2023 JOINT CALL FOR PROPOSALS OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION IN THE THEMATIC AREAS OF

- CIRCULAR ECONOMY

AND

- CLEAN, ACCESSIBLE AND SECURE ENERGY SUPPLY

Type of funded projects: 

Southeast Asia - Europe Joint Call Project consortia must comprise of at least 3 partners from 3 different countries fulfilling the 2+1 rule: Either 2 partners from 2 different Southeast Asian countries and 1 European partner or 2 partners from 2 different European countries and 1 Southeast Asian partner. At least 1 partner from each region must be eligible for JFS funding. Further, the coordinator must be selected from among the partners eligible for funding. The required third partner can be funded by a funding organisation from a country participating in the JFS or bring his own funding. The proposals have to cover the thematic areas of “Circular Economy” or “Clean, Accessible and Secure Energy Supply” to enhance bi-regional cooperation and develop new partnerships as well as strengthen existing ones. Please read the National Regulations from the funding organisation that you are requesting funding from carefully since the National Regulations may include additional requirements, e.g. certain Technology Readiness Levels.

Deadline: 15 April 2024 12:00 (noon) CEST/ 05:00pm Bangkok/Jakarta time

THEMATIC AREAS 

1) Circular Economy: 

Circular economy approaches in science, technology and innovation (STI) have the potential to transform and rebuild European and Southeast Asian countries while at the same time maintaining and benefitting from the advantages of the existing biological and cultural diversity in both regions. With limited resources available and a continuously growing population on earth, a shift from linear to circular economy is inevitable and key for approaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), such as the sustainable use of resources and responsible production and consumption. 

The objective of the 2023 JFS Call for Proposals is to support STI projects towards sustainable-by-design approaches increasing the resource efficiency and considering secondary and renewable raw materials as the resources of the future and thereby restoring natural and biological resources, and minimizing waste.

Special relevance for the two regions of Southeast Asia and Europe have been identified in (but are not limited to) the field of the bio-circular-green economy; digital applications to support circularity; the recovery of critical raw materials, green hydrogen or methane from waste; and enhanced circularity of shipbuilding through recycling, reuse and repair. With the climate crisis being one of the most relevant global concerns nowadays, technologies towards net zero carbon emissions (carbon capture technologies and the utilisation of greenhouse gases such as CH4 or CO2 to produce synthetic fuels or fine chemicals) and the integration of agriculture (water-related projects shall not be funded, e.g. irrigation) and food security into the circular economy are also important aspects.

2) Clean, Accessible and Secure Energy Supply: 

In the pursuit of a sustainable future, a spectrum of cutting-edge technologies converges to establish a clean, accessible, and secure energy supply. Technologies producing renewable energy such as photovoltaic cells and wind energy systems (surface-based or airborne) are crucial to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels. Other renewable energy approaches capture and convert solar heat into usable energy by high-efficiency condensed thermal solar energy systems, and innovative geothermal systems tap into Earth's heat reservoirs for consistent, green power. In terms of clean energy hydrogen technologies play an important role as an energy carrier, fuel, and chemical precursor. New-generation small modular reactor technologies present scalable and safe energy solutions. Integrated biorefineries harmonize renewable resources and industrial processes, yielding biofuels and chemicals. Autonomous energy management systems optimize energy use by intelligently coordinating different systems. Industries like steel, aluminium, cement, and power embrace green hydrogen, revolutionizing emission-heavy sectors. Concurrently, renewable energy integration into high heat treatments and combustion processes reshapes industries' energy reliance. Collectively, these innovations herald a paradigm shift toward sustainability, ensuring a cleaner, accessible, and secure energy future, pivotal in combating climate change and forging a brighter, resilient tomorrow.

The JFS wants to support integrated research approaches and specifically encourages the submission of proposals by interdisciplinary consortia including expertise from humanities and social sciences. 

PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES AND FUNDING AGENCIES / MINISTRIES

(1= Circular Economy; 2= Clean, Accessible and Secure Energy Supply)

• Austria – Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) 1,2
• Belgium – National Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.–FNRS) 1,2
• Brunei Darussalam – University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD) 1,2
• Bulgaria – Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF) 1,2
• Cambodia  – Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) 1,2
• Czech Republic – Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) 1,2
• Germany– Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) 1 
• Indonesia – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research & Technology (DIKBUDRISTEK) and National Research & Innovation Agency (BRIN) 1,2
• Malaysia – Universiti Malaya (UM) 1,2
• Malaysia – Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) 1 
• Myanmar – Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) 1
• Spain – Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI–E.P.E.) 1,2
• Switzerland – Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) 1,2
• Thailand – National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) 1
• Thailand – Program Management Unit for Human Resources & Institutional Development, Research and Innovation (PMU-B) 1,2
• The Philippines  – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) 1,2
• Türkiye – Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBITAK) 1,2

PLEASE NOTE:

Some funders may only participate in one of the thematic areas. This is indicated with 1= Circular Economy; 2= Clean, Accessible and Secure Energy Supply after the name of each funding agency in the list above.

Scope of the projects:

Funding will be provided for the duration of a maximum of three years (36 months). They should start earliest in November 2024.

Within the framework of the Joint Call, funding can in general be applied for:

• Personnel costs
• Equipment and consumables (project-related miscellaneous expenses and project-related larger equipment)
• Mobility costs (exchange research visits between Europe and Southeast Asia. Travel costs, living expenses and visa costs are eligible for funding.
• Other costs (Costs which cannot be classified under the previous cost items but are required for the project implementation, such as costs related to dissemination, intellectual property, demonstration, market search, management, organisational and subcontracting costs)

The eligibility of cost items and their calculation are according to the respective National Funding Regulations from the participating organisations and can be downloaded at the end of this site.

The upper funding limit usually can also be found in the respective national regulations.

Who can apply?

Proposals may be submitted by public legal RTD (Research and Technology Development) entities, higher education institutions, non-university research establishments, and companies (all depending on National Funding Regulations). Eligibility criteria can be found in the respective National Funding Regulations.

Institutions not explicitly mentioned as recipients might be included in consortia if they provide their own funding (non-eligible organisations might join at their own costs). A Letter of Commitment has to be submitted in these cases by this partner confirming his contribution. Other entities may apply if the respective National Funding Regulations allow it.

The JFS welcomes the submission of project proposals by interdisciplinary project consortia. The JFS also welcomes the submission of project proposals by project consortia that involve partners from the private sector.

We strongly suggest that applicants discuss their intentions and confirm eligibility with their respective National Focal Points (NFP) before submitting a proposal. The details of the NFPs can be found at the end of this side.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Proposals for STI projects have to be submitted electronically using PT-Outline Web Tool, accessible through https://ptoutline.eu/app/JFS23STI.

During the submission phase, the web tool will be open from the publishing date of the Call on 01st of December 2023 until the 15th of April 2024, 12:00pm CEST (noon) / 05:00pm Bangkok/Jakarta time.

Any proposal that is submitted after this deadline cannot be accepted by the secretariat and therefore will not be considered for evaluation.

After the successful submission of the proposal, each principal coordinator will receive an automatic confirmation e-mail. This e-mail can be used as proof that the proposal was submitted on time and correctly. In case the coordinator is not sure whether the proposal was submitted correctly, he or she should contact the call secretariat immediately and/or resend the proposal via e-mail to the Joint Call Secretariat within the deadline.

Please note: Some funding organisations require that applicants from their respective countries submit specific complementary documents at the national level, in addition to the JFS application. These additional requirements will be made clear in the National Funding Regulations of the concerned countries/funding organisations.

The full Call Text in PDF format is available and can be downloaded HERE.

Each project consortium has to choose a Project Coordinator from among all partners of the respective project eligible for funding (partners participating on their own budget may not be coordinators). Only one proposal per project should be submitted using PT-Outline. The project proposal shall be submitted by the Project Coordinator. The Project Coordinator is responsible for submitting the proposal on behalf of his / her project consortium. The responsibilities of the Project Coordinator are to keep the other project partners updated on the submission process, to ensure the internal management and coordination of the project consortium, and to constitute the main contact to the Joint Call Secretariat. The project coordinator of a project receiving funding through the JFS is also the first contact point for the JFS coordinators whenever information related to the projects is required and for monitoring purposes. All proposals must be written in English only.

The PT-Outline electronic form consists of four pages (General information, Project Coordinator, Project partners, and Project description) that need to be filled in online. In addition, a Word template has to be downloaded from the project description page of PT-Outline, filled in with the requested information, converted to PDF format, and then uploaded again.

