Research Partnership Grants 2023

The call for projects "Research Partnership Grants" aims at developing new joint project proposals or connecting already existing and independently funded projects in Switzerland and in the MENA partner countries into long-lasting cooperation. The goal of this instrument is to allow researchers to conduct desk work, field research or laboratory feasibility studies, in order to apply for grants from other funding agencies (e.g. national funding agencies or EU funding schemes), and/or to develop long-term partnerships between two institutions or research groups.

The Research Partnership Grants instrument has already been launched in 2021 and 2022. The call for projects for 2023 is currently open. The text for this call is available below.

FAQ

Applications must be submitted on the https://hes-so.k-review.com/ platform in the following steps:

  1. When you first use the platform, click on the "Register" button (top right) to create an account.
  2. Log in using the "Sign in" button.
  3. Under "Ongoing campaigns", select the "Research Partnership Grants 2023" call for projects.
  4. Under "Proposals", click on the "Add" button. Enter the title of your project (this can be changed later) and click on "Create draft".
  5. Follow the instructions to complete the "Information" and "Proposal questions" sections.
  6. Each time you make a modification, a save bar appears at the bottom of the screen. Do not forget to save your changes regularly.
  7. You can access your project at any time. To do so, log in to the platform (steps 2 and 3 above) and select the project that appears under "Proposals".
  8. After answering all the questions, providing the requested documents and indicating all the participants, the application must be sent using the "Submit the proposal" button (top right in the "Information" tab). Please note that no further changes can be made once the application has been submitted.

You can add your partners as "participants" on the platform:

  • In your proposal, in the "Information" tab, the section "Register a participant" allows you to create profiles for one or more people.
  • Once you have created their profile, or if they already have a profile on the platform, you can select your partners under the section "All registered participants except the author", by clicking the "Add" button. This opens a menu where you can choose or search participants.

  • Once you have selected the participants, click on "Add" in the yellow line below, and then on "Save" at the bottom of the screen.

  • The main applicant has to be identified as such by choosing the relevant option in the list. The person who is the "author" is the one who first created the proposal on the platform. They also need to be added as a participant. This person may be different from the "main applicant".

Once they have activated their account, all registered participants can work together on a proposal. Each of them can modify answers and add documents.

Once your partner has added you as a participant in your proposal, an account has been created for you on the platform. To access it, follow these instructions:

  1. Go to https://hes-so.k-review.com/.

  2. Click on "Forgot your password?"

  3. Enter your email address. If needed, check with your partner which address they have used to create your account.

  4. Click on "Send instructions".

  5. You will receive an email with instructions on how to reset your password.

  6. Once your new password is set up, you can access your account with your email address and your new password.

If you do not get an email with the instructions (step 5), please write an email to lhmena@hes-so.ch and we will send you a new password.

Once you are logged in, please follow these steps to access the project :

  1. Click on the three bars at the top left and on "Campaigns".

  2. Under “Ongoing campaigns for this partnership”, click on “Leading House for the Middle East and North Africa – Research Partnership Grants 2023”.

  3. The project is listed under “Proposals”.

The only requested documents are:

  • The form "Budget table" (the form and an example are available on the platform, under "Instructions" in the "Information" section).
  • CVs of all participants in one single PDF.
  • If needed, a document presenting the activities of the project (eg a Gantt chart).

These documents have to be uploaded directly on the platform, in the "Information" section of your project, under a menu called "Documents".

No other document is accepted. If you submit other documents, they will not be considered for the evaluation of your project.

  • Click on "Add" and "Upload"

  • Select the document(s) that you want to add.
  • The documents are added to your project. Click on "Save" at the bottom of the page.
  • If you need to remove a document, click on "-" in front of the document. It will remain available on the platform and can be retrieved by clicking "Add" and "Select". However, only the documents selected and displayed on the page of your project will be considered for the evaluation.

Here you have to enter the total cost of your project. This includes the "Research Partnership Grant" that you apply for, and the contributions by all partners and third parties.

No, if a project is allocated a "Research Partnership Grant", it is not allowed to apply when the call is launched again. The following scenarios are possible:

  • A "Research Partnership Grant" proposal which has been rejected can be submitted again at a subsequent call for project, taking into account the comments of the evaluators.
  • After a "Research Partnership Grant", a project can be submitted for a "Consolidation Grant".
  • During or after a "Research Partnership Grant", the same researcher can apply for the same grant at a subsequent call, but with a different project. This new project can be a collaboration with the same partner in the MENA region or with a different partner.

All disciplines are eligible for this call. There are no priority disciplines or quota. Projects will be selected according to the evaluation criteria mentioned in the call for projects.

No, the Leading House MENA cannot help researchers from the MENA region find partners in Switzerland. Researchers based in Switzerland can contact the Leading House MENA to get information on eligible universities in the region or to be put in touch with potential partners in their field. This is done on a case-by-case basis, in the limit of our network.

The application form is available in English only, but proposals can be written in either English or French.