GUIDE FOR APPLICANTS - 2018 Call 2 Opens: 2 December 2019 Call 2 Closes: 2 March 2020 - PROCESS Cofund
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GUIDE FOR
APPLICANTS
2018
Call 2 Opens: 2 December 2019
Call 2 Closes: 2 March 2020
2018
Page 1 of 39
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Introduction to PROCESS ................................................................................................................ 4
1.1 About the Research Centres ................................................................................................... 5
1.2 PROCESS AND MSCA ..................................................................................................................... 5
1.3 Indicative Timeline for Calls for Proposals .................................................................................... 6
1.4. Training & Development Opportunities through PROCESS .................................................... 6
1.4.1. Secondment to Industry.................................................................................................. 7
2. About the PROCESS Fellowships ..................................................................................................... 7
Duration of the Fellowships ............................................................................................................ 7
2.1. Eligibility Requirements ........................................................................................................... 7
3. Applying to PROCESS..................................................................................................................... 11
Publication of Call for Proposals ....................................................................................................... 12
The Proposal ................................................................................................................................. 13
Eligibility Screening ....................................................................................................................... 13
International Peer-Review Evaluation .......................................................................................... 13
Invitations to Interview and the Interview Process ...................................................................... 14
Final Funding Decision .................................................................................................................. 15
Redress Process............................................................................................................................. 15
4. Employment as a PROCESS fellow ................................................................................................ 15
4.1 Visa information for non-EU/EEA researchers............................................................................ 15
4.2 Financial aspects ......................................................................................................................... 16
Appendix A: Templates for PROCESS Proposal ..................................................................................... 17
Appendix B: User Guide for Submission on SULIS portal ...................................................................... 34
Page 2 of 39
Pease read this document CAREFULLY before registering as an applicant
Important Dates
Application deadline Call 1 2 March 2020 17.00h Irish Standard Time (IST)
Peer review March/April 2020
Interviews* June 2020
Fellowships Start in UL 1st October 2020
*Please note these dates are indicative and subject to change.*
Revision History
Version 1.0 Released on Call 2 open date, 2nd December 2019
This project has received funding from the European
Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant
agreement No. 801165
www.process-cofund.eu
Email: PROCESSinfo@ul.ie
Page 3 of 39
1. Introduction to PROCESS
The overarching research theme of PROCESS is Advanced Manufacturing of high value-added products
and engineering solutions for related industries, with emphasis on particulate product processing for
new products within the dairy and pharmaceutical sectors. During the programme (2018-2023), 26
postdoctoral fellowships will be offered in a broad range of research areas incorporating, but not
limited to, process modelling and integrated process control, Process Analytical Technologies (PAT),
heat, mass and momentum transfer, hybrid processing and subsequent smart data management, to
promote processing agility and flexibility within an Industry 4.0 framework. Each 2-year fellowship
will consist of three phases: an initial phase at UL, a mandatory secondment period in the non-
academic sector between 3-6 months, and a final return phase at UL. Secondments must be relevant
to the Fellow’s research project and to his/her own career development.
PROCESS will adhere to the COFUND principle of “individual-driven mobility” meaning that applicants
will have the freedom to choose their research project within the wide interdisciplinary research areas
of the four Centres, their supervisor and secondment organisation. All fellows will be based in Ireland
at the University of Limerick. Projects proposing fundamental or applied research will be eligible, and
inter-or multi-disciplinary proposals are strongly encouraged.
Page 4 of 39
1.1 About the Research Centres
Three world-leading and complementary Centres, headquartered at UL, form the PROCESS
Fellowship Programme, SSPC, The SFI Research Centre for Pharmaceuticals (SSPC) www.sspc.ie, the
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology Centre (PMTC) www.pmtc.ie, the Dairy Processing
Technology Centre (DPTC) www.dptc.ie, and Confirm, Smart Manufacturing (Confirm).
The SSPC is a global hub of Pharmaceutical Process Innovation and
Advanced Manufacturing, and is a unique collaboration between 24
industry partners, 9 research-performing organisations (RPOs) and 12
international academic collaborators. It is the largest research
collaboration in Ireland with total research income of >€65m, and is one of
the largest globally within the pharmaceutical area, supporting 43 post-
docs and 60 PhD students.
The DPTC’s research agenda is driven by the long-term growth
opportunities for the dairy sector. DPTC has a total research income of
>€25m funding 30 post-docs, and focuses on cost competitiveness in dairy
processing, process quality and safety by design, and environmental
sustainability towards a zero emissions Irish dairy industry. The DPTC has 8
industry partners and 9 RPOs.
The PMTC is focused on pharmaceutical process innovation, advanced
manufacturing, rapid micro-analytical techniques, control of continuous
processing, soft-sensor modelling tools and active pharmaceutical
ingredients (API) real-time release. The total research income to date is
>€11m with 32 industry partners and 8 RPOs.
