Closed call
06 April - 01 August 2022
In kind contributions to ESS
The purpose of the grant is to enable Swedish researchers to contribute to the build-up of the European Spallation Source (ESS) and for Swedish competence within areas such as instrumentation to be built up and new collaborations developed. In-kind collaborations provide a close link to ESS, one of the world’s largest research infrastructure projects, which is currently under construction.
Support form: Infrastructure support
Subject area: Research infrastructure
Focus: In-kind ESS
Applicant: Individual researcher or organisation whose Technical annex/project plan has been approved by ESS and who has been invited by the Swedish Research Council to submit an application.
Participating researchers: No participating researchers/organisations shall be invited to the application. They only need to be named in the application.
Grant period: 1–3 years
Grant amount: Minimum 400 000 SEK per year
Budgetary framework: SEK 30 million per year for 2022-2025
Start of grant period: January 2023
Application period: 1 August 2022 (14.00/2 pm)
Publication of grant award: In the beginning of December 2022
Please note:
- Applications may be submitted by organisations or by individual researchers. The evaluation of the application is not affected by the type of applicant submitting the application.
- A requirement for any in-kind contribution is that it is part of the ESS plan and budget and based on an agreement between ESS and the contributing partner.
- As from 2022, new criteria apply for approval of administrating organisations for grants awarded by the Swedish Research Council. You therefore need to make sure that your organisation fulfils the requirements and has been approved by us as an administrating organisation for calls issued after 1 January 2022.
- This type of project may contain different types of risks that must be described by the applicant.
Specific instructions for the call
In addition to reading the call text, you also need to consult our Guide for applicants
Opens in new window..
Swedish researchers who wish to provide personnel, service, or equipment in-kind must contact ESS as soon as possible to discuss details, such as scope, time plan, in-kind value, risks, acceptance criteria, etc.
The Swedish researchers and/or organisations who have had their annex/project plan approved by ESS will receive an invitation from the Swedish Research Council to submit an application in Prisma.
Please contact ESS for further information:
Sindra Petersson Årsköld, ESS
sindra.petersson@ess.eu
Tel: +46 (0)72 179 20 94
Please note that 1 August 2022 is the deadline for submitting an application in Prisma.
The following requirements must be fulfilled in order for you/the organisation to be eligible to apply for the grant. We carry out checks and reject applications that do not fulfil the requirements.
Applicant
The applicant for the grant may be an individual researcher or a Swedish higher education institution (HEI) or institute (hereafter called “organisation”), that is approved as an administrating organisation for Swedish Research Council grants. A requirment for any in-kind contribution is that it is part of the ESS project plan and budget, and that it is based on an agreement between ESS and the contributing partner. The researcher or organisation applying must also have had their technical annex/project plan approved by ESS. The importance of the application is not affected by the type of applicant submitting the application.
Individual researcher
The applicant shall be an individual researcher together with their organisation (a Swedish HEI or institute that fulfils our criteria for administrating organisations for Swedish Research Council grants). Opens in new window. We must have approved your organisation as an administrating organisation for you to apply. The administrating organisation must sign your application in Prisma no later than 7 calendar days after the deadline for this call.
You shall be the project leader and have scientific responsibility for the project. The time you set aside for the project (your activity level, that is the percentage of a full-time equivalent) must be suited to the task and its implementation throughout the grant period.
You do not have to be employed by the administrating organisation at the time of application, but you must be employed at the start of and throughout the grant period and any further availability period. The employment must equal at least 20 per cent of a full-time equivalent.
Organisation
The applicant for the grant must be a Swedish HEI or institute that has been approved as an administrating organisation Opens in new window. for Swedish Research Council grants.
In order for a person to access the call and start the application process, they have to be authorised to create organisation applications on the organisation’s Prisma account. If this is not the same person who will be the project leader and responsible for completing the application, the project leader must be invited to the application once the process has been started (see the next section, and under the tab “Participants” in the application form).
