft list of projects
to be included in Stage II of the selection (A category, see point 7 of the
Call) and a draft list of projects to be rejected in Stage I of the selection
(B category), and submits both of them to the SCF for discussion.
The SCA will adopt a draft list of the financially evaluated
priority projects of the A category to be included in Stage II of the application
selection process and a draft list of the B category projects to be rejected
after Stage I. The draft decision is submitted for adoption to the Director
of the Agency. On the basis of the decision, the Director of the Agency will
send the applicants individual decisions regarding the approval or rejection
of the application.
10.2. – Stage II
The panel prepares a draft list of priority projects and
submits it to the SCA for discussion. The SCA prepares a draft list of financially
evaluated priority projects after the second round of the assessment and submits
it for approval to the Director of the Agency. On the basis of the decision,
the Director of the Agency will send the applicants individual decisions regarding
the approval or rejection of the application.
10.3. - Legal remedies
The applicant may submit an objection against the decision
on the results of the selection within 15 days from the date of the notification
of the selection.The Management Board of the Agency decides on these objections.
An objection shall not delay signing of contracts with the selected applicants.
- 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-RPROJ-JR-Prijava/2014-I form on the Agency’s web portal
eObrazci. A submitted
application shall be complete, if it contains both digital signatures (of the
authorised person of the RI and the research project manager).
The applications shall be submitted by 12 February 2015,
12 noon. We advise the applicants not to submit applications on the last
day because the server may overload.
An application shall be deemed duly if it is submitted to
the web portal eObrazci
by 12 February 2015, 12.00 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 unsigned in electronic
form (to the Agency’s eObrazci web portal) and in print, bearing the original
signature of the authorised person of the RI and the research project manager
respectively and the stamp of the RI.
Both electronic and printed forms 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-RPROJ-JR/2014-I /...) with the indication of the field on the envelope
(copy from point 7 of the application form) and the name and address of the
applicant, sent to the address:
Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS)
Bleiweisova cesta 30
1000 Ljubljana
The applications shall be deemed timely when submitted in
printed and electronic formats by the deadline. An application shall be timely
if submitted in electronic form to the Agency’s
eObrazci
web portal by 12 February 2015, 12.00 noon whereas the printed format
is to be received in the mail room of the Agency by 12 February 2015, 12.00
noon. The applications sent by registered mail from Slovenia by 12 February
2015, 12 noon (postal stamp) shall also be deemed timely.
11.3. Completeness of applications
An application shall be considered complete if submitted
using a prescribed form and the format (point 11.1 - with digital signature,
point 11.2. – without digital signature) and containing all data as prescribed
herein. An application will be regarded as incomplete if the applicant does
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.
- Applications opening date
The committee for opening applications will open all timely delivered and
properly marked applications at the registered office of the Slovenian Research
Agency, Bleiweisova cesta 30, 1000 Ljubljana, on 16 February 2015, 10 a.m.
- Deadline by which the applicants will be informed of the results
of the Call
The applicants are expected to be informed of the project
selection after Stage I of the selection process by the end of June 2015. The
applicants are expected to be informed of the project selection after Stage
II in November 2015.
- Method, form and deadline for submitting applications – Stage II
The application submission procedure will be similar to Stage
I. The applicants entering Stage II will be informed in writing of the method,
format and deadline for the submission of the application forms.
- Place, time and contact 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 on the Agency’s website http://www.arrs.gov.si
and the Slovenian Research Agency, Bleiweisova cesta 30, 1000 Ljubljana, and
telephone number 400 5960 (Ms Vanja Rodič, Ms Almira Bremec, Ms Alja Kastelic
Primc, Ms Mateja Gašpirc and Ms Tina Valenci).
Number: 6316-15/2014-2
Date: 24. 12. 2014
Slovenian Research Agency
Prof Dr József Györkös
Director
Published in the Official Gazette of the RS, no. 94/2014 dated 24 December
2014.
Documentation of the Call:
- Sample of the Application Form for Phase I:
- Sample of the Application Form for Phase II:
- Sample of the assessment sheet Phase I:
- Sample of the assessment sheet Phase II:
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