Confirm is the Science Foundation Ireland funded research centre for
Smart Manufacturing. Our mission is to fundamentally transform
industry to a Smart Manufacturing ecosystem through excellent research
to develop future technologies, delivery of education and public
engagement activities to enhance public perceptions of manufacturing
and the creation of a community of practice involving all stakeholders to
embrace to 4th industrial revolution together. The total research budget
to date is >€56m, supporting 43 PhD students and 39 post-docs.
1.2 PROCESS AND MSCA
The PROCESS Fellowship Programme is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND
action (MSCA) hosted at the University of Limerick. Candidates awarded a
PROCESS fellowship will have the opportunity to develop their research
activities at these Research Centres whilst gaining the long-term benefits of
being part of the prestigious group of MSCA fellows.
The MSCA, and through it the PROCESS Programme, aims to provide researchers with the necessary
skills and international experience for a successful career, either in the public or the private sector.
Page 5 of 39
A cutting-edge research environment to develop PROCESS researchers as the
PROCESS scientific leaders of tomorrow
will High quality, researcher-specific scientific training to Fellows to make sure they
provide: have the skills to meet their career goals
Excellent training in transferable skills
Industry-specific training and placements in the dairy and pharmaceutical
sectors. This is a unique opportuntity for PROCESS fellows.
An attractive and supportive working environment
1.3 Indicative Timeline for Calls for Proposals
1.4. Training & Development Opportunities through PROCESS
Like all MSCA actions, PROCESS will focus on the career development of its fellows. Formal structures
are in place to support this training such as a support committee composed of a formal supervisor and
a non-academic supervisor.
In most cases, the non-academic supervisor will be an experienced industrialist based in one of the
industry partner companies and who will host the fellow during the mandatory secondment period.
For those choosing an international secondment outside of Ireland, a different non-academic
supervisor may be selected with the approval of the academic supervisor.
PROCESS fellows will also develop a unique Career Development Plan (CDP) at the start of the
fellowship that includes plans for technical and non-technical training, with advice and support from
their supervisors. The Career Plan will be reviewed quarterly to ensure the training needs for the
fellow are met.
Page 6 of 39
The University of Limerick will also provide opportunities for further career and training mentoring
through its Centre for Teaching and Learning and Graduate Studies Office. For example, the mentoring
scheme links fellows with other members of staff to provide additional support, informal meetings on
a one-to-one basis to share experiences and to offer advice at from the viewpoint of different career
stages.
1.4.1. Secondment to Industry
Training and development is not restricted to the laboratory or the classroom. PROCESS supports
career development that provides fellows a number of experiences, including a 3-6 month mandatory
secondment to industry. This is a unique opportunity for fellows to pair their research interests with
real-life, current research challenges. Working side-by-side with industrialists enables the fellow to
put research into practice and widens their professional networks. The SSPC, PMTC, Confirm and
DPTC all have strong ties to industry across the PROCESS research themes.
Career development opportunities will also be provided through ‘Meet the Industry’ events where
fellows can engage with members of partner companies where networking and workshop activities
with a goal to facilitate new ideas and collaborations.
2. About the PROCESS Fellowships
Duration of the Fellowships
Each fellowship will be funded for a period of 24 months. In this time, the fellow will conduct a
research project and a mandatory secondment to industry.
2.1. Eligibility Requirements
2.1.1 Eligibility of Applicants (all criteria must be met).
Researchers can be of any nationality.
At the close of Call 2 (2 March 2020), the applicant must meet the requirements of an MSCA
‘experienced researcher’. An experienced research is one who is in possession of a doctoral
degree or with at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience at the time of
the PROCESS Call 2 deadline (2 March 2020).
o There will be three application categories: general applications, career restart, and
reintegration applications. A relaxed mobility requirement applies to applicants who
fall under the career restart and reintegration categories.
o General Fellowship Applicants are those who do not meet the Career Restart or
Reintegration Fellowships. General Fellowship applicants must come from outside of
the Republic of Ireland to meet mobility requirements, as required by H2020 rules.
This means General Fellowship Applicants must not have resided or carried out their
main research activity in the Republic of Ireland for more than 12 months in the 3
years prior to the PROCESS Call 2 deadline (2 March 2020).
Please Note: Compulsory national service and/or short stays such as holidays should not be taken into
account when calculating the mobility timeframes.
Page 7 of 39
Table 1 Criteria for Mobility for PROCESS Fellows
Research Application Additional Eligibility Mobility
Experience Category Considerations Requirement
General Not applicable Applicants may
not have resided
or carried out
All incoming fellows must their main
be in possession of a PhD activity (e.g.
degree or have at least work, study) in
four years full-time the Republic of
equivalent research Ireland for more
experience. than 12 months
in the 3 years
immediately prior
to the call
deadline.