Please watch our video tutorial about how to apply in the Media section of this website or on YouTube: www.youtube.com

The Project description document should contain the following information (max. number of 6,000 words excl. all Annexes):

1. Basic project data

1.1 Project title

1.2 Project Acronym

1.3 Name and Institution of the Project Coordinator

1.4 Names and institutions of other project partners

2. Project description

2.1 Describe why your proposal suits the respective call thematic area.

2.2 Describe as precisely as possible the technological objectives of the project.

2.3 Explain the novel character of the activities proposed. Show how the objectives of the project aim at significant advances in the state-of-the-art through extending the current technologies and/or filling the gaps identified. 

2.4 Lay down the added value of transnational cooperation that is implemented in your consortium.

2.5 Describe what makes up the excellence of your consortium. Describe how the teams complement each other and the added value resulting from the multilateral cooperation. Mention where there is a potential for synergy effects between different tasks of the project and how this is going to be exploited.

2.6 Describe the multidisciplinarity/interdisciplinarity of your proposal.

2.7 Lay down if (and how) the research project matches the national priorities of the partners involved.

2.8 Self-assessment of targeted Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and explanation.

3. Work plan

3.1 Describe the research project with respect to the methodology; justify the methodology chosen to reach the objectives. Highlight the particular advantages of the methodology chosen.

3.2 Describe the type of activities that are implemented in your project.

3.3 Describe the distribution of tasks. What is the involvement of each partner in relation to the proposed activities? How are the resources distributed among the partners? (time plan).

3.4 Describe the management structure of your project.

4. Potential impact and exploitation of results

4.1 Describe the scientific and/or commercial expected impact.

4.2 Describe whether the project has any beneficial impact on society, in particular regarding societal challenges.

4.3 Describe the measures for the dissemination and./or exploitation of trans-national projects results, and management of intellectual property. What are the next steps?

4.4 Prospects for establishing efficient and sustainable partnership.

5. Financial Plan

6. Annexes

6.1 If applicable: the Letter of Commitment securing willingness to collaborate by partners from countries that are not on the list of funding for the 2023 JFS STI Call.

6.2 CVs and lists of principal publications of participating researchers (3 pages max. per researcher).

Download the Word template HERE or on PT-Outline.

Aims and methods of the proposed collaborative project should clearly demonstrate the excellence and innovativeness of the project, product or service, including the added value for Southeast Asian - European research and innovation cooperation and describe expected outcomes/marketability. In addition, a financial plan and a time and work plan, including milestones, have to be included. All budgets will be submitted in Euros. The applicants will have to identify the TRL which is targeted at the end of the project, and the TRL of the work that the project proposal is based on. This self-assessment/estimation will have to be justified in brief paragraphs.

The applicant is responsible for determining whether the execution of the proposed research requires an ethical statement or license, and complies with national and international sanction rules and legislation. The applicant must ensure that the ethical statement or license is acquired in a timely manner from the relevant ethics review committee.

All information inserted into the PT-Outline web tool is saved after having clicked on the “SAVE” button at the bottom of each page.

During the proposal submission phase, it is allowed to replace already registered and eligible project partners, or to add project partners to the consortium. Please note that after the binding submission of a proposal (by clicking on the ‘SUBMIT NOW’ button in PT-Outline) no further changes can be made to your proposal.

EVALUATION PROCESS

The evaluation process includes the following steps.

Eligibility check

The Joint Call Secretariat (JCS) will check all proposals to ensure that they meet the following general eligibility criteria for the Call:

• Date of submission
• Composition of consortium (2+1 rule)
• Duration of project
• Inclusion of all necessary information in English
• Appropriate length of the proposal
• Eligibility of the Project Coordinator
• Eligibility of the other project partners (in case the Project Coordinator or a project partner is rejected in the eligibility check, the whole proposal might be rejected)
• Eligible thematic focus
• Reflection of national priorities (if applicable)
• Eligibility of required funding
• Complete appendixes required

The JCS will forward the proposals to the National Focal Points (NFPs) who will perform a check for compliance with the respective country / national regulation.

Please note if the proposal does not meet the formal criteria / the national regulation/eligibility criteria and requirements, the proposal may be declined without further review.

Peer review

Independent scientific experts in the relevant thematic research fields will carry out the anonymous peer review of the eligible project proposals according to evaluation criteria set up by the funding parties. Each proposal will be evaluated by at least two online evaluators (at least one Southeast Asian and one European peer reviewer). The peer reviewers will be nominated by the Southeast Asian and European National Focal Points in cooperation with the funding parties.

The evaluation is done using the following evaluation criteria:

1. Scientific/technological excellence and innovativeness of the project idea (scoring from 0 to 10):

• Sound concept, quality of objectives
• Innovativeness of the project idea: Capacity of the project to contribute to the development of a new technology, service, or product.
• Quality and effectiveness of the methodology and associated work plan
• Good balance between the technology/knowledge available at each participating team
• Complementarity of qualifications and relevant experience of the coordinator and the individual participants/participating teams

2. Potential impact and expected outcomes of the project (scoring from 0 to 10):

• Social and/or market-related impact
• Potential to meet market, economic, and societal needs and significant exploitation potential
• Prospects for establishing efficient and sustainable partnerships within the network, including transfer of know-how and experience
• Appropriateness of measures for the dissemination and/or exploitation of trans-national project results, and management of intellectual property

3. Management, Transnationality, and Cooperation (scoring from 0 to 10):

• Quality and effectiveness of the management structure and distribution of tasks added value of transnational cooperation
• Appropriate allocation and justification of the resources to be committed (budget, staff, equipment).

The total score of the proposal is the weighted average of the individual scores given to each criterion, rated from 0 to 10. The table below summarizes the scores and weight coefficients per criterion:

Criteria                                                                                                                                                      Score                Weight

1. Potential impact and expected outcomes/ marketability of product or service to be developed                        0-10                   40%

2. Scientific/technological excellence and innovativeness of the product/service to be developed                        0-10                   40%

3. Management, Transnationality and Cooperation                                                                                          0-10                   20%

TOTAL                                                                                                                                                        0-10                   100%

After the peer reviewers submit their results, applicants will be contacted and informed about the online evaluation results. At this point, the applicants get the opportunity to defend their application on specific points and give a written statement (max. 2 A4 pages). 

Once the peer review process is finalized, the JCS will send the proposals and pooled reviews to the Scientific Council (SC) members. The SC meeting is in charge of the final ranking based on the peer review results. The SC members consist of internationally recognized experts offering a high degree of technical, scientific, and innovation expertise in the respective research field, as well as broad experiences in international collaboration.

The final ranking list as well as the written remarks by the SC will be forwarded to the Programme Steering Committee (PSC) for the funding decision meeting.  

Funding Decision

Based on the ranking list established and the written minutes of the SC meeting, as well as the available funding, the PSC will make a final decision. The JCS will communicate to all project coordinators about the final decisions of their proposal together with the main comments from the SC about the proposal. In the case of a positive funding decision, the national funding agencies will then get in touch with the individual project partners to initiate the process of drafting the contract. The start of funded projects is expected to begin earliest November 2024.

MONITORING OF IMPLEMENTATION OF JFS CALL PROJECTS

The projects funded under the JFS will be asked to submit annual monitoring reports. Each project participant should also submit financial and scientific reports to their national/regional funding organisations according to his / her national regulations.

In the case a partner decides to withdraw from a project before the completion date, due to the reasons such as: discrepancies within the consortia, funding problems, changes in the strategy of companies, or technical or sudden market problems; the NCPs have to check whether the basic JFS eligibility criteria are still met and if the excellence of the project is still maintained. If not, the involved funding agencies may decide jointly to cease the funding for this specific project.

In addition, the following regulations will apply to all research projects that are funded through the JFS Call:

• Publications or another form of output resulting from the research for which funding was awarded should be made available to the JFS Call Secretariat (publication of the results in open-access journals is strongly encouraged).
• In any publication of results of the research for which JFS Call funding was awarded, mention must be made of the support received.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Call Secretariat:

Mrs. Dr. Finarya Legoh

Senior Programme Officer

Indonesian Science Fund (DIPI)

Finarya.legoh@dipi.id

+62 85211342556

Ms. Patchara Umprasert

Junior Programme Officer

National Science & Technology Development Agency (NSTDA)

Callsec.JFS@nstda.or.th

+66 2-564-7000 EXT. 71488

National Focal Points:

Austria, BMBWF

Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research

Ms. Konstanze Pirker (Austria’s Agency for Education and Internationalisation (OeAD))

wtz@oead.at 

Mr. Dorian Taylor (BMBWF)

dorian.taylor@bmbwf.gv.at 
 

Belgium, FRS-FNRS

National Fund for Scientific Research

Mr. Joël Groeneveld

joel.groeneveld@frs-fnrs.be 

+32 2 504 9270

Ms. Dr. Florence Quist

florence.quist@frs-fnrs.be  

+32 2 504 9351

Brunei Darussalam, UBD

Universiti Brunei Darussalam

Mr. Prof. Dr. Basilios Tsikouras

basilios.tsikouras@ubd.edu.bn

Bulgaria, BNSF

Bulgarian National Science Fund 

Mrs. Milena Aleksandrova

aleksandrova@mon.bg

+359 884 171363

Cambodia, MoEYS

Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport

Mr. Dr. Kreng Heng

Krengheng@gmail.com   

+855-77-777-934

Czech Republic, CAS

Czech Academy of Sciences 

Ms. Jana Zimová

zimova@kav.cas.cz

+420 221 403 417

Germany, BMBF / DLR Project Management Agency

International Bureau of BMBF at DLR Project Management Agency

Ms. Dr. Adele Clausen

Adele.Clausen@dlr.de

+49 (0)228 38212171

Ms. Julia Sattler

Julia.Sattler@dlr.de 

+49 (0)228 3821 2028

Indonesia, DIKBUDRISTEK / BRIN

Ministry of Education, Culture, Research & Technology and National Research & Innovation Agency

Ms. Dr. Ajeng Arum Sari (BRIN)

dana-risnov@brin.go.id

+62 811-1064-6771

Ms. Sasti Orista (BRIN)

dana-risnov@brin.go.id

+62 856 2555 437

Malaysia, UM

Universiti Malaya

Mr. Muhamad Firdaus Zainalabidin

mfirdaus@um.edu.my 

+603 7967 4654/4653/4522

Mdm.Haryana Rozana

hrozana@um.edu.my  

+603 7967 4654/4653/4522

Malaysia, UPM

Universisti Putra Malaysia

Mr. Dr. Yong-Meng Goh

ymgoh@upm.edu.my

+603 9769 1248

Myanmar, MoST

Ministry of Science and Technology

Ms. Dr. Thazin Han

thazinhann@gmail.com

+95 9 5143712

Spain, CDTI-E.P.E.

Centre for the Development of Technology and Innovation – E.P.E. (Ministry of Science and Innovation

Mr. Ricardo Rubianes

ricardo.rubianes@cdti.es

+34 91 581 0489

Switzerland, SNSF

Swiss National Science Foundation

Ms. Andrea Landolt

international@snf.ch

+41 31 308 24 09

Thailand, NRCT

National Research Council of Thailand

Ms. Chontida Tangnara

chontida.t@nrct.go.th 

+66 (0) 2561 2445 ext. 206 

Ms. Ariya Foithong 

Ariya.f@nrct.go.th 

+66 (0) 2561 2445 ext. 206 

Thailand, PMU-B

Program Management Unit for Human Resources & Institutional Development, Research and Innovation

Dr. Sonthaya Chaiarwut 

+66 (0) 2109 5432 ext. 850

Ms. Nutsupar Noiparsee 

+66 (0) 2109 5432 ext. 853

pmub.gp@nxpo.or.th

The Philippines, PCIEERD

Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development 

Mr. Dr. Enrico C. Paringit

enrico.paringit@pcieerd.dost.gov.ph 

Ms. Grace F. Estillore

gfestillore@pcieerd.dost.gov.ph

Türkiye, TÜBITAK

Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye

Ms. Güliz Tarimci

uidb@tubitak.gov.tr

+90 312 298 1881

7th JOINT CALL FOR PROPOSALS OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION IN THE TWO THEMATIC AREAS OF

- SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION and

- CLIMATE CHANGE : RESILIENCE & ADAPTATION

Type of funded projects:

Southeast Asia - Europe Joint Call Project consortia must comprise of at least 3 partners from 3 different countries fulfilling the 2+1 rule: Either 2 partners from 2 different Southeast Asian countries and 1 European partner or 2 partners from 2 different European countries and 1 Southeast Asian partner. At least 1 partner from each region must be eligible for JFS funding. Further, the coordinator must be selected from among the partners eligible for funding. The required third partner can be funded by a funding organization from a country participating in the JFS or bring his own funding. The proposals have to cover the thematic areas of “Sustainable Food Production” or “Climate Change: Resilience and Adaptation” to enhance bi-regional cooperation and develop new partnerships as well as strengthen existing ones. Please read the National Regulations from the funding organization that you are requesting funding from carefully since the National Regulations may include additional requirements, e.g. certain Technology Readiness Levels.

Deadline: 15 October 2021 12:00 (noon) CEST/ 05:00 pm Bangkok time

Thematic Areas

1) Sustainable Food Production:

Food production is an important economic factor in Southeast Asia and Europe with both regions relying on import and export. For example: 90% of all world aquaculture production is based in Asia and Europe imports close to 70% of its seafood from Southeast Asia. Joining forces hence is of economic interest of both regions. At the same time, cooperation of both regions in sustainable food production can contribute to fight global hunger and poverty and reduce related conflicts.

The objective of the 7th JFS Call for Proposals is to support STI projects towards high quality, affordable and sustainable food production along the whole agri-food chain (production, harvesting, processing, transport and distribution). Innovative food technologies such as the application of nanotechnologies will remain a key factor of competitiveness, jobs, sustainable growth and social progress in both regions. Besides technological innovations, new societal or logistical approaches optimizing a sustainable food production chain may be researched.

2) Climate Change: Resilience and Adaptation:

Climate change affects everyone at all levels, from global to local, but not to the same extent or scale. The ASEAN region is among the most vulnerable regions in the world, with long and heavily populated coastlines and heavy reliance on agriculture for livelihood, especially for a large segment of population living below the poverty line. Climate change originating from human civilizations from all over the globe has exacerbated water shortages in many areas, constraining agricultural production and threatening food security, causing forest fires and degradation, damaging coastal and marine resources, and increasing the risk of outbreaks of infectious diseases. Heat waves, droughts, floods, and tropical cyclones have also become more intense and frequent in many parts of the region, causing extensive damage to property, assets, human life, health and wellbeing, and the environment. A central aspect of these climate risks are the effects on social and environmental determinants of health – clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter. The 7th JFS Call aims at funding activities that join STI forces in Southeast Asia and Europe to cope with the above-mentioned impacts of climate change, help to adapt and increase resilience.

PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES AND FUNDING AGENCIES / MINISTRIES (National Regulations)

(1= Sustainable Food Production; 2= Climate Change: Resilience and Adaptation)

• Belgium – National Fund for Scientific Research (FRS-FNRS) 1,2
• Brunei Darussalam – University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD) 2
• Bulgaria – Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF) 1,2
• Cambodia – Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) 1,2
• Czech Republic – Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) 1,2
• Germany – Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) 2
• Indonesia – Ministry of Research and Technology / National Research & Innovation Agency (RISTEK/BRIN) 1,2
• Lao PDR – Ministry of Education and Sports, Cabinet of Lao Academy of Science (MOES) 1,2
• Malaysia – University of Malaya (UM) 1,2
• Malaysia – Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) 1,2
• Myanmar – Ministry of Education (MOE) 1
• Netherlands – Dutch Research Council (NWO) 1,2
• Philippines – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) 2
• Philippines – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Rsearch and Development (PCIEERD) 2
• Spain – Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) 1,2
• Switzerland –Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) 1,2
• Thailand - National Science and Technology Development Agency/Program Management Unit – Brain Power (NSTDA/PMU-B) 1,2
• Turkey – Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK) 1,2

PLEASE NOTE:

Some funders may only participate in one of the thematic areas. This is indicated with 1= Sustainable Food Production; 2= Climate Change: Resilience and Adaptation after the name of each funding agency in the list above.

At the bottom of this page you can find all National Regulations for download. 

Scope of the projects:

Funding will typically be provided for the duration of a maximum of three years (36 months). They should start earliest in June 2022.

Within the framework of the Joint Call, funding can in general be applied for:

• Personnel costs
• Equipment and consumables (project-related miscellaneous expenses and project-related larger equipment)
• Mobility costs (exchange research visits between Europe and Southeast Asia. Travel costs, living expenses and visa costs are eligible for funding.
• Other costs (Costs which cannot be classified under the previous cost items but are required for the project implementation, such as costs related to dissemination, intellectual property, demonstration, market search, management, organisational and subcontracting costs)

The eligibility of cost items and their calculation is according to the respective National Funding Regulations from the participating organizations and can be downloaded at the end of this site.

The upper funding limit usually can also be found in the respective national regulations.

Who can apply?

Proposals may be submitted by public legal RTD (Research and Technology Development) entities, higher education institutions, non-university research establishments, companies (all depending on National Funding Regulations). Eligibly criteria can be found in the respective National Funding Regulations.

Institutions not explicitly mentioned as recipients might be included in consortia if they provide their own funding (non-eligible organizations might join at their own costs). A Letter of Commitment has to be submitted in these cases by this partner confirming his contribution. Other entities may apply if the respective National Funding Regulations allow it.

The JFS welcomes the submission of project proposals by interdisciplinary project consortia. The JFS also welcomes the submission of project proposals by project consortia that involve partners from the private sector.

