RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT PROGRAMMES
(RISP) GRANTS 2011/12
APPLICATION
National Equipment Programme (NEP)
National Nanotechnology Equipment Programme (NNEP)
CLOSING DATE: 29 July 20111. APPLICANT
If you have not registered your details on the NRF Online System (http://nrfonline.nrf.ac.za), please do so before submitting an application. If you are already registered, please make sure you update your Curriculum Vitae section.
The CV section forms an inherent part of the application and must be completed by all new applicants and updated by all prior applicants. Where applicant’s fail to complete the NRF Online Registration and CV sections, the application will be deemed to be incomplete and will not be considered for funding.
1.1. APPLICANT’S DETAILS (will become the grantholder if approved)TITLE / Prof / Dr / NRF RATING
SURNAME / INITIALS
FIRST NAMES
ID Number / CITIZENSHIP
GENDER / M / F / RACE / B / W / C / I
DEPARTMENT
INSTITUTION
DISCIPLINE (e.g. Analytical Chemistry)
NATURE OF APPOINTMENT (tick relevant box) / Full-time Appointment / Term Appointment
/ If term appointment, specify for how long is valid following the application closing date.
ADDRESS
TEL. No. (W) / MOBILE No.
2. EQUIPMENT
Please indicate with an (X) where appropriate and provide an explanation where necessary.
Select ONE equipment programme in which your application must be considered: / National Equipment Programme (NEP) / Nanotechnology Equipment Programme (NNEP)NAME OF EQUIPMENT
DESCRIPTION OF EQUIPMENT (if more than one item is requested, provide a detailed motivation for the essential connection between them).
IS THE EQUIPMENT THAT YOU ARE APPLYING FOR: / New / An upgrade / For development
FOR NEW EQUIPMENT ONLY: Provide an estimate of the equipment’s life span.
FOR AN UPGRADE ONLY:
Provide a summary of relevant work that was undertaken and research outputs that were achieved using the existing equipment.
FOR DEVELOPMENT ONLY: Explain the uniqueness of the design. How has the design been protected and who will benefit and/or use the completed equipment.
IS THE PROPOSED EQUIPMENT STATE-OF-THE-ART? (Please explain).
WILL THE PROPOSED RESEARCH USING THIS EQUIPMENT HAVE: / National Impact / Regional Impact / Institutional Impact
(Justify your answer)
IS THE PROPOSED EQUIPMENT GOING TO BE USED FOR MULTI-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH? (Explain)
HOW WILL THE EQUIPMENT YOU ARE APPLYING FOR ADD VALUE TO YOUR CURRENT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES? (Explain)
WHAT TYPE OF RESEARCH HAS BEEN DONE TO SUBSTANTIATE THE NEED FOR THIS PARTICULAR EQUIPMENT? HAVE YOU USED SIMILAR EQUIPMENT ELSEWHERE? (Explain)
MOTIVATION FOR PURCHASING THE EQUIPMENT FROM THE SELECTED SUPPIER:
n Provide a minimum of three (3) quotes with detailed equipment specifications, technical support and training to be provided by the supplier.
n Provide a separate motivation as an annexure if three (3) viable options are NOT available.
n Explain WHY you have selected the specific supplier for this equipment.
n Will the same piece of equipment, from another supplier also meet your research needs?
Please comment on the extent of your investigation to determine whether similar equipment exists in your institution, region or elsewhere in South Africa and if available why these cannot be used for your research. (Provide a letter of support from such a facility).
DOES THE PROPOSED EQUIPMENT EXIST IN OTHER DEPARTMENTS AT YOUR INSTITUTION?
(If YES, provide full details) / YES / NO
DOES THE PROPOSED EQUIPMENT EXIST AT OTHER INSTITUTIONS IN YOUR REGION?
(If YES, provide full details) / YES / NO
DOES THE PROPOSED EQUIPMENT EXIST ELSEWHERE IN SOUTH AFRICA? (If YES, for state-of-the-art equipment, provide a detailed description of the equipment, its location and ownership. Indicate whether the equipment is available from a science council and/or commercial company e.g. SASOL or ESKOM) / YES / NO
3. COMPREHENSIVE EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN
The NRF will not be responsible for ongoing costs involved in the maintenance, repair, annual running expenses, housing and insurance of the equipment applied for in this application. Applicants may include the cost of a maintenance/service contract for the first two years of the life of the equipment.
