In accordance with the strategic plan for the Carnegie Mellon | Portugal Program, which was subject to a broad scientific debate in the research and business communities, research projects should involve scientific institutions in Portugal, companies and research groups at Carnegie Mellon. In this call, priority will be given to the following key focused areas:
· Next Generation Networks for Trusted High-Quality Services
· Software Engineering for Large-Scale Dependable Systems
· Cyber-Physical Systems for Ambient Intelligence
Projects are expected to meet the objectives of the aforementioned strategic plan, to be inter-disciplinary in nature and to combine fundamental research with the development of new technologies. High-quality projects in other areas pertaining information and communication technologies may also be funded.
The following documents provide relevant information for the 2009 Call for Proposals by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) under the Carnegie Mellon | Portugal Program.
Regulations governing access to funding (in English):
http://alfa.fct.mctes.pt/apoios/projectos/regulamento2008
Public announcement of the opening of the call (in Portuguese):
http://alfa.fct.mctes.pt/apoios/projectos/concursos/cmu/2009
Strategic Plan for the Carnegie Mellon | Portugal Program (in English):
http://alfa.fct.mctes.pt/docs/PlanoEstrategicoICTI20090911.pdf
Terms of Reference (in English):
http://alfa.fct.mctes.pt/apoios/projectos/concursos/cmu/2009/docs/terms.pdf
Guidelines for Proposal Writing (in English):
Duration of activity. A typical proposal should cover research efforts for a period of three years. Funding for years 2 and 3 will be conditional on the progress achieved by the team as determined upon review by the Board of the Carnegie Mellon | Portugal program.
Funding. The number of funded projects will be limited. The total funding for the beneficiaries from research units and universities in Portugal is estimated at a total of 2.4 Million Euros. The participating researchers from Carnegie Mellon University will be funded by the Information and Communication Technologies Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. The involved companies will not be funded by FCT.
Eligible applicants. Each proposal must be submitted by a consortium of at least two research groups associated with different Universities, Associate Laboratories, Research Centers, State Laboratories or any other public or private research institutions in Portugal, at least one company and at least one research team from Carnegie Mellon University in a thematic area relevant to the call. It is expected that students enrolled in the dual degree MS and PhD programs of the Carnegie Mellon |Portugal program, as well as students of the first cycle under the Bologna declaration, be integrated in the research activities carried out at the research units and the involved companies. Beneficiaries must have a recognized curriculum vitae in the areas relevant to the execution of the project. Priority will be given to proposals that include the effective participation of industrial partners, materialized in the form of human resources at companies and the commitment of financial or material resources.
Each researcher with a PhD can only be involved in at most two different proposals.
Where to apply. Applications must be submitted online through the FCT website https://concursos.fct.mctes.pt/projectos/ following the Announcement of the Call for Proposals.
Deadline submission for proposals. The call is open from September 7, 2009 until November 13, 2009 at 17:00 Lisbon time.
Requirements. Full applications must fulfill the following requirements:
– Be written in English
– Include an overview of proposed research emphasizing how the proposal meets the objectives of the Carnegie Mellon | Portugal Program. Emphasize also the nature and expected outcomes of the collaborative work. State clearly the aims of the team as a whole and indicate the specific role played by each member in achieving the goals of the team. Explain the advantages of conducting the proposed studies as a collaborative effort. (do not exceed three pages, Arial regular font, 11 point)
– Include a detailed outline of the proposed research, including preliminary results (do not exceed seven pages; Arial regular font, 11 point). The detailed presentation must delineate the specific contributions of each member of the team.
– Include the CV and publication list of the principal applicant and each co-applicant (for each applicant, maximum of 2 pages, Arial regular font, 11 point, including a list of up to 10 of the most relevant papers)
Review of applications. Applications will be reviewed by international panels of independent experts, as organized by FCT. Review panels will be responsible for evaluating the merit of each proposal.
The selection for funding is based on the following criteria:
- Relevance of the project towards obtaining comparative advantages for Portugal, in accordance with the objectives stated in the strategic plan for the Carnegie Mellon | Portugal program and the terms of reference defined for each thematic area;
- Scientific merit, relevance, originality, inter-disciplinarity and expected results of the proposed research;
3. Scientific merit, scientific productivity and collaboration potential of the research groups and their qualifications to carry out the project;
4. Ability to integrate young PhDs, PhD students and MS students (involved or to be involved in the Carnegie Mellon | Portugal program), as well as undergraduate students in the work to be carried out at the research units and the involved companies;
5. Degree of involvement of companies in the proposed research and transfer of the research outcomes to the industry;
6. Rationale for the proposed research and budget.
Notification. Successful applicants will be notified by e-mail after February 1, 2009.
Start of activity. Funded applications will commence after March 1, 2010.
Progress Report. A yearly report will be delivered, for interim review by the Board of Directors. The Board has the right to recommend that further funding be discontinued or extended for one more year.
Final Report. A final report will be delivered, for review by the Board of Directors.
Contacts
Additional information regarding the call in Portugal can be requested from cfreire@cmuportugal.org .