Career Restart In order to be considered
within the ‘Career
Restart’ category, the
applicant must have Applicants may
undertaken a career not have resided
break in research (i.e. or carried out
he/she must not have their main activity
been active in research (e.g. work, study)
for at least 12 months in the Republic of
immediately prior to the Ireland for more
call deadline). than 3 years in
Reintegration In order to fall within the the 5 years
‘Reintegration’ category, immediately prior
the applicant must be a to the call
national or long-term deadline.
resident of an EU MS or
AC.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Whilst a relaxed mobility rule applies for candidates who fall under the career
restart/reintegration category, there will only be one selection process for all applications (i.e.
separate selection panels will not exist for career restart/reintegration applications). All applications
will be assessed under the same selection process.
Equal Opportunities
PROCESS will provide clear and transparent information for all potential applicants. The University of
Limerick is an equal opportunities institution and welcomes applications from a diverse range of
groups. Through its equal opportunities policy, UL will not discriminate on grounds such as gender,
civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, or membership of travelling
community. Applicant researchers with disabilities will be facilitated by the Disability Support Services
at UL, where required.
Page 8 of 39
UL has recently been designated a “University of Sanctuary”, which commits UL to an action plan with
a focus on encouraging, promoting and enabling refugees and asylum seekers to access third-level
education. Dedicated support services will be offered to such candidates, including the following
options:
1) option for the candidate to submit an application by post where online applications would not be
possible;
2) revised application of eligibility criteria to ensure researchers who have suspended their activities
while seeking refugee status are not disadvantaged, e.g., not counting as residency the time spent by
applying for refugee status in Ireland;
3) additional supports during the Fellows integration phase including the 1:1 support of the PROCESS
PM.
Researchers at Risk
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (MSCA) enable displaced researchers moving to Europe to
continue their careers through the provision of funding and support.
As a MSCA programme, PROCESS will support applications from researchers who are at risk/who are
displaced by conflict, or whose situation makes it difficult for them to pursue their research careers.
Support will be provided on a case-by-case basis, both during the application process and during the
fellowship programme.
Available support may include:
Application submission by post where online application requirements may discriminate
against the researcher’s circumstances.
Application of the eligibility criteria appropriately to ensure researchers who have
suspended their activities whilst seeking refugee status are not disadvantaged.
For applicants who applied for or who are applying for refugee status in Ireland, the time
spent in that process will not count as time resident in Ireland.
Contact the Programme Manager for further information on any of these options
(PROCESSinfo@ul.ie).
Gender Equality
The Athena Swan Charter promotes the advancement of women
working in STEMM areas within higher education throughout the UK
and Ireland.
UL holds a Bronze Award from Athena SWAN 2015, established to
encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of
women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in research.
UL received funding in 2014 for GEM “Gender Equality in Decision-Making” - an EU project supporting
the principles of Athena SWAN and aimed at developing initiatives to support achievement of gender
balance in decision-making roles. All decision makers will be briefed in gender equality, including how
to avoid unconscious gender bias.
2.1.2 Eligibility of Proposals (all criteria must be met).
Page 9 of 39
All proposals must use the templates provided on the PROCESS website. Other proposal
formats or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
A complete application consists of:
o A completed “Part A – Administrative Information” (applicant details, keywords and abstract
(max. 250 words).
o A completed “Part B – Proposal” document (max. 10 pages)
o A completed “Part C – CV” document (max. 5 pages)
o A completed “Part D- Ethics Self-Assessment” - Applicants will have to provide additional
information on how they intend to address the potential ethics issues as required by the
Horizon 2020 Guidance on Ethics Self-Assessment (Version 5.2 or later)2 as part of their
submission.
o “Part E—A signed Letter of Support from proposed academic supervisor
o “Part F”—A signed Letter of Support from Host Centre (e.g. SSPC, DPTC, PMTC, Confirm)/UL
Finance
o “Part G”—Referee Letters (max. 2 letters)
o “Part H”—Signed General Data Protection Consent Form
It is mandatory for the researchers to contact their proposed supervisor and secondment host
organisation(s), and to obtain their guidance during the proposal preparation stage. The
researcher is encouraged to work closely with these parties in preparing the proposal.
It is mandatory for the applicant to contact the PROCESS management team to ensure that
the project idea fits the remit of the PROCESS programme (PROCESSinfo@ul.ie)
The main academic supervisor must be a Principal Investigator based at UL with relevant
expertise and eligible matching funding.
All applicants must have two supervisors: a main academic supervisor and a secondment
(non-academic) supervisor. Academic supervisors will assist applicant in securing non-
academic supervisor.
All supervisors must align with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the
Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers
The host organisations for secondments must be involved in activities relevant to the
proposed research, and with the capacity and infrastructure to train the researcher and
support the research work.
Total secondment time allowed: 6 months (min. 3 months), which can be divided into shorter
mobility periods (min. 2 weeks). The secondment should significantly add to the impact of
the Fellowship.
