ENVIMED 4th Call for proposals 2015

1. THE ENVIMED REGIONAL PROGRAMME

The ENVIMED regional programme is a French cooperation initiative for countries in the Mediterranean Basin designed to encourage and strengthen high-level scientific and technological cooperation in the region as well as research networking on sustainable development and understanding the environmental operation of the Mediterranean Basin. 
In partnership with France, the programme is focused on Mediterranean rim countries.

MANAGEMENT

As part of the process created by the internationalization of the interdisciplinary and inter-organizational MISTRALS metaprogramme (Mediterranean Integrated STudies at Regional And Local Scales). The ENVIMED programme is implemented by the Directorate-General of Global Affairs, Development and Partnerships (DGM) of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International development (MAEDI), in partnership with MISTRALS. Managed by the MISTRALS programme platform and the French Development Agency (AFD), this programme is run in cooperation with: 
  the science and technology departments and cooperation and cultural action departments of French Embassies in Mediterranean rim countries; 
  research organizations and higher-education institutions and their representation offices in the Mediterranean; 
  Scientific and institutional partners or research operators in the Mediterranean.

AIM

The aim of the programme is to support the internationalization of research in the Mediterranean, in synergy with MISTRALS thematic programmes.

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

The programme aims to encourage discussions and initiate multilateral cooperation by supporting the mobility of researchers as part of joint research projects and seminars, workshops and regional scientific conferences. 
ENVI-Med must therefore allow the: 
  Submission of the offer of French partnership in the field of studying the operation of the Mediterranean Basin, in particular with a view to shared sustainable development; 
  Selection and funding of basic and applied research programmes and regionally-oriented scientific meetings between France and at least two Mediterranean countries, including at least one non-EU country; 
  Encouragement of future participation in other regional and multilateral programmes in this sector and zone (programmes from the European Union, African Union, Union for the Mediterranean, Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (Association of Universities of the Francophonie etc.).

2. TIMETABLE

• Launch of the call for proposals: 17 April 2015

• Deadline for submitting applications: 15 September 2015

• Project assessment, selection and notification: 1st January 2016

• Project start : 1st trimester 2016, according to the notification letter received by the tenders

3. INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING AND SENDING THE CANDIDATE APPLICATION FORM

PRIORITIES AND THEMES

The call is open to all subjects in the fields of research and development linked to understanding the environmental operation of the Mediterranean Basin.

Priority will be given to projects which contribute to the networking of institutions, laboratories, facilities, stations, observatories and study sites.

Transversal themes of the ones developed within MISTRALS are particularly encouraged, such as:

• Climate changes and interaction between climate, societies and civilizations of the Mediterranean area: adaptations and resiliences

• Aerosols in the Mediterranean : impacts on the energetic budget, precipitations, atmospheric pollution and marine nutrient intake

• Water resources : long term observation systems, modeling with integrating the anthropic systems and interface with socio-economic actors

• Anthropic impacts on ecosystems : biodiversity and ecosystems evolution

• Climate and geological hazards : physical analysis approaches and societal impacts

• The shore : natural and anthropic forcings and theirs societal impacts

NATURE AND DURATION OF THE PROJECT

Each project must have a research component and can include innovation and/or training components.

Project duration is set at two years.

Financing is allocated on a yearly basis and are subject to the submission of an interim report by the project director by the 15 December 2016 which should be approved by the programme bodies.

ELIGIBILIGY CRITERIA

Projects from the ENVI-Med programme are aimed at public and private research units and laboratories, attached to higher-education institutions, research organizations or companies. Private sector involvement is encouraged, as is participation from socio-economic and civil society actors.

Each project must link at least one French research team, including teams attached to French research units based abroad, with at least two teams from two different Mediterranean countries, at least one of which must be a non-EU state.

PROJECT FINANCING PLAN

The amount allocated by ENVIMED must not exceed a total of €20,000 over the project’s two-year duration. Financing is granted on an annual basis.

