Application for Proposal

Preparation Support for European

Research Council Awards

Page 1 of 9 Rev 1.0 January 2018

Aim

The aim of the support is to facilitate preparation and submission of a competitive proposal to any of the European Research Council funding schemes, except Proof of Concept.

Eligibility

Applications can be made by researchers in higher education or publicly funded institutions. The scheme covers all funding streams by the European Research Council (ERC) except Proof of Concept (PoC). Eligible costs relate solely to the preparation of the application to the ERC to a maximum of €16,000.[1]

Application procedure2,3

All applications should be submitted to Enterprise Ireland prior to the commencement of the preparatory work of the proposal. Proposal preparation support applications will only be accepted in the region of up to six months before the call closes (except AdG 2017).

Completed applications, signed and stamped by the college finance department, should be emailed directly to: ies to: Catriona Ward, Horizon 2020, Enterprise Ireland, The Plaza,

East Point Business Park, Dublin D03E5R6. Tel: 01 727 2007.

Queries with respect to approved funding and receipt of approved monies should be made directly to: Thomas Sheridan Enterprise Ireland, The Plaza, East Point Business Park, Dublin D03E5R6. Tel: 01 727 2570.

Evaluation

A review board comprising of, typically, Enterprise Ireland personnel, the National Delegate and/or National Contact Point will evaluate the proposals for support. The proposals recommended for support will be presented to the Industrial Research and Commercialisation Committee (IRCC) for approval.

This is a non-competitive form of support. Proposals will be evaluated under the following criteria:

o Conformity of the proposed project to the work programme and call for proposal

o Management capability and track record of the proposer

o Actual costs that are necessary to prepare and submit a proposal. This should include clear justification for the use of consultant proposal developers outside of services provided by institutional research offices, and a clear delineation of the costs requested (i.e., number of hours required, hourly rates, etc.)

Monitoring & Reporting

To maximise the opportunities of a successful proposal being submitted and to enable the full costs to be drawn down on the preparation support, it is recommended that multiple iterations of the draft proposal be sent to the National Delegate and/or National Contact Point for review purposes. A schedule of draft submissions needs to be agreed at acceptance of the grant. At a minimum, one complete draft proposal needs to be sent at least 10 working days in advance of the call deadline for this support. Failure to comply with this or an alternative agreed schedule will result in a reduction or cancellation of the grant that can be claimed from Enterprise Ireland.

Enterprise Ireland will contact you with regard to obtaining a final report describing the outcome of the work and status of the project, as well as detailed financial information and receipts associated with expenditure. To claim the grant, it is mandatory that an eligible proposal is submitted prior to the deadline. Please note that Enterprise Ireland will not be responsible for any misunderstandings by applicants or their representatives, as to what are eligible costs. All forms and guidelines docs are at:

2Items, such as: 1) overheads/sundry (e.g. purchase of any hardware/software, telephone, postage, stationery etc.), 2) partner costs,

33) conferences, seminars,4) course work attendance or 5) domestic travel are not covered by this programme.

4Not all applications are guaranteed funding by Enterprise Ireland.

5Any costs incurred prior to submission of the application to Enterprise Ireland and after the call closing/proposal submission date or, if successful, after the Grant Agreement Sign-off date are not eligible costs for this programme. Available grant is up to €16,000 (inclusive of VAT). Costs for Stage 1 and possible Stage 2 should be applied for at the same time. Any unspent monies for Stage 2 will be reclaimed by Enterprise Ireland.

Notes on this Coordination support for ERC candidates

The aim of this support scheme is to assist applicants to the ERC Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant, Advanced Grant or Synergy Grant schemes; the ERC Proof of Concept Grant is not valid for support through this scheme. Those seeking support should use the dedicated ERC support application form on SmartSimple.

Applications will only be accepted in the region of up to six months before the call closes, so please submit applications as early as possible. Applications may look to obtain a maximum of €16,000 and all limits are inclusive of VAT. All money figures below are inclusive of VAT.

Activities funded through this scheme may include the following:

Consultancy and external services allowed include:

  • Consultants in Ireland and around Europe offer tailored workshops and/or provide one-to-one support for ERC applicants. Some of the consultancies also offer interview training courses (relevant for Stage 2 of the Starting Grant and Consolidator Grant calls only). Applicants must describe the type(s) of support being sought, the vendor(s) that will be used, and a breakdown of the costs (including VAT) for each type of support being sought (e.g., number of hours/days, costs per hour/day, etc.). Costs associated with Stage 1 and Stage 2 of ERC review processes should be separated.
  • Communication skills – presentations given in the interviews for Starting Grant and Consolidator Grant calls are a key part of the assessment process. Consultants offering courses on communication skills may be approached. The maximum amount allowable for communication is €500.
  • Graphical design – ERC proposals and, where relevant, slides for interview presentations may benefit from high-quality images. The maximum amount allowable for graphical design is €2000.

The maximum total amount allowable for consultancy services is €6000, including VAT.

Staff time (either teaching buy-out or research assistant)

  • Buying out teaching time – funds may be sought to provide for cover for lecturing or similar activities, in order to free up time for proposal preparation. The maximum amount allowed is €200/day.
  • Assistance in proposal preparation – short-term assistance with data management, proposal preparation or other administrative tasks may be sought. Applicants must describe the type of assistance that will be required. The maximum amount allowed is €170/day.
  • Preliminary research activities - Strong preliminary data is an essential component of a competitive ERC proposal. A Research Assistant may be employed for a maximum of two months full-time for preliminary work. Part-time assistance may be requested, for a time that is no greater than the equivalent for the full-time maximum (e.g., 4 months at 0.5 FTE). The type of work envisaged should be outlined. The maximum amount allowed is €170/day.