Short visits to international collaborators will also be encouraged if they fit with the
developmental needs of the Fellow and/or research project. Short visits (e.g. for lab work) will
be distinguished from "secondments" since they have a different nature and pursue different
objectives. Any work done will be supervised directly by the Fellow’s supervisor.
Researchers will be required to complete an Ethics Questionnaire to capture any potential
ethics issue
The proposal must be in English and contain all requested documentation (see Application
Documents section 3 Applying to PROCESS)
Applications must be submitted through the SULIS platform, except in cases where an
applicant satisfies the ‘Researchers at Risk’ criteria. To register and obtain a username and
password for the SULIS platform, please send a request to PROCESSinfo@ul.ie.
The proposal must be received on or before the call deadline (2 March 2020, 17.00 IST)
Only one application per applicant may be submitted per call (resubmissions for subsequent
calls from unsuccessful applicants are encouraged)
Page 10 of 39 The proposals must adhere to the ethical standards applicable to MSCA
The proposal must address one or more of the PROCESS themes: process modelling and
integrated control; PAT; bulk solids processing; heat and momentum transfer; mass transfer
and physical chemistry and hybrid processing and subsequent smart data
management/modelling
2.1.3 Research Ethics Requirem ents
The PROCESS programme will be carried out in compliance with ethical principles (including the
highest standards of research integrity) and applicable international, EU and Irish law.
PROCESS will comply fully with the H2020 ethics policy, including those reflected in the Charter of
Fundamental Rights of the EU and the European Convention on Human Rights and its supplementary
protocols. The programme will not fund:
o Research activities aiming at human cloning for reproductive purposes,
o Research activity intended to modify the genetics of human beings that could make
such changes inheritable,
o Research activities intended to create human embryos for the purpose of research
or for stem cell procurement.
Prior to the start of the fellowships, all projects will require formal ethical approval from the relevant
host university’s ethics committee.
3. Applying to PROCESS
Figure 1 Summary of Call for Fellowships: Steps from Application to Fellowship Offer
Researchers should register interest in the PROCESS programme well in advance of the call deadline
to confirm eligibility and alignment to the research remit. To do so, please submit a PROCESS
register your interest on the website under the ‘How to Apply’ page.
Once registered, you will receive a username and temporary password to the submission portal:
SULIS.
Page 11 of 39The following sections provide an indicative timeline and steps involved from preparation of the
proposals to the fellowship start date. Please consult the PROCESS website (www.process-
cofund.eu) for updates to this Guide for Applicants, as well as information posted on the FAQ and
News sections for the latest application information.
•Check your eligibility
•Register your interest on the PROCESS website under 'How to
Apply' menu.
•Contact your preferred academic supervisor(s) from our list of
PROCESS PIs
•Start preparing your proposal and CV.
•Obtain Letters of Support from your proposed academic supervisor
and research centre host/UL finance
• Obtain 2 referee letters
•Submit your application (Parts A-H) on the SULIS platform in
advance of the deadline. Sections A and H should be submitted as
separate PDFs. Sections B-G should be submitted as a single PDF.
HOW DO I GET STARTED WITH AN
APPLICATION TO PROCESS?
Publication of Call for Proposals
Call 2 for PROCESS will open on 2 December 2019. The call will close 2 March 2020, 17.00h Irish
Standard Time (IST).
The PROCESS website (www.process-cofund.eu) will provide information about PROCESS, the
research centres, the participating Principal Investigators (PIs) and all application documents and
templates.
Applicants should contact the PROCESS team any time during the open call period with questions
on the PROCESS programme, relevant documentation, eligibility or accessing the SULIS platform.
Page 12 of 39The Proposal
Once you have confirmed your eligibility and research alignment, you should begin preparing the
research proposal. Please note that it is your responsibility to contact the PROCESS academic
supervisor to discuss your proposal and to gain support for your application. This is important as you
can only submit your fellowship application once such support has been obtained.
It is crucial that you use the templates provided on the PROCESS website. Proposals that do not
use the required template will not be eligible for funding consideration.
PROCESS strongly recommends all applicants to submit at least 24 hours ahead of the call
deadline.
Eligibility Screening
Following the closing date for Call 2 (2 March 2020), the PROCESS Project Manager will conduct
eligibility screening on all applications received. Eligible applications will be submitted to the
international peer review panel for evaluation.
International Peer-Review Evaluation
Three international experts (based outside Ireland) will be selected by the Programme Committee
from the PROCESS international reviewer database to review each application, and will be allocated
based on a good match between the proposal topic and the expertise of the reviewer. The panels
will be balanced in terms of gender and of the relevant academic and non-academic sectors.