MANAGEMENT PLANThe Comprehensive Management Plan should include a brief description of the equipment, as well as its components and should clarify issues such as:
· Detailed Gantt Chart outlining the timeframe for the procurement and installation process. This forms an integral part of the application and thus no application will be considered without it.
· Building infrastructure to house the equipment
· Required services and utilities
· Safety and security
· Insurance arrangements
· Alternate power supply
· Other supportive/feeder equipment available
· Operational responsibility:
o Responsibility for the operation of the equipment
o Appropriate skilled staff to operate and maintain the equipment
o Students listed to use the equipment (name of student, research topic and how the equipment is to be used in research)
· Training:
o Technician training as well as training of technical staff for diagnostic, maintenance and operational purposes by the supplier
o Training workshops for students and staff, inclusive of user workshops to train and acquaint other users with the applications of the research equipment
o Number and demographic profile of postgraduate students that will be trained on the infrastructure.
o Plans for student training (Please name students where applicable, state degree level, as well as how they will use the equipment in their research)
· Maintenance and Repairs
o Preventative maintenance schedule that focuses on maintenance and operation of the research equipment, including the necessary technical expertise for these tasks
o Responsibility for the maintenance
· Operational Costs
o Operating cost budget over the next five years, including all other sources of funding applied for and committed.
o Applications must clearly indicate how the total cost for the acquisition, housing, operation and maintenance of the equipment applied for will be raised. (This should be complemented with a financially viable costing plan / including an indication of the projected income from other sources to cover operational and maintenance costs.
o Charge out rates for different categories of users must be specified
· Accessibility
o Collaboration with other researchers (inter- and intra-institutional and regional/national researchers particularly from institutions with low levels of research capacity and activity.
o Access to the research equipment or plans for use by staff, students and users from other institutions.
o Plans to attract other users
· Publications from similar work
· Current grant(s) from the NRF
4. MOTIVATION
4.1. / RESEARCH ACTIVITIES· Indicate how the purchase/upgrade/development of state-of-the-art research equipment, will
(a) Improve the quality of your current research activities;
(b) Contribute to the international competitiveness of researchers; and
(c) Improve the quality of graduating students.
· Provide details of envisaged research projects that will require the utilisation of the equipment.
4.2. / FEASIBILITY OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WORK
· What are the risks associated with the research activities outlined in 4.1.?
· What is the probability of success?
· What are the likely returns on investment in this equipment?
4.3. / RATIONALE & JUSTIFICATION State how the equipment is relevant for advancing your current research programme and that of your research department/institution/co-users/discipline
POTENTIAL SCIENTIFIC IMPACT OF THE EQUIPMENT (please be specific in your answers providing examples where possible)
· How will the equipment impact on the national research goals and infrastructure?
· How will the equipment advance the implementation of your institution’s research strategy?
4.5. / POTENTIAL IMPACT ON HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
· What will be the impact on Human Capital Development in terms of race and gender at your institution?
· What will be the extent and level of training on the equipment for:
a) Students,
b) Operators,
c) Technicians, and
d) Young, black and female researchers?
· How will the equipment be used to mentor scientists from institutions with low levels of research capacity and activity?
· What will be the impact on scarce skills development?
4.6. / POTENTIAL RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY OUTPUTS
· What are the expected contributions to Human Capital Development?
· What are the expected contributions to the national knowledge base?
· What will be the outputs of the research activities? (e.g. community development, improved products/ processes).
· How will the knowledge gained from the research activities be dissemination in view of above?
5. APPLICANT’S TRACK RECORD
Include additional cells as necessary
Please note: Conference publications should only be included if it has been peer reviewed and conference abstracts are not allowed.