The application shall include one named researcher, who shall be the project leader of the project and responsible for coordination and follow-up. The coordinator/project leader shall be employed by the administrating organisation at the start of and throughout the grant period and any further additional availability period. The employment must equal at least 20 per cent of a full-time equivalent. The coordinator/project leader does not have to be employed at the time of applying.
Number of applications and previous grants
There is no limit to the number of applications an HEI or a researcher may submit or participate in, provided the applications relate to different projects.
The application must not cover costs for purposes that are already funded by the Swedish Research Council or any other funding body. Overlaps with other grants or applications may impact on the grant amount awarded, or be a reason for us to reject the application.
Participating researchers
No participating researchers/organisations need be invited to the application. They only need to be named in the application.
Costs and grant amounts
The grant may be used to fund all types of project-related costs, such as:
- salaries (including the coordinator/project leader’s salary), however no more than corresponding to the person’s activity level in the project
- premises
- running costs (such as consumables, travel including stays at research facilities, publication costs and minor equipment)
- depreciation costs.
The grant amount includes cover of indirect costs as a percentage of the direct costs, according to the model used by the administrating organisation. Grants must not be used for scholarships. If a doctoral student participates, project funds may not be paid out as salary during teaching or other departmental duties.
The minimum amount you may apply for is 400 000 SEK per year, including indirect costs.
Grant period
You may apply for a grant for a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 3 years, starting in January 2023. The first payment will be made no later than December 2022.
Please refer to the application form in Prisma in parallel with reading the instructions below, which describe the call-specific contents of the application. More information on what to do in practical terms is available in our Guide for applicants. Opens in new window.
Language
Foreign experts may be involved in the scientific assessment of the applications. To ensure fair and equitable assessment and efficient processing, please therefore complete your application in English.
Sections of the application
The application form includes the following tabs:
- Descriptive information
- Project information
- Budget and research resources
- Administrating organisation
- Letter of support
- Participants (only administrators in this call)
The information we request under each tab is described below.
Descriptive information
Participating persons and/or organisations
List the persons and/or organisations participating in the application. Participating organisations must fulfil the Swedish Research Council’s criteria for approved administrating organisations.
Abstract
In the abstract, please describe in brief the following:
- What is to be done: purpose and aims
- How the project will be carried out: project organisation, time plan and scientific methods
- What is important about the planned project.
The abstract shall provide a summary picture of the purpose and implementation of the project.
The description may cover a maximum of 1 500 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately one third of an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.
Popular science description
Describe the planned research in such a way that a person who is not a researcher can
Describe the planned project by answering the following questions:
- What is the project about?
- Why is it important to work on this?
- In what way may the new knowledge/delivery be important?
The text must be in Swedish and cover a maximum of 2 000 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately half an A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing. The popular science description is important when we inform about the projects funded by the Swedish Research Council.
Project information
ESS Technical annex
Attach the technical annex designed in consultation with ESS here. The file shall be in PDF format, and may have a maximum size of 10MB.
Risk description
Describe risks or obstacles that may affect the implementation of the project, and your plan for managing them. Examples of different kinds of risk:
- Technical equipment, raw material cost, etc.
- Specification changes, or not precise enough
- Loss of critical personnel, loss of critical competence
- Other
For each identified risk type, the risk level (low, medium or high), potential cost increase, mitigation strategy or other relevant information should be stated.
The description may cover a maximum of 4 500 characters including blank spaces. This is approximately one A4 page in Arial, font size 11, single line spacing.
Budget and research resources
Project personnel
State the activity level (per cent of a full-time equivalent) of all personnel active within the project, that is, coordinator/project leader and any personnel in the project. Please also state the salary you are applying for, for the coordinator/project leader and/or other personnel active within the project – both as a percentage of a full-time salary and as actual annual amounts (including social security contributions). Please state the amounts in Swedish krona, rounded to the nearest 1 000 SEK.
