Agreements

SPRINT - 4th Edition 2016: Guidelines Australian Technology Network (ATN)

Specific requests for proposals submission from researchers of the ATN  

FAPESP and the Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN) signed a Cooperation Agreement for Research on 11, June, 2013 aiming to implement scientific and technological cooperation between researchers from the ATN, Australia and from the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, through the funding of joint research projects.

Under the referred Agreement, FAPESP and ATN are making public this Call for Proposals for the exchange of faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and PhD researchers under the terms and conditions of the SPRINT 4th Edition 2016 ( en/8603) and hereinafter set forth.

1. Eligibility from ATN side to submit proposals within the scope of this Call:

1.1. Applicants must be Australian citizens or hold permanent residence status in Australia and be employed as an academic staff member in a teaching and research or research only role at an ATN university for the duration of the proposed project.

1.2. Eligibility for the exchange activities within the scope of the Call:

a) Principal and Co-Principal Investigators named on the project and associated researchers, including post-doctoral fellows and select PhD students within the ATN directly involved in the proposed research activity are eligible to be involved in exchange activities named in the project.

(i) Respecting the principle of reciprocity, FAPESP will accept the participation of PhD fellows in scientific missions. Brazilian PhD candidates must have an ongoing FAPESP fellowship during the planned exchange mission;

b) Australian applicants must partner with researchers from the State of São Paulo, Brazil who are currently in receipt of a FAPESP grant within the following FAPESP funding lines: Regular Research Awards, Thematic Projects, Young Investigators, Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers (CEPIDs/RIDCs), Public Education Research Program, Research in Public Policies, and Research Partnership for Technological Innovation (PITE). Co-Principal Investigators of ongoing Thematic Projects, CEPIDs/RIDCs and PITEs are also eligible to apply.

c) The proposals must aim to respect the principle of reciprocity with regard to academic qualifications of those who will take part in the exchange activities.

2. Fields of knowledge

2.1. This Call for Proposals invites research proposals in all fields of knowledge.

3. Duration of the project for the exchange of researchers

3.1. The maximum duration of each project is up to 24 months.

4. Timeline

Call for proposals announced on FAPESP and ATN websites

October 27th 2016

Closing date for submission of proposals to the Contact Officer at the relevant ATN Research Office (Refer to section 14)

January 30th 2017

Contact Officers at respective ATN Universities to forward internal ranking and assessment advice to the ATN Directorate

March 10th 2017

Successful proposals notified

April 20th 2017

5. Funding Principles

5.1 FAPESP will provide funding of up to a maximum of AU $ 20,000.00 per proposal per year and ATN will provide funding of up to AU$ 20,000.00 per proposal per year, for the duration of the grant to cover research-related mobility expenses, under the provisions of Clause 5 of the Scientific Cooperation Agreement established by the Parties (en/7837).

5.2 FAPESP will provide the selected proposals with funds for travel (air tickets), health insurance and living allowances for researchers from the State of São Paulo that will visit Australia.

5.3 ATN will provide the selected projects with funds for (economy) travel and living expenses associated with the research project whilst on exchange; participants will continue to be paid by their home institutions and must ensure they are covered by their travel and other relevant insurance policies.

5.4 The exact number of awards will depend on the number of meritorious applications and the availability of appropriated funds.

5.5 Basic research costs (staff and equipment) on both sides of the research project will not be funded from this scheme, but must be secured from other sources. Participant salary and associated costs will not be covered. Proposals based purely on study and training will not be funded.

6. Proposal characteristics f or ATN researchers

6.1. ATN applicants are to fill out the accompanying application form available on the ATN website ( https://www.atn.edu.au/industry/fapesp/).

6.2. The proposal must be submitted in English, and be written jointly by the Principal Investigator at ATN and his/her colleagues the Principal Investigator at FAPESP.

6.3. The research proposal/project is to have a maximum of five (5) pages of scientific content and must include the following:

a) A substantive description of the activities, emphasizing their relevance;

b) A timeline for each mission, considering the limit of missions and resources established in the Call;

c) Performance indicators for the planned activities;

d) A description of each candidate’s contribution to the mission, explaining their expertise to carry out the foreseen activities;

e) Foreseen actions adding to impact of exchange for the host institution member of the ATN and for the host institution in the State of São Paulo, e.g. by means of seminars, short courses, visits to other institutions that carry out research activities in cognate areas;

6.4. CV Summaries of the Principal Investigators on both sides (ATN and FAPESP) and of any named ATN researchers are also to be attached with the application.

