Programmes and projects |
Research projects |
Calls |
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The Slovenian
Research and Innovation Agency, Bleiweisova cesta 30, 1000 Ljubljana, on the
basis of Article 32 in conjunction with Article 12 of the Scientific Research
and Innovation Activities Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia,
Nos. 186/21, 40/23, 102/24 and 40/25; hereinafter: ZZrID), the Rules Determining
Special Projects of National Importance and the Regulatory Framework for the
Determination of Salaries for Researchers (Official Gazette of the Republic of
Slovenia, Nos. 126/23, 106/24 and 80/25), Articles 10 and 13 of the General Act
on Procedures for (Co-)Financing, Evaluation and Monitoring of Research
Activities (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, Nos. 166/22 and 92/24;
hereinafter: General Act on Procedures), Lead Agency Agreement – Memorandum of
Understanding on Unilateral Governance and Mutual Recognition of Evaluation
Procedures of 4 April 2014 (hereinafter: Agreement with the Hungarian NKFIH
Agency), Lead Agency Agreement – Memorandum of Understanding on Unilateral
Governance and Mutual Recognition of Evaluation Procedures of 4 April 2014,
Multilateral Lead Agency Agreement (MLA) of 12 November 2019 (hereinafter: WEAVE
Agreement) and the Methodology for the Assessment of Applications in the
Procedures for the (Co‑)Financing of Scientific Research Activities No.
6319-1/2026-1 of 12 February 2026 (hereinafter: Methodology) publishes a
Public Call for the (Co-)Financing of Research Projects in 2026 for 2027
1. Name and
registered office of the budgetary funds user
Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency, Bleiweisova cesta 30, 1000 Ljubljana
(hereinafter: ARIS).
2. Subject of the
Call
The subject of the
Public Call for the (co-)financing of research projects in 2026 for 2027
(hereinafter: the Call) is the (co-)financing of research projects:
- post-doctoral
basic research projects (hereinafter: post-doctoral basic projects) and
post-doctoral applied research projects (hereinafter: post-doctoral applied
projects);
- basic projects at
the base or reduced funding value for young doctors (maximum 7 years after
defending the first doctoral dissertation);
- basic projects at
the base or reduced funding value for the middle generation of researchers
(maximum 15 years after defending the first doctoral dissertation);
- basic projects at
the base or reduced funding value for other researchers (more than 15 years
after defending the first doctoral dissertation);
- basic projects at
the base or reduced funding value regardless of the year of defending the
first doctoral dissertation;
- applied projects
at the base or reduced funding value (hereinafter: applied projects);
- basic projects at
the base funding value – Dr. Aleš Debeljak Programme (hereinafter: basic
projects – AD Programme).
3. Indicative amount of funds for the Call
3.1. Estimated annual
amount
The estimated
indicative annual amount of financing for the realisation of items 2.a, 2.b,
2.c, 2.d, 2.e, 2.f and 2.g is €34,050,000.00, allocated as follows:
- for item 2.a
€3,225,000.00;
- for items 2.b, 2.c,
2.d and 2.e €20,925,000.00;
- for item 2.f
€8,100,000.00;
- for item 2.g
€1,800,000.00.
The Call will be
realised in view of the financing resources available in the budget of the
Republic of Slovenia and ARIS.
The distribution of
funds in the Call is defined by scientific research domains as defined by the
ERC panels' classification of domains.
3.2. Distribution of
indicative annual funds in terms of items 2.a, 2.b, 2.c, 2.d, 2.e and 2.f in the
amount of €32,250,000.00 per ERC domain
|
ERC
domain |
Ratio of funds in the Call (in %) |
|
Physical Sciences and Engineering (PE) |
47.55 |
|
Life Sciences (LS) |
29.46 |
|
Social Sciences and Humanities (SH) |
22.99 |
|
TOTAL |
100.00 |
Information about the capacity of
ERC domains for
the realisation of item 2.a is published on the ARIS website.
Information about the capacity of
ERC domains for
the realisation of items 2.b, 2.c, 2d and 2.e is published on the ARIS website.
Item 5.1 specifies the minimum amount of financing for clinical studies and the
minimum amount of financing for interdisciplinary research within items 2.b, 2.c
and 2.d.
Information about the capacity of
ERC domains for
the realisation of item 2.f is published on the ARIS website. For item 2.f, the
indicative amount of financing for clinical studies is also specified, namely in
item 5.2.
3.3. Amount and share
of (co-)financing
3.3.1. Amount of
(co-)financing
ARIS shall finance up
to 100% of eligible project costs for basic projects at the base or reduced
funding value (hereinafter: basic projects), post‑doctoral basic projects and
basic projects – AD Programme. ARIS shall finance up to 75% of eligible project
costs for applied projects and post-doctoral applied projects.
3.3.2. Share of
(co-)financing
Basic projects at the
base funding value or applied projects at the base funding value shall
be (co‑)financed at the indicative annual amount of €150,000.00. At the proposal
of the international panel, the project may be (co-)financed at the indicative
reduced funding value of €75,000.00 annually.
Calculated in
terms of effective project research hours this equates with approximately:
- 3595 hours annually
in Price Class A (1797 hours for projects valued at €75,000.00),
- 3210 hours
annually in Price Class B (1605 hours for projects valued at €75,000.00),
- 2825 hours
annually in Price Class C (1413 hours for projects valued at €75,000.00),
- 2545 hours
annually in Price Class D (1272 hours for projects valued at €75,000.00),
- 2319 hours
annually in Price Class E (1159 hours for projects valued at €75,000.00) or
- 2129 hours
annually in Price Class F (1065 hours for projects valued at €75,000.00).
