Call for Visiting Scientists 2020

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Call 2020-1

The PE&RC Visiting Scientist Grant is meant to finance the hosting of an international scientist from abroad to visit a PE&RC group for a period of up to 6 months (e.g. as part of a sabbatical). The objective of the grant is to stimulate scientific quality of research within PE&RC and strengthen international relations. The focus is on new initiatives that have the potential to develop into long(er) term collaboration. Grants for Dutch scientists who work abroad are also possible. Joint applications of Wageningen University groups with one or more other PE&RC member institutes (Wageningen Research, NIOO, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, UU, UVA, VU) are possible, and even encouraged. Do note that in this situation the first applicant must be a WU PE&RC staff member and that, when granted, the funding will be arranged via the chair group of this staff member. This year the available budget for the PE&RC Visiting Scientist Grant is approximately € 45 000.

For all applications it is a prerequisite that the proposed research has to fit within the mission of PE&RC.

There are 3 categories:
  1. Grants for international top scientists in a specific research area for a period of 2-4 weeks (often as part of a workshop). The research grant involves max. € 4 000 and can also include material costs related to the organization of a workshop. Expenses are reimbursed based on real costs. A detailed budget should be attached to the application.
  2. Grants with a duration of 1-6 months of € 1 400 per month plus a contribution to travel costs of max € 1 000 (based on real costs, so in total a max of € 9 400) .The candidate should have a PhD title plus at least 3 years postdoctoral experience or must have shown long-term experience as senior scientist. The € 1 400 per month is meant to cover expenses in the Netherlands (such as housing).  
  3. Grants with a duration up to 3 months of € 1 400 per month plus a contribution to travel costs of max. € 1 000 (based on real costs) meant to write a personal grant application to NWO (Rubicon, VENI or VIDI) or EU (ERC or Mme Curie IF). The € 1 400 per month is meant to cover expenses in the Netherlands (such as housing). Maximum amount that can be requested in this category is € 5 200. 

Note that funding of fellowships is increasingly based on actual costs for travel and housing up to a maximum depending on the type of fellowship (due to fiscal regulations). This applies to most EU-citizens but may also apply to non-EU scientists from specific countries. In these cases a proof of expenses made is needed. 

The application must include (as specified in the form):

  • A description of specific qualities of the candidate (max 250 words).
  • A description of the cooperation with the candidates and research and educational activities (only Cat. A and B, max 250 words each).
  • A research outline (only Cat. C., max 1000 words). 

Applications will be evaluated in the context of the category.

Category A and B

Criteria used for assessment of proposals are:

  • The quality of the candidate as shown in a Curriculum Vitae and publication list (weight 40%).
  • The strategic importance of collaboration with the research institute / university of the candidate which must be specified in the application (weight 20%).
  • The degree to which the intended activities as described in the application fit within the PE&RC mission (weight 20%).
  • The contribution to PE&RC education (e.g. master class, workshop, course, seminar) (weight 20%; the contribution will be considered in relation to the duration of the stay).

Conditions:

  • With respect to each of the four criteria assessed, proposals must pass a threshold of  3 (= acceptable) on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). Therefore, if one of the criteria is not well elaborated the proposal will not be funded.
  • Regarding category B: Only one candidate per foreign institite will be eligible for funding.
  • For both category A and B it is not possible for a candidate to receive a research grant two times within a period of 5 years.
  • If granted PE&RC expects:
    • That the candidate meets with the PE&RC office on arrival to discuss and plan the training/education activity that was proposed in the application.
    • A report from the applicants after the fellowship has ended, in which activities of the candidate in Wageningen, results of the stay and the additional value of the fellowship to the research group(s) involved as well as PE&RC are described.
  • When granted, the budget for the candidate will become available in 2020 and will be transferred to the group or person concerned. The visit should start at latest March 2021.

An application form can be downloaded here. 

Category C

The candidate must have a PhD degree and fulfil the conditions of the call (s)he is aiming for.

Assessment criteria:

  • The quality of the candidate as shown in a Curriculum Vitae and publication list.
  • Quality, innovative nature and academic impact of the proposed research.
  • Output of the stay must be a personal grant application as indicated in the proposal (to be submitted in the forthcoming round).

An application form can be downloaded here. 

 

The application form, the Curriculum Vitae and a publication list of the candidate have to be mailed to PE&RC Office (Office.PE@wur.nl).

Applications for visiting scientist grants should be received by PE&RC at the latest on April 28, 2020 (9.00 a.m.). Applications have to be supported by the head of a Wageningen University chair group.