Proposal Evaluation Criteria:
Table 2 Proposal Evaluation Criteria
Excellence Impact Implementation
Quality and credibility of the Enhancing the potential and Coherence, effectiveness and
research/innovation project; level of novelty, future career prospects of the appropriateness of the work
appropriate consideration of researcher plan
inter/multidisciplinary and gender aspects and
relevance to the PROCESS research theme.
Quality and appropriateness of the training and Quality of proposed exploitation Appropriateness of the
of the two-way transfer of knowledge between and dissemination of results, and allocation of tasks and
the researcher, host and industry partner relevance to industry. resources
Quality of the supervision and of the Quality of the proposed measures Appropriateness of
integration in the team/institution of the host, to communicate the project management structure and
secondment host and partners activities to different audiences procedures, including risk
management
Capacity of the researcher to reach or reinforce Appropriateness of the
a position of professional institutional environment
maturity/independence
Page 13 of 39Scoring will be awarded as described in Table 3:
Table 3 International Peer Review Scoring
Score Description
0 Proposal fails to address the criterion or cannot be assessed owing to missing or incomplete information.
1 Poor. The criterion is inadequately addressed, or there are serious inherent weaknesses.
2 Fair. Proposal broadly addresses the criterion, but there are significant weaknesses.
3 Good. Proposal addresses the criterion well, but a number of shortcomings are present.
4 Very Good. Proposal addresses the criterion well, but a small number of shortcomings are present.
5 Excellent. Proposal successfully addresses all relevant aspects of the criterion. Any shortcomings are minor.
The PM will apply weightings to the score awarded by the reviewers following their remote consensus
meeting as summarised in Table 4.
Table 4: Weighting and priority of PROCESS scores
Excellence Impact Implementation
Weighting and Priority ex aequo of scores
50% (Priority 1) 30% (Priority 2) 20% (Priority 3)
Each proposal will receive a maximum score of 5 from each reviewer. The scores from the 3 reviewers
will be averaged to produce an average review score. The scores for all proposals will be ranked for
selection for interview. There will be no individual criterion threshold, but an overall threshold score
of 70% (3.5/5) will be required to progress to interview stage. Proposals with scores below this will
not proceed.
Reviewers will be asked to provide comments to underpin their scores in a constructive and
transparent manner. The PM will compile a Consensus Report for each proposal containing the scores
and reviewer comments, plus any comments from the Research Ethics Committee.
Invitations to Interview and the Interview Process
Applicants selected for interview will informed via email no later than 4 May 2020 (Call 2).
All interviews will be conducted in English. Interviews may be carried out face-to-face or via video/web
conferencing. No advantage is conferred to those who attend the interview in person.
Important: It is the candidate’s responsibility to organise the necessary web/video conferencing
facilities to participate in remote interview session.
The interview panel will consist of a minimum of 5 members:
Chair of interview panel: Padraig McPhillips (CEO of DPTC – not directly linked to research projects)
UL HR Research Administration Officer
Marie Curie-Skłodowska Actions National Expert
Representative from the target PROCESS industry community, e.g. a senior R&D executive
PI from the Centres not linked to the proposal
Page 14 of 39The interview will last 50 minutes, including a 10-minute presentation from the candidate on their
proposal. The presentation should also cover their career development plan and expected impacts.
The remaining time will be used for the panel to ask questions to assess the candidate’s ability,
motivation and suitability. The interviews will take place preferably face-to-face, or via video
conferencing to avoid long-distance travel or other difficult circumstances. The interviewers will assess
the candidate using the same scoring system as for the reviews, and will produce an overall score.
The project manager will compile an Interview Report with the score and any comments from
interviewers. After the interview, the project manager will add up the final weighted score for the
peer review process and the consensus score from the interview. The final mark for the applicant will
therefore be composed equally from the evaluation of the written proposal (50%) and the interview
(50%). This will lead to a final score between 0 (very poor) and 10 (excellent).
Final Funding Decision
Letters of Offer will be issued by the University of Limerick HR Department following the Final
Funding Decision. Acceptance letters must be returned within four weeks of issue. Fellowships
awarded in Call 2 will start 1 October 2020.
Redress Process
All applicants will have recourse to redress. Redress requests can only be made with regard to
procedural issues or perceived incorrect application of eligibility criteria, and not with regard the
scientific judgments of the remote reviewers and members of the interview panels. The PM will
forward the redress requests to the Redress Committee (RC). The RC will either reject or accept it; in
the latter case, a new remote peer review with ethics check and/or interview will be arranged.
Applicants will be informed about the results of redress within 30 days of their request.
The RC will manage redress requests from unsuccessful applicants, made within 30 days of an
evaluation result. The RC will inform applicants of their decision within 30 days.
