Technology Foundation STW

Dr Ruben Sharpe

telephone

+31 30 600 1275

e-mail

r.sharpe{at}stw.nl

www.stw.nl

Dr Josef Stuefer

telephone

+31 70 349 4472

e-mail

j.stuefer{at}nwo.nl

www.nwo.nl

STW's General Funding Conditions apply to MARITIME 2013.

Links

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  STW General Funding Conditions
  http://www.stw.nl/en/project-leader
  

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  The most important principles for STW's Intellectual Property policy (IP policy):
  http://www.stw.nl/en/applicant
  

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  Task and Method of Working User Committee
  http://www.stw.nl/en/applicant
  

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  Guidelines for jury members
  http://www.stw.nl/en/applicant
  

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  Code of Conduct on Conflicts of Interest:
  http://www.nwo.nl/nwohome.nsf/pages/NWOP_6CYFSB
  

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  Fixed rate in salary tables:
  http://www.stw.nl/en/applicant
  

• 
  Standard amounts for lodging costs abroad:
  http://www.stw.nl/en/applicant
  

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  Standard amounts for capitalising the co-funding of personnel costs (‘hourly rate for third-party in-kind contributions in the form of man hours’): http://www.stw.nl/en/applicant
  

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  Iris:
  https://iris.stw.nl/iris
  

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  How does Iris work? (user's manual):
  http://www.stw.nl/en/applicant
  

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  The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO):
  http://www.nwo.nl/
  

Guidelines for applicants

If funding is awarded then the main applicant becomes the project leader and bears the final responsibility for the realisation of the research, including the utilisation plan. Co-applicants must have an active role in the realisation of the project and may be appointed as a project component leader if there are multiple participating research institutions.

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  Professors and university (senior) lecturers with permanent positions at
  
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    Dutch universities (or with equivalent positions at university medical centres)
    
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    KNAW and NWO institutes
    
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    Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI)
    
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    Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen
    
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    The ERSF Dutch-Belgian Beamline at Grenoble
    
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  Researchers with a "tenure-track" appointment. STW defines a "tenure-track" appointment at one of the research institutions mentioned as an appointment for experienced scientific researchers with the likelihood of a tenured contract and professorship in the future. The "tenure-track" appointment must be recorded in writing and must be financed by the research institution's structural resources. STW shall verify whether the appointment satisfies these conditions and whether it is guaranteed for the duration of the project.
  

Main and co-applicants with a temporary position

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  Primary applicants and co-applicants who work part time must have sufficient university facilities and budget available in any case to be able to execute the project properly.
  
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  Primary applicants and co-applicants must conduct STW research in the time that they work for the research institution. If this is not the case, then the other employee must sign a waiver so that ownership of the knowledge is safeguarded for STW and the research institution(s).
  

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  Staff with a zero-time appointment
  
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  Temporarily employed staff (e.g. postdocs)
  
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  Emeritus professors
  
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  Staff from institutes with an applied or technological objective such as TNO, the Large Technological Institutes (LTIs) and the non-university portion of Wageningen University and Research Centre
  
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  Staff of research institutions financed in a public-private fashion by a targeted grant
  
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  The staff of foreign research institutions
  

Drawing up and submitting the research proposal

A research proposal must be submitted electronically via Iris, STW's electronic grant request system. For submitting research requests and for the Iris manual, please go to https://iris.stw.nl/.
Admissibility requirements

The application consists of two parts:

1. 
   a factsheet containing key information about both the applying party(/parties) and the application (incl. name and address information, the title of the research, a summary in English, the designation of the programme compartment for which the applicatoin is being submitted and an explanation of the proposal's relevance);
   
2. 
   the application form on which the other information requested must be stated. At the same time you submit the factsheet electronically, you include the completed application form in unprotected PDF format as an attachment (see the manual How does Iris work?). Other associated attachments should be included separately and in PDF format (unprotected). The factsheet and attachments will be viewed as the research proposal.
   

Although this is not required, it is appreciated if you can suggest five potential references for your proposal in a separate attachment. These reference suggestions are not part of the request.