We strongly suggest that applicants discuss their intentions and confirm eligibility with their respective National Contact Point (NCP) before submitting a proposal. The details of the NCPs can be found at the end of this side.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Proposals for STI projects have to be submitted electronically using PT-Outline Web Tool, accessible through https://ptoutline.eu/app/jfs21.

During the submission phase, the web tool will be open from the publishing date of the Call on 15 June 2021 until October 15th 2021, 12:00pm CEST (noon) / 05:00pm Bangkok/Jakarta time.

Any proposal that is submitted after this deadline cannot be accepted by the secretariat and therefore will not be considered for evaluation.

After successful submission of the proposal, each principal coordinator will receive an automatic confirmation e-mail. This e-mail can be used as proof that the proposal was submitted on time and correctly. In case the coordinator is not sure whether the proposal was submitted correctly, he or she should contact the call secretariat immediately and/or resend the proposal via e-mail to the Joint Call Secretariat within the deadline.

Please note: Some funding organizations require that applicants from their respective countries submit specific complementary documents at the national level, in addition to the JFS application. These additional requirements will be made clear in the National Funding Regulations of the concerned countries / funding organization.

The full Call Text in PDF format is available and can be downloaded here.

Each project consortium has to choose a Project Coordinator from among all partners of the respective project eligible for funding (partners participating on their own budget may not be coordinators). Only one proposal per project should be submitted using PT-Outline. The project proposal shall be submitted by the Project Coordinator. The Project Coordinator is responsible for submitting the proposal on behalf of his / her project consortium. The responsibilities of the Project Coordinator are to keep the other project partners updated on the submission process, to ensure the internal management and coordination of the project consortium and to constitute the main contact to the Joint Call Secretariat. The project coordinator of a project receiving funding through the JFS is also the first contact point for the JFS coordinators whenever information related to the projects are required and for monitoring purposes. All proposals must be written in English only.

The PT-Outline electronic form consists of four pages (General information, Project coordinator, Project partners and Project description) that need to be filled-in online. In addition, a word template has to be downloaded from the project description page of PT-Outline, filled-in with the requested information, converted to PDF format and then uploaded again.

Please watch our video tutorial about how to apply in the Media section of this website or on YouTube: www.youtube.com

The Project description document should contain the following information (max. number of 6,000 words excl. all Annexes):

1. Basic project data

1.1 Project title

1.2 Project Acronym

1.3 Name and institution of the Project Coordinator

1.4 Names and institutions of other project partners

2. Project description

2.1 Describe why your proposal suits the respective call thematic area.

2.2 Describe as precisely as possible the technological objectives of the project.

2.3 Explain the novel character of the activities proposed. Show how the objectives of the project aim at significant advances in the state-of-the-art through extending the current technologies and/or filling the gaps identified.

2.4 Lay down the added-value of transnational cooperation which is implemented in your consortium.

2.5 Describe what makes up the excellence of your consortium. Describe how the teams complement each other and the added value resulting from the multilateral cooperation. Mention where there is a potential for synergy effects between different tasks of the project and how this is going to be exploited.

2.6 Describe the multidisciplinarity / interdisiplinarity of your proposal.

2.7 Lay down if (and how) the research project matches national priorities of the partners involved.

2.8 Self-assessment of targeted Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and explanation

3. Work plan

3.1 Describe the research project with respect to the methodology; justify the methodology chosen to reach the objectives. Highlight the particular advantages of the methodology chosen.

3.2 Describe the type of activities that are implemented in your project.

3.3 Describe the distribution of tasks. What is the involvement of each partner in relation to the proposed activities? How are the resources distributed among the partners? (time plan).

3.4 Describe the management structure of your project.

4. Potential impact and exploitation of results

4.1 Describe the scientific and / or commercial expected impact.

4.2 Describe whether the project has any beneficial impact on society, in particular regarding societal challenges.

4.3 Describe the measures for the dissemination and./.or exploitation of trans-national projects results, and management of intellectual property. What are the next steps?

4.4 Prospects for establishing efficient and sustainable partnership.

5. Financial Plan

6. Annexes

6.1 If applicable: the Letter of Commitment securing willingness to collaborate by partners from countries which are not on the list of funding for the JFS 7th Call.

6.2 CVs and lists of principal publications of participating researchers (3 pages max. per researcher).

Aims and methods of the proposed collaborative project should clearly demonstrate the excellence and innovativeness of the project, product or service, including the added value for Southeast Asian - European research and innovation cooperation and describe expected outcomes / marketability. In addition, a financial plan and a time and work-plan, including milestones, have to be included. All budgets will be submitted in Euros. The applicants will have to identify the TRL which is targeted at the end of the project, and the TRL of the work that the project proposal is based on. This self-assessment / estimation will have to be justified in brief paragraphs.

The applicant is responsible for determining whether the execution of the proposed research requires an ethical statement or license, and complies with national and international sanction rules and legislation. The applicant must ensure that the ethical statement or license is acquired in a timely manner from the relevant ethics review committee.

All information inserted into the PT-Outline web tool is saved after having clicked on the “SAVE” button at the bottom of each page.

During the proposal submission phase, it is allowed to replace already registered and eligible project partners, or to add project partners to the consortium. Please note that after the binding submission of a proposal (through clicking on the ‘SUBMIT NOW’ button in PT-Outline) no further changes can be made to your proposal.

EVALUATION PROCESS

The evaluation process includes the following steps.

Eligibility check

The Joint Call Secretariat (JCS) will check all proposals to ensure that they meet the following general eligibility criteria of the Call:

• Date of submission
• Composition of consortium (2+1 rule)
• Duration of project
• Inclusion of all necessary information in English
• Appropriate length of the proposal
• Eligibility of the Project Coordinator
• Eligibility of the other project partners (in case the Project Coordinator or a project partner is rejected in the eligibility check, the whole proposal might be rejected)
• Eligible thematic focus
• Reflection of national priorities (if applicable)
• Eligibility of required funding
• Complete appendixes required

The JCS will forward the proposals to the National Contact Points (NCPs) who will perform a check for compliance of the respective country / national regulation.

Please note if the proposal does not meet the formal criteria / the national regulation / eligibility criteria and requirements, the proposal may be declined without further review.

Peer review

Independent scientific experts in the relevant thematic research fields will carry out the anonymous peer review of the eligible project proposals according to evaluation criteria set up by the funding parties. Each proposal will be evaluated by at least two online evaluators (at least one Southeast Asian and one European peer reviewer). The peer reviewers will be nominated by the Southeast Asian and European National Contact Points in cooperation with the funding parties.

The evaluation is done using the following evaluation criteria:

• Scientific / technological excellence and innovativeness of the project idea (scoring from 0 to 10)
  • Sound concept, quality of objectives
  • Innovativeness of the project idea: Capacity of the project to contribute to the development of a new technology, service or product.
  • Quality and effectiveness of the methodology and associated work plan
  • Good balance between the technology / knowledge available at each participating team
  • Complementarity of qualifications and relevant experience of the coordinator and the individual participants/participating teams

• Potential impact and expected outcomes of the project (scoring from 0 to 10)
  • Social and / or market related impact
  • Potential to meet market, economical and societal needs and significant exploitation potential
  • Prospects for establishing efficient and sustainable partnership within the network, including transfer of know-how and experience
  • Appropriateness of measures for the dissemination and / or exploitation of trans-national project results, and management of intellectual property

• Management, Transnationality and Cooperation (scoring from 0 to 10)
  • Quality and effectiveness of the management structure and distribution of tasks
  • Added value of transnational cooperation
  • Appropriate allocation and justification of the resources to be committed (budget, staff, equipment).

The total score of the proposal is the weighted average of the individual scores given to each criterion, rated from 0 to 10. The table below summarizes the scores and weight coefficients per criterion:

Criteria                                                                                                                                                               Score        Weight

1. Scientific / Technological excellence and innovativeness of the project idea or product / service to be developed       0-10           40%

2. Potential impact and expected outcomes of the project / marketability                                                                  0-10           40%

3. Management, Transnationality and Cooperation                                                                                                   0-10           20%

TOTAL                                                                                                                                                                 0-10          100%

After the peer reviewers submitted their results, applicants will be contacted and informed about the online evaluation results. At this point the applicants get the opportunity to defend their application on specific points and give a written statement (max. 2 A4 pages).

Once the peer review process is finalized, the JCS will send the proposals and pooled reviews to the Scientific Council (SC) members. The SC meeting is in charge to the final ranking based on the peer review results. The SC members consist of internationally recognized experts offering a high degree of technical, scientific and innovation expertise in the respective research field, as well as broad experiences in international collaboration.

The final ranking list as well as the written remarks by the SC will be forwarded to the Programme Steering Committee (PSC) for the funding decision meeting.  