Other costs
Describe any other costs of the project (premises costs, running costs and depreciation costs). Please state the amounts in Swedish krona, rounded to the nearest 1 000 SEK.
You may include depreciation costs for equipment to be used in the operation, provided that:
- the equipment has an economic life of at least three years
- the equipment has an acquisition value over 100.000 SEK
- the equipment need cannot be satisfied through use of national or international infrastructure supported by the Swedish Research Council.
You may only include the proportion of depreciation costs that corresponds to the use of the equipment in the proposed operation. You may not include depreciation costs for equipment that is wholly financed via other grants. Please contact your administrating organisation for information about what is included in local research infrastructure, acquisition values or how to calculate depreciation costs.
Total cost of the project
The application system will automatically add up your budget items in a table. The total amount applied for shall also include indirect costs. These shall be added to the table by the applicant. Here, the applicant shall add any other costs arising in the project (for which you are not seeking funding under this call).
Indirect costs follow the model that your administrating organisation uses. Please contact your administrating organisation if you have any questions abut what constitutes indirect and direct costs.
Letter of support
Attach the letter of support from ESS.
Administrating organisation
Please state the administrating organisation and project site.
Participants
Any participating administrators may be invited to the application here. Please note that any participating persons and/or organisations shall not be invited to the application. They shall instead be listed in the field “Participating persons or organisations” in the application form.
Evaluation process
The scientific and strategic assessment of your proposal is carried out by active researchers within advisory groups (RÅG) to the Council for Research Infrastructures (RFI). The applications that are approved by RÅG are sent back to ESS for review and decision by the ESS Council. The process ends with a decision by the Swedish Research Council. The grant decision comes with special with special conditions attached.
Evaluation criteria and guiding questions
The evaluation of the application is based on four criteria: Nationellt interest, Scientific impact, Implementation, leadership and organisation; and Risk assessment. The purpose of using several components is to achieve a multi-faceted evaluation.
The four criteria are weighed together into an overall grade, which reflects the review panel’s joint evaluation of the quality of the application.
For each criterion, there are guiding questions to support the panel members’ evaluation of your application. These can also function as guidance when writing the application.
National interest (1-3)
- To what extent does the proposed in-kind constribution fulfil, or has the potential to do so in the near future, the Swedish Research Council’s criteria for research infrastructures of national interest?
Scientific impact (1-7)
For assessing the scientific impact of the in-kind constribution to ESS, following aspects should be addressed:
- Does the proposed addition to the research infrastructure answer to the objective of the call; to enable Swedish researchers to contribute in-kind to the development of the ESS and to enable new collaborations to be developed.
- Does the in-kind contribution provide state-of-the-art capabilities for advancing research?
- Are there any cost-efficient alternatives that would satisfy the identified need?
Implementation, leadership and organisation (1-7)
An assessment of the implementation and organisation of the in-kind contribution to ESS. The following aspects should be addressed:
- Is the proposed implementation plan as stated in the ESS Technical Annex appropriate and feasible?
- Is the proposed organisational structure of the project adequate to enable cost-efficiency and streamlining of activities?
- Is the management structure appropriate and cost efficient, and are the responsibilities of the partners clearly defined?
- Does the organisation possess the necessary competence concerning scientific/strategic aspects and management?
- Is the support from the partners, both in terms of funding and personnel, relevant, at an appropriate level and sufficiently secured?
- Where applicable, are relevant collaborations with other infrastructures sufficiently described?
Risk mitigation (low, moderate, high)
An assessment of the potential risks. The following aspects should be addressed:
- Is the risk correctly assessed?
- Is there a reasonable mitigation plan?
Overall grade (1-7)
Make a non-numerical compilation of the criteria above, resulting in a final grade (1-7), and give a summary statement of the application, which acknowledges the most important aspects.
Please also comment on any significant benefits, obstacles or risks, not already listed above, which need to be addressed.