Research proposals that have been rejected in a previous NWO selection procedure may not be simply resubmitted. It also holds that, whenever identical or very similar project proposals are submitted to NWO or other granting parties, mention of this must be made in the project proposal.

Explanation of the application form

Name and address of the main applicant are on the factsheet (Dutch naming conventions). State the supplementary information, incl. English naming convention for the organisation/organisation part, appointment percentage and confirmation of the employment contract.

Here, state the name and address information of the co-applicants with both their Dutch and English names. Also state the additional information here, including the appointment percentage and confirmation of the employment contract.

State the title of the project here and any abbreviated title.

State the key words here that are specific to the research and discipline, including popular scientific terms.

The summaries must be clear for non-specialists such as the jury members. Jury members will base their evaluation primarily on the opinions of experts as established in the protocol, the summaries and the utilisation section. These sections should therefore written in an understandable and concise fashion in order to convince jury members.

Describe the problem statement, the research and the expected results on a half sheet of A4 paper.

Provide a description of the utilisation on a half sheet of A4 paper. Indicate here what the jury should know about the utilisation, its approach and the probability that this will be achieved.

Add a general English-language summary for the STW website (10 lines with a number of key words; pay attention to any risks with respect intellectual property).

Here, state the composition of the team that will conduct the research and how the responsibilities and tasks are distributed.

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  If multiple research institutions participate in a project, indicate who the intended project component leaders are in addition to the project leader.
  
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  If multiple research institutions and/or research groups are involved in the project, you should also indicate which of the co-applicants takes the lead for each research institution and/or research group and who is responsible for the supervision of the researchers.
  
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  Should there be a temporary appointment of a main applicant/co-applicant of less than 0.4 fte, the proposal must state who are among the permanent staff will take responsibility for daily supervision of the project employees.
  
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  In all cases, the project leader is responsible for the coordination and communication among the participating institutions/research groups/researchers.
  

4. Scientific description

An expert in the field ("expert reviewer") must find enough information here to be able to assess the quality of the research proposal.
4.1 Research contents/Introduction

Describe the scientific principles and the content of the project. Illustrate the methods and techniques you will use to tackle the problem, which knowledge is already available, what must still be developed and which instruments or models you will deploy for this. It is not enough simply to state the scientific problem statement here.

Specify the research institutions/departments/research groups here where the research will physically take place. This information will be used to establish whether the research can be conducted at the stated research institutions. Equipped laboratory space and the necessary devices are included in the available infrastructure.

Describe here the proposed research planning for the coming years. For each line of research, indicate the phases and clearly and unambiguously describe the steps (sub-objectives and/or final objectives) and the expected results. If various lines of research are dependent on each other, indicate this. A schematic representation of the research planning is required. The total duration of the research plan may not exceed six years.

The utilisation plan must be clear for people without specific prior knowledge.

Provide enough detail so that referees and jury members can assess the term in which any application outside science may take place.
5.1 The problem and the proposed solution

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  Describe the problem that you intend to solve and indicate for whom this represents a problem. Indicate the social and economic consequences of this problem not being solved
  
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  Describe how the expected research results will contribute to the solution of the problem.
  
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  Indicate the length of time after the start of the research in which the expected research results may lead to an entirely new method or a new product, process or service. Describe the market for this. This concerns non-scientific applications.
  
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  STW considers the delivery of open source software code as being a publication and not a utilisation. However, in such cases it may benefit the utilisation. The utilisation plan must indicate how the support of the utilisation can be achieved.
  
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  Indicate whether the research results can be part of a standardisation or of standards-setting. If so, describe this.
  

Indicate the contact information here (name of the organisation/company and contact person, address, telephone number, e-mail address) for companies and institutions that wish to participate in the user committee. Indicate which roadmap you will use to ensure that the results of the research are actually applied by users. If third parties are necessary during the course of the project, it is important that they have given their permission for cooperation.

Research users are defined as natural persons or legal entities (national or international) who can apply the results of the research. A distinction can sometimes be made between direct users of the developed knowledge, usually companies, and end-users, who buy the products from those companies. Both have their own role in the innovation chain and must be named in the utilisation plan.

