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DIPI-RCUK Research Call for Proposals on Astronomy

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DIPI is pleased to announce its participation in the UK – Southeast Asia Small Scale Research Partnerships Call for Proposals 2016 as part of consortia consists of UK, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Phillipines.

 

Focus areas:

  • Capacity Building in Big Data and Technology Development through Astronomy (participating countries: Indonesia, Malaysia)

 

Closing date for proposal submissions: 2 August 2016, 22.00 WIB

 

OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE

The call aims to deliver research that will provide new insights and stimulate creative thinking to tackle real world problems and will contribute to the economic development and welfare of Southeast Asia. Proposals could bring new collaborations and different disciplines/approaches together and enable researchers to explore new regional or international approaches.  Moreover, it will establish sustainable collaborations between UK and South Asian researchers that will increase their competitiveness in gaining funds for excellent research in future funding calls.

 

DIPI and RCUK will provide funding for up to 5 projects in:

Capacity building in big data and technology development through astronomy

Science and technology are the differentiators between countries that are able to tackle poverty effectively by growing and developing their economies, and those that are not. The extent to which developing economies emerge as economic powerhouses depends on their ability to grasp and apply insights from science and technology and use them creatively. Innovation is the primary driver of technological growth and drives higher living standards.[1]

 

Helping Southeast Asian partner countries to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 through enabling quality technical, vocational and tertiary education in areas and thereby increase the number of young adults who have relevant technical and vocational skills for employment in decent jobs is one way to improve the economic development of these countries. This will help increase much sought-after science and technology advancement that leads countries towards an innovation driven society in the long run. This builds on SDG 8 in promoting economic productivity through technology upgrading and innovation to focus on high-value added sectors, and SDG 9 by enhancing research, upgrading technological capabilities and encouraging domestic technology development, research and innovation.

 

Astronomy is a unique and cost-effective way to further economic development because technological and scientific revolutions underpin economic advances and improvements in health systems, education and infrastructure. [2] National research programmes in astronomy inspire the young to enter careers in science and technology. This not only creates an immediate impact on skills and training by encouraging students to study science and engineering, and equipping students with skills that can be exploited in other sectors leading increased economic development but it pushes the boundaries of science and technology and so supports the growth of a high-technology economy.

 

The UK has internationally leading expertise in areas such as telescope instrumentation, advanced optics, data handling and analysis. Moreover the UK has advanced the use of astronomy in STEM education programmes at all level both in the UK, through the National Space Academy, and in South Africa under the Newton Fund.

 

We propose activities around the following:

STEM education in schools

Capacity building in engineering post degree level through instrumentation development, robotics and advanced optics.

Capacity building in computing post degree level through astronomy data handling and analysis

Applicants must explain what skills will be developed, how this benefits the wider Southeast Asian economy and what future Southeast Asian research needs this meets.

[1]IEET ‘The Role of Science and Technology in the Developing World in the 21st Century’, Lee-Roy Chetty, 2012

[2]International Astronomy Union Strategic Plan 2010 – 2020

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants can apply for a 1-2 year grant for up to £20k per project on the Indonesian side, while the UK partner can apply for approximately £50k – £100k from RCUK.

Due to administrative reason, all proposals must be submitted by the UK Co- Principal Investigator using the Research Councils’ Joint Electronic Submission system (Je-S).

  • Call open in Je-S System – 25 May 2016
  • Closing date for proposals – 02 August 2016

Any applications received after this deadline will not be considered for funding

  • Joint Panel – early October
  • Decisions announced – end of October
  • Successful proposals withdrawn from EPSRC Je-S system by research offices and submitted to host council by remit – early November
  • Grants commence – 01 December 2016

 

ELIGIBILITY

All proposals will be required to have a UK Principal Investigator, in addition to a Principal Investigator from one or more of the partner countries.

The Principal Investigator (PI) should demonstrate the ground-breaking nature, ambition, and feasibility of his or her scientific proposal. Priority is given to applications submitted by a PI with the ability to lead and be actively engaged in the proposed research investigation as evidenced by past publication(s) in national or international peer reviewed scientific publications. Highly exceptional applicants that do not yet have evidence of scientific publications but submit proposal ideas that meet DIPI scientific merit criteria maybe considered.