Basic projects – AD
Programme
shall
be (co-)financed at the indicative annual amount of €150,000.00. Calculated in
terms of effective project research hours, this equates with approximately:
- 2557 hours annually in Price Class A,
- 2356 hours annually in Price Class B,
- 2142 hours annually in Price Class C,
- 1977 hours annually in Price Class D,
- 1838 hours annually in Price Class E, or
- 1717 hours annually in Price Class F.
Post-doctoral basic
projects shall
be (co‑)financed for 1700 annual effective hours of project research work (1
FTE) in Price Class B.
Post-doctoral applied
projects shall
be (co‑)financed for 1275 effective research hours annually (0.75 FTE) in Price
Class B.
The selected project
shall be assigned an annual volume of research hours at the valid cost of the
full‑time equivalent at the time of allocation, which means that the annual
scope of effective project research hours is thus determined for all years of
the project’s duration under the Call. The volume of (co-)financing is annually
adjusted with the valid price of the full-time equivalent for an individual
year.
In view of the number
of effective research hours (co-)financed from the budget of the Republic of
Slovenia, ARIS shall, in accordance with the provisions of the Decree on the
Scientific Research Funding from the Budget of the Republic of Slovenia
(Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, Nos. 35/22, 144/22 and 79/23),
(co-)finance the work of an individual researcher according to their research
employment share, but for a maximum of 1700 effective project research hours per
year. The minimum annual workload of a researcher per individual project is 34
effective hours of research work.
3.3.3. (Co)financing
of an applied project
The applicant of an
applied project or a post‑doctoral applied project must ensure (co‑)financing of
the project in the amount of 25% of the eligible project costs by other
interested users (hereinafter: (co-)financier).
Upon entering the
contract with ARIS, the applicant must attach a signed (co‑)financing contract
for the applied project with the annual (co‑)financing schedule for the entire
duration of the project, established so that:
- in the case of
three‑year projects, at least 1/3 of the total (co‑)financing amount shall
be paid by the end of the first year of project implementation and at least
2/3 of the total (co‑)financing amount shall be paid by the end of the
second year of implementation;
- in the case of
two‑year projects, at least 1/2 of the total (co‑)financing amount shall be
paid by the end of the first year of project implementation.
The full amount of
(co-)financing must be paid by the end of the implementation of the applied
project.
As the starting value
for entering the (co‑)financing contract for the applied project, three times
the annual financial amount of the project from the Call shall be taken. If the
applicant does not attach the signed (co‑)financing contract for the applied
project, the contract for the implementation and (co‑)financing of the research
and development activity (hereinafter: project (co‑)financing contract) with
ARIS shall not be entered into, regardless of whether the director’s decision on
the selection of applications, which determined that the application for the
applied project is selected for (co‑)financing, has already been issued.
All project costs and
revenues must be accounted for in a single cost centre.
(Co‑)financing may be
provided in cash or by direct purchase from the (co‑)financier’s resources for
the acquisition of research equipment which is recorded as tangible fixed assets
of the applicant. (Co‑)financing in kind, except for the purchase of research
equipment or in the form of work by employees of the (co‑)financier, is not
permitted.
The projects cannot
be (co-)financed by research organisations that are entered into the database of
scientific research activity at ARIS (hereinafter: RO Database), except for
business companies.
A (co-)financier of
an applied project may also be a co-implementer of the same applied project,
together up to a maximum of 10% of the ARIS (co‑)financing amount of the
project. If the applicant is a (co-)financier of an applied project, the above
mentioned limit does not apply to the applicant.
In the event of a
reduction in the (co-)financing of the project by the (co-)financier, the
applicant is obliged to comply with the
ARIS rules and procedures for the
management of applied projects if other interested users reduce the
(co‑)financing of project implementation as well as the ARIS rules and
procedures in the event of a change in the composition of the consortium
implementing the research project,
No. 007-26/2024-1 of 24 September, 2024
4. Entities eligible
to apply for the Call
The Call is open to
research organisations registered in the RO Database and to private researchers
registered in the ARIS Register of Private Researchers who meet the conditions
laid down in the ZZrID and the General Act on Procedures. Only research
organisations can apply for the basic projects – AD Programme.
If there are several
providers of scientific research activities collaborating on a project, the
applicant is the parent research organisation. The parent research organisation
is the one that submits the project application, is listed first on the
application form and employs the project leader at the time of signing the
project (co-)financing contract. Projects which are (co-)financed by ARIS and
comply with the framework programme of research and technology development
activities of the EU shall be open to research entities from the EU, whereby the
said entities (co-)finance their own part of research using their own funds. The
applicants may register these subjects as participating research teams.
5. Objective of the
Call
The objective of the Call is to select for (co-)financing:
5.1. Basic projects
and post-doctoral (basic and applied) projects
The amount of
€450,000.00 is allocated to clinical studies for the realisation of items 2.b,
2.c and 2.d. At least €1,050,000.00 is allocated to interdisciplinary research
under items 2.b, 2.c and 2.d, of which €450,000.00 is allocated to ERC domain
Physical Sciences and Engineering (PE), €300,000.00 to ERC domain Life Sciences
(LS), and €300,000.00 to ERC domain Social Sciences and Humanities (SH).
No more than 10% of
projects amounting to €75,000.00 within items 2.b., 2.c, 2.d and 2.e can be
approved for all the ERC domains in total. Projects amounting to €75,000.00 are
usually assigned to applications that are at the bottom of the list of approved
applications.
5.2. Applied projects
Within the scope of
item 2.f, €4,950,000.00 EUR (61.11%) is allocated to ERC domain Physical
Sciences and Engineering (PE), €1,950,000.00 (24,07%) to ERC domain Life
Sciences (LS) and €1,200,000.00 (14.81%) to Social Sciences and Humanities (SH).
The amount of
€300,000.00 is allocated to clinical studies for the realisation of item 2.f.
No more than 10% of
projects amounting to €75,000.00 within item 2.f can be approved for all the ERC
domains in total. Projects amounting to €75,000.00 are usually assigned to
applications that are at the bottom of the list of approved applications.