After the research proposal has been awarded funding, a minimum of four users must be appointed to the user committee, and at least 50% of the users should come from industry. STW may make an exception here - for example, if one user provides a very significant contribution to the intended project (see STW's General Funding Conditions at http://www.stw.nl/en/applicant). Just as with other proposals, research proposals from a medical faculty or university medical centre must have potential users. At least one of the users must be a company.
5.3 Past performance

Indicate whether the research team has achieved successful utilisation in the past. Indicate whether scientific results have been marketed. Indicate whether applications have been achieved in connection with NWO or otherwise.

6. Intellectual property

NWO must have clarity beforehand about hindrances to the free use or deployment of the results. Should it transpire that there are hindrances to the implementation of the NWO IP policy, NWO will set supplemental conditions. If it transpires during the realisation of the project that the project leader neglected to notify NWO of such relevant information, then NWO can delay the project until the hindrances are removed. In this, NWO can request insight into contracts and/or patents. Contracts may not conflict with the NWO IP policy. If it transpires that NWO cannot avail itself freely of the results from the NWO research, NWO can decide not to award funding to the project or to stop it.

State here whether there are existing contracts (including material transfer agreements, licences, cooperation agreements) with third parties with respect to the research topic.

Provide a summary of patents and/or patent requests here by those intended to be involved in the project in the area of the project proposal. Indicate whether the patents and/or patent requests are in the name of the research institution(s) involved or in the name of third parties. If the research institutions involved have relevant patents, indicate whether agreements have been made with third parties about these. Indicate whether there are patents and/or patent requests that are a hindrance to the utilisation of the expected research results. Should there be such a hindrance, give reasons as to whether there are still sufficient opportunities to protect the expected research results with a patent. If patenting the research results is not opportune, give the reason for this.

Describe here the extent to which the research proposal distinguishes itself from current research initiatives. Consider both the national and the international context here. Also state the relevant cooperative partnerships with other (inter-) national research groups.

Indicate the areas in which the research proposal is original and innovative.

Provide additional information about embedding the described research plan within the research group's and/or section's current initiatives.

Indicate whether the research proposal is part of or allied with a research programme in which the applicant's (s') research institution participates. If so, indicate which research programme this involves.
7.3 Request for support elsewhere

State whether financing for this research proposal or parts of it has been requested elsewhere If so, state which granting party (parties) have been approached and indicate the status of the application at the moment of its submission to STW.

If it transpires after the awarding of funds that financial support has been promised or given by another party without STW having been informed of this, this can lead to an adjustment of the amount or the withdrawal of the funding.

Provide an argument here for the necessity of both the requested personnel credits and for the necessary materials and investments in equipment.

STW reimburses the salary costs of temporary personnel, material costs (consumables, small instruments and accessories), travel costs and the cost of investments (expensive equipment) to the extent that these can be assigned directly to the MARITIME 2013 project.

State the required temporary personnel positions here. You can request temporary personnel positions for:

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  PhD student
  
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  postdoc
  
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  PDEng trainee
  
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  other scientific personnel (including associate researchers, masters students, engineers)
  
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  non-scientific personnel (including technical assistants)
  
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  Casimir candidates
  

You may request temporary personnel positions for a maximum of four years in the case of a full-time appointment. State the position category, the duration of the appointment, the part-time percentage and the associated amount. For each position, STW uses a previously determined fixed maximum rate for each appointment year (see http://www.stw.nl/en/applicant). For the establishment of these rates, STW complies with the fixed rates from the most recent "NWO/VSNU agreement on assigned employment", without a surcharge for unemployment risk. In the context of this agreement, personnel rates for the positions are established annually, after an agreement about the prognosis for the multi-year development of personnel rates. The rates that apply at the moment of awarding are maintained for the duration of the STW project. If personnel rates are changed during the selection procedure, STW will follow those new rates upon awarding funding. This carries no consequences then for the users' mandatory contribution level.

