UK-Egypt Newton-Mosharafa Fund Call for Proposals: Preserving Egypt s Cultural Heritage: Mitigating Threats for a Sustainable Future I. Contents II. Introduction... 1 III. Context... 2 IV. Aims of the Call... 2 A. Scope... 2 B. Additional Requirements... 4 V. Eligibility... 4 VI. Guidance on Costs and Project Timescales... 5 VII. Application Process and Format... 6 VIII. Assessment Process and Criteria... 9 IX. Scheme Requirements and Post Award Reporting... 11 X. Contact Information... 11 XI. Annex 1 Template for Egypt Budget... 12 II. Introduction The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Science & Technology Fund (STDF) are pleased to announce a joint call for Research Networking projects addressing the theme of Preserving Egypt s Cultural Heritage: Mitigating Threats for a Sustainable Future. 1
Funding of up to 80,000 per proposal is available and proposals should have a duration of between 6 and 9 months. Awards will be funded through the Newton Mosharafa Fund: http://www.britishcouncil.org.eg/en/programmes/education/newton-mosharafa-fund This is a five year programme that aims to strengthen research and innovation partnerships between the UK and Egypt. This call is funded by the Egyptian STDF (www.stdf.org.eg) and the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council. III. Context The perception of Egypt s cultural heritage both in Egypt and globally is overwhelmingly dominated by the physical remnants of the pharaonic era, principally at archaeological sites and museums. Yet cultural heritage comprises all aspects of anthropogenic activity in Egypt, from prehistory to the present, and includes (but is not limited to) archaeological sites, building, objects, built or altered landscapes and environments, film, literature and performance arts. A workshop help in Cairo in October 2015 explored key major threats and challenges to Egypt s cultural heritage and identified where opportunities for future collaborative work and projects might lie. Over two days discussion was focussed on the following themes: Archaeology, Conservation and Tourism Museums, Public Displays and Revenue Opportunities Community Engagement, Tangible and Intangible Heritage The Digital World: Opportunities and Challenges Legal, Governmental, Environmental and Security Challenges for Preserving Cultural Heritage: the Egyptian and International Perspective IV. Aims of the Call A. Scope The aim of this Research Networking call is to allow researchers in the UK and Egypt to build networks and partnerships that will explore and develop key issues arising from the workshop held in October 2015. It is hoped that these awards will stimulate debate and result in a variety of concrete outcomes in response to the key challenges raised at the workshop (see below); build partnerships between academic and non-academic communities in response to these challenges; deploy methodologies grounded in 2
difference disciplines; leverage the skills of partner institutions in Egypt and the UK; and lead to the development of longer-term and larger scale collaborative research projects between researchers in Egypt and the UK. Proposals should address one of the following five themes. Archaeology, Conservation and Tourism Museums, Public Displays and Revenue Opportunities Community Engagement, Tangible and Intangible Heritage The Digital World: Opportunities and Challenges Legal, Governmental, Environmental and Security Challenges for Preserving Cultural Heritage: the Egyptian and International Perspective At the workshop in Cairo discussion focussed on the spaces (physical or virtual) that these themes emphasise where cultural heritage is at risk, whilst also being spaces in which research and projects could meaningfully deliver progress towards mitigating threats. Within these themes the following research questions were identified as being of particular importance: How can communities rural, urban and outside Egypt be better engages with the layered, tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Egypt? Can the University, Antiquities and Culture sectors provide effective educational support to complement somewhat limited school curricula? Can training, capacity building and University courses provide the next generations with a better set of skills for enhancing the preservation of Egypt s cultural heritage? Cultural resource management and museology are priority areas. More effective risk and disaster management is an urgent need. How can innovative documentation and sire or monument protection projects, alongside a revised regulatory and procedural framework, support the preservation of cultural heritage and an improved sharing of information to key stakeholders and audiences? How could adaptive re-use, economic opportunities and collaboration with the private, corporate and charitable sectors better support the preservation of cultural heritage? Projects should seek to explore sustainability, impact and legacy across one (or more) of the five themes and may also wish to take account of the research questions above. 3