The maximum amount allowable for staff time is €8500.

Travel

• Travel to visit future team members or collaborators – ERC proposals may include team members (i.e., collaborators) located anywhere in the world where clear justification is provided. Costs should be based on standard travel and subsistence guidelines.

• Incoming travel to avail of key expertise – ERC applications may benefit from bringing in expertise from outside of Ireland. Costs should be based on standard travel and subsistence guidelines, with the duration of the visit(s) detailed; the person(s) visiting the applicant should be named, and the reasons for bringing them to Ireland should be outlined.

• Travel to visit current ERC award holders or subject experts – applicants may benefit from spending time within an active ERC-funded group. Costs should be based on standard travel and subsistence guidelines; the lead researcher being visited should be named, and the duration of the visit must be stated.

The maximum amount allowable for all travel is €5000.

Evaluation

A committee comprising of, typically, Enterprise Ireland personnel, the National Delegate and/or National Contact Point will evaluate the proposals for support. The proposals recommended for support will be presented to the Industrial Research and Commercialisation Committee (IRCC) for approval. This is a non-competitive form of support. Proposals will be evaluated under the following criteria:

  • Conformity of the proposed project to the ERC work programme and selected scheme, as described in the one-page description of the research proposal
  • Management capability and track record of the proposer, as outlined in the two-page curriculum vitae and two-page track record statement
  • Justification for the costs deemed necessary to prepare and submit an ERC proposal
  • Benefit of the proposed project to the Irish economy

NOTE: Not all applications are guaranteed funding by Enterprise Ireland.

Applicants should discuss proposed projects with the relevant National Delegate or National Contact Point in order to obtain an opinion regarding closeness of fit with current EU Calls for Proposals.

In the case of a resubmission, details of the previously submitted proposal (including name, acronym, proposal number, Call ID, whether or not it received EI support funding for the first submission, and the score that was awarded to the proposal in the previous evaluation) should be accompanied by a list of the major weaknesses identified in the evaluation (ideally attach the ESR) and a statement of how the Coordinator plans to overcome these weaknesses in the resubmission. If funding has already been awarded at the maximum amount, full funding will not be awarded again. Funding will be awarded at a reduced rate focusing on the weaknesses of the previous submission. This should be discussed with the National Contact Point.

Prospective ERC Applicant:
Name:
Irish third level or publicly funded institution:
Title (including tenure):
Address:
Telephone:
E-mail:
Proposed project:
Funding scheme (e.g., Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, Synergy, Proof of Concept):
ERC domain and panel number (e.g., LS1, PE2, SH3):
Call opening date:
Call closing date:
Proposal acronym (if known):
Title of project (if known):
Total requested contribution from ERC: €
Is this a resubmission? (Y/N):
In the case of a resubmission, details of the previously submitted proposal (including name, acronym, proposal number, Call ID, whether or not it received EI support funding for the first submission, and the score that was awarded to the proposal in the previous evaluation) should be accompanied by a list of the major weaknesses identified in the evaluation (ideally attach the ESR) and a statement of how the applicant plans to overcome these weaknesses in the resubmission.

One-Page Description of Research Proposal:

Curriculum Vitae (two pages):

Track Record (two pages):

Costs Involved in preparing the ERC Proposal:

Notes:

1)For professional services: The name of the provider, the individual within that provider and evidence of track record in the programme area should be provided. The daily rate excluding VAT, number of days and type of service (proposal review, proposal preparation or project management) should be indicated. The maximum daily rate is €900 excluding VAT.

2)For the short-term hire of research staff: The duration of hire, the fraction of full-time employment (up to 1 FTE) and point on the salary scale (indicate IUA/SFI or other) must be provided, limited to €170/day.

3)For teaching buyout: As above, the duration of hire and salary level must be provided, limited to €200/day.

4)For travel (outgoing or incoming): Full justification is required, including the location of travel, duration of visit and specific reasons and benefits for the travel. State clearly how the requested amount has been calculated. Domestic travel is not supported.

5)For research to obtain preliminary data: A researcher may be hired for a maximum of two months at 1 FTE, or the equivalent total duration for part-time support. The salary requested must align to an authorised IUA/SFI scale, limited to €170/day.

Details (name, location etc.) / Justification / Cost (€) / Funding
Request (€)
Total Cost / Funding Requested
Signature of applicant:
Name of approved college officer:
Signature of approved college officer:
You MUST have contacted the relevant NCP before submitting this application.
Please state name of NCP and date of contact:
Important note: In order to prevent unnecessary delays, please ensure the application form is fully complete as incomplete forms will be returned.

College stamp Is required

Page 1 of 9 Rev 1.0 January 2018

[1] These include coordinator (or internal approved staff) least-cost travel expenses and institutional subsistence rates, costs of hosting meetings, employment of a researcher for short-term analysis and professional services in the preparation of an application. By category, the maximum allowable limits are €8,500 to employ research staff or replacement teaching expenses to cover permanent staff, €6,000 (excluding VAT) for professional services (including their travel), travel €5,000.