Frequently asked questions
Question: I have two questions about the application form:
1. We are asked to write a popular science description. Should that be placed in 3.4? And can we leave 3.3 and 17 (which both should be in Swedish) empty?
2. Can we leave 5.1, 5.2 empty?
Answer:
1. No, the popular science description shall be inserted in paragraph 17 (in English of course) as mentioned in the text. As described in "How to fill in the form" on CORE Organic website, you shall fill in 3.3 with the same text as in 3.4.
2. In the above document you can also see that you shall not fill in 5.1 and 5.2. There are also other paragraphs that you do not need to fill in (it all mentioned in the document).
Question: The topic of my research project corresponds well with one of the three main topics listed in the guidelines as eligible for funding (animal health – product quality - innovative marketing strategies). However, it does not fit to any of the sub-categories given for the main topics. Is this a problem?
Answer: Yes, it is. The research topic chosen for the project must comply with one of the sub-categories mentioned in the guidelines. Otherwise the project will not be eligible for funding.
Question: Why do I have to send a hardcopy of the application form to FORMAS? Is it not enough to apply online for project funding?
Answer: After having filled in the online form, added all appendices and saved the application, it is necessary to register the application. This is done by clicking the button “REGISTER” and by following the instructions, which appear in a new window. Read the text carefully. If you still want to register, then click “OK”. (Beware: After doing this you cannot change anymore anything within the application form.) A PDF–document is created, which confirms your registration and gives a registration number (this document is not the application). You have to print and sign the PDF-document and to send it to FORMAS. The PDF-document shall be signed by both the main applicant and the head of the department/Institute where the main applicant are employed. Please note that only the registration number on the PDF-document allows staff from FORMAS to open your online application and deal with it. The confirmation of registration has to be at FORMAS within 5 days of the final date of application. To make ensure that the registration form arrives in time (by 6 December) it is recommended to fax the document to FORMAS in addition.
Question: Who is allowed to sign the PDF-document confirming the registration? Does it have to be the head of the Institute or is it enough for the project leader to sign?
Answer: Both the main applicant and the head of the department/Institute have to sign the PDF-document. However, it does not have to be signed of each of the co-applicants.
Question: What can I do, when I realise that I have forgotten to add an appendix after I have clicked the “REGISTER” button in FORMAS Direct? Is there any possibility to add the missing document?
Answer: If you should miss to add an appendix when you have clicked on the “REGISTER” button, there is still one possibility to add the missing appendix. If so, you may send it attached in an e-mail to the call coordinator at Formas, Sara.Osterman@formas.se , and the appendix can be inserted in the application afterwards. If you have to use this possibility, you have to send the missing appendix within the stipulated 5 days after 1 December. Please note that after this date no documents may be added to the application. Please also note that this is a way to solve “emergency situations”, and shall not be used if not necessary. Please follow the instructions in Formas Direct carefully, so that you get all the appendices attached before you register the application.
Question: The “Guide to forms” on the CORE Organic homepage lists several paragraphs of the application form, such as paragraphs 5.1.-5.2, which need not to be filled in. However, when I tried to click the “Register” button, a window opens and asked me to fill in data for these paragraphs. What do I have to fill in?
Answer: Unfortunately, Formas have had a minor problem with the server. However, it is solved by now, and you may register your application without filling in the paragraphs mentioned in the “Guide to Forms”.
Question: I have two questions about the appendix forms: We have registered at the web site, and we have filled in the application form, but now we can't find any appendix forms. Can we prepare documents (one for each appendix) in accordance with the guidelines and attach these to the application form? I believe, that we only have to present A, B, C, I appendices?
Answer: You have understood perfectly right, that there are no forms for the appendices. You should prepare a document for each appendix and than attach it to the application form. And yes, these (A, B, C and I) are the required appendices for the application to CORE Organic pilot call.
Question: About Appendix I (detailed financial plan) in the CORE Organic application: Are there any forms we should fill in? Or can we just create our own standard? If there is a form, where can I find it?
Answer: No, there is no form for Appendix I. The important thing is to split the budget for the participating countries, since there are differences in what the participating funding bodies will finance. Therefore, a budget per county is necessary.
Question: In the FORMAS handbook it is said that indirect costs should not be provided. I suppose that this does not apply for the CORE Organic?
Answer: No, this is according to the Swedish rules, so the Swedish researchers will have to follow these guidelines from FORMAS. You should follow the rules from your national funding body.
Question: It is not possible to write the amount in Euro in the budget (paragraph 13 in the application form). It is said that it is outside range. Should it be in 1000 Euro then?
Answer: Yes, it shall be 1000 Euro.
Question: Is it beneficial to bring together a large consortium with many partners and countries?
Answer: According to the pilot call, applications with more than 3 participating countries will be given higher priority, if the projects hold equal scientific quality, relative to those with fewer participating countries (i.e. minimum 3). This means that it is only beneficial to make large consortia if you can raise the scientific value as well as the relevance (see evaluation criteria in table 4). If the partners are not complementary, large consortia often lower the scientific value, because the management becomes more complex (management is evaluated as part of the scientific value). Concerning relevance you should be aware of the added value by doing European transnational research. You should ask yourself if the same result could be obtained with fewer partners. If this is possible, then there is no European added value and you should therefore reconsider the number of partners in your project proposal.