Applied projects are
not to be submitted under the agreement with the Hungarian agency NKFIH and
under the WEAVE agreement with the Austrian agency FWF, the Polish agency NCN,
the Swiss agency SNSF, the Croatian agency HRZZ, the Flemish agency FWO, the
Czech agency GAČR, the Luxembourg agency FNR and the German agency DFG.
5.3. Basic programmes
– AD Programme
Initially, four
top-ranked projects are selected within each ERC domain, whereby they cannot
belong to the same field within the ERC domain, except in the cases specified in
item 10.
Basic projects – AD
Programme are not to be submitted under the agreement with the Hungarian agency
NKFIH and under the WEAVE agreement with the Austrian agency FWF, the Polish
agency NCN, the Swiss agency SNSF, the Croatian agency HRZZ, the Flemish agency
FWO, the Czech agency GAČR, the Luxembourg agency FNR and the German agency
DFG.
6. Eligibility
conditions and co(financing) allocation criteria
The conditions for
applying to the Call for basic and applied projects, post-doctoral basic
projects and post-doctoral applied projects are set out in the ZZrID, the Methodology
and the General
Act on Procedures,
as well as in the agreement with the Hungarian agency NKFIH and the WEAVE
agreement. All listed documents are published on the ARIS website.
6.1. Requirements for
basic and applied projects and post-doctoral (basic and applied) projects
6.1.1 Entry
conditions
1) The applicant to
the Call must be an eligible applicant in accordance with item 4.
2) Basic and applied
projects must be carried out by a project team consisting of the project leader,
researchers, as well as technical and/or professional staff.
3) A post-doctoral
project (basic and applied) is carried out by one researcher only.
4) Project leader:
- must hold a
doctoral degree obtained in accordance with Article 63 of the ZZrID;
- must have a
researcher identification number which means that the project leader is
registered in the RO Database or the Register of Private Researchers. In
order to obtain a researcher identification number for the project leader,
the applicant must fill out the ARIS-ZOP-02/2023-1 form and submit an
accompanying statement on the intention of employment;
- an applicant
cannot be a researcher whose project, in which they acted as project leader,
received a negative evaluation of the final report in the three years
preceding the year of the Call;
- an applicant
cannot be a researcher whose project application, in which they acted as
project leader, received, in the previous Call, a number of points below the
overall threshold for the sum of all evaluation scores as determined by
Article 71 or Article 72 of the General Act on Procedures;
- an applicant
cannot be a researcher, who one year after the submission date, is the
project leader of more than one project (co‑)financed by ARIS; this
limitation also includes projects with an extended implementation period
under Article 81 of the General Act on Procedures or Article 104 of the
regulation that was in force prior to the adoption of this General Act on
Procedures. The limitation referred to in the preceding sentence does not
apply to targeted research programmes (TRP) and projects referred to in item
3 of Article 3 of the General Act on Procedures and Article 103 of the
General Act on Procedures, as well as to new projects; similarly, it does
not apply to projects referred to in Article 102 of the General Act on
Procedures that are (co-)financed in an amount of less than €50,000.00 per
year.
5) The project leader
who is listed as a post-doctoral researcher in the application must meet the
following conditions:
- that no more than
three years have elapsed since the year after defending their first doctoral
dissertation (doctoral defence period from 1 January, 2023 until the closing
date of the Call) and
- that they have
not yet carried out a post-doctoral project or been (co-)financed under the
Call for Early-Career Researchers.
6) A project leader
who is listed as a young doctor in the application must meet the condition that
no more than seven years have elapsed since the year of defending their first
doctoral dissertation (doctoral defence period from 1 January, 2019 until the
closing date of the Call).
7) A project leader
who is listed as a mid-career researcher in the application must meet the
condition that no more than fifteen years have elapsed since the year of
defending their first doctoral dissertation (doctoral defence period from 1
January, 2011 to 31 December, 2018).
The project leader’s
period for determining the researcher’s career stage is extended for the
duration of justified absence due to parental leave and other types of justified
absence specified in health insurance regulations, provided that the absence is
uninterrupted and longer than six months, and the extension may not exceed the
duration of the justified absence.
8) The applicant for
a basic project – AD Programme shall have adopted an internal act in accordance
with Article 5
of the Rules Determining Special
Projects of National Importance and the Regulatory Framework for the
Determination of Salaries for Researchers.
6.1.2 Other
conditions
1) If a project team
comprises several project sub-teams at various research organisations, the
applicant must have a signed agreement with the other participating research
organisations on the regulation of mutual rights and obligations. The
participating research organisation must collaborate with at least 170 effective
hours of research work during the period of the project’s implementation,
whereby the minimum amount of the research organisation's collaboration is 170
effective hours of research work per annum. During the project’s implementation,
the number of effective hours of research work rendered annually by the
participating research organisation can be 0.
2) The applicant of
an applied project or a post-doctoral applied project must ensure that at least
25% of eligible project costs are covered by other interested users with whom a
written agreement on (co-)financing must be entered into.
3) The project leader
and the members of the project teams must have available capacities as regards
FTE to carry out the project (the maximum permitted capacity for full-time
employment is 1700 effective hours of research work or 1 FTE), namely:
- the project
leader must have at least 170 effective research hours (0.1 FTE) annually,
- a project team
member (except for young researchers, doctoral students financed from other
sources and retired researchers who may participate in the project with 0
effective research hours) must contribute at least 34 effective research
hours (0.02 FTE) per year,
- JRZ directors may
participate in the project with 0 effective hours of research work.
4) The project leader
must be employed by the applicant research organisation in the Republic of
Slovenia carrying out the research project for at least 20% of full-time
employment or must hold the status of a private researcher.
5) Members of project
teams must be employed by the research organisation carrying out the research
project or hold the status of a private researcher.
