ERC Proposal Writing Guide Starting Grant 2012 This is your guide to write a convincing ERC Starting Grant Proposal, provided by Euresearch. It is based on the ERC proposal templates, the Guide for Applicants and several years of experience as an ERC National Contact Person. It is not an official document, and it does not substitute the Guide for Applicants; please read this document as well! If you have questions regarding your proposal, consult the Swiss ERC FAQ Blog, the ERC Website or contact your National Contact Person in Switzerland or in your Host Country, respectively. Good luck with your proposal! 1
Fill in the heather European Research Council ERC Starting Grant Research proposal (Part B section 1 (B1)) (to be evaluated in Step 1) You may delete this kind of template information Your title should be short and clear Proposal Full Title Choose a short and handy acronym (http://acronymcreator.net/) PROPOSAL ACRONYM Cover Page: - Name of the Principal Investigator (PI) - Name of the PI's host institution for the project - Proposal full title - Proposal short name (Acronym) - Proposal duration in months Proposal summary (half page) Abstract and title are very important. They decide if the evaluators are interested in reading the whole story. Write a concise and crystal clear abstract. What is your idea, your objective, your method? Put the goal of your project in the first sentence (and preferably in bold). 2
Section 1: The Principal Investigator (see Guide for Applicants for the Starting Grant 2012Call) Before you start, be aware of the following points: After the (short) lecture of part B1, the evaluators should know that you are excellent and the right person to get the grant. Ask yourself where your qualities are. Are you a good networker and have much international collaboration? Did you inspire young scientists, supervise PhD thesis? Did you organize special events? Don t forget a single achievement! A nice layout is important. The evaluators have to read many proposals, thus it is essential that they can see the important information in your proposal at once. Work with bullet points, numbered subtitles, breaks etc. Respect always the maximal number of pages, and the format (A4, Times New Roman, font size at least 11). The use of the templates is mandatory. Download them from EPSS once you re registered, and start to work directly in it. 1(a) Scientific Leadership Potential (max 1 page) This section consists of 3 parts: early scientific contributions / recognition and diffusion / career stage. It is like a cover letter of a job application. Write a clear and nice text with distinct paragraphs. Document your achievements - it is not enough to say I have participated in many international projects or I published in many international journals. Say which ones. Get to the point. Be precise. I established / I identified / I demonstrated / I initiated / I was awarded / the results identified was for the first time in this area Never write in conditional ( I would demonstrate ) Don t use negative sentences. Don t excuse or justify anything. Summarize your work. E.g., more than 20 original articles in international peer reviewed journals as main author... State your career stage (starter / consolidator). 3
1(b) Curriculum Vitae (max 2 pages) Start this section and every other sub-title on a new page. This section is a classical CV. Mention the exact date of your PhD award (the date on your diploma) Which sub-headers are best to describe yourself and your achievements? E.g., Education Professional Experience Awards Teaching and Supervision Activities Key Publications Start with the most recent dates. Use indexes, summaries... The competition is high. The evaluators should see your excellence at once! Sell yourself, without bluffing. Don t forget a single achievement, even if they are natural to you. Mention a distinct Funding ID. This info shows how much you are able to raise and manage funding. Use Euro. Display the information in a nice manner, for example in table form: Project Title Institution Duration Amount in State that there is no overlap with another project. Some sentence like this: There is and there will be no funding overlap with the ERC grant requested and any other source of funding for the same activities and costs that are foreseen in this project." Report on any significant career breaks. Peer reviewers will take it into consideration during the assessment of the quality of the PI and his/her career progression. 4
1(c) Early Achievement-Track-Record (max 2 pages) List your activities (if applicable): Publications, as main author (indicating those without the presence as co-author of your PhD supervisor) in scientific journals, peer-reviewed conferences proceedings and/or monographs, indicating the number of citations (excluding self-citations) they have attracted Granted patent(s) Invited presentations to peer-reviewed, internationally established conferences and/or advanced schools Prizes and Awards If you provide publications with several authors, put your name in bold in order to help the evaluators to recognize your position easily. Choose the achievements that are highly valuated in YOUR domain. It depends a lot on the domain if it s rather first authorship, last authorship, conference proceedings etc. The publications are the part the evaluators seem to be most interested in. They are indications for your creativity and your contribution in your field. No repetition from the CV necessary. Don t give the same information twice. 5
Section 1d: Extended Synopsis of the project proposal (max 5 pages) The Extended Synopsis should give a concise presentation of the scientific proposal, including the scientific feasibility of the project, with particular attention to its ground-breaking nature and how it may open up new horizons or opportunities for research. Describe the proposed work in the context of the state of the art of the field. Important: References to literature should be included in the 5 pages. Note that the evaluators have only access to B1 in the first evaluation stage. I.e. they can t read your full proposal. This means that you should focus to a maximum to the synopsis, that decides (together with the CV part) if your proposal is accepted for the 2 nd evaluation step. Include a work plan. For more tips, see Section B2, Scientific Proposal. 6