5.1. Publication Record (provide details of publications from your research group in the last three years using the same or similar equipment. Where this equipment is not available please provide indicative publications that demonstrate the potential utility of the proposed equipment). Highlight publications involving students and / or post docs supervised directly by you.Author’s Name / Institution / Department / Gender / Race / Degree / Date of completion
Publication reference:
Publication reference:
Publication reference:
5.2. Publication Record (provide details of your publications and those of your collaborators in the last three years using the same or similar equipment)
Author’s Name / Institution / Department / Gender / Race / Degree / Date of completion
Publication reference:
Publication reference:
Publication reference:
5.3. Publication Record (provide details of your publications and those of your collaborators, for the last three years related to the projects that will benefit from the proposed equipment)
Author’s Name / Institution / Department / Gender / Race / Degree / Date of completion
Publication reference:
Publication reference:
Publication reference:
5.4. Provide details of postgraduate students trained on the same or similar equipment in the last three years
Name / Institution / Department / Gender / Race / Degree / Date of completion
5.5. Provide details of postgraduate students trained by the applicant over the past five years
Name / Institution / Department / Gender / Race / Degree / Date of completion
5.6. Provide details of other staff members from your institution and other institutions trained on the same or similar equipment in the last three years
This should identify clearly mentoring of young scientists from institutions with low levels of research capacity and activity.
Name / Institution / Department / Gender / Race / Degree / Date of completion
6. HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT - UTILIZATION DETAILS
6.1. UTILIZATION IN OWN INSTITUTIONName of user / Department / Expected average usage hours per week
6.2. UTILIZATION BY OTHER INSTITUTION/S*
Name of user / Department / Institution / Expected average usage hours per week
* PLEASE provide “Letters of Support” giving full details of individual projects and their own Institution’s expected student involvement (See attachment at end of application form).
6.3. STAFF DEVELOPMENT (give details of the staff members who will be trained using this equipment in order to achieve higher qualifications). Where students / staff are jointly supervised across more than one institution this should be highlighted.Name / Department / Gender / Race / Qualification to be obtained
6.4. STUDENT AND POSTDOCTORAL INVOLVEMENT (give details of postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate students who have used this or similar equipment for honours, masters or doctoral studies). Where students / staff are jointly supervised across more than one institution this should be highlighted.
Name / Department / Gender / Race / Level of Study (Honours, Masters, PhD, post-PhD) / Expected date of completion
6.5. MENTORING (give details of mentoring emerging researchers from institutions with low levels of research capacity and activity who have used this or similar equipment for honours, masters or doctoral studies or postdoctoral research training). Also indicate collaborative initiatives aimed at ensuring that there is both a skills and knowledge transfer to HDIs
Name / Institution / Department / Gender / Race / Level of Study (Honours, Masters, PhD, post-PhD) / Expected date of completion
6.6. TRAINING INTERVENTIONS (give details on staff training interventions to obtain the skills required to operate the equipment effectively)
Name / Department / Gender / Race / Training Intervention / Objective / Details
7. FINANCIAL DETAILS
If a tender process is required by the institution, this should be completed either prior to submission of the proposal, or within two months of receiving the letter of award, should the applicant be successful in obtaining an NEP or NNEP award.
Please provide copies of THREE (3) quotations together with this application. The quotations must be in RANDS only (foreign currency should be converted before sending this application to the NRF).
PLEASE NOTE:Only research equipment with a total value for acquisition of more than R200 000 and an NRF contribution of NOT more than R7 million will be considered for funding.
NEW EQUIPMENT COSTS
In the case of there being more than one item/component, please justify why all components are required for the proposed research applications and explain how the individual components function together.
Item/Component / Supplier / Quoted Price
R
R
R
TOTAL / R
OR
UPGRADE COSTSIn the case of there being more than one item/component, please justify why all components are required for the proposed research applications and explain how the individual components function together.
Item/Component / Supplier / Quoted Price
R
R
R
TOTAL / R
OR
7.3. / DEVELOPMENT COSTSItem/Component / Supplier / Quoted Price
Design / R
Procurement / R
Construction / R
Testing / R
Certification / R
TOTAL / R
AND
7.4. / TWO YEAR MAINTENANCE/SERVICE CONTRACT (Please include the cost for a maintenance/service contract) / R7.5. / CONTRIBUTION BY OWN INSTITUTION (minimum of 1/3 of cost) for NEP applications only. Although advantageous, it is not a requirement for NNEP. / R
7.6. / CONTRIBUTION BY OTHER INSTITUTIONS (e.g. Industry)
R
R
R
TOTAL / R
7.7. / CONTRIBUTION BY OTHER USERS (e.g. Collaborating Partners)
R
R
R
TOTAL / R
7.8. / TOTAL REQUESTED FROM NRF / R
Please ensure that your calculations are correct!
REVIEWERS
Please provide details of six (6) possible independent reviewers (not from your institution), that are not involved in joint research projects or collaboration that can objectively review the proposal. Kindly ensure that all contact details are correct.