6.5. Letter of Agreement of the Host Institution in the State of São Paulo to which the PI from São Paulo is affiliated. The same document is required by FAPESP in item 6.2.3 at www.fapesp.br/sprint/call22016. The Letter of Agreement may be delivered after the notification of results of this call for proposals and before the grant commences.

7. Assessment and Selection Criteria

7.1. The exchange activities to be carried out by the researchers from São Paulo must be thematically related to the ongoing research project funded by FAPESP (refer to 1.2).

7.2. Only proposals selected by both ATN and FAPESP will be funded.

7.3. Proposals that do not comply with the terms of this Call will not qualify for analysis.

7.4. The ATN and FAPESP will select the proposals according to their own procedures.

7.5. From the ATN side, projects will be assessed for the merit and relevance of the project, the capability of the named researchers, the capacity of the proposed project to leverage further research funding, and the strategic aims of the ATN university.

8. Submission of proposals to the ATN

8.1. Applications from ATN researchers must be made on the required form and comply with the guidelines for Australian applicants. Signed forms must be submitted to the Contact Officer at the relevant ATN Research Office by 30th January 2017 (refer to section 14).

8.2. To be successful, Australian applicants must ensure that their Brazilian collaborators also submit a corresponding application with the same title and content to FAPESP by 30th January 2017.

8.3. The research proposal component of the application, as detailed in 6.3, must be identical in content in both the Australian and Brazilian submissions; one being a copy of another.

8.4. Forms may be submitted electronically. Late applications will not be accepted for screening.

9. Selection Process

9.1. Each ATN University Research Office will check each application it receives for compliance with the guidelines and provide brief comments as to the suitability of each proposal in accordance with the assessment criteria listed in 7.5 above.

9.2. Application comments, along with a complete, ranked list of supported projects will then be provided to the ATN Directorate by March 10th 2017.

9.3. The ATN Directorate will then compile the complete list of ATN applications from its members and forward to FAPESP to ensure consistency of applications.

9.4. FAPESP will undertake an extensive peer review and ranking of the applications and inform the ATN Directorate of the proposed list of projects to be funded.

9.5. The ATN Directorate will then notify the respective Contact Officers of the successful projects at their institution.

9.6. Successful and unsuccessful applications will be notified by the respective ATN Institutional Contact Officers of the outcomes of the selection process in writing. Results will also be announced on the FAPESP and ATN websites.

10. Grant Cancellation

The ATN may cancel funding of an ATN researcher, if, during the grant timeframe, a fact is of sufficient gravity to justify cancellation, at the discretion of both the ATN Directorate and FAPESP, without prejudice of any other appropriate actions.

11. Result of the analysis

Final results will be announced on FAPESP (www.fapesp.br) and ATN (www.atn.edu.au/industry/fapesp/) web portals and by means of a communication to the interested PIs.

12. Contract for selected projects by ATN

Selected proposals will be the object of a grant contract (FAPESP) to be signed by the PI and a representative of the Higher Education and Research Institution to which he/she is affiliated.

13. Variations to funded projects

Any variations to funded projects such as a change in the term of the project or the eligibility of researchers must be approved by the ATN institution that submitted the application for the project, by the ATN Directorate and by FAPESP. Extensions to grants will not be provided unless in extenuating circumstances.

14. ATN University Contact Officers

RMIT University
Dr Reza Mohammed
Senior Coordinator, Research Development
p. +61 3 9925 1129
reza.mohammed@rmit.edu.au

University of South Australia
Jennifer Kasimov
Research Projects Management Officer
p. +61 8 8302 3954
Jennifer.Kasimov@unisa.edu.au

University of Technology Sydney
Ms Helen Thomson
Manager, Research Engagement
p. +61 2 9514 7452
helen.thomson@uts.edu.au

QUT
Ms Katie York
Manager, Research Development
Division of Research and Commercialisation
p. +61 7 3138 2199
k.york@qut.edu.au

Curtin University
Ms Katie Flanagan
Senior Research Development Officer
p. +61 8 9266 4248
katie.flanagan@curtin.edu.au