MSCA National Contact Point, Ireland
A Senior Researcher/ Lecturer from UL who is not related to the project
A representative from UL’s Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation
4. Employment as a PROCESS fellow
Following approval of the final funding decision, successful candidates will be offered an employment
contract for the duration of the fellowship from the University of Limerick. The fellow will be employed
by his/her host university under the same employment conditions as other externally funded
researchers employed at the university. Applicants wishing to know the terms and conditions
associated with the employment contracts should contact the University of Limerick Human Resource
department. The employment contracts will be in line with Irish Law and the Terms of Employment
(Information) Acts 1994 and 2001.
4.1 Visa information for non-EU/EEA researchers
Non-EU/EEA nationals require permission to work and/or study in Ireland. As a PROCESS fellow,
you will be able to avail of a range of services offered by the EURAXESS office in Ireland. EURAXESS
provide free advice to researchers and their families coming to work/study in Ireland -information
on a range of issues and areas affecting researchers, including immigration, visas, employment
law, healthcare, childcare, social services, and life in Ireland are available.
Researchers may contact EURAXESS Ireland for guidance. It also operates the Irish Hosting
Agreement Scheme, which is a visa scheme designed for non-EU/EEA researchers wishing to work
Page 15 of 39in Ireland. Under the scheme, visas are issued rapidly and traditional work permits are not
required. For more details, see the EURAXESS website.
4.2 Financial aspects
The PROCESS fellows will receive the gross salaries (living and mobility allowance are included)
detailed in table. These figures have been calculated in accordance with the Irish Universities
Association (IUA) researcher salary scale guidelines for start dates in October 2020.
Category Gross salary (per annum)
Fellow with family1 €47,417
Fellow €42,014
Please note that salaries received by the fellow will be liable for taxes and/or other deductions.
Information on Irish taxation can be found at the Office of Revenue Commissioners website.
Contributions towards the cost of conducting the research (e.g. towards consumables, travel) and
towards the management and training/development activities directly related to the funded research
project will be provided by the PROCESS programme.
1 The programme will apply the family definition as in the MSCA Work Programme 2016-2017: Family is defined as persons
linked to the Fellow by (i) marriage, or (ii) a relationship with equivalent status to a marriage recognised by the legislation
of the country where this relationship was formalised; or (iii) dependent children who are actually being maintained by the
Fellow. Qualification for this allowance is at the time of recruitment.
Page 16 of 39Appendix A: Templates for PROCESS Proposal
Important Dates
Application deadline Call 1 2 March 2020 17.00h Irish Standard Time (IST)
Peer review March/April 2020
Interviews* June 2020
Fellowships Start in UL 1st October 2020
* Please note these dates are indicative and subject to change.*
Revision History
Version 1.0 Released on Call 2 open date, 2nd December 2019
This project has received funding from the
European Union's Horizon 2020 research and
innovation programme under the Marie
Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 801165
www.process-cofund.eu
Email: PROCESSinfo@ul.ie
Page 17 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART A”—ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Please complete all sections of this form. Do not leave any section blank. If not relevant, please enter ‘N/A’ in the
appropriate field. NB* Successful candidates will be required to provide documentary evidence to back up the
information submitted on this form.
APPLICANT FULL NAME:
PROJECT ACRONYM:
NAME OF PROPOSED ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR:
QUALIFICATON AS AN EXPERIENCED RESEARCHER
APPLICANTS MUST BE EXPERIENCED RESEARCHERS (ER): THEY SHALL, ON 02 MARCH 2020, BE IN POSSESSION OF A
DOCTORAL DEGREE OR HAVE AT LEAST FOUR (4) YEARS OF FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH
EXPERIENCE. FULL-TIME EXPERIENCE WILL BE MEASURED FROM THE DATE WHEN A RESEARCHER OBTAINED THE
DEGREE THAT WOULD FORMALLY ENTITLE HIM/HER TO EMBARK ON A DOCTORATE PROGRAMME, REGARDLESS OF
WHETHER OR NOT A DOCTORATE WAS EVER PLANNED OR ENVISAGED.
HAVE YOU BEEN AWARDED A PHD?
YES
NO
University degree by which you became eligible to pursue a PhD degree
Degree: Awarding institute/body
and country:
Date of award (or expected
date of award):
IF YOU DO NOT HOLD A PHD, BUT HAVE AT LEAST 4 YEARS FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT RESEARCH EXPERIENCE, PLEASE
PROVIDE DETAILS OF SUCH EXPERIENCE. PLEASE NOTE THAT FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IS
MEASURED FROM THE DATE WHEN THE APPLICANT OBTAINED A DEGREE THAT WOULD FORMALLY ENTITLE
HIM/HER TO EMBARK ON A PHD DEGREE (E.G. THIS MAY BE THE DATE OF AWARD OF THE MASTER’S DEGREE, OR IN
SOME CASES THE DATE OF AWARD OF THE BACHELOR’S DEGREE).
If claiming 4 years full-time researcher experience
Date of qualification by which you became Qualification and Awarding institute/body and country:
eligible to pursue a doctorate
Page 18 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART A”—ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Details of full-time research experience (Please add additional rows, as needed.)