6) The project leader
must be the same person at the time of submission of the application and at the
time of entering into the project (co-)financing contract.
6.1.3 Fulfilment of
conditions
6.1.3.1. Entry
conditions
The entry conditions
(item 6.1.1.) must be fulfilled on the last day of the application submission
deadline. If the entry conditions are not fulfilled, the application shall be
rejected.
6.1.3.2. Other
conditions
Other conditions
(item 6.1.2.) must be fulfilled at the time of entering into the project
(co-)financing contract, with the exception of the condition in the second
indent of paragraph 3 (available capacities of project team members) which must
be fulfilled on the day the project team member commences work on the project.
If the conditions set
out in this item are not met, the project (co-)financing contract shall not be
entered into.
6.1.3.3. Additional
conditions for applicants submitting projects under the agreement with the
Hungarian agency NKFIH and under the WEAVE agreement with the Austrian agency
FWF, the Polish agency NCN, the Swiss agency SNSF, the Flemish agency FWO, the
Croatian agency HRZZ, the Czech agency GAČR, the Luxembourg agency FNR and the
German agency DFG
6.1.3.3.1. Common
provisions for applicants submitting a project under agreements with partner
agencies
Only basic projects
as defined in items 2.b, 2.c, 2.d and 2.e may be submitted.
If a joint
application is not submitted to the partner agency or both partner agencies in
the case of trilateral cooperation, the application shall not be further
evaluated and shall be rejected.
If the entry
conditions of one of the participating agencies are not met, the application
shall be deemed to have been rejected by all participating agencies.
Only applications
accepted for (co-)financing by both or all participating agencies shall be
selected for (co-)financing.
6.1.3.3.2. Additional
requirements for applicants who submit projects under the agreement with the
Hungarian agency NKFIH
Applicants may submit
projects in collaboration with Hungarian researchers (researchers who work in
Hungarian research organisations), whereby ARIS acts as the “lead agency” and
performs the project review. Hungarian researchers are required to submit a
joint project application to the NKFIH in accordance with the NKFIH
requirements. The total amount of NCFIH funds must be less than the total amount
of (co-)financing for the Slovenian part of the project.
6.1.3.3.3. Additional
conditions for applicants submitting projects under the WEAVE agreement with the
Austrian agency FWF, the Polish agency NCN, the Swiss agency SNSF, the Flemish
agency FWO, the Croatian agency HRZZ, the Czech agency GAČR, the Luxembourg
agency FNR and the German agency DFG (ARIS in the role of the lead agency)
Applicants may submit
projects in collaboration with Austrian, Polish, Swiss, Flemish, Croatian,
Czech, Luxembourg and German researchers (researchers working in Austrian,
Polish, Swiss, Flemish, Croatian, Czech, Luxembourg and German organisations)
where ARIS acts as the "lead agency" responsible for reviewing the project.
Slovenian applicants may submit the application with:
- Austrian
researchers who simultaneously submit the application to the FWF as required
by the FWF,
- Polish
researchers who simultaneously submit the application to the NCN as required
by the NCN,
- Swiss researchers
who simultaneously submit the application to the SNSF as required by the
SNSF,
- Flemish
researchers who simultaneously submit the application to the FWO as required
by the FWO,
- Croatian
researchers who simultaneously submit the application to the HRZZ as
required by the HRZZ,
- Czech researchers
who simultaneously submit the application to the GAČR as required by the
GAČR,
- Luxembourg
researchers who simultaneously submit the application to the FNR as required
by the FNR and
- German
researchers who simultaneously submit the application to the DFG as required
by the DFG.
Applicants may also
submit an application in combination with researchers from two of the countries
listed under item 6.1.3.3.3. Regardless of the above, it is not possible to
submit trilateral applications in cooperation with both Flemish and Czech
researchers (participating agencies FWO and GAČR). Researchers from partner
countries shall submit the application to the foreign partner agencies in
accordance with their requirements.
6.2. Requirements for
basic projects – AD Programme
- On the closing
date of the Call, and for at least the last year prior to that date, the
leader of the submitted project must reside abroad. During the same period,
they must not have an employment contract in the Republic of Slovenia, nor a
suspension of employment contract (either legal suspension or suspension
based on an agreement with the employer), nor hold the status of a private
researcher in the Republic of Slovenia. The requirement of living abroad for
at least one year is also considered fulfilled if the leader of the
submitted project defended their doctoral dissertation abroad no more than
one year prior to the closing date of the Call.
- On the closing
date of the Call, the leader of the submitted project must fulfil the
requirement that no more than 15 years have passed since the year of
defending their first doctoral dissertation (doctoral defence period from 1
January 2011 until the closing date of the Call).
- The leader of the
submitted project must be a citizen of the Republic of Slovenia on the
closing date of the Call.
- The leader of the
submitted project must hold a doctoral degree in accordance with Article 63
of the ZZrID.
- The leader of the
submitted project must be listed as working on the research project they
lead for at least 340 effective research hours annually (20% of 1700
effective research hours). Upon entering into the contract for the
(co-)financing of the project, the project leader must have on record at
least 20% of their employment allocated to scientific research activities.
- The leader of the
submitted project must not have previously received (co-)financing under the
same or a similar scheme, i.e. a scheme intended for (co-)financing projects
of researchers returning to the Republic of Slovenia from abroad.
7. Applying to the
Call
In the application,
the applicant selects one ERC domain and one ARIS sub-field or field, if it is
not divided into multiple sub-fields. In the case of interdisciplinary research,
the applicant must also specify an additional – secondary – ERC sub-field and
ARIS sub-field or field, if it is not divided into multiple sub-fields. The
primary and secondary ERC sub-fields must be selected in two different ERC
fields. The primary and secondary ARIS sub-field or field, if it is not divided
into multiple sub-fields, must be selected from two different ARIS disciplines.