PI’s must have affiliation with educational and/ or research based organization(s). Such affiliation may be with single or multiple organizations, government or private, for-profit or non-profit. PI can only submit one application for this call, multiple applications will not be accepted.

 

Successful proposals are expected to generate robust data which will lay the groundwork for future avenues of investigation. Small Scale Research Partnership Grants are not intended to support a logical progression of an already established research project or other types of on-going work; therefore, the nature of these awards will be more exploratory. Although an element of networking is permissible through these grants, grants should aim to have some form of tangible output.

FUNDING SUPPORT

DIPI

RCUK

Covered

  • Staff – directly incurred post
  • Staff – directly allocated posts (PI and Co-I time)
  • Other research costs (including consumables, for policy on costs of equipment please email dipi-rcuk@dipi.id and aipi@aipi.or.id)
  • Travel and subsistence for exchange/mobility activities
  • Cost of workshops, meetings etc.
  • Estates and indirect costs
  • Research assistants (NOT for degree studentships/ PhD)
  • Administrative Support Staff – in exceptional circumstances only
  • Direct research costs (including consumables)
  • Travel and subsistence for exchange/mobility activities
  • Cost of workshops, meetings etc.

Not Covered

  • RCUK, due to Newton funding, cannot cover the cost of equipment/ capital over £10k under this call
  • Studentships (PhD) will also not be covered under this call
  • Researcher time, estates and indirect costs will not be covered under this call
  • Given the budget limit of proposals, coupled with the time restrictions on spend under Calls supported by the Newton Fund, we are unable to accept NERC shiptime or aircraft requests as part of this Call . All other NERC S&F must be fully costed within the limits of the proposal, and agreement that they can be undertaken within the timeframe of the spend must be provided by the facility.

Call documents

 

Contacts

 

If you have any questions or would like further information about the call, please contact:

RCUK: RCUKNewtonFundEnquiries@rcuk.ac.uk

DIPI: dipi-rcuk@dipi.id

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Basic information
What are the focus areas of this program?

DIPI invites proposals which address the following topics:

  • Capacity Building in Big Data and Technology Development through Astronomy (Indonesia, Malaysia)

Please note that different Southeast Asian partners are taking part in different topics, for information on which Southeast Asian Countries can participate in which topic, their eligibility rules and the amount of funding available please refer to the application guidance.

What is the deadline for submitting proposal?

The full proposal deadline is 16:00 BST (22:00 WIB) 02 August 2016.

Eligibility
Do I have to collaborate with UK partner to be eligible to apply for funding?

Yes, all proposals will be required to have a UK Principal Investigator, in addition to a Principal Investigator from one or more of the partner countries.

Do I have to collaborate with other researchers from Southeast Asia to apply for funding?

No, trilateral or multilateral collaborative research from UK, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, and/or Thailand is welcome, but not a requirement. Proposals are required to have a UK Principal Investigator alongside Indonesian Principal Investigator.

Can I submit more than one proposal for this call? 

PI can only submit one application for this call, multiple applications will not be accepted.

Assessment criteria and decision making process
How are the proposals evaluated?

Following submission, applications will be checked for eligibility under the relevant funding agency’s rules, you must be eligible under all of the funding agencies your proposal comes under in order to go through to assessment. To be funded, proposals must be internationally competitive and at a standard equivalent to that normally expected to be supported by each funding organisation.

Will I get assistance in the submission process?

An independent assessment process will be led by RCUK and DIPI. DIPI will fully contribute to the process, in the form of formulating guidance and suggesting panel members. Applications and panel meeting comments will be shared between relevant funders.

What are the keys assessment criteria for the submissions?
  • Research merit of the proposal
  • Relevance of the proposal to the strategic objectives of the Newton Fund – including potential benefits and impact
  • Strength and appropriateness of proposed partnership and collaboration
  • Project management structure and resources, including value for money
Do I need to include letter of support from my institution or partner’s institution?

Please include letters of support for the following:

  • From the Partner Country institutions involved in the project (where applicable in the funding agency Eligibility Criteria)
  • Any organisations entered on the Je-S form as ‘Project Partners’. A Project Partner is an organisation which contributes in cash or in kind to the project but which is not requesting any money.
  • From both PI’s when animal research is proposed. Please see section 15.7 in this guidance “use of animals” for further information. This letter needs to be signed by all PIs involved.
  • Where the Southeast Asian partner or another third party (ANY organisation other than the UK RO) is responsible for recruitment of people as research participants and/or providing human tissue. This letter needs to be signed by all PIs involved.
Funding
How much fund will be allocated for each proposal?