Degree (s) Degree and Awarding From: To: Date of Duration
obtained after details of the institute and dd/mm/yyyy dd/mm/yyyy award: of research
the university research country: dd/mm/yyyy activities
degree by which activities expressed
you became carried out: in months:
eligible to
pursue a PhD
degree
Doctorate PhD details: Awarding From: To: Date of Duration
(e.g. thesis) institute and dd/mm/yyyy dd/mm/yyyy expected of research
country: award: activities
dd/mm/yyyy expressed
in months:
Other research Position and Institute/Organisa From: To: Duration
experience details of the tion and country dd/mm/yyyy dd/mm/yyyy of research
research activities
activities expressed
carried out: in months:
MOBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Applicants may not have resided or carried out their main activity (e.g. work, study) in Ireland for more
than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the call deadline2. A relaxed mobility rule applies
for “career-re-start” and “reintegration” applications3. In such cases, applicants may not have resided
or carried out their main activity in Ireland for more than 3 years in the 5 years immediately prior to
the call deadline.
Please provide details regarding the location of your work/study for the period from 2 March 2017 to
2 March 2020 (include details such as the institution/organisation where you worked/studied,
location and dates; if you resided in different locations during this period please provide details for
each location):
2 Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status (under the
1951 Geneva Convention and the 1967 Protocol) are not taken into account. Short stays are characterised by the type of activity rather
than by a specific number of days. A period can only be considered as a short stay if the researcher did not reside or did not have their
main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Ireland during that period (such as holidays).
3 In order to be considered within the “career restart” category, the applicant must have undertaken a career break in research – must not
have been active in research for at least 12 months immediately prior to the call deadline. To be considered within the “reintegration”
category, the applicant must be a national or long-term resident of EU Member States or Associated Countries who wish to return and
reintegrate in a longer-term research position in Europe; the applicant must move or have moved directly to Ireland. Long-term residents
are defined as researchers who spent a period of full-time research activity of at least five consecutive years (without breaks in research)
in one or more Member States or Associated Countries.
Page 19 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART A”—ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
FOR CAREER RESTART AND REINTEGRATION APPLICATIONS:
If you wish to be considered under the “career-restart” or “reintegration” application category and
avail of the relaxed mobility rule, please provide the following details:
Did you have a career break in research (e.g. paternal leave, working outside research) for at least 12
months in the last 5 years? (Please use the call deadline as reference date)
YES
NO
Please provide details of any period of inactivity in research: (include dates and nature of activities
undertaken in each period):
Are you a national or long-term resident of an EU member state or associated country who wishes to
return and reintegrate in a longer-term research position in Europe?
YES
NO
If you wish to apply under the reintegration category, please provide details of the research activities
undertaken in EU member states, in associated countries and in countries outside Europe: (include
research institution, dates, position, and country for each period entered):
REFERENCES
Please provide details for two referees. Please note referees will only be contacted if you are
successful in obtaining a fellowship offer and once you have provided consent for same.
Name Organisation Email Phone number Please explain their
(include country relationship to you
code) (e.g. supervisor,
manager)
Page 20 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART B”—PROPOSAL ACRONYM XXXX
Guidelines (shown highlighted in grey throughout this document):
In drafting the proposal, applicants must follow the structure outlined below.
This page and all similar instructions in highlighted italics should be deleted.
a. The uploaded document must include the proposal title in the header. Applicants must use the
following formatting constraints: Arial, at least font size 10, margins (2.0cm side, 1.5cm top and
bottom), single line spacing.
b. References should be listed in footnotes, Arial font size minimum of pt. 8.
All references will count towards the page limit.
ABSTRACT (max. 2,000 characters including spaces). This will not count towards the page limit.
Start page count
10 pages maximum comprising of sections:
1. Excellence
2. Impact
3. Implementation
Stop page count
GANTT CHART. This will not count towards the page limit.
c. Delete all text highlighted in grey before submitting your proposal.
Please ensure that sections 1-3 do not exceed the limit of 10 pages. It is up to the applicant to decide how
many pages to allocate to each section within the 10-page limit.
ABSTRACT:
Max. 2,000 characters
Page 21 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART B”—PROPOSAL ACRONYM XXXX
1. Excellence4
1.1. Proposed research
In this section, you must provide a detailed description of the scientific and technical aspects of the
proposal, demonstrating the originality and novelty of the research, the proposed research
methodology and its potential impact.
Introduction, state-of-the-art and objectives – Provide an overview of the proposal. Discuss
the state of-the-art. Specify the objectives of the proposal, in the context of the state-of-the-
art in the field. When describing the envisaged research, it should be indicated how and why
the proposed work is important for the field and what impact it will have, if successful. Specify
any particularly challenging or unconventional aspects of the proposal, including multi- or
inter-disciplinary aspects (if relevant).