When applying for
interdisciplinary projects, applicants must indicate which strategic objective
of the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union the proposed project
addresses:
- Green transition;
- Digital
transition.
The strategic
objectives defined by the ministry responsible for science are presented in the
draft
Council Recommendation on a Pact
for Research and Innovation in Europe (COM/2021/407),
in the presentation of the
European Green Transition on
the European Commission website and in the Joint Research Centre (JRC) report
"The twin green & digital
transition: How sustainable digital technologies could enable a carbon-neutral
EU by 2050".
The research represents the scientific basis for technological solutions for the
green transition and digitalisation, the impact of the green transition and
digitalisation on the functioning of society and social activities, human
health, and the protection of natural and cultural heritage.
The composition of
the project team is also an integral part of the application. Project team
members whose most important research achievements are listed on the application
must participate in the project team at all times, unless their employment
relationship with the applicant or contractor ends or in case of another
similarly justified reason. For a change due to another similarly justified
reason, the applicant or contractor must submit an application to ARIS.
Applicants who cannot yet specify the researchers involved in the project at the
time of application (primarily foreign post-doctoral researchers who do not yet
have appropriate contracts) should list them only in the designated section of
the application form. In the application, a maximum of 20% of annual research
hours may be allocated to them collectively.
The joint project
application based on the agreement with the Hungarian agency NKFIH and under the
WEAVE agreement with the Austrian agency FWF, the Polish agency NCN, the Swiss
agency SNSF, the Croatian agency HRZZ, the Flemish agency FWO, the Czech agency
GAČR, the Luxembourg agency FNR and the German agency DFG consists of a joint
scientific description of the project, describing the scientific contributions
of individual partners. The joint project application must have a common
research question and a unified research plan, while the individual
national/regional parts of the project must be closely related and
complementary. The scientific contribution of each partner must be clearly
visible. Cost estimates must be provided separately for each national part of
the project and must follow the guidelines of the (co-)financing partner agency.
Should the joint project be approved, the project parts will be (co-)financed by
ARIS and the foreign partner agency/agencies in accordance with their respective
regulations.
Applicants for a
clinical study project must select one ERC domain within the ERC Life Sciences
(LS) and one ARIS field within the ARIS discipline of medicine. In the case of
interdisciplinary study, this should be the primary field. A clinical study must
meet at least one of the following conditions:
- the
treatment strategy is predefined for the participant and is not part of the
standard clinical practice of the EU Member State;
- the
decision to prescribe an investigational medicinal product and the decision to
enrol a participant in the clinical study are made simultaneously;
- additional tests or follow-ups are planned for participants that are not part of
standard clinical practice.
For each project
application in which the applicant selects clinical medicine as the research
field, the applicant must specifically justify that the project is clinically
oriented. This will be verified and either approved or rejected by the
international panel during the evaluation procedure. Clinical studies must
demonstrate the participation of healthcare/educational institutions for at
least 30% of the research hours.
Applications in which
the applicant selects medicine as the research field and which are rejected on
the basis of the assessment of the international panel or for failure to meet
the project team composition requirement, cannot be included in the proposed
priority list of applications.
In the event that the
project is selected for (co-)financing with an annual budget of €75,000.00, the
applicant may exclude or reduce the participation share of participating
research organisations, which must be indicated in the application to the Call –
item 25 of the application form (specifying the share of participating research
organisations). If the applicant does not specify adjustments to the project
proposal in the application in the event of reduced funding amount, it is
understood that the project cannot be implemented at a reduced scale and this
may be a reason for the application not to be included in the proposed priority
list of applications.
In the application,
the applicant indicates whether the content of the project is considered a trade
secret according to the Trade Secrets Act (Official Gazette of the Republic of
Slovenia, No. 22/19).
8. Evaluation
criteria and indicators
The criteria and
indicators for the evaluation of projects are set out in Articles 71 and 72 of
the General Procedures Act:
- for basic
projects and post-doctoral basic projects:
- Scientific
Excellence of Researchers;
- Scientific
Excellence of Application;
- Quality and
Efficiency of Implementation;
- for applied
projects and post-doctoral applied projects:
- Scientific
Excellence of Researchers;
- Scientific
Excellence of Application;
- Quality and
Efficiency of Implementation;
- Social and
Economic Impact;
- for basic project
– AD Programme:
- Scientific
Excellence of Researchers;
- Scientific
Excellence of Application;
- Quality and
Efficiency of Implementation.
9. Project evaluation
The evaluation of
project applications is carried out in accordance with the General Procedures
and Methodology Act.
Project applications are evaluated by two foreign reviewers.
10. Selection of
applications
Project applications
with a total or individual score below the threshold specified in the General
Procedures and Methodology Act cannot be included in the selection for
(co-)financing.
The international
panel, organised at the level of ERC domains, approves by majority decision the
proposed priority list of applications for (co-)financing (hereinafter: priority
list of applications), which is then submitted by the external expert panel to
the ARIS Scientific Council (hereinafter: Scientific Council) for consideration.
In the case of a tie
in scores between two or more basic, post-doctoral basic, or basic projects – AD
Programme, the panel, when deciding on the proposed selection of applications,
takes into account the evaluations, the project applications and the applicants’
responses to individual reviewers’ reports in cases where the reports differ. In
this context, for the proposed priority list of applications, the panel ranks
higher the application with a higher score for the criterion Scientific
Excellence of Application, followed by the application with a higher score for
the criterion Scientific Excellence of Researchers. In the event that, after
ranking applications according to the criterion in the previous sentence, there
are still several applications with the same score, the panel shall justify its
decision regarding the ranking of the application on the proposed priority list.
