Find below details on the call’s implementation:

Timeline


The timeline of the JTC 2020 “Ethical, Legal, and Social Aspects (ELSA) of Neuroscience" is shown below:


8 January 2020

Launch of the call


18 May 2020

Deadline for proposal submission (14:00 CET)
(extended due to Corona-situation)


9-10 September 2020

Peer review panel meeting, ranking list


October 2020

Funding decision


First half 2021

Start of projects


Proposal submission, peer review process, funding decision

Proposal submission

Research consortia had to consist of 2 - 5 research groups from at least two NEURON partner countries participating in this call. In a single step process proposals had to be submitted electronically by the coordinator of the consortium. Proposal templates and guidelines were provided by the Joint Call Secretariat in order to support the applicants in terms of the proposal format. The Joint Call Secretariat is hosted by the DLR Project Management Agency (DLR-PT, Germany).

Peer Review

In order to properly cover all aspects of the broad topic, 6 scientific experts were recruited from NEURON partner countries and beyond. Each proposal was assessed in writing by three reviewers. The assessments were based on the criteria listed in the call text and consisted of a global score and additional comments. The projects were ranked according to the scientific reviewer’s scores. The Peer Review Panel (PRP) discussed the proposals thoroughly in a virtual meeting and provided funding recommendations and a ranking list.

Funding decision and granting process

The funding decision was taken by the funding organisations participating in the joint call for proposals. Starting with the best proposal and following the ranking list, as many proposals as possible were selected for funding, taking into account the national budgets available.
As a result of this step, the Top 5 projects could be funded.

The projects comprise 17 research groups (Principal Investigators) from four countries. The total funding volume amounts to about 3.5 m€ for three years.

In a last step, the Principal Investigators have to fulfil legal and administrative requirements of their national / regional funding agencies, in order to receive the grant.

A detailed DMP has to be submitted by the consortium coordinator of each project selected for funding within 6 months after the project official start date. For more information consult the extended NEURON DMP format here
Most of the projects will start during the first half of 2021.

Funding organisations supporting this call

Seven funding organisations from six countries participated in the JTC 2020 “Ethical, Legal, and Social Aspects (ELSA) of Neuroscience”.

Funding organisation Country
Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique -FNRS (F.R.S.-FNRS)Belgium
Canadian Institutes of Health Research – Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction (CIHR-INMHA)Canada
Fonds de Recherche du Quebec – Sante (FRQS)Canada
Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)Germany
State Education Development Agency (VIAA)Latvia
National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII)Spain
Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)Switzerland