Agreements
SPRINT 2nd Edition 2015 - Guideline: University of Sydney
SPRINT - 2nd Edition 2015
(Item 2.1.1. - h.)
GUIDELINE University of Sydney
Specific requests for submission of proposals in partnership with researchers from the University of Sydney
FAPESP and University of Sydney signed a Cooperation Agreement for Research on April 3, 2014, aiming to implement scientific and technological cooperation between researchers from the University of Sydney, Australia, and from the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, through the funding of joint research projects.
FAPESP and University of Sydney are very glad to launch this second Call for Proposals, which indicate the success of the collaboration and their results, helping to increase the mobility of researches and thus generating further scientific and academic cooperation between the partner regions of the State of São Paulo and Australia. In this Call for Proposals, applicants are encouraged to submit funding applications for innovative and sustainable programs built around collaborative research and/or learning and teaching initiatives linking the University of Sydney and FAPESP with each other.
Under the referred Agreement, as an action to promote such collaboration, FAPESP and University of Sydney make public this Call for Proposals for the exchange of faculty and postdoctoral researchers, under the terms and conditions of the SPRINT 2nd Edition 2015 (www.fapesp.br/en/9365) and hereinafter set forth.
1. Eligibility from University of Sydney side
a. Applications are welcome once per year from post-doctoral fellows, academic and research staff at the University of Sydney in all disciplines.
b. Chief investigators on a project must hold a salaried appointment with the University of Sydney and are only permitted to apply for one grant at any one time.
2. Fields of knowledge
This Call for Proposals invites research proposals in all fields.
3. Duration of the project for the exchange of researchers
Grants should be spent within the period indicated in the project submission or, as a maximum, within 24 months of receipt of funding. Extensions may be granted but must be requested in the first instance, in writing, to the contact at each respective institution.
4. Funding principles
FAPESP will provide funding of up to the equivalent of AUD $10,000.00 (ten thousand Australian dollars) per proposal per year and University of Sydney will provide funding of up to AUD $10,000.00 (ten thousand Australian dollars) per proposal per year, for the duration of the grant to cover research-related mobility expenses, under the provisions of Clause 5 of the Scientific Cooperation Agreement established by the Parties www.fapesp.br/8582. In the present Call, no more of five highest ranked proposals will be awarded.
4.1. Activities eligible for funding:
a. Academic mobility between Sydney and the State of Sao Paulo;
b. Travel expenses (e.g. economy airfare, train, rental car, etc);
c. Partial costs for hosting a seminar/conference or workshop;
d. Accommodation;
e. Consumables, including technical equipment, and publication/printing costs.
4.2. Applications that will not be considered for funding:
a. Salaries for general teaching;
b. An individual staff member’s research projects, unless as catalytic funding for the establishment of an international research collaboration with the prospect of external funding;
c. Website development;
d. Salaries or salary supplementation, per diems or honorarium;
e. Scholarships for students;
f. Course fees for international students;
g. Mobile phone cards;
h. Entertainment costs;
i. Computers, including laptops (excluding access to high-performance computers or other specialized applications that are justified against the project) and basic computing facilities such as printers, word processing and other standard software).
4.3. The following restrictions apply on the use of this funding:
a. Airfares: no more than 3 economy tickets will be funded per application. Airfares will be funded to a maximum of $3500 (return).
b. Accommodation: a maximum of two weeks subsistence for up to three people at up to $250 per night.
c. Meals and incidentals: a maximum of $100 a day per person.
d. Consumables: costs not to exceed $500.
e. Conference/workshops: costs to hold conferences or workshops shall not exceed 25% of the overall budget.
f. Publication and Printing: costs not to exceed $1000.
5. Proposal characteristics f or University of Sydney researchers
University of Sydney applicants should submit a completed application form and all of the required supporting documentation to ip.ipdf@sydney.edu.au.
Applications should include an outline of the methods, aims and results of their project and should also ensure that they sufficiently address: academic quality and impact; sustainability; innovation; relevant to the University’s strategy and; relevance to fostering long-term international partnership between the University of Sydney and FAPESP. The expected outcomes of the project should also be included and may include: enhanced networks, workshops, conferences and researcher mobility (though these would not necessarily be considered outcomes in and of themselves).