In the case of a tie
in scores between two or more applied or post-doctoral applied project
applications, the panel, when deciding on the proposed selection of
applications, takes into account the evaluations, the project applications, and
the applicants’ responses to individual reviewers’ reports in cases where the
reports differ. In this context, for the proposed priority list of applications,
the panel ranks higher the application with a higher score for the criterion
Scientific Excellence of Application, followed by the application with a higher
score for the criterion Social and Economic Impact, and then the application
with a higher score for the criterion Scientific Excellence of Researchers. In
the event that, after ranking applications according to the criterion in the
previous sentence, there are still several applications with the same score, the
panel shall justify its decision regarding the ranking of the application on the
proposed priority list.
In the case of a tie
in scores between two or more post-doctoral basic and applied project
applications, the panel, when deciding on the proposed selection of
applications, takes into account the evaluations, the project applications, and
the applicants’ responses to individual reviewers’ reports in cases where the
reports differ. In this context, for the proposed priority list of applications,
the panel ranks higher the application with a higher score for the criterion
Scientific Excellence of Application, followed by the application with a higher
score for the criterion Scientific Excellence of Researchers. In the event that,
after ranking applications according to the criterion in the previous sentence,
there are still several applications with the same score, the panel shall
justify its decision regarding the ranking of the application on the proposed
priority list.
The Scientific
Council adopts the proposed decision on the selection of applications for
(co-)financing and submits it to the ARIS director for approval. The ARIS
director adopts the decision on the selection of applications, determining
whether an application is selected for (co-)financing or not.
For the selection of
applications submitted under the agreement with the Hungarian agency NKFIH, the
following applies:
- After the
evaluation process is completed, ARIS notifies the partner agency NKFIH
about the evaluation results. Following consideration by its decision-making
bodies, NKFIH provides ARIS with either approval of ARIS’s decision or a
reasoned rejection. Each partner agency shall inform the applicants of its
national part of the joint project regarding the outcome of the assessment
procedure.
For the selection of
applications submitted under the WEAVE agreement with the Austrian agency FWF,
the Polish agency NCN, the Swiss agency SNSF, the Flemish agency FWO, the
Croatian agency HRZZ, the Czech agency GAČR, the Luxembourg agency FNR and the
German agency DFG, the following applies based on the agreement between the
partner agencies:
- In case that
within items 2.b, 2.c, 2.d and 2.e, the success rate of applications in the
Call (the number of applications selected for (co-)financing in relation to
the number of applications received) exceeds 20%, applications ranked lower
than those included in the above 20% of applications, taking into account
the percentage-based value of the application score relative to the maximum
possible score for each application, shall not be included in the selection
for (co-)financing. By agreement with the partner agency, it is also
possible for the agencies to agree to (co-)finance, by mutual consent,
projects that received a positive evaluation in the review process but did
not exceed the agreed threshold.
After the completion
of the evaluation procedure, ARIS informs the partner agency/agencies of the
evaluation results, which, following consideration by their decision-making
bodies, provide ARIS with either approval of ARIS’s decision or a reasoned
rejection. Each partner agency shall inform the applicants of its national part
of the joint project regarding the outcome of the assessment procedure.
In the selection for
(co-)financing of basic projects within items 2.b, 2.c and 2.d, the following
applies:
- Within each ERC
domain, the capacity of the ERC fields is determined by the proportion of
applications with aligned scores considered by the international panel that
have achieved at least 80% of the maximum score.
In the selection for
(co-)financing of basic projects within item 2.e, the following applies:
Within each ERC
domain, ERC fields shall be identified in which no application has been included
in the proposed priority list under items 2.a, 2.b, 2.c, 2.d, 2.f and 2.g
(hereafter: excluded ERC field).
Applications are
included in the proposed priority list as follows:
- An
application that has achieved less than 80% of the maximum score in the overall
evaluation cannot be included in the proposed priority list of applications.
- First,
one highest-rated non-selected application from each excluded ERC field within
the ERC domain
under items 2.b, 2.c and 2.d is included in the proposed priority list of
applications, until the available funds are exhausted, in descending order of
score. Any remaining funds will be distributed among the highest-rated
non-selected applications under items 2.b, 2.c and 2.d within ERC domain.
- In the
case of a tie in scores between two or more applications within one or more ERC
fields, the panel, for the proposed priority list of applications, ranks higher
the application with a higher score for the criterion Scientific Excellence of
Application, followed by the application with a higher score for the criterion
Scientific Excellence of Researchers, and then the application whose project
leader defended their first doctoral degree more recently (based on the date of
doctoral defence).
For the selection of
applied projects for (co-)financing, the following applies:
- If the number of
applications included in the proposed priority list within an ERC domain is
lower than the available funds of the Call, the remaining funds of the Call (for
the purpose of item 2.f) shall be used to (co-)finance the highest-rated applied
project applications in ERC domains where the number of applications exceeds the
available funds. In the case of a tie in scores between two or more
applications, the panel, for the proposed priority list of applications, ranks
higher the application submitted in an ERC field that does not yet have a
selected application under item 2.f, followed by the application with a higher
score for the criterion Scientific Excellence of Application, then the
application with a higher score for the criterion Social and Economic Impact,
and finally the application whose project leader defended their first doctoral
degree more recently (based on the date of doctoral defence).
- If the number of
applications included in the proposed priority list is lower than the available
funds of the Call, the remaining funds of the Call (for the purpose of item 2.f)
shall be allocated among those ERC domains under item 2.e for which the number
of applications selected under item 2.f did not match the available funds, in
proportion to the share of unused funds for each domain.
In the selection for
the (co-)financing of basic projects – AD Programme, the following applies:
- The external
expert panel, based on the proposal of the international panel, prepares the
proposed priority list of applications in accordance with the provisions of
the relevant item. As a rule, within each ERC domain the four highest-rated
projects are initially included, provided that they do not belong to the
same field within the domain. In case all submitted projects within the
domain concern the same field, the selection for (co-)financing includes the
best rated projects concerning the same field.