Please note that these areas and research questions are not exhaustive and are suggestions intended to stimulate research ideas. B. Additional Requirements Each proposal must have a Principal Investigator (lead researcher) in the UK and Egypt. The Principal Investigator in each country will take responsibility for the intellectual leadership of the project and for the overall management of the activities taking place in their country. The Principal Investigator in the UK will be responsible for submitting a joint proposal via the Research Council s Joint Electronic Submission system (Je-S). At least one of the Principal Investigators must have attended the workshop in Cairo in October 2015. If you did not attend the workshop but would like to apply for a grant, please contact newton.mosharafa@britishcouncil.org, and we ll try to connect you with a suitable partner. An individual researcher can be named as a Principal Investigator on one proposal only but can be named as a team member on other proposals, so long as they can commit a sufficient amount of time to the projects they would be involved with. As the UK funds for this call come from the Newton Fund, all proposals must demonstrate how they meet Official Development Assistance (ODA) requirements. Further details on ODA can be found here: www.newtonfund.ac.uk/about/what-is-oda. V. Eligibility UK applicants must meet standard AHRC eligibility criteria: please see section three of the AHRC s Research Funding Guide for information: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/documents/guides/research-funding-guide/ Egypt applicants Egypt STDF applicants must have a PhD or equivalent research experience and hold a permanent or fixed-term contract in an eligible university or research institute in Egypt, which must span the duration of the project. (Eligible institutions include public or private universities or research centres which are Egyptian legal entities. Please note, the AUC and the Arab Academy are not eligible) Non-eligible organisations (such as NGOs or the AUC/Arab Academy) can participate in the research as associate partners, but cannot be the PI and cannot receive grants. 4
Applicants may hold this fellowship and a maximum of one other STDF grant at the same time. Applications cannot be accepted from researchers in commercial organisations. Collaborations should focus on a single project involving the overseas-based researcher and a UK-based researcher Contact between the Egyptian Applicant and the UK-basedapplicant prior to the application is essential. This contact should lead to a clearly defined and mutually beneficial research project proposal. VI. Guidance on Costs and Project Timescales Costs should be split into a UK and Egypt budget; eligible costs for each budget are listed below. Please use the Justification for Resources attachment to clearly differentiate which costs are being charged to the UK budget and which to the Egypt budget. All costs (for both the UK and Egypt budget) should be justified in the Justification for Resources attachment. Funding of up to 80,000 per proposal is available and applicants should aim for the total of the UK and Egypt budgets to be as equal as possible in value. We recognise that there will be some variance in costs but applicants should aim for the budgets for both countries to be balanced as far as possible. A start date of no later than 1 st February 2016 should be entered onto the Je-S form. We recognise that some projects may be subject to delays.. Should a delayed start date be necessary the AHRC and STDF will negotiate this with the award holders. For the purposes of the application stage please enter a start date no later than 1 st February 2016. Eligible costs for UK researchers (AHRC guidance applies): networking activity including travel and subsistence for the UK Principal Investigator, any UK Coinvestigators and UK network participants to attend project-related events both in the UK and Egypt; organisation of seminars/conferences/networking events taking place in the UK; other costs for the UK researchers involved that are essential for the delivery of the project and are eligible according to standard AHRC guidance (see section 2 of the AHRC s Research Funding Guide: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/documents/guides/researchfunding-guide). Salary costs for the UK Principal Investigator can be included for the time spent overseeing and providing intellectual input to the activities, the cost of setting up and coordinating the activities (for example the salary costs of a coordinator) along 5
with associated Indirect and Estates costs. Time spent by the Principal Investigator on the coordination of the activities is not expected to form the majority of the cost of the proposal. The salary costs of other UK network participants cannot be included. UK Coinvestigators can be included but please note that they must have a role in assisting the Principal Investigator with the management and leadership of the project; if they do not meet this requirement they should be included as a network participant. Costs for the UK budget should be included on a full economic cost (fec) basis with the AHRC meeting 80% of the fec. Please enter the UK costs only onto the Je-S form. A separate attachment should detail the Egypt costs (see below). Eligible costs for Egyptian researchers (STDF guidance applies): Costs for Egyptian researchers can include: Salary for the Egyptian researcher Research costs in Egypt Operational costs (venues, accommodation etc) for events held in Egypt Travel (inc to the UK) Subsistence/accommodation when travelling to the UK (based on STDF s