Targeted funding for strengthening the competitiveness of a new application to the ERC

The Academy may target research grants to researchers who have been successful in the European Research Council’s calls but placed on the reserve list. The aim of Academy funding is to strengthen the international competitiveness of the applicant and his or her research project. It is a condition for receiving funding that the applicant will participate in the next ERC call.

This funding concerns the calls for Starting Independent Researcher Grants (ERC Starting Grant) and Advanced Investigator Grants (ERC Advanced Grant). The applicant shall indicate in his or her project plan for which call he or she is preparing an application.

The Academy’s proportion of a research grant is a maximum of 50 per cent of the average annual amount of funding in an application that has been addressed to the ERC and placed on the reserve list. One and the same person can be awarded a research grant for an uninterrupted period of 12 months at the most and once only.

Applications for funding can be submitted, depending on the project, for the following purposes: salaries and fees and indirect employee costs, grants, travel, minor equipment costs, arranging of seminars, inviting a foreign researcher to Finland and other direct costs arising from the implementation of a research project. Under the full cost model, the Academy may also fund indirect costs. Personal grants are normally granted only for research or studies abroad and for inviting a foreign researcher for a research visit to Finland of twelve months at the most. Researchers placed on the reserve list of the Starting Independent Researcher Grant may also be granted funding for their own salary. In other aspects, applicants shall comply with the Academy of Finland’s October 2009 call. The call is available at www.aka.fi/eng > For researchers > Apply now > October 2009 call.

In October 2009, applications can be submitted by researchers for projects to be carried out in Finland or projects of Finnish researchers to be carried out abroad that have participated in the calls for ERC Starting Independent Researcher Grant 2007 (ERC-StG1-2007) and ERC Advanced Investigator Grant 2008 (ERC-AdG1-2008) and proceeded to a reserve list but not been granted any ERC funding.

Researchers who have received funding for the preparation of an application to the ERC shall submit to the Academy of Finland a copy of the new application submitted to the ERC.

Appendices

abstract, of no more than one page
project plan of no more than five pages
application submitted to the ERC that has been placed on the reserve list, with all appendices including the applicant’s curriculum vitae, all combined as one appendix
international evaluation reports given on the application submitted to the ERC, combined as one appendix
statement by an ethics committee or the Committee on Animal Experimentation, if relevant. Ethical aspects shall always be described in the research plan. This description may be included in the application mentioned above and addressed to the ERC.
progress report on Academy-funded research projects for which the applicant is responsible and for which no final report has been submitted
statement by the executive director of the Strategic Centre for Science, Technology and Innovation, if relevant, confirming that the applicant’s project is affiliated with the Centre and justifying the significance of the project for the Centre’s operations.

Only the requested appendices are appended to the application. The appendices shall be drafted in accordance with the Academy’s guidelines, see www.aka.fi/eng > For researchers > How to apply > Appendices.

Application procedure

The applicant is the researcher. The deadline for submitting applications is different from the Academy’s normal application deadline. Applications can be submitted in the Academy’s online services as of 13 October 2009. The deadline for submitting applications is Monday 19 October 2009 at 16:15. The deadline is non-negotiable. The commitment of the site of research shall be submitted no later than 30 October 2009.

The application is addressed to the Academy’s Programme Unit.

In this call, the full cost model is applied to the calculation of the costs of a research project. See the guidelines on how to enter the costs in the application form on the Academy’s website at www.aka.fi/eng > For researchers > How to apply > Full cost model. Applications shall be written so as to ensure that the Academy’s contribution to funding comes to no more than 80 per cent of the full costs of a project.

Applications are drafted at www.aka.fi/eng > For researchers > Log in to online services and by selecting New application > Strengthening the competitiveness of ERC applicants.

Further information

Science Adviser Pasi Sihvonen (Programme Unit), tel. (09) 7748 8434

Last changed 12/10/2009