- In the event that
funds remain unallocated in one domain, these funds shall be used to
(co-)finance the highest-rated applications in other domain where the number
of applications exceeds the available funds. In the case of a tie in scores
between two or more applications, the panel, for the proposed priority list
of applications, ranks higher the application submitted in a field that does
not yet have a selected application within the Dr. Aleš Debeljak Programme,
followed by the application with a higher score for the criterion Scientific
Excellence of Application, then the application with a higher score for the
criterion Scientific Excellence of Researchers, and finally the application
whose project leader defended their first doctoral degree more recently
(based on the date of doctoral defence).
- If fewer than 12
project applications are included in the proposed priority list, the
remaining funds of the Call (for the purpose of item 2.g) shall be
proportionally allocated to those ERC domains under item 2.e for which not
all funds were used under item 2.g.
- If a basic
project – AD Programme is not selected for (co-)financing within this
programme, it shall be included in the selection of basic projects in
accordance with the provisions applicable to the selection of such projects
and within the career stage of the project leader.
11. Project duration
The planned start of
(co-)financing and implementation of projects is 1 January 2027, depending on
the funds available in the budget of the Republic of Slovenia and the ARIS
financial plan, as well as other objective circumstances that may affect
implementation of the Call. Applicants will be informed of any potential changes
to the planned start date of (co-)financing and project implementation during
the Call procedure.
The selected projects
shall be (co-)financed by ARIS for up to three years, with the exception of
post-doctoral projects which shall be (co-)financed for two years.
12. Conclusion of the
project (co-)financing contract
The project
(co-)financing contract shall be signed no later than three months after the
adoption of the decision on the selection of the application. If there is a
delay in the start of (co-)financing, the contract shall be signed no later than
six months after the adoption of the decision on the selection of the
application.
13. Legal remedies
The applicant may
file an objection against the ARIS director’s decision on the application
selection within 15 days of receiving the decision. The ARIS Management Board
issues a decision on the appeal.
The lodging of an appeal shall not affect the signing of (co-)funding contracts
with the selected applicants.
14. Communicating
science
14.1. Open access to
peer-reviewed scientific publications
In accordance with
Article 41 of ZZrID and Articles 2 and 3 of the
Regulation on the implementation
of scientific research work in accordance with the principles of open science
(Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, Nos. 59/23 and 39/25;
hereinafter: the Regulation), all peer-reviewed scientific publications
resulting from the implementation of the research project, together with the
associated research data and other research results must be published with open
access.
In accordance with
the first indent of Article 3(1) of the Regulation, open access shall be
implemented in such a way that a machine-readable digital form of the published
version of a scientific publication (VoR) or peer-reviewed accepted manuscript
(AAM) is deposited in a trustworthy repository for scientific publications. A
trustworthy repository is a repository that is certified; or it is a
recordlinary, institutional, or other repository that researchers trust. The
scientific publication must also include information on the (co-)financier(s)
and the project number in accordance with Article 82 of the General Act on
Procedures as well as information on the share of (co-)financing from public
funds in accordance with Article 1 of the Regulation.
Open access costs
(APC or BPC costs), including costs for the preparation of scientific
publications and other research results, are eligible costs of a scientific
research activity.
Authors of scientific
publications or their employers, when the rights have been transferred to them,
may transfer copyright on scientific publications to third parties only on a
non-exclusive basis. Authors of scientific publications or their employers, when
the rights have been transferred to them, must, in accordance with Article 6(2)
of the Regulation, publish scientific publications under an open license, such
as CC BY, CC BY-SA or equivalent licenses.
14.2. Open access to
research data and other research results
According to Article
4 of the Regulation, research data and other research results along with their
metadata must be made publicly available and openly accessible.
In open access to
research data and other research results, in accordance with Article 4 of the
Regulation, the FAIR principle shall be applied, together with the principle
that research data and other research results should be “as open as possible, as
closed as necessary”. Regarding the method and timeliness of storing and the
accessibility of research data and other research results in digital form,
Articles 5(1) and 5(2) of the Regulation must be observed.
Authors of research
data and other research results or their employers, when the rights have been
transferred to them under the law, may transfer copyright on research data and
other research results to third parties only on a non-exclusive basis. Authors
of research data and other research results or their employers, when the rights
have been transferred to them, must, in accordance with Article 7(3) of the
Regulation, publish research data and other research results under an open
licence, such as CC BY, CC BY-SA or equivalent licences.
In accordance with
Article 4 of the Regulation, scientific research performers are required to
prepare and subsequently regularly update a Research Data Management Plan
(hereinafter: NRRP), which will have to be published on the project website
within 6 months of the start of the project. In case of changes, the updated
NRRP shall be published on the project website. The NRRP shall be drawn up using
the form annexed to the Call.
Costs related to the
management and open access of research data and other results as well as the
costs of preparing the NRRP are eligible costs of scientific research activities
in accordance with Article 9 of the Regulation.
14.3. Communicating
science and on-line access to research project information
The objective of
carrying out scientific research activities is to promote progress and benefit
society as a whole; therefore, it is important that the results of scientific
research work are appropriately communicated to citizens and (political)
decision-makers. It is important that scientific findings are interpreted and
communicated by the researchers themselves who best understand the significance
of their research work and discoveries, and that they do so in an appropriate
way so that their information is understandable and convincing to non-experts.
The project must therefore also include communication activities that not only
present the results of the project to the public in an appropriate way, but also
provide the (interested) public with such an insight into the research area
addressed by the project that, in addition to being informed, the level of
understanding is increased. The latter is particularly important when
communicating information to decision-makers. In order to communicate science
properly, it is important that researchers have the necessary communication
skills and knowledge.