standard per diem rate) A separate attachment should be completed to show the Egypt budget and attached to the Je-S form (a template is provided at annex 1). VII. Application Process and Format Applicants should prepare a joint application which must be submitted using the Research Councils Joint Electronic Submission (Je-S) system. The UK Principal Investigator will be responsible for submitting the proposal. Applications should be submitted through the Je-S system at the latest by 4pm GMT/6pm EET on Tuesday 1 st December, and will need to go through the appropriate institution submission process. You should submit your proposal using the Research Councils Joint electronic Submission (Je-S) System (https://je-s.rcuk.ac.uk/). To prepare a proposal form in Je-S: log-in to your account and choose Documents from the menu; then select New Document ; AHRC as the Council, Standard Proposal as the Document Type; 6
Development Grants as the Scheme; Preserving Egypt s Cultural Heritage 1 December 2015 as the Call/Type/Mode and Create Document. Je-S will then create a proposal form, displaying the relevant section headings. Using the Help link at the top of each section will provide guidance relevant to that section of the form. The application is comprised of the Je-S proposal form and the separate attachments listed below. Note that selecting 'Submit document' on your proposal form in Je-S initially submits the proposal to your host organisation's administration, not to AHRC. Please remember to allow sufficient time for your organisation s submission process between submitting your proposal to them and the Call closing date. Applications should address the aims of the Call as listed in this document. The following are a list of attachments that are required or optional for this call. Please see Section 4 of the AHRC s Research Funding Guide for further information about these attachments: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/documents/guides/research-funding-guide/ any exceptions for this call are noted either within or below the table: Attachment Requirement and page limits (sides of A4) Case for Support Curriculum Vitae Publication Lists Justification of Resources Egypt budget Compulsory. 5 sides of A4. See guidance below for headings to use for this call. Compulsory for Principal Investigators in both countries and any Co-investigators. 2 sides of A4. Compulsory for Principal Investigators in both countries and any Co-investigators. 1 side of A4. Compulsory. 2 sides of A4. Please justify both the UK and Egypt budget. Compulsory. 1 side of A4. Please use budget template provided in annex 1 of this document. This should be uploaded to the application using attachment type Non-UK Components 7
Pathways to Impact Compulsory. 2 sides of A4. Project Partner Letter of Support Head of institution Statement Visual Evidence Optional. 2 sides of A4. Researchers in Egypt only - The applicants have included a supporting letter, from the Lead Institution, on headed paper, signed by the Head of the institution or person with appropriate delegated authority, giving specific commitment to the project. Supporting letter is not signed by the Principal Applicants. Optional. 2 sides of A4. Must be non-textual. Case for Support Guidance (for this call only) The following headings should be used to structure your case for support: Rational and research context You should describe clearly the rationale, approach and research context of the activities. Why are the proposed activities necessary to address this theme at this time? To what extent do the proposed activities generate fruitful and novel interaction? You will need to provide a clear explanation of how your activities cross boundaries and how this adds value to the proposed activities. What is the research context in which the activities will operate and how will it advance knowledge and understanding in the fields concerned? To which audiences/disciplines will the activities and its outcomes be of interest? Aims and Objectives You should describe the aims and objectives of the activities. What specific targets or outcomes will you have achieved by the end of the project? Fit to call You should ensure that it is clear to the reader how the proposed activities fit with the aims of the Preserving Egypt s Cultural Heritage: Mitigating Threats for a Sustainable Future call as detailed in this document and how you envisage your project contributing to the issues identified. Please also state here which of the five areas identified in the call document that your proposal is responding to. If your proposal addresses more than one theme please identify the one that is most relevant. 8