Funding Decision

Based on the ranking list established and the written minutes of the SC meeting, as well as the available funding, the PSC will take a final decision. The JCS will communicate to all project coordinators about the final decisions of their proposal together with the main comments from the SC about the proposal. In the case of a positive funding decision, the national funding agencies will then get in touch with the individual project partners to initiate the process of drafting the contract. The start of funded projects is expected to begin no later than July 2022.

MONITORING OF IMPLEMENTATION OF JFS CALL PROJECTS

The projects funded under the JFS will be asked to submit annual monitoring reports. Each project participant should also submit financial and scientific reports to their national / regional funding organisations according to his / her national regulations.

In the case a partner decided to withdraw from a project before the completion date, due to the reasons such as: discrepancies within the consortia, funding problems, changes in the strategy of companies, technical or sudden market problems; the NCPs have to check whether the basic JFS eligibility criteria are still met and if the excellence of the project is still maintained. If not, the involved funding agencies may decide jointly to cease the funding for this specific project.

In addition, the following regulations will apply for all research projects that are funded through the JFS Call:

• Publications or other form of output resulting from the research for which funding was awarded should be made available to the JFS Call Secretariat (publication of the results in open access journals is strongly encouraged).
• In any publication of results of the research for which JFS Call funding was awarded, mention must be made of the support received.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Call Secretariat:

Mrs. Dr. Finarya Legoh

Senior Programme Officer

Indonesian Science Fund (DIPI)

Finarya.legoh@dipi.id

+62 85211342556

Ms. Patchara Umprasert

Junior Programme Officer

National Science & Technology Agency (NSTDA)

Callsec.JFS@nstda.or.th

+66 2-564-7000 EXT. 71488

National Contact Points:

Belgium, FRS-FNRS

National Fund for Scientific Research

Mr. Joel Groeneveld

joel.groeneveld@frs-fnrs.be 

+32 2 504 9270

Ms. Dr. Florence Quist

florence.quist@frs-fnrs.be  

+32 2 504 9351

Brunei Darussalam, UBD

Centre for Advanced Material & Energy Sciences

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD)

Ms. Dr. Rosnah Abdullah

rosnah.abdullah@ubd.edu.bn

+673 2460922 ext 1323

Bulgaria, BNSF

Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF)

Ms. Milena Aleksandrova

aleksandrova@mon.bg

+359 884 171363

Cambodia

Director of Department of Scientific Research

Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Cambodia

Mr. Dr. Kreng Heng

Krengheng@gmail.com   

+855-77-777-934

Czech Republic, CAS

Division of International Cooperation

Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS)

Ms. Alena Žochová

zochova@kav.cas.cz

+420 221 403566

Germany, BMBF / DLR Project Management Agency

International Bureau of BMBF at DLR Project Management Agency

Ms. Dr. Adele Clausen

Adele.Clausen@dlr.de

+49 (0)228 38212171

Indonesia, RISTEK / BRIN

Ministry of Research and Technology / National Research and Innovation Agency

Mr. Adhi Indra Hermanu

manoe@ristekbrin.go.id

+62 878 8444 3878

Lao PDR, MOES

Ministry of Education and Sports, Cabinet of Lao Academy of Science

Mr. Soutthiphong Vongxaiya

soutthiphong.vongxaiya@gmail.com

Mr. Vongthong Xayyapheth

xvongthong@gmail.com

Malaysia, UM

University of Malaya

Ms. Dr. Tan Hsiao Wei

tanhw@um.edu.my

Ms. Shaliza Ibrahim

shaliza@um.edu.my

Malaysia, UPM

Universisti Putra Malaysia

Mr. Dr. Yong-Meng Goh

ymgoh@upm.edu.my

+603 9769 1248

+603 9769 3404

Myanmar, MOE

Department of Research and Innovation

Ministry of Education (MOE)

Ms. Dr. Thazin Han

thazinhann@gmail.com

+95 9 5143712

Netherlands, NWO

Dutch Research Council

Ms. Dr. Arina Schrier

Ms. Maaike Spiekerman

sea-eujfs@nwo.nl

+31 (0)30 600 12 11 

+31 (0)70 349 4094

Philippines, PCHRD

Philippine Council for Health Research and Development

Mr. Paul Ernest N. De Leon

Chief, R&D Management Division 

pndeleon@pchrd.dost.gov.ph

Mr. Vincent John H. Tumlos

Planning & International Collaboration Officer

vhtumlos@pchrd.dost.gov.ph

Philippines, PCIEERD

Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development 

Mr. Dr. Enrico C. Paringit

enrico.paringit@pcieerd.dost.gov.ph 

Ms. Grace F. Estillore

gfestillore@pcieerd.dost.gov.ph

 Spain, CDTI-EPE

Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology - EPE

Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain

Mr. Ricardo Rubianes

ricardo.rubianes@cdti.es

 +34 91 581 0489

Mr. Adrián Gutiérrez

adrian.gutierrez@cdti.es

+91 11 4129 3000

Switzerland, SNSF

Interdisciplinary and International Co-operation (InterCo)

Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)

Ms. Andrea Landolt

andrea.landolt@snf.ch

+41 31 308 24 09

Thailand, NSTDA

National Science & Technology Cooperation Agency (NSTDA)

International Relations Officer

Ms. Arpawan Jantaravipark

arpawan.jan@nstda.or.th

+66 2 564 7000 ext. 71487

Thailand, PMU-B

Program Management Unit – Brain Power

Mrs. Dr. Kanyawim Kirtikara

kanyawim.kir@nxpo.or.th

Ms. Dr. Nopparat Wanitsuksombut

nopparat.wan@nxpo.or.th

+66 (0) 2470 7903

Turkey, TÜBITAK

Department of International Cooperation

Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK)

Ms. Dr. Guliz Sutcu

sea-eu-net2@tubitak.gov.tr

+90 312 298 1759

4th Joint Call for Proposals (Innovation) in the Thematic Areas

of Infectious Diseases (including Antimicrobial Resistance [AMR]) and Smart Cities.

Type of funded projects: Southeast Asia-Europe Joint Call Projects must comprise of at least 3 partners from 3 different countries (either 2 different Southeast Asian partners and 1 European partner or 2 different European partners and 1 Southeast Asian partner) applying for funding from funding agencies participating in the call. The proposals have to cover the thematic areas of Infectious Diseases (including Antimicrobial Resistance [AMR]) or Smart Cities to enhance bi-regional co-operation and develop new partnerships as well as strengthen existing ones. The 2019 Innovation call aims to support projects with a strong application focus and the targeted Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at the end of the project should at least be 3[1].  

Deadline: 18 November 2019 12:00 (noon) CET/ 18:00 Jakarta time

Thematic Areas

1) Infectious Diseases (including Antimicrobial Resistance [AMR])

There is a long tradition of cooperation on infectious diseases between Europe and Southeast Asia and health research is a proven strength of both regions. Nonetheless, major obstacles exist to overcome the existing and increasing global health challenges including the need for a deeper understanding of diseases pathology and the socio-economic causes of the diseases and linked effectiveness of health intervention.

There is a strong potential for collaboration in the area of antimicrobial resistance, as South-East Asia is affected by situations similar to Europe and requiring actions to which it can contribute.

2) Smart Cities

The sustainable development of urban areas is a challenge of key importance. It requires new, efficient, and user-friendly technologies and services, in particular in the areas of energy, transport and ICT. However, these solutions need integrated approaches, both in terms of research and development of advanced technological solutions, as well as deployment in the following areas:

•          Smart Energy Systems

•          Building and Space Sustainability

•          Intelligent Transport and Mobility

•          Societal Challenges: inclusion, education, health, tourism, etc.

Participating countries and funding agencies/ministries (1= Infectious Diseases (incl. AMR; 2=Smart Cities):

• Cambodia - Ministry of Education and Youth (MOEY)1+2
• Czech Republic – Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS)1
• Indonesia – Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (RISTEKDIKTI)1+2
• Lao PDR - Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST)1+2
• Myanmar – Ministry of Education (MoE)1+2
• The Philippines - Department of Science and Technology (DoST), Philippine Council for Health Research & Development (PCHRD)1
• The Philippines - Department of Science and Technology (DoST), Philippine Council for Industry, Energy & Emerging Technology (PCIEERD)2
• Spain - Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI)1+2
• Thailand - National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA)2
• Thailand - Thailand Center for Excellence for Life Science (TCELS)1
• Turkey - Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK)1+2
• Vietnam – Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST)1

PLEASE NOTE:

Some funders only participate in one of the thematic areas. This is indicated with a 1=Infectious Diseases (incl. AMR) and 2=Smart Cities after the name of each funding agency in the list above.

PLEASE NOTE:

The list of funders might not be complete at the time of the launch of the call and others are expected to join later. Please check for updates.

Scope of the projects:

Funding will be provided for the duration of a maximum of three years (36 months). They should start earliest in July 2020.

