Implementation of the call 2017 "Synaptic Disorders"
Find below details on the call’s implementation:
Timeline
The timeline of the JTC 2017 “Synaptic Dysfunction in Disorders of the Central Nervous System” is shown below:
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 11 January 2017 | Launch of the call |
| 14 March 2017 | Deadline for pre-proposal submission |
| 10 May 2017 | Selection of a short list of 43 projects |
| 29 June 2017 | Deadline for full proposal submission |
| 20 September 2017 | Peer review panel meeting, ranking list |
| November 2017 | Funding decision |
| First half 2018 | Start of projects |
Proposal submission, peer review process, funding decision
Proposal submission
Research consortia had to consist of 3 - 5 research groups from at least three NEURON partner countries participating in this call. Consortia including partners from countries that are to date underrepresented in this funding scheme (Latvia, Romania, Slovakia, and Turkey) could increase the total number of partners to six. The two-step process required at first the submission of short pre-proposals describing the research idea. From these a short list was selected and the respective consortia were invited to submit full proposals (see also below).
Both pre- and full 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 National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), Spain.
Peer Review
In order to properly cover all aspects of the broad topic, 41 experts were recruited from NEURON partner countries and beyond. Each pre-proposal was assessed in writing by three evaluators. 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 reviewer’s scores. Based on this ranking list, the funding organisations selected 43 projects whose coordinators were invited by the Joint Call Secretariat to submit full proposals. Eighteen experts on the Peer Review Panel (PRP) discussed these full proposals thoroughly in a face-to-face meeting and eventually provided a funding recommendation for each proposal 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 were selected for funding taking into account the national budgets available.
As a result of this step, the top 12 projects could be funded. The projects comprise 59 research groups (Principal Investigators) from 15 countries. The total funding volume amounts to about 12.4 m€ for three years.
In a last step, the Principal Investigators had to fulfil legal and administrative requirements of their national / regional funding agencies, in order to receive the grant.
Most of the projects started during the first half of 2018.
Funding organisations supporting this call
20 funding organisations from 17 countries participated in the JTC 2017 “Synaptic Dysfunction in Disorders of the Central Nervous System”.
| Funding Organisation | Country |
|---|---|
| Austrian Science Fund (FWF) | Austria |
| Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS) | Belgium |
| Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) | Belgium |
| Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQS) (Québec) | Canada (Québec) |
| Academy of Finland (AKA) | Finland |
| French National Research Agency (ANR) | France |
| Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) | Germany |
| Chief Scientist Office, Ministry of Health (CSO-MOH) | Israel |
| The National Technological Innovation Authority | Israel |
| Ministry of Health (MOH) | Italy |
| State Education Development Agency (VIAA) | Latvia |
| The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) | The Netherlands |
| The Research Council of Norway (RCN) | Norway |
| National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) | Poland |
| Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development & Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI) | Romania |
| Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS) | Slovakia |
| National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII) | Spain |
| Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness | Spain |
| Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) | Switzerland |
| The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) | Turkey |