Timetable of activities You should give a clear timetable of activities for events such as workshops, symposia, conferences, meetings of the advisory group. Key speakers and participants You should indicate any specific speakers and participants who would be central to the success of the project, along with their expertise and availability. Management and co-ordination How will the activities be managed? Will there be an advisory group or steering committee? If so, who are the proposed members and does the membership reflect the constituencies the proposal intends to reach? What will be the roles of the principal investigator, the co-investigator, and other participants? Please clearly identify the Principal Investigators in the UK and Egypt. Dissemination Information under this heading should build on the details given in the Academic Beneficiaries and Impact Summary sections of the Je-S form. Please provide examples of the kinds of outputs you propose to produce during the award and their proposed focus. Please explain further how the research will benefit other researchers in the field and where relevant academic beneficiaries in other disciplines. How do you propose to maximise the value of the proposed research outputs? ODA As the UK funds for this call come from the Newton Fund any funding must contribute to economic development and welfare in emerging economies. Please describe how the proposed project is ODA compliant. Further details on ODA can be found here: http://www.newtonfund.ac.uk/about/what-is-oda VIII. Assessment Process and Criteria Following the deadline for submission all proposals will be subject to a joint assessment process between the AHRC and STDF and will be considered by academic experts from both countries. 9
In addition to standard research excellence criteria, contribution to the issues identified in this document and fit to this call specification will be essential assessment criteria. Following the deadline for submission all proposals will be checked for eligibility and eligible proposals will be reviewed, graded and ranked by a joint assessment panel, which will be comprised of members of the AHRC s Peer Review College and academic reviewers in Egypt nominated by STDF. The following criteria will be used to assess proposals: the extent to which the proposal meets the specific aims of the call and addresses the areas identified in this document; the quality of the research process outlines, including research agenda, participants, sustainability and appropriateness of methods; the significance and importance of the thematic area to be explored; the extent to which the proposed activities will build on and add value to existing research; the extent to which the potential outcomes justify the costs; whether the Principal Investigators demonstrate the requisite skills and experience to manage the proposed activities, and whether there is a sufficiently broad range of expertise and experience amongst the other named participants; the extent to which there are effective plans for management of the activities and the monitoring of progress, including whether a realistic timetable and reasonable costs are presented which will achieve the aims and objectives of the proposal; whether the proposal demonstrates an appropriate strategy for the dissemination and exploitation of any outcomes, including the extent to which plans are in place to extend collaboration once the award has ended; the extent to which what is proposed will have an impact beyond the lifetime of the award; whether the activities meet the requirements of the Newton Fund in relation to ODA compliance; It is expected that up to 10awards will be made under this call with the aim of having a balanced portfolio of awards across the thematic areas, subject to proposals meeting the criteria and quality standards detailed above. 10
Expected call timetable Activity Date Deadline for submissions Tuesday 1 st December, 16:00 GMT/18:00 EET Meeting date Early January 2016 Decisions to be sent out Mid-January 2016 Start date of awards By 1 st February 2016 IX. Scheme Requirements and Post Award Reporting UK award holders will be required to submit, on behalf of both the UK and Egyptian PIs, outputs, outcomes and impacts that arise from AHRC and STDF s funding through the Researchfish system. Information can be added to Researchfish at any point once the award has started but award holders will also be required to submit this information to AHRC and STDF at two Submission Periods, once in the middle and once at the end of the award. Award holders will receive an email with log-in details shortly after their award has started. More details on Researchfish are available on the RCUK website here: http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/research/researchoutcomes/. Any published data including the outputs of the accepted proposals should include acknowledgment for the STDF and the AHRC as funding agencies through the Newton-Mosharafa Fund. X. Contact Information AHRC - Thomas Booker newtonfund@ahrc.ac.uk STDF Nevine Nabil nevine.nabil@stdf.org.eg For queries on creating and submitting the application form please contact the Je-S Helpdesk at jeshelp@rcuk.ac.uk or on 01793 44 4164, they are available 9-5 (UK time) Monday to Friday. 11
XI. Annex 1 Template for Egypt Budget Please use additional rows for multiple entries under one fund heading. Fund heading Description Cost (EGP) Salary Costs for the Egyptian researcher (capped at 25% of the total grant on the Egypt side) Research Costs and Operational costs for events held in Egypt (65% of the total grant on the Egypt side) Travel (inc to the UK) Including subsistence / accommodation when travelling to the UK (based on STDF s standard per diem rate of 140 US dollars a day) (capped at 10% of the total grant on the Egypt side) Total Please note: a cap of 10% on travel/subsistence costs is a general regulation for all STDF grants. In light of the specific requirements of this project, PIs can use money claimed under salary to cover subsistence costs. 12