Within the framework of the Joint Call, funding can in general be applied for:

• Personnel costs
• Equipment and consumables (project-related miscellaneous expenses and project-related larger equipment)
• Mobility costs (exchange research visits between Europe and Southeast Asia. Travel costs, living expenses and visa costs are eligible for funding.
• Other costs (Costs which cannot be classified under the previous cost items but are required for the project implementation, such as costs related to dissemination, intellectual property, demonstration, market search, management, organisational and subcontracting costs).

The eligibility of cost items and their calculation is according to respective national regulations. You can download the respective national regulations for your country in the attachments section.

The upper funding limit can also be found in the respective national regulations.

Who can apply?

Proposals may be submitted by public legal RTD (Research and Technology Development) entities, higher education institutions, non-university research establishments, companies (all depending on national regulations).

The participation of industries is not strictly mandatory but due to the strong application focus of this innovation call the participation of SMEs, industries and clusters in consortia is strongly recommended. Eligibly criteria can be found in the respective national funding regulations.

Countries contributing to the Call are: Cambodia, Czech Republic, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Latvia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.

Institutions not explicitly mentioned as recipients might be included in consortia if they provide their own funding (non-eligible organisations might join at their own costs). A Letter of Commitment has to be submitted in these cases. Other entities may apply if the respective national regulations allow it.

Applicants should discuss their intentions and confirm eligibility with their respective National Contact Point before submitting a proposal.

Application Process

Project proposals are to be submitted electronically using the PT-Outline web tool

Link: https://secure.pt-dlr.de/ptoutline/app/seaeuropejfs19IN  

Deadline is 18 November 2019 12:00 (noon) CET/ 18:00 Jakarta time

Please note: Some funding agencies might require that applicants from their respective country submit specific complementary documents at the national level, in addition to the PT Outline webtool. Please check the additional requirements stated in the national regulations of the countries represented in your project before submitting your proposal.

Each project consortium has to choose a Project Coordinator from among all partners of the respective project eligible for funding (partners participating on their own budget may not be coordinators). Only one proposal per project should be submitted using PT-Outline. The Project Coordinator is responsible for submitting the proposal on behalf of his/her project consortium. The responsibilities of the Project Coordinator are to keep the other project partners updated on the submission process, to ensure the internal management and coordination of the project consortium and to constitute the main contact for the Joint Call Secretariat.

All proposals must be written in English only.

The PT-Outline electronic template consists of four pages (General information, Project coordinator, Project partners and Project description) that need to be filled-in online. In addition, a word template has to be downloaded from the project description page of PT-Outline, filled-in with the requested information, converted to PDF format and then uploaded again.

The Project description document should contain the following information (max. number of 10,000 words):

1. Basic project data

Project title

Project Acronym

Name and institution of the Principal Investigator

Names and institutions of other project partners

2. Project description

2.1 Short abstract of the project

2.2 Objectives of the project

2.3 Innovativeness of the project idea and commercialization/application potential 

2.4 Transnational added value

2.5 Scientific excellence/ innovation experience of applicants

2.6 Multi-/interdisciplinarity of the project

2.7 Contribution to national priorities of the participating partners (if applicable)

2.8 Self-Assessment of targeted Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and explanation

3. Work plan

3.1 Methodology

3.2 Envisaged types of activities

3.3 Involvement of each partner

3.4 Time plan

3.5 Project coordination and management

4. Potential impact and exploitation of results

4.1. Expected commercial/societal impact

4.2. Exploitation of results (description of ow the results will be exploited and what the next steps are)

4.2. Prospects to establish sustainable partnerships

5. Financial Plan

6. Annexes

6.1. Letter of Commitment of partners participating at their own costs (if applicable)

6.2 CVs of participating researchers and scientific track-record

Proposals must clearly demonstrate the added value of transnational collaboration.

All information inserted into the PT-Outline web tool is saved after having clicked on the “SAVE” button at the bottom of each page.

During the proposal submission phase, it is allowed to replace already registered and eligible project partners, or to add project partners to the consortium. Please note that after the binding submission of a proposal (through clicking on the ‘SUBMIT NOW’ button in PT-Outline) no further changes can be made to your proposal.

Evaluation Process

The evaluation process includes the following steps.

1. Eligibility check

The Joint Call Secretariat (JCS) will check all pre-proposals to ensure that they meet the formal criteria of the call (date of submission, number and country distribution of participating research partners, inclusion of all necessary information in English and length). The JCS will forward the proposals to the National Contact Points who will perform a check for compliance to country/regional rules (as described in respective "National Guidelines for applicants”).

Please note that proposals not meeting the formal criteria or the national/regional eligibility criteria and requirements may be declined without further review.

2. Peer review

Independent scientific/business experts in the relevant thematic research fields will carry out the anonymous peer review of the eligible project proposals according to evaluation criteria set up by the funding parties. Each proposal will be evaluated by three evaluators (at least one Southeast Asian and one European peer reviewer). The peer reviewers will be nominated by the Southeast Asian and European National Contact Points in cooperation with the funding parties.

The evaluation is done using the following evaluation criteria:

1. Potential impact and expected outcomes/ marketability of product or service to be developed(scoring from 0 to 10)
   • Market-need for the product/service to be developed. Has the team give a sound justification for the need for the product/service?
   • Assessment of the chances for a successful commercialisation including a brief comparison with other potentially competing products or services
   • Potential to meet market, economical and societal needs and significant exploitation potential
   • Prospects for establishing efficient and sustainable partnership within the network, including transfer of know-how and experience
   • Appropriateness of measures for the dissemination and/or exploitation of trans-national projects results, and management of intellectual property

2. Scientific/technological excellence and innovativeness of the product/service to be developed (scoring from 0 to 10)
   • Sound concept. Has the team a sound and credible concept for the development and commercialization of the product/service to be developed?
   • Innovativeness of the project idea: How innovative is the project idea in comparison to existing products/services or those which are being developed currently?
   • Quality and effectiveness of the methodology and associated work plan
   • Good balance between the technology/knowledge available at each participating team and between the partners with a stronger focus on the research side and those with a focus on the commercialization side.
   • Complementarity of qualifications and relevant experience of the coordinator and the individual participants/participating teams

3. Management, Transnationality and Cooperation (scoring from 0 to 10)
   • Quality and effectiveness of the management structure and distribution of tasks
   • Added value of transnational cooperation
   • Appropriate allocation and justification of the resources to be committed (budget, staff, equipment)

The total score of the proposal is the weighted average of the individual scores given to each criterion, rated from 0 to 10. The table below summarises the scores and weight coefficients per criterion:

Criteria                                                                                                                                                      Score                Weight

1. Potential impact and expected outcomes/ marketability of product or service to be developed                        0-10                   40%

2. Scientific/technological excellence and innovativeness of the product/service to be developed                        0-10                   40%

3. Management, Transnationality and Cooperation                                                                                          0-10                   20%

TOTAL                                                                                                                                                        0-10                   100%

Once the peer review process is finalized, the JCS will send the full proposals and pooled reviews to the Evaluation Board (EB) members. The two EBs, one for Infectious Diseases and one for Smart Cities will meet to discuss each proposal and, after consideration of the evaluation criteria, external reviews and their own discussions, the EB will make a classification of the proposals and rank proposals recommended for funding.

Funding decision

Based on the ranking list established by the EB and on available funding, the Programme Steering Committee (PSC) will take a final decision (subject to budgetary considerations). The Joint Call Secretariat will communicate to all project coordinators the final decisions about their proposal together with the main comments from the EB about the proposal. In case of a positive funding decision the national funding agencies will then get in touch with the individual project partners to initiate the process of drafting the contract.

Reporting and project output

The coordinators of all the funded projects will be asked to submit brief annual scientific project reports and a final scientific project report (within six months of the end of the project) to the JCS. All reports must be in English and use a common electronic reporting template that will be provided. The research partners are jointly responsible for delivery of the reports, and the JFS Management Team will only accept reports delivered on behalf of the consortium, via the project coordinator. The coordinators will also be asked to provide slightly adapted versions of the reports for the JFS homepage on which each project will be presented with a project portrait. 

If required, each participant should submit financial and scientific reports to their national/regional funding organisations according to national regulations. The progress and final results of each individual contract/letter of grant will be monitored by the respective national funding organisations.

In addition, the following regulations will apply for all research projects that are funded through the Joint Call:

• Publications or other form of output resulting from the research for which funding was awarded should be made available to the JFs Management Team (publication of the results in open access journals is strongly encouraged).
• In any publication of results of the research for which Joint Call funding was awarded, mention must be made of the support received.

