2024 mobility cooperation call: General guidelines for research plan

This research plan structure applies to joint projects’ applications for researcher mobility funding in cooperation with the Research Council of Finland’s foreign partners.

The research plan is submitted as a PDF appendix on the tab ‘Research plan’ in the online services.

Read the call text carefully and familiarise yourself with the review guidelines and review form before you start writing the plan.

The maximum length of the research plan is 6 pages.

The paper size is A4.

The font is Calibri/Carlito 12 pt.

The line spacing is 1.

The margins are 20 mm.

The text is left-aligned.

Do not use paragraph indents.

The font size in tables and images must be at least 10 pt.

Use a single-column layout when writing the text.

The list of references is included in the length of the research plan. The font size in the list is 10 pt.

All references must be added directly into the text, for example as follows: (author(s), year) or [number]. You must not use footnotes.

The maximum size of the PDF appendix is 50 MB.

The instructions and structure provided must be followed to ensure the equal treatment of applicants. Use the headings provided. Deviation from the provided structure may deflate the evaluation result.

Write the research plan using this template.

Fill in the sections, according to the practices of your own discipline.

You cannot edit or delete the headings in the template. If necessary, you may add subheadings.

See the How-to guides for the online services on our website for the technical instructions.

Please delete these instructions when preparing your research plan.

Write here: Title of the Research Plan

Write here: Applicant’s name (and abbreviation of consortium)

Presentation of research project and mobility plan, specification of funding

1.1 Description of the research for which you are applying for mobility funding:

How the project and the methods used are linked to previous international and/or national research (state of the art)

Research-based starting points and possible preliminary research

Aims and objectives

Schedule for implementation

Expected research results and their anticipated scientific impact, potential for scientific breakthroughs and for the renewal of science and research

Critical points for success, probability of risks, means by which risks can be managed, and alternative implementation strategies

1.2 Description of research data and material and research methods:

Research data to be used, taking into account issues such as intellectual property rights

Research methods and how they will contribute to answering the research questions or confirming the hypotheses, or how they will support the chosen approach

1.3 Present a mobility plan:

List the persons for whom funding is applied and their planned mobility periods (e.g. 3 weeks in summer 2025) when they are supposed to go abroad. Also describe the main objective of each visit. Enter visits also on the tab ‘Mobility’ in the online services. Also include in the table the corresponding information on planned visits to Finland by foreign researchers. This information is not entered on the tab ‘Mobility, because RCF funding cannot be applied for visits by foreign researchers.

1.4 Justify how the project addresses the special objectives of the mobility call:

Describe how the project strengthens scientific cooperation between the countries.

Describe how the project promotes the international interactions of Finnish researchers and the internationalisation of research environments and strengthens the quality of research.

1.5 Specify the funding applied for:

Outline how the research funding of the Finnish party to the project has been organised (source and amount). Please note that the RCF’s mobility funding is not intended for research costs or salaries, but for travel and living expenses incurred during visits abroad.

Itemise and specify the funding applied for from the Research Council of Finland: how many persons will travel, how many trips, what is the proportion of travel expenses, what is the proportion of living expenses and on what the amounts applied for are based (e.g. own organisation’s travel guidelines, or own experiences of local prices).

Mobility cooperation with Mainland-China: If needed, funding can also be applied to project related seminars organised in Finland. RCF funding can be used for general/basic organising costs (venue, technic, catering etc.) but not for travel costs of researchers funded by NSFC/CAS.

Research teams

2.1 Describe the tasks and roles and project-relevant key merits of the following persons:

Finland-based principal investigator

Foreign principal investigator – this information should also be entered on the tab ‘Collaborators’.

Other Finland-based and foreign persons to whom mobility funding is being applied for from the Research Council of Finland or from abroad.

2.2 Describe the research environment:

Local, national and/or international research environment, incl. research infrastructures. Enter the available infrastructures also on the online services under Affiliations.

2.3 How the research teams complement each other:

Is the research cooperation behind the mobility new or does it continue previous cooperation? If it continues previous cooperation, describe how long the cooperation has continued and what the previous results are (briefly).

Contents of research, research methods, research materials and equipment, etc.

Importance of project for attainment of research objectives, etc.

Participation of early-career researchers

3.1 Describe the role of early-career researchers and how the project promotes researcher training and/or research careers.

Societal and other added value of the cooperation

4.1 Indicate if there is societal and other added value to be expected from the project in addition to research results and scientific impact mentioned in section 1.1

References

The list of references is included in the length of the research plan. The font size in the list is 10 pt. All references must be added directly into the text, for example as follows: (author(s), year) or [number]. You must not use footnotes.

Please delete these instructions when preparing your text.