The project must
therefore include a Communication Activities Plan (hereafter: Communication
Plan), which must be published on the project website within 6 months of the
start of the project and must address various target audiences. In case of
changes, the updated Communication Plan shall be published on the project
website. Communication activities may also include activities aimed at training
researchers in science communication, but not exclusively educational
activities.
After the application
is selected for (co-)financing, the applicant must create a special website or
sub-page dedicated to the project and enable the dissemination of its
achievements.
The mandatory minimum
content of the website includes:
- a contextual
description of the project with basic information on (co-)financing,
- a link to SICRIS
data,
- the NRRP and its
updates,
- the Communication
Plan and its updates; and
- the ARIS logo as
well as the logo of other (co-)financiers.
Content included in
the SICRIS system should be linked and need not be provided twice. The project
presentation website must remain active for 5 years following the conclusion of
the project. The implementer reports on the establishment of the website in the
interim and final report on project results.
15. Method, form and
deadline for application submission
The application for
the Call shall be submitted in electronic form via the ARIS web portal: Digital
Forms.
Login to the Digital Forms web portal is possible with a username and a
password. The portal can be used by researchers registered in the RO Database,
administrators of the Digital Forms web portal in research organisations,
representatives of research organisations, authorised representatives of
research organisations and additional users. Researchers can obtain a login
password themselves on the Digital Forms portal, while other users are assigned
a password by the Digital Forms administrator in the research organisation or
ARIS.
The application must
be completed and submitted using the ARIS-RPROJ-Prijava-2026 application form
available on the ARIS Digital Forms portal. The application must be
electronically signed (a qualified digital signature is not required) by a
representative or authorised person of the applicant and the project leader.
Applicants where a
company, as defined in Article 4 of the Rules on State Aid in the Field of
Research Activities, No. 007-2/2024-1 dated 7 March 2024, acts as the project
implementer, must also attach a completed, signed and stamped State Aid
Allocation Form ARIS-RPROJ-JR-Prijava/2026-DP, which is an annex to the Call.
15.1. Application
deadline
Applications must be
submitted by 2 p.m. on 31 March 2026.
Applicants are
advised not to submit their applications on the final day before the closure of
the Call as the server may be overloaded.
16. Opening of
applications
The opening of
applications is expected to be held on 2 April 2026.
The opening of
applications shall constitute the recording of applications received in the
electronic application system.
17. Deadline for
applicant notification on the outcome of the Call
It is expected that the applicants will be notified about the selection of
applications for (co-)financing in December 2026.
18. Time, place and
method of collecting the Call documents by the interested parties
The call
documentation is available on the ARIS website (http://www.aris-rs.si/sl/razpisi/).
Links to public calls
with partner agencies:
FWF: https://www.fwf.ac.at/en/funding/portfolio/international-collaborations/slovenia
SNSF: https://www.snf.ch/en/hTBUS7CLoDTMortt/funding/projects/weave-lead-agency-slovenia
GAČR: https://gacr.cz/en/types-of-grant-projects/
NCN: https://www.ncn.gov.pl/en/ogloszenia/konkursy/weave-unisono
NKFIH: https://nkfih.gov.hu/english-2017/funding-schemes/open-calls?json=0&save=1&cimke=
FWO: https://www.fwo.be/en/support-programmes/all-calls/senior-researchersresearch-teams/weave-fwo-partner/
HRZZ: https://hrzz.hr/programi/medunarodna-suradnja/
FNR: https://www.fnr.lu/international-cooperation/aris-weave/
DFG: https://www.dfg.de/en/research-funding/funding-opportunities/programmes/international-cooperation/joint-proposal-weave-process
Information related
to the Call can be found on the ARIS website at http://www.aris-rs.si or
obtained at ARIS, Bleiweisova cesta 30, 1000 Ljubljana, on business days during
ARIS office hours.
Contact email address
for further information: razpis-projekti@aris-rs.si.
19. Personal data
protection
The Agency shall
process personal data resulting from the Call procedure in accordance with the
Information on the personal data protection in public
calls, which is annexed to the Call.
Number: 6316-28/2025-8
Date: 16 February 2026
Tjaša Dobnik,
director
Legal
basis:
-
Scientific Research and Innovation Activities Act (ZZrID) (Official
Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, Nos. 186/21, 40/23, 102/24
and 40/25)
-
General Act on Procedures for Financing, Co-financing,
Evaluating and Monitoring the Implementation of Research
Activities (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia,
Nos. 166/22 and 92/24)
-
General Act on ARRS Expert Bodies (Official Gazette of the
Republic of Slovenia, No. 166/22)
-
Rules Determining Special Projects of National Importance and
the Regulatory Framework for the Determination of Salaries for
Researchers (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia,
Nos. 126/23, 106/24 and 80/25)
-
Methodology for the Assessment of Applications in the Procedures
for the (Co-)Financing of Scientific Research Activities, No.
6319-1/2026-1 of 12 2. 2026
-
Regulations on state aid in the field of research activity,
No. 007-2/2024-1 of 7 3. 2024
-
Regulation on the implementation of scientific research work in
accordance with the principles of open science (Official
Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, Nos. 59/23 and 39/25)
-
ARIS rules and the procedure for dealing with applied projects
if other interested users reduce their (co-)financing of project
implementation and ARIS rules and procedure for dealing with
changes in the composition of the consortium implementing the
research project, No. 007-26/2024-1 of 24 9. 2024
-
Lead Agency Agreement – Memorandum of Understanding on
Unilateral Governance and Mutual Recognition of Evaluation
Procedures of 4 April 2014
-
Multilateral Lead Agency Agreement (MLA) of 12 November 2019
Call
documentation:
- Sample Application Form:
- Sample contract:
- State Aid Form:
- Sample Evaluation Sheet:
- The form for obtaining a researcher's identifier/code:
- Template for the Research Data Management Plan (NRRP):
- Information on the personal data protection in public call
procedures
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