RCUK has approximately £50k – £100k available per project for a 1-2 year grant. The size of the grant will vary depending of the needs of each research project and must be fully justified.

How much funding does RCUK allocate for this call?

All research grants applications under RCUK are costed on the basis of full economic costs (fEC). If a grant is awarded, the Research Councils provide funding on the basis of 80% of full economic cost. The UK organisation must agree to find the balance of full of economic cost for the project from other resources.

What costs will RCUK cover?

RCUK will cover:

  • Administrative Support Staff – in exceptional circumstances only
  • Direct research costs (including consumables)
  • Travel and subsistence for exchange/mobility activities
  • Cost of workshops, meetings etc.

Costs RCUK will not cover:

  • RCUK, due to Newton funding, cannot cover the cost of equipment/ capital over £10k under this call
  • Studentships (PhD) will also not be covered under this call
  • Researcher time, estates and indirect costs will not be covered under this call
How much funding does DIPI allocate for this call?

DIPI will support up to 5 projects in the Capacity Building in Big Data and Technology Development through Astronomy and Skills for using Large Facilities areas, applicants can apply for up to £20k per project on the Indonesian side for a 1-2 year grant.

What costs will DIPI cover?

Costs DIPI will cover:

  • Staff – directly incurred post
  • Staff – directly allocated posts (PI and Co-I time)
  • Other research costs (including consumables, for policy on costs of equipment please email dipi-rcuk@dipi.id and aipi@aipi.or.id)
  • Travel and subsistence for exchange/mobility activities
  • Cost of workshops, meetings etc.
  • Estates and indirect costs
  • Research assistants (NOT for degree studentships/ PhD)
Start and end dates of proposals
How is the timeline of this call?

Due to the tight timescales and funding restrictions of the Newton Fund, the proposed start date on the Je-S system must be 01 December 2016, and the grant must end by December 2018.

Please note that in order to start the grant the start confirmation must be submitted by 01 December 2016 (shorter than the standard 42 days for Research Council grants). Please refer to http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/RCUK-prod/assets/documents/documents/tcfecJan2015.pdf for information on what the starting procedure entails; please ensure that you inform the relevant support staff in your organisation of this requirement to ensure the project starts on time.

Application information
How do I apply for the call?

The call will be managed through RCUK systems and hosted by EPSRC on behalf of all seven research councils, DIPI, Ristekdikti, MoHE, DOST, and TRF.
Researchers will be responsible for developing their own collaborations. Once a research proposal is developed, UK and Southeast Asian applicants must apply jointly for funding to the RCUK -SEA Newton Small Scale Partnership Call 2016, via the EPSRC Je-S online application system (https://je-s.rcuk.ac.uk).

If I miss the deadline, will my proposal be accepted?

Any proposal received after the deadline will not be considered for funding.

Who from the project team should submit the proposal to the Je-S system?

Applications must be submitted by the UK Principal Investigator on behalf of the UK-Southeast Asia Small Scale Partnership. The application must be JOINTLY prepared and submitted in English. Once received, RCUK will share the applications with DIPI, Ristekdikti, MoHE, DOST, and TRF.

What documents should I include in the application?

The following documents must be included in the joint application:

  • Joint Case for Support
  • Justification of Resources  (including both UK and Indonesian/Malaysian/ Filipino/ Thai justification)
  • Indonesian/ Malaysian/ Filipino/ Thai costs proforma (please ensure you complete the relevant form/s to the Country/ies you are applying for funding from)
  • CVs and publications  
  • Letters of support
  • Any additional attachments required by Partner Country (please check Eligibility Criteria section of the Application Guidance document)
Failure to attach the mandatory attachments and complete the proposal form as outlined in the application guidance could result in your proposal being rejected. Please ensure you read the guidance thoroughly before starting your proposal.
Contact information
How do I get more information about the call?

For further information regarding the call please contact:

RCUK: RCUKNewtonFundEnquiries@rcuk.ac.uk

DIPI: dipi-rcuk@dipi.id