Question: What are the main differences between traditional EU-funded projects (like EU-Framework Programmes) and the CORE Organic ERA-net project?
Answer: An EU project is funded by a single central pot, and the research should provide results responding to R&D needs in the framework developed by the EU commission. In the CORE Organic ERANet project the funding is decentralised, and the research should respond to the CORE Organic partner's research needs and policy needs, identified in their national research programmes.
Question: In case only one of the funding bodies does not have enough money to support a project with several partners from many countries, is it then possible to leave out this particular partner with no funding and then just fund the rest of the consortium?
Answer: No, if one partner fails to be funded the whole project needs to be left out, because it is not possible to take out one partner without changing the scientific value and relevance of the project.
Question: Some of the CORE Organic consortia will have more than 5 partners. However, the FORMAS application system allows only for one applicant and 4 co-applicants. Is there a possibility for the other co-applicants to be listed?
Answer: The available form is limited, meaning that only 4 co-applicants can be entered. The best way to solve this problem is to add a front page to appendix B where all co-applicants are listed (all CVs are in appendix B). In the application form, just fill in "See Appendix B" in the first line for co-participants.
Question: In case a consortium does not stick to the 6-page limit for a research project, how will these applications be treated?
Answer: The external experts will only get the first 6 pages, and they will be asked to evaluate and give their judgement on the six pages.
Question: In order to describe more partners of one CORE country in one single proposal, should people from one country be treated as a team with a project team leader or as individual partners (is of consequence when it comes to the provision of CVs, etc)?
Answer: This must depend of the subject and complementarities of the groups, so it is really up to the researchers.
Question: Regarding payment of project budget, when should instalments be paid and at what rates (start – midterm – when submitting final reports)?
Answer: This will be done according to the defined national conditions.
Question: Concerning paragraph 13-15: it is unclear who and what people have to fill in here. Is it only for the coordinator to fill in the blanks? Do all partners (as a country or all individual members of the national project team as they might have differing salaries due to their different positions) fill in? There will not be enough lines for all the participating scientists when there are large consortia.
Answer: There will not be enough lines for filling in the costs, but we are flexible here. It is suggested that the researchers fill in the total amount asked for the entire project in the different categories - and then refer to Appendix I with budgets plan for the different partners.
Question: What is meant with % of full time in the project / % of full time in current position?
Answer: % of full time that the researchers are going to work in the project, and % of full time research today.
Question: Is it possible to include a partner in the project, who is not from a CORE Organic partner country?
Answer: Only research teams from CORE Organic partner countries are eligible as consortium partners. However, it is possible for a research team from another country to be an external collaborator of the project or a "co-worker of the applicant".
Question: I recently learned about the CORE Organic pilot call for transnational research in organic food and farming and I believe we have a good idea about research that would benefit from a transnational approach. However, the call indicated that some member countries had special conditions regarding who is eligible to apply and now I wonder if you have such national rules?
Answer: Only few countries have special conditions concerning eligibility. Therefore my advice is that you contact potential partners, then the partner would properly know if they are eligible. If not, they should ask their national contact persons. Please remember that the CORE Organic call is a transnational cooperation therefore the interaction with the national funding bodies is important
Question: Are the three topics mentioned in the call fully supported in all eleven countries?
Answer: There are some restrictions:
United Kingdom
In the UK the national funding body, Defra encourage proposals on innovative marketing strategies. Defra is notably interested in characterisation of the market, barriers to conversion and related subject. Defra will not fund work regarding Quality of organic food - health and safety, but will consider proposals regarding animal disease and parasite management.
The Netherlands
In the NL the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) will only fund proposals from consortia in which participates the Dutch research organisation DLO, and that fall in the following categories:
A. "Concerted action type" research proposals on:
1. Quality of organic food and in particular the relationship between the organic production method and food quality and health, using standard scientific methods.
2. Identification of best practices in public policy instruments to support marketing strategies of organically produced foodstuffs.
For each of these categories a budget is available in 2007 of EUR 40.000 for participation by the Dutch research partner.
B. Research proposals that focus on connecting existing national research initiatives to those in partner countries, for mutual benefit, through streamlining and co-ordination of research agendas. Projects should be in animal production in the areas of:
a. Phytotherapy in relation to robustness and preventative health care;
b. Digestion research
c. Relationship between outdoor range and animal health and future threats.
The current Dutch Research Programme on Organic farming will already fund research projects on these three subtopics. Successful CORE-organic proposals to link these national initiatives with national projects in other countries can count on a budget of EUR 20.000 to cover costs of coordination, in total, for the three themes.
Italy
In Italy there are no restrictions concerning the call topics: all three topics will be funded but the total contribution of 1.200.000 euro will be distributed on topics as follow:
- Animal disease and parasite management, mainly focusing on preventive health and improving therapies to reduce reliance on antibiotics: € 450.000
- Quality of organic food – health and safety: € 550.000
- Innovative marketing strategies: identification of successful marketing methods, local markets:€ 200.000
To strengthen the efficacy and efficiency of the research proposals and the financial resources distribution MiPAAF is oriented to fund no more than two projects for each topic.
All Italian public and private organisations involved in research activities are eligible to apply for this call, but there are special conditions concerning the percentage of contribution paid by the Ministry according to their legal position and the general financing and accounting government rules.
For more details please contact the national referee and see the additional guidelines for the call at the MiPAAF website.
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