ERC Starting Grant Research proposal (Part B section 2 (B2)) Section 2: The Project proposal (max 15 pages + Ethical Issues) The project proposal should provide detailed descriptions on the project's aim, planning, execution, and required resources. See Guide for Applicants 2012 p. 35. Note that this part is only evaluated in step 2 of the evaluation. Before you start, think on the following points: Be aware: The ERC funds basic research projects that are novel, creative, go significantly beyond the state of the art, make substantial advances in the frontiers of knowledge, use new methods and techniques, are interdisciplinary, and high-risk-high-gain projects. This means: Focus on these aspects! The ERC funds projects that cannot be funded otherwise. Describe why you need the ERC grant! And why now. Your project must make a difference. Risky projects are welcome. It must be clear, however, that you are aware of the risks and know how to tackle them. The feasibility must clearly be shown. Find a balance between being original and realistic. You may present a plan B. Be ambitious, but not naive. When writing, remember the following aspects: The proposal must be short, concise, and crystal clear. No noise. Display your information clearly and in a user-friendly manner. Should not be just copy-paste from the Synopsis. The proposal has to be understandable for experts as well as for generalists (applies also for abbreviations and non-english terms). Graphs and tables are highly recommended. Include a list of references. They have to be within the maximal number of pages. Include timetable, milestones etc. (maybe in form of a table or graph) 7
a. State-of-the-art and objectives Come quickly to the point. Don t fill pages with State of the Art without linking it to your project, your goals. Write explicitly your objectives. If possible, number them. The hierarchy of titles should be clear. Use sub headers, bullet points, graphs etc., in order to make your text easily readable and appealing for the reader. Remember that your proposal is read by specialists as well as by generalists of your field. This means: State what is new and beyond the state of the art in your project, in your methodology. E.g., write explicitly that you are the first one to apply the technology xy in your domain. b. Methodology Explain explicitly and in a user-friendly manner your methodology. Try to use tables, Gantt charts, etc. c. Resources (incl. project costs) It is strongly recommended to use the costing table template below. Describe the size and nature of the team, indicating, where appropriate, the key team members and their roles. Describe other necessary resources, such as infrastructure and equipment. The resources requested should be reasonable and fully justified in the proposal. If additional funding, above the normal (EUR 1 500 000), is requested for purchase of major equipment or for covering the eligible "start-up" costs for PI's moving from a third country to the EU or an associated country (as a consequence of receiving an ERC grant) then this also needs to be fully justified. Specify any existing resources that will contribute to the project. It is advisable to include a short technical description of the equipment requested, a justification of its need as well as the intensity of its planned use. Specify how much time you are willing to devote to the proposed project. Please note that you are expected to devote at least 50% of your total working time to the ERC-funded project and spend at least 50% of your total working time in an EU Member State or Associated Country. Include the direct costs of the project plus a flat-rate financing of indirect costs on the basis of 20% of the total eligible direct costs (excluding subcontracting) towards overheads. Furthermore, include a breakdown of the budget subdivided in personnel costs, equipment and infrastructure, consumables, travel, publication costs, and any envisaged subcontracts. State how the costs will be distributed over the duration of the project. These figures should be summarised in the financial information form A3 as well as in the table below. The project cost estimation should be as accurate as possible. There s no advantage in having a low or a high budget, budget what you need for your project. There is no minimum contribution per year; the requested contribution should be in proportion to the actual needs to fulfill the objectives of the project. Write your budget in Euro and in full numbers (not keuro). The equipment for costs should contain only the depreciation (check the depreciation rules with your host institution). The personal costs should include the social charges. Your Euresearch Regional Office can help you to set up or check your budget. 8
(Note: To facilitate the assessment of resources by the panels the following costing table is strongly suggested.) Total Cost Category Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 (Y1-5) Personnel: PI 1 Senior Staff Post docs Students Other Total Personnel: Direct Costs: Indirect Costs (overheads): Subcontracting Costs: Total Costs of project: Requested Grant: Other Direct Costs: Equipment Consumables Travel Publications, etc Other Total Other Direct Costs: Total Direct Costs: Max 20% of Direct Costs (No overheads) (by year and total) (by year and total) The project cost estimation should be as accurate as possible. The evaluation panels assess the estimated costs carefully; unjustified budgets will be consequently reduced. There is no minimum contribution per year; the requested contribution should be in proportion to the actual needs to fulfil the objectives of the project. For the above cost table, please indicate the % of working time the PI dedicates to the project over the period of the grant: Specify briefly your commitment to the project and how much time you are willing to devote to the proposed project in the resources section. Please note that you are expected to devote at least 50% of your total working time to the ERC-funded project and spend at least 50% of your total working time in an EU Member State or Associated Country (see ERC Work Programme 2012). % Don t forget to fill in your commitment. 9