A main applicant/co-applicant's salary or a surcharge to this or the salary or surcharge for other persons with a permanent position or who are otherwise continuously linked to the institution where the research takes place is not eligible for grants. Exceptions to this are the temporary appointments to a project of technical assistants (non-scientific personnel) or of scientific personnel with an appointment on a project basis. Non-scientific personnel with an existing employment contract with the research institution at standard non-scientific personnel rates may be temporarily appointed at the expense of a MARITIME 2013 project if they have specific and special expertise necessary for the realisation of the proposed research. Scientific personnel with a "project appointment" at the research institution at standard scientific personnel rates may be appointed temporarily at the expense of a MARITIME 2013 project as long as they are not registered as a main applicant/co-applicant at STW/NWO. In these cases, STW accepts no unemployment liability.

Temporary researchers are appointed to the research institution where the research is to be conducted. Because STW places the condition that knowledge acquisition must take place primarily at the research institution, the secondment of university researchers to a company or other research institutions is only possible for limited duration, i.e., a maximum of 50% of the size of the appointment. STW's prior written permission is required for this. With an eye to the STW IP policy, a secondment agreement will be concluded. In such cases, an applicant may request flexible consideration of this 50% limit by appealing to the STW office with justifications. Criteria for this are: 1) that the use of the external party's required infrastructure is necessary; 2) that there is a sufficiently academic environment at the actual party for interaction with and support of the researcher; and 3) that the project leader and or researcher's supervisor is also present at the relevant external location for part of his/her time.

Temporary personnel positions may be requested for a PDEng trainee (certified education - Professional Doctorate in Engineering). This position should be requested in conjunction with a larger study (one or more other scientific personnel positions). The PDEng trainee is employed by the applying institution and can conduct work activities within the research at a company for a specified time period (on the basis of secondment).

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  The embedding of the PDEng position and/or the "Technological Designer Programme" behind this must be described in the research plan and the utilisation paragraph.
  
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  For full-time appointments, the maximum duration is two years.
  
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  The personal rate for a PhD students applies for the PDEng position (first 24 months). Personnel costs are booked as personnel credit.
  
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  For the PDEng position, equipment and/or travel credit may be requested as part of the regular credit to be requested
  
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  Secondment at the relevant company is a maximum of 50% of the total size of the appointment.
  
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  The contribution of the company involved with the PDEng position is k€ 50,000 (assuming one fte for 24 months). This contribution must be booked in the project budget as in-cash co-funding to be settled with STW.
  
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  Upon the award of funds to the project, the company involved must conclude a (secondment) agreement in which the ownership of the results of the research conducted at the company remains with the applying institution and STW in accordance with STW's IP policy.
  
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  STW can make agreements with the company involved about acquiring an option to the results of the research. If multiple users make a substantial contribution to the research, STW consults with the company involved and these other users about the possibilities for a shared option, for example, or an option on partial results.
  

One scientific personnel position may be filled by an academically trained R&D employee of a Dutch company or a company with a Dutch office which conducts R&D (100% private sector). The following conditions apply to this:

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  For full-time secondment a maximum two-year duration applies and for a PhD programme three years. Part-time secondment (a minimum of 50%) is possible.
  
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  The intended candidate should have worked for a minimum of one year at the employer from the above-mentioned private sector (temporary or permanent appointment).
  
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  The request should include a short description of the intended candidate's work experience and expertise. On the presumption of the necessary work experience, a given candidate must be able to complete a PhD programme within three man years. In addition to the Casimir position, at least one other scientific personnel position must be requested with at least the same size of appointment.
  
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  The Casimir candidate must have access to the university infrastructure and the Casimir position must be an integral and necessary part of the proposed university research. The Casimir position is in the service of achieving the project objectives and utilisation. This must be described in the research plan.
  
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  With respect to personnel costs for the Casimir position, the university may submit the secondment costs actually compensated to the company as an expense to STW. This amount may be up to a maximum of the personnel rate for a postdoc position applicable to the relevant appointment size. These costs should be booked as material credit in the project. STW accepts no unemployment liability for the Casimir candidate.
  
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  Equipment and/or travel credit may be requested for the Casimir candidate as part of the regular credit to be requested.
  
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  With an eye to the STW IP policy, a secondment agreement will be concluded upon awarding funding for the project.