COVER SHEET FOR PROPOSAL TO SCIENCE FOUNDATION IRELAND For Official Use Only PROGRAMME NAME CLOSING TIME/DATE STRATEGIC RESEARCH CLUSTER 2008 (PRE-PROPOSAL) RESEARCH AREA 1pm 10th March 2008 BioT ICT Financial Mathematics TITLE OF PROPOSAL (up to 30 words) NAME OF HOST INSTITUTION FULL NAME OF LEAD APPLICANT YEAR Ph.D. RECEIVED: TOTAL REQUESTED BUDGET (euro) (60 months) Gender: PROPOSED DURATION (months 1-60) 36 months initially + possible extension to 60 months (direct costs) REQUESTED STARTING DATE (dd/mm/yy) If Conference/Workshop, Proposed Number of Days: Signatures below confirm acceptance and agreement with the SFI grants and awards Terms and Conditions, and that the institution ensures the applicant meets eligibility requirements, and that the project is in full agreement with all legal and regulatory matters governing research in Ireland, and no aspect of this project is already being funded from another source and all details provided are correct . INSTITUTIONAL SIGNATORY AUTHORITY LEAD CLUSTER PI APPLICANT Name: Date: Position: Email: Email: OTHER CLUSTER PI SIGNATURE(S) Correspondence Address: A. email: Name: B. email: Name: C. email: Name: D. email: Name: E. email: Name: Signed: Date: Signed: Signature: Signature: Signature: Signature: Signature: SFI Strategic Research Cluster Competition 2008 Pre-proposal Application Form Please complete each of the sections below referring to the Support Notes at the end of this document. Section 1; Description of research to be undertaken (maximum 6 pages) (Must demonstrate value-add above individual [PI-type] application, may include Gantt chart and/or timeline for deliverables or other project planning details.) Section 2; CV’s of lead PI (maximum 3 pages), co-PIs and industry partner(s) representative(s) (maximum 2 pages each). Section 3; Potential strategic impact on ICT/BioTech/Financial Services (maximum 1 page) (Outline potential contribution to the scientific, educational and economic development of Ireland’s ICT, Biotechnology or Financial Services sectors) Section 4; Iindicative budget requirements (maximum 1 page) Provide a brief narrative to describe project resource requirements and indicate funding anticipated to be requested from SFI (if invited to submit full proposal), using the budget template provided below. Indicative SRC Budget (k€) Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Staff Equipment Materials/Consumables Travel Miscellaneous TOTALS Section 5; Letter(s) of support from industry partner(s) Year 5 Total Support Notes Introduction Applicants should follow the instructions in these notes to complete the various sections of the application form. The application form can be downloaded from the SFI website (www.sfi.ie ). Applications not adhering to these guidelines and associated Call documents will be deemed ineligible and may be returned to the applicant without review. Guidelines • All text should be provided in Times New Roman, font size 12 with single-line spacing. • Submissions must be received by SFI by 1pm 10th March 2008. • The number of pages in the application must not exceed the specifications for any given section. • Appendices or other unsolicited documentation are not permitted. • Budget requests should be for direct-costs, the currency to be used in this application form is the euro (€). • The applicant is responsible for ensuring that all of the relevant information has been included at the time of submission of the application. Additional material and/or corrections will not be accepted after the deadline. Applications that do not conform to the above guidelines will be returned without review. Pre-Proposal Description The pre-proposal submission should include the following information; • Section 1; Description of research to be undertaken (Maximum; 6 pages) Applicants should describe the research project proposed in no more than six (6) pages. Applicants should endeavour to explain why the project proposed requires funding as a cluster and demonstrate the potential value-add that distinguishes the cluster proposal above a series of individual [PItype] applications. Applicants should outline project plans by indicating milestones/deliverables and key decision points by way of GANNT charts and/or associated timelines. The project plan should clearly demonstrate the industry partner(s) engagement in the project. Additionally, applicants should describe the potential of the cluster to attract additional industry partners over the course of the award. • Section 2; CVs of researchers Applicants should submit the CVs of the lead-PI (3 pages), all co-PIs and industry partner(s) representative(s) (2 pages for each individual). CVs should include each applicant’s five most relevant publications in the field of the proposal. • Section 3; Potential impact to Ireland’s ICT/Biotechnology/Financial Services sectors (Maximum; 1 page) Outline the potential of the research program proposed to contribute to the scientific, educational and economic development of Ireland. Applicants must clearly explain how the proposed research will underpin Ireland’s ICT, Biotechnology or Financial Services sectors. • Section 4; Budget outline (Maximum 1 page including Budget Table) An outline budget for years 1-5 should be provided in the budget template, with a brief narrative to describe the funding requested (use direct costs in budget template). • Section 5; Letter(s) of support from industry partner(s) Applicants should submit a formal letter of support from intending industry partners describing their interest in, and potential contribution to, the project. Letters should include plans for engagement with the academic partners and/or outline cost-sharing plans. Applications & Deadlines Each application must be completed by the candidates and endorsed by the public research body. Applicants must have their Expression of Interest document submitted by 1pm on 29th February 2008. The closing date for submission of pre-proposals is 1pm 10th March, 2008. To be eligible, applications must be received at SFI’s office by hard copy and electronic copy by 1pm on that day. Applications will only be accepted from teams that have previously submitted Expressions of Interest as outlined in the Call document. Non-compliance Proposals will only be accepted on the application form provided by the Foundation. All submissions will be checked for compliance by SFI staff immediately after the deadline. Proposals not in compliance with any details specified in this document, the application form, the support notes, and/or the SFI Terms & Conditions will not be eligible for a grant and will be returned without review. Submission Proposals will only be accepted with a fully completed original cover sheet which has been stamped and signed by the appropriate Research Body signatory authority. The electronic and hard copy of the application materials must be identical – SFI will not be held responsible for any discrepancies. Electronic submission; Please submit a combined single document containing; the signed and stamped cover sheet, the research proposal and Letter(s) of Support in PDF format. Documents should be submitted by email to [email protected] Hard-copy submission; One single hard-copy version of the signed original completed application, clearly marked “ORIGINAL”, must be sent to the following address, not to individual SFI staff members: Strategic Research Cluster Programme Science Foundation Ireland Wilton Park House Wilton Place Dublin 2 Ireland Questions SFI website FAQs: www.sfi.ie Email: [email protected] Telephone: + 353 1 607 3200 Fax: + 353 1 607 3201 Terms of reference While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of this document, it is provided for information purposes only and as a guide to expected developments. It is not intended, and should not be relied upon, as any form of warranty, representation, undertaking, contractual, or other commitment binding in law upon Science Foundation Ireland, Forfás, the Government of Ireland, or any of their respective servants or agents. SFI Terms and Conditions shall govern the administration of SFI grants and awards to the exclusion of this and any other oral, written, or recorded statement. All responses to this Call for Proposals will be treated in confidence and no information contained therein will be communicated to any third party without the written permission of the applicant except insofar as is specifically required for the consideration and evaluation of the proposal or as may be required under law, including the Industrial Development (Science Foundation Ireland) Act, 2003 and the Freedom of Information Acts 1997 and 2003.