d. Ethical and Security sensitivity Issues The table below has to be completed even if there are no issues (simply confirm that none of the ethical issues apply to the proposal). If any of the ethical issues listed in the Ethical Issues table apply to your proposal, you must provide a brief explanation of the ethical issue involved and how it will be dealt with appropriately. Annex 2 in the Guide for Applicants describes the ethics review process and gives guidance on the completion of the Ethical Issues Table. An Ethical Issues Annex template is provided in EPSS together with the other templates. Include any supporting material you may have as an annex. Please upload this Ethical Issues Annex and any related documents in the 'Extra Annexes Upload' section included in the EPSS (tab 'Part B & Annexes'). A dedicated website that aims to provide helpful information on ethical issues is available at: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ethics_en.html Security sensitivity Issues: ERC actions may be classified if they are considered as security sensitive. The proposal can be considered security-sensitive for a variety of reasons. For more information see Guide for Applicants p.36-37. If your proposal is security sensitive, describe (in your description of work) why, which are the participants concerned by the sensitivity and what are the measures foreseen to cope with it. Please annex to your proposal a first version of the Security Aspects Letter (SAL) using the template provided in Annex 5 of the Guide for Applicants. Note that the pages of the Ethical Issues Table, the Ethical Issues Annex and the SAL (separate documents) will not count towards the maximum page limit for Section 2 (B2). ETHICS ISSUES TABLE Areas Excluded From Funding Under FP7 (Art. 6) (i) Research activity aiming at human cloning for reproductive purposes; (ii) Research activity intended to modify the genetic heritage of human beings which could make such changes heritable (Research relating to cancer treatment of the gonads can be financed); (iii) Research activities intended to create human embryos solely for the purpose of research or for the purpose of stem cell procurement, including by means of somatic cell nuclear transfer; All FP7 funded research shall comply with the relevant national, EU and international ethics-related rules and professional codes of conduct. Where necessary, the beneficiary(ies) shall provide the responsible Commission services with a written confirmation that it has received (a) favourable opinion(s) of the relevant ethics committee(s) and, if applicable, the regulatory approval(s) of the competent national or local authority(ies) in the country in which the research is to be carried out, before beginning any Commission approved research requiring such opinions or approvals. The copy of the official approval from the relevant national or local ethics committees must also be provided to the responsible Commission services. 10
Research on Human Embryo/ Foetus YES Page Does the proposed research involve human Embryos? Does the proposed research involve human Foetal Tissues/ Cells? Does the proposed research involve human Embryonic Stem Cells (hescs)? Does the proposed research on human Embryonic Stem Cells involve cells in culture? Does the proposed research on Human Embryonic Stem Cells involve the derivation of cells from Embryos? I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL x If you do not have ethical issue in a section, put always the cross (x) under Yes. Research on Humans YES Page Does the proposed research involve children? Does the proposed research involve patients? Does the proposed research involve persons not able to give consent? Does the proposed research involve adult healthy volunteers? Does the proposed research involve Human genetic material? Does the proposed research involve Human biological samples? Does the proposed research involve Human data collection? I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL Privacy YES Page Does the proposed research involve processing of genetic information or personal data (e.g. health, sexual lifestyle, ethnicity, political opinion, religious or philosophical conviction)? Does the proposed research involve tracking the location or observation of people? I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL Does the proposed research involve research on animals? Are those animals transgenic small laboratory animals? Are those animals transgenic farm animals? Are those animals non-human primates? Are those animals cloned farm animals? Research on Animals YES Page I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL Research Involving non-eu Countries (ICPC Countries) YES Page Is the proposed research (or parts of it) going to take place in one or more of the ICPC Countries? Is any material used in the research (e.g. personal data, animal and/or human tissue samples, genetic material, live animals, etc) : a) Collected in any of the ICPC countries? b) Exported to any other country (including ICPC and EU Member States)? I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL Research having direct military use Dual Use YES Page 11
Research having the potential for terrorist abuse I CONFIRM THAT NONE OF THE ABOVE ISSUES APPLY TO MY PROPOSAL Did you fill in this table? Finished? Check your proposal with the check list on the next page! 12
13 Check List for ERC Proposal ERC Starting Grant 2012 Preparation Part B1 Part B2
Final check Upload of documents in EPSS o o o o o o Technical issues Questions? 14