Contact information:

Call secretariat:

Indonesian Science Fund

Mrs. Marsia Gustiananda

Marsia.Gustiananda@dipi.id

Mr. Adam Bakthiar

adam.bakhtiar@dipi.id

Office Phone: +622122036293

National Contact Points:

Cambodia, MOEY

Dr. Bunlay Nith

Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport

bunlaynith@gmail.com

Czech Republic, CAS

Alena Klvaňová

Czech Academy of Sciences

klvanova@kav.cas.cz

+420 221 403 566

Indonesia, RISTEKDIKTI

Adhi Indra Hermanu

Ministry Of Research, Technology And Higher Education

manoe@ristekdikti.go.id

+62 878 8444 3878

Lao PDR, MOST

Phouthanouthong Xaysombath and Viengsavanh Bouttanavong

Ministry of Science and Technology

pxaysombath@gmail.com

vieng.btv@gmail.com

+856 21 250045

Myanmar, MoE

Dr. Thazin Han

Ministry of Education

thazinhann@gmail.com

+95-9-5143712

The Philippines, DOST

For Infectious Diseases:

Vincent H. Tumlos and Mary Ann I. Pacho

Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD-DOST)

vhtumlos@pchrd.dost.gov.ph

8377535 loc. 102

mipacho@pchrd.dost.gov.ph  

837 7535 loc 304

For Smart Cities:

Dr. Enrico C. Paringit and Raul C. Sabularse,

Philippine Council for Industry, Energy & Emerging Technology (PCIEERD-DOST)

pcieerd@pcieerd.dost.gov.ph

837-2071 to 82 loc. 2100, 2120 & 2121

Spain, CDTI

Mr. Ricardo Rubianes Escribano

Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial

ricardo.rubianes@cdti.es

+34 91 581 56 07

Thailand, NSTDA

Phawika Rueannoi

National Science & Technology Cooperation Agency

phawika.rue@nstda.or.th

+66 (0) 2117- 6935

Thailand, TCELS

Premruedee Lertsakvimarn

Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences

premruedee@tcels.or.th

(+66) 2 644 5499 ext. 131

Turkey, TÜBITAK

Şule Nur Sarper

Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey

sule.sarper@tubitak.gov.tr

+90 312 298 1759

Vietnam, MOST

Ms. Le Thi Viet Lam and Mr. Bui Quoc Anh and Ms. Trinh Quynh Trang

Ministry of Science and Technology – Vietnam

ltvietlam@most.gov.vn

+84-2-435560642

bqanh@most.gov.vn

tqtrang@most.gov.vn

+84-4-39439192

[1] Referring to the definition of TRL as applied by H 2020 Work Programme: https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/wp/2014_2015/annexes/h2020-wp1415-annex-g-trl_en.pdf

Please note: This call is CLOSED since October 18, 2019!

3rd Joint Call for Proposals (Science and Technology [S&T]) in the Thematic Areas

of Integrated Water Resource Management and Nanotechnologies.

Type of funded projects: Southeast Asia-Europe Joint Call Projects must comprise of at least 3 partners from 3 different countries (either 2 different Southeast Asian partners and 1 European partner or 2 different European partners and 1 Southeast Asian partner) applying for funding from funding agencies participating in the call. The proposals have to cover the thematic areas of Integrated Water Resource Management or Nanotechnology to enhance bi-regional co-operation and develop new partnerships as well as strengthen existing ones. The 2019 S&T call aims to support projects which are close to basic research and the targeted Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at the end of the project should not be higher than 4[1].  

Deadline: 18 October 2019 12:00 (noon) CET/ 17:00 Jakarta time

Thematic Areas

1) Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM):

The protection and sustainable use of water resources plays a decisive role for the future of humankind. IWRM is a process that aims to maximize social and economic well-being while avoiding damage to vital ecosystems and creating fair conditions for the utilization of resources. In this context, ecological goals must be linked to economic and social goals. The areas under investigation are generally river basins or parts thereof, or settlement areas with bodies of water.

Climate Change in South-East Asia will cause more extreme weather events that may lead to drastic change in rainfall and runoff, water quality and supply as well as the viability of irrigation schemes according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Research and innovative technology approaches on integrated land use and water management systems as well as science diplomacy especially for river basins and deltas would contribute to prepare for, mitigate and negotiate the effects of climate change. Combining the experiences in Europe (e.g. Danube) and South-East Asia (e.g. Mekong) would provide opportunities for synergies in joint research and innovative technology development projects to support both policy makers and farmers in the two regions.

The nexus between the sustainability of river systems, transboundary water issues, food security, sustainable urbanization, energy and urban pollution in a context of climate change provides further scope for regional collaboration in research and innovation between Europe and South-East Asia.

IWRM ranks high on the policy agendas in both Southeast Asia and Europe. Water Management is one of the eight thematic tracks of the Krabi Initiative and also in Europe numerous initiatives such as the Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) Water that aim to create sustainable water systems underline the need for research and action in this field to ensure for instance stable access to clean water, mitigate disaster from flood and prevent water scarcity.

Bi-regional research in this field is expected to exchange and transfer experiences between the two regions and to make best use of synergies.

2) Nanotechnologies

Nanoscience and nanotechnology are highly interdisciplinary and cut across industrial and commercial sectors to research and create new materials and devices with remarkable properties and functions. To name but a few, nanotechnology is being used in medicine, electronics, food, manufacturing and materials or water purification. Despite the fact that the technology has a high potential for both regions, research and innovation cooperation in nanotechnology has still a high untapped potential. Hence addressing setting research and innovation initiatives could bring new avenues for joining scientific and innovation capabilities from both regions.

Participating countries and funding agencies/ministries (1= IWRM; 2=Nanotechnologies):

• Brunei Darussalam – University of Brunei Darussalam2
• Bulgaria - Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF)1+2
• Cambodia - Ministry of Education and Youth (MOEY)1+2
• Czech Republic – Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) 1+2
• Germany – Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) 1+2
• Indonesia – Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education (RISTEKDIKTI) 1
• Indonesia – Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) 2
• Lao PDR - Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST)1+2
• Myanmar – Ministry of Education (MoE)1+2
• The Philippines - Department of Science and Technology (DoST), Philippine Council for Industry, Energy & Emerging Technology (PCIEERD)1+2
• Switzerland - Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)1+2
• Thailand - National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) 1+2
• Turkey - Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK)1+2
• Vietnam – Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) 1

PLEASE NOTE:

Some funders only participate in one of the thematic areas. This is indicated with a 1=IWRM and 2=Nanotechnologies after the name of each funding agency in the list above.

PLEASE NOTE:

The list of funders might not be complete at the time of the launch of the call and others are expected to join later. Please check for updates.

Scope of the projects:

Funding will be provided for the duration of a maximum of three years (36 months). They should start earliest in July 2020.

Within the framework of the Joint Call, funding can in general be applied for:

• Personnel costs
• Equipment and consumables (project-related miscellaneous expenses and project-related larger equipment)
• Mobility costs (exchange research visits between Europe and Southeast Asia. Travel costs, living expenses and visa costs are eligible for funding.
• Other costs (Costs which cannot be classified under the previous cost items but are required for the project implementation, such as costs related to dissemination, intellectual property, demonstration, market search, management, organisational and subcontracting costs).

The eligibility of cost items and their calculation is according to respective national regulations. You can download the respective national regulations for your country in the attachments section.

The upper funding limit can also be found in the respective national regulations.

Who can apply?

Proposals may be submitted by public legal RTD (Research and Technology Development) entities, higher education institutions, non-university research establishments, companies (all depending on national regulations). Eligibly criteria can be found in the respective national funding regulations.

Countries contributing to the Call are: Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Czech Republic, Germany, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Latvia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam

Institutions not explicitly mentioned as recipients might be included in consortia if they provide their own funding (non-eligible organisations might join at their own costs). A Letter of Commitment has to be submitted in these cases. Other entities may apply if the respective national regulations allow it.

Applicants should discuss their intentions and confirm eligibility with their respective National Contact Point before submitting a proposal.

Application Process

Project proposals are to be submitted electronically using the PT-Outline web tool

Link: https://secure.pt-dlr.de/ptoutline/app/seaeuropejfs19ST  

Deadline is 18 October 2019 12:00 (noon) CET/ 17:00 Jakarta time

Please note: Some funding agencies might require that applicants from their respective country submit specific complementary documents at the national level, in addition to the PT Outline webtool. Please check the additional requirements stated in the national regulations of the countries represented in your project before submitting your proposal.

Each project consortium has to choose a Project Coordinator from among all partners of the respective project eligible for funding (partners participating on their own budget may not be coordinators). Only one proposal per project and applicant should be submitted using PT-Outline. The Project Coordinator is responsible for submitting the proposal on behalf of his/her project consortium. The responsibilities of the Project Coordinator are to keep the other project partners updated on the submission process, to ensure the internal management and coordination of the project consortium and to constitute the main contact for the Joint Call Secretariat.

All proposals must be written in English only.