Applications will be scored according to five criteria:
a. Academic quality and impact: the academic quality of the proposed work, the likelihood of it gaining wide recognition and/or having a high impact when published, the ability to cut across disciplines and to draw in postgraduate students and junior academics.
b. Strategic relevance: its contribution to realizing the Universities’ international strategy, and its potential to provide useful outcomes to society locally and globally, such as building capacity and influencing policy.
c. Partnership: How the partnership will contribute to promoting and consolidating the relationship between University of Sydney and FAPESP and in which key areas.
d. Innovation: the extent to which the project will contribute to novel thinking and/or new technology in its field.
e. Sustainability: the likelihood that the project will lead to long-term international relationships and generate significant external funding for ongoing collaboration.
Applicants from the University of Sydney must complete the Application form and required supporting documentation, which is outlined in the Guidelines (http://sydney.edu.au/international/resources/preferential-partnerships.shtml#FAPESP).
6. Application process
In order for an application to be considered valid, application documents must be submitted to both the University of Sydney and FAPESP by their respective researchers.
University of Sydney applicants should submit a completed application form and all of the required supporting documentation to ip.ipdf@sydney.edu.au.
- Completed University of Sydney application form, signed by lead University of Sydney investigator and Dean.
- A copy of the completed FAPESP applicant’s Research Proposal Form.
- A copy of the FAPESP budget.
- An identical research project with a maximum of five (5) pages of scientific content, with one copy sent to University of Sydney and another copy sent to FAPESP, including the following items, regarding the proposed exchange activities:
a. A substantive description of the exchange activities, emphasizing their relevance;
b. A timeline for each specific exchange mission, considering the limit of missions and resources established in this Call;
c. Performance indicators for the planned activities;
d. A description of each candidate’s contribution to the mission, explaining their expertise to carry out the foreseen activities;
e. Foreseen actions adding to the impact of the exchange for Partner Institution and for the Host Institution in the State of São Paulo, e.g. by means of seminars, short courses and visits to other institutions that carry out research activities in cognate areas.
A link to the application is available on the University of Sydney Office of Global Engagement website at http://sydney.edu.au/global-engagement/index.php?dir=partners&page=sao-paulo-state-research-foundation-fapesp.
FAPESP applicants must adhere to the FAPESP guidelines and submit all required documents to FAPESP, including all the supporting documentation listed on their application form.
7. Submission of proposals to University of Sydney:
Submissions to the University of Sydney can only be accepted by email to ip.ipdf@sydney.edu.au.
8. Result of the analysis
Final results will be announced on FAPESP (www.fapesp.br) and University of Sydney (www.sydney.edu.au/international) web portals and by means of a communication to the interested PIs.
9. Contract for selected projects by University of Sydney
The Principal Investigator for selected proposals will be required to complete an Acceptance of Funding Form, which will be provided by the International Portfolio.
9. Grant cancellation
If circumstances change – for example the lead investigator or a fellow investigator leaves the project, or the industry partner withdraws – University of Sydney investigators should contact the IPDF Program Manager as soon as the change occurs. Such changes will need to be approved and documented. Grants from the University of Sydney which have not been spent by the due date will be transferred back to the IPDF so that unspent balances can be re-allocated.
10. Financial and Reporting Obligations
The recipients’ FAPESP co-collaborator will be required to report directly to FAPESP. The University of Sydney researcher will be responsible for providing the relevant information to their co-collaborator in terms of reporting requirements. The Office of Global Engagement will receive a summary of the report from FAPESP.
Applicants who fail to submit a final report will not be able to submit future applications.
11. Institutional agreements
Successful applicants shall note that upon award of their grant, they will need to organize a Letter of Agreement with their co-applicant’s institution.
A copy of a Letter of Agreement template is available on the Office of Global Engagement’s website and prospective applicants are encouraged to share this template with their co-applicant as early as possible to prevent any delays in the implementation of their project. The Office of Global Engagement can provide additional information about this requirement to successful awardees.
12. Information about this Call at University of Sydney
All questions related to this Call for Proposals from University of Sydney applicants must be directed to:
University of Sydney: ip.ipdf@sydney.edu.au