Plan of intent of the Centre of Excellence application, first stage of the call

The plan of intent for the Centre of Excellence (CoE) submitted to the first stage of the CoE call shall be no more than six pages, covering the items 1–5 presented below (spacing 1, Times New Roman 12 pt or equivalent).

The plan of intent shall describe the objectives and activity for the six-year CoE term; however, the main focus shall be on the first three-year period. The plan of intent shall be structured in accordance with the outline below, intended for international peer reviewers for purposes of evaluating the application:

• principal investigator (director) of CoE
• vice director
• name of the CoE in the form “Centre of Excellence in xxx Research”
• site of research.

1 Scientific quality and innovativeness

• background to research, any previous research related to the topic, research objectives
• expected results and scientific impact
• scientific added value expected from the CoE activity (justifications for why the implementation of the research plan requires a Centre of Excellence instead of normal research collaboration).

2 Scientific merits of researchers

• Describe the merits and scientific expertise of the CoE director insofar as these benefit the CoE leadership.
• Describe the expertise of the research teams.
• Describe the supplementary expertise the team leaders add to the CoE.

3 Research environment

• Describe the infrastructure (incl. research communities) provided by the research environments.
• Describe how the research project will promote creative research environments (e.g. strengthening framework conditions for multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research, promoting national and/or international cooperation and researcher training, proposed structural changes, etc.).

4 Position of the CoE in respect to the world leaders in the field

• Pinpoint the position of the CoE in respect to the world leaders in your field/s. Name 2‒3 research units or teams whose research programme and research questions are close to your own and that you consider your major scientific competitors. Justify your view.

5 Budget

• Give an estimate for the total budget for 2014–2019. The budget shall include all funding sources.