The PT-Outline electronic template consists of four pages (General information, Project coordinator, Project partners and Project description) that need to be filled-in online. In addition, a word template has to be downloaded from the project description page of PT-Outline, filled-in with the requested information, converted to PDF format and then uploaded again.

The Project description document should contain the following information (max. number of 10,000 words):

1. Basic project data

Project title

Project Acronym

Name and institution of the Principal Investigator

Names and institutions of other project partners

2. Project description

2.1 Short abstract of the project

2.2 Objectives of the project

2.3 Scientific excellence

2.4 Transnational added value

2.5 Scientific excellence of applicants

2.6 Multi-/interdisciplinarity of the project

2.7 Contribution to national priorities of the participating partners (if applicable)

2.8 Self-Assessment of targeted Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and explanation

3. Work plan

3.1 Methodology

3.2 Envisaged types of activities

3.3 Involvement of each partner

3.4 Time plan

3.5 Project coordination and management

4. Potential impact and exploitation of results

4.1. Expected scientific/commercial impact

4.2. Dissemination and exploitation of results

4.2. Prospects to establish sustainable partnerships

5. Financial Plan

6. Annexes

6.1. Letter of Commitment of partners participating at their own costs (if applicable)

6.2 CVs of participating researchers and scientific track-record

Proposals must clearly demonstrate the added value of transnational collaboration.

All information inserted into the PT-Outline web tool is saved after having clicked on the “SAVE” button at the bottom of each page.

During the proposal submission phase, it is allowed to replace already registered and eligible project partners, or to add project partners to the consortium. Please note that after the binding submission of a proposal (through clicking on the ‘SUBMIT NOW’ button in PT-Outline) no further changes can be made to your proposal.

Evaluation Process

The evaluation process includes the following steps.

1. Eligibility check

The Joint Call Secretariat (JCS) will check all proposals to ensure that they meet the formal criteria of the call (date of submission, number and country distribution of participating research partners, inclusion of all necessary information in English and length). The JCS will forward the proposals to the National Contact Points who will perform a check for compliance to country/regional rules (as described in respective "National Guidelines for applicants”).

Please note that proposals not meeting the formal criteria or the national/regional eligibility criteria and requirements may be declined without further review.

2. Peer review

Independent scientific experts in the relevant thematic research fields will carry out the anonymous peer review of the eligible project proposals according to evaluation criteria set up by the funding parties. Each proposal will be evaluated by three evaluators (at least one Southeast Asian and one European peer reviewer). The peer reviewers will be nominated by the Southeast Asian and European National Contact Points in cooperation with the funding parties.

The evaluation is done using the following evaluation criteria:

1. Scientific/technological excellence and innovativeness of the project idea (scoring from 0 to 10)
   • Sound concept, quality of objectives
   • Innovativeness of the project idea: capacity of a project to contribute to the development of a new technology, service or product
   • Quality and effectiveness of the methodology and associated work plan
   • Good balance between the technology/knowledge available at each participating team
   • Complementarity of qualifications and relevant experience of the coordinator and the individual participants/participating teams
2. Potential impact and expected outcomes of the project (scoring from 0 to 10)
   • Social and/or market related impact
   • Potential to meet market, economical and societal needs and significant exploitation potential
   • Prospects for establishing efficient and sustainable partnership within the network, including transfer of know-how and experience
   • Appropriateness of measures for the dissemination and/or exploitation of trans-national projects results, and management of intellectual property
3. Management, Transnationality and Cooperation (scoring from 0 to 10)
   • Quality and effectiveness of the management structure and distribution of tasks
   • Added value of transnational cooperation
   • Appropriate allocation and justification of the resources to be committed (budget, staff, equipment)

The total score of the proposal is the weighted average of the individual scores given to each criterion, rated from 0 to 10. The table below summarises the scores and weight coefficients per criterion:

Criteria                                                                                                                             Score                                         Weight

1. Scientific/Technological excellence and innovativeness of the project idea                            0-10                                           40%

2. Potential impact and expected outcomes of the project                                                      0-10                                            40%

3. Management, Transnationality and Cooperation                                                                 0-10                                            20%

TOTAL                                                                                                                               0-10                                           100%

Once the peer review process is finalized, the JCS will send the proposals and pooled reviews to the Scientific Council (SC) members. The two SCs, one for Integrated Water Resource Management and one for Nanotechnology will meet to discuss each proposal and, after consideration of the evaluation criteria, external reviews and their own discussions, the SC will make a classification of the proposals and rank proposals recommended for funding.

Funding decision

Based on the ranking list established by the SC and on available funding, the Programme Steering Committee (PSC) will take a final decision. The Joint Call Secretariat will communicate to all project coordinators the final decisions about their proposal together with the main comments from the SC about the proposal. In case of a positive funding decision the national funding agencies will then get in touch with the individual project partners to initiate the process of drafting the contract.

Reporting and project output

The coordinators of all the funded projects will be asked to submit brief annual scientific project reports and a final scientific project report (within six months of the end of the project) to the JCS. All reports must be in English and use a common electronic reporting template that will be provided. The research partners are jointly responsible for delivery of the reports, and the JFS Management Team will only accept reports delivered on behalf of the consortium, via the project coordinator. The coordinators will also be asked to provide slightly adapted versions of the reports for the JFS homepage on which each project will be presented with a project portrait. 

If required, each participant should submit financial and scientific reports to their national/regional funding organisations according to national regulations. The progress and final results of each individual contract/letter of grant will be monitored by the respective national funding organisations.

In addition, the following regulations will apply for all research projects that are funded through the Joint Call:

• Publications or other form of output resulting from the research for which funding was awarded should be made available to the JFs Management Team (publication of the results in open access journals is strongly encouraged).
• In any publication of results of the research for which Joint Call funding was awarded, mention must be made of the support received.

Contact information:

Call secretariat:

Indonesian Science Fund

Mrs. Marsia Gustiananda

Marsia.Gustiananda@dipi.id

Mr. Adam Bakthiar

adam.bakhtiar@dipi.id

Office Phone: +622122036293

National Contact Points:

Brunei Darussalam, UBD

Dr. Rosnah Abdullah

Centre for Advanced Material & Energy Sciences

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD)

rosnah.abdullah@ubd.edu.bn

+673 2460922 ext 1323

Bulgaria, BNSF

Prof. Dr. Diana Kopeva

Bulgarian National Science Fund

diana_kopeva@yahoo.com

+359 888 345 175

Cambodia, MOEY

Dr. Bunlay Nith

Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport

bunlaynith@gmail.com

Czech Republic, CAS

Alena Klvaňová

Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS), Division of International Cooperation

klvanova@kav.cas.cz

+420 221 403 566

Germany, BMBF/ DLR Project Management Agency

Hans Westphal and Dr. Adele Clausen

International Bureau of BMBF at DLR Project Management Agency

hans.westphal@dlr.de and Adele.Clausen@dlr.de

+49 (0)228 3821 1473; +49 (0)228 3821 2171

Indonesia, RISTEKDIKTI

Adhi Indra Hermanu

Ministry Of Research, Technology and Higher Education

manoe@ristekdikti.go.id

+62 878 8444 3878

Indonesia, LPDP-ISF

Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education - Indonesian Science Fund

derry.pantjadarma@dipi.id

+6285211342556

Lao PDR, MOST

Phouthanouthong Xaysombath / Ms. Viengsavanh Bouttanavong

Ministry of Science and Technology, Department of Planning and Cooperation

pxaysombath@gmail.com

vieng.btv@gmail.com

+856 21 250045

Myanmar, MoE

Dr. Thazin Han

Ministry of Education

thazinhann@gmail.com

+95-9-5143712

The Philippines, DOST-PCIEERD

Dr. Enrico C. Paringit and Raul C. Sabularse,

Philippine Council for Industry, Energy & Emerging Technology (PCIEERD-DOST)

pcieerd@pcieerd.dost.gov.ph

837-2071 to 82 loc. 2100, 2120 & 2121

Switzerland, SNSF

Andrea Landolt

Swiss National Science Foundation

andrea.landolt@snf.ch

+41 31 308 24 09

Thailand, NSTDA

Phawika Rueannoi

National Science & Technology Cooperation Agency

phawika.rue@nstda.or.th

+66 (0) 2117- 6935

Turkey, TÜBITAK

Şule Nur Sarper

Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey

Sea-eu-net2@tubitak.gov.tr

+90 312 298 1759

Vietnam, MOST

Ms. Le Thi Viet Lam and Mr. Bui Quoc Anh and Ms. Trinh Quynh Trang

Ministry of Science and Technology – Vietnam

ltvietlam@most.gov.vn

bqanh@most.gov.vn

tqtrang@most.gov.vn

+84-2-435560642

+84-4-39439192

[1] Referring to the definition of TRL as applied by H 2020 Work Programme: https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/wp/2014_2015/annexes/h2020-wp1415-annex-g-trl_en.pdf