The consolidated budgets submitted must set out the projected income (sources and amounts) and the planned expenditure for each year of the project.

The French project sponsors will contact the international relations directorate of their partner organization or of their laboratory’s host university before submitting their project, and that of the selection committee in order to present their project. This approach consists of anticipating possible co-financing during the selection committee where it will be one of the favourable selection criteria. 
Financial contributions from other project partners (French or otherwise) must be declared in the reply to the call for candidates. Such co-financing will be one of the favourable selection criteria. 
Under the ENVI-Med regional programme, the financial contribution requested can only be for the additional costs relating to the international nature of the projects, i.e. the short-term mobility of researchers, doctoral students or post-doctoral students (travel and accommodation expenses, for a duration not exceeding 1 month), the organization of international workshops and seminars (mobility and logistics), the transportation of equipment and the relocation of experiments to a study site of common interest. 
The average estimated cost of the mission allowances and travel expenses must be indicated. All other financing necessary to implement the projects, in particular with respect to equipment (with the exception of small items) and long-term grants, must be provided by the laboratories themselves or obtained from other sources.

SELECTION DETAILS AND CRITERA

Once the proposals’ eligibility have been checked, each application shall be subject to an international scientific assessment from experts in the region brought together in committees supported by MISTRALS.

A selection committee shall then convene to decide upon the accepted projects, based on the conclusions of the scientific assessment, opportunity criteria and budget availability. This committee shall be made up of representatives from the MAEE and co-financing organizations and institutes. In addition to scientific excellence, the main assessment criteria are: 
  The teams’ skills; 
  The quality of the infrastructure; 
  The project’s level of innovation; 
  The novel nature of the cooperation; 
  The benefits of creating a partnership network to conduct the project; 
  The teams’ complementarity; 
  The mutual transfer of skills; 
  The quality of integration among different countries in terms of furthering their R&D capacities; 
  The likely scientific, technological, societal or industrial consequences; 
  The effective involvement of doctoral and post-doctoral students and young researchers in mobility and the relative parity among the project participants; diversity within teams is encouraged; 
  The quality and efficiency of French and foreign co-financing.

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION

Each project shall identify a French leading research unit that is going to administrate the grant for the other project partners.

The ENVIMED committee decides upon the amount attributed to the accepted projects following the conclusions of the assessment made by the international selection committee supported by MISTRALS.

The MAEDI funding is managed by MISTRALS, administratively supported by the CNRS (INSU) under the umbrella of CIRMED UPS850 of the CNRS, and appointed by the MAEDI for the financial implementation, according to the documents received by the leaders of the granted projects.The projects grants are allocated yearly. Therefore, the submission, by the project leader, of a progress and technical report after the first year as well as a provisional spending plan for the second year is mandatory.

The project leader shall also submit a final report including financial assessment within 3 months of the project completion. The MISTRALS and MAEDI committee refers then the right to demand a pay back of badly used sum.

The implementation and the payment of the contribution calendar for additional sponsors are defined between them and the French leading unit of the project.  

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Project participants shall commit to observe the best practices relating to intellectual property rules. All parties which submit projects must automatically adhere to these rules.

It is the responsibility of the selected project sponsors to finalize a partnership agreement which includes clauses on intellectual property.

RECOGNITION

The work under this tender should include ENVIMED in the acknowledgments. Posters and relating to the work and seminars posters and material should wear logos ENVIMED, MISTRALS and MAEDI downloadable at MISTRALS www.mistrals-home.org, heading ENVIMED, or sent on request to the contact address: environmental med @ mistrals -home.org

SUBMITTING THE CANDIDATE APPLICATION FORM

Application forms in French and in English are available for download:

The candidate application forms must be filled out and sent via e-mail to the special assistant for the Mediterranean at the Directorate-General of Global Affairs, Development and Partnerships (ATT/RECH), to the MISTRALS scientific delegate, as well as to the international relations directorate of the project sponsor’s or co-sponsor’s partner establishment.