Describe the proposed methodology.
Originality and novelty of the research - Explain the contribution that the proposed research
is expected to make to advancements within the research field. Describe any novel concepts,
approaches or methods that will be employed.
Provide details on the proposed secondment to the non-academic sector. State whether the
secondment is fully agreed or if it is envisaged. It is mandatory for the researchers to contact
their proposed supervisor and secondment host organisation(s), and to obtain their guidance
during the proposal preparation stage. The researcher will be encouraged to work closely with
these parties in preparing the proposal.
Important note: As part of the PROCESS programme, fellows will undertake a 3-6 month
secondment to the non-academic sector. The secondment must be relevant to the proposed
research.
1.2. Transfer of knowledge
Training in a variety of technical and non-technical skills will be provided as part of the PROCESS
programme. In this section, you should describe briefly:
How you as an experienced researcher hope to take advantage of the training offered, and
any skill areas you feel would you would benefit from in particular
Outline any previously acquired knowledge or capability that you may transfer to the research
group you will join, the wider group within your hosting Centre (DPTC/SSPC/PMTC/), and to
your community of peers on the PROCESS programme
1.3. Proposed supervision
Relevance of the proposed supervision – Provide information regarding the prospective
supervisor that relates to your research proposal (e.g. their expertise in the proposed topic,
their track record in the field, main international collaborations, participation in relevant
projects, relevant publications). Provide evidence of the match between your proposed
research and the capabilities of the research group you will join. Provide similar details for the
secondment supervisor/secondment organization).
4
References should be listed in footnotes, Arial, font size minimum pt. 8. All references will count toward page limits.
Page 22 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART B”—PROPOSAL ACRONYM XXXX
2. Impact
2.1. The potential impact of the research and the expected impact of the fellowship on the applicant’s
career prospects
Describe the contribution that the proposed research is expected to make to advancements
within its field. What is the potential impact of the research if successful?
Provide a brief outline of your career objectives/goals.
How does the fellowship improve your career prospects? Explain how the fellowship will
contribute to furthering your professional development as an independent/mature
researcher. If you have career objectives are outside of research/academia, explain the
relevance of the fellowship in contributing to these objectives.
2.2. Proposed measures for communication and results dissemination
What is your communication and results dissemination strategy? Outline how you will
disseminate the results of your research and how you will communicate the new knowledge
generated during the fellowship (e.g. publications, conference attendance, poster
presentations, reports, workshops, outreach activities).
3. Implementation
3.1. The work plan
Describe your research work plan. Include any work packages, tasks, deliverables and
milestones required for the completion of the proposed research/fellowship. The proposed
secondment and the proposed dissemination and communication activities should also be
included.
The fellowship duration is 24 months. The proposed project must be feasibly undertaken
within the fellowship duration.
Important note: A Gantt chart must be provided at the end of this document reflecting your
work plan. It should give the schedule for work packages, deliverables, milestones,
secondment and dissemination and communication activities. The schedule should be in
terms of number of months elapsed from the start of the fellowship. Please see example
provided at the end of this document.
3.2. Management, progress monitoring mechanisms and risk management
Describe any management structure/procedures and progress monitoring mechanisms you
will adopt to ensure that the research/fellowship objectives are reached.
Describe any potential risks associated with the research project implementation. Describe
your proposed contingency plans.
Page 23 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART B”—PROPOSAL ACRONYM XXXX
3.3. Institutional environment (infrastructure)
Describe the infrastructure and facilities (e.g. any equipment; specialist software) required to
carry out the proposed research based on what is available in the University of Limerick or
through its hosting centre or institute/department. Describe any other necessary resources
required (e.g. specialized computer/software).
If you require additional resources and support not currently in situ at the University of
Limerick, explain where they will be acquired and detail any additional sourcing costs.
Page 24 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART B”—PROPOSAL ACRONYM XXXX
Please include a Gantt chart reflecting your work plan described in section 3.1. The Gantt should give the schedule for work packages, deliverables,
milestones, secondment, and dissemination and communication activities. The schedule should be in terms of number of months elapsed from the start of
the fellowship.
Please see example below. You may modify the example (e.g. add/delete rows; rename work packages) or add your own chart.
Notes:
The titles of the WPs indicated in the Gantt example do not have to be followed or included in your Gantt. Adapt the Gantt example as needed or add
your own chart.
The number of WP’s provided below is an example only. Add or remove WP’s as needed.
Add as much detail as needed to reflect your work plan.
GANTT CHART: EXAMPLE ONLY—ADAPT TO YOUR PROPOSAL BEFORE SUBMISSION
Work Package Title 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
WP1 Management D1.1 M1.1
WP2 Experimental Work M2.1 D2.1
WP3 Field work M3.1 M3.2 D3.1
WP4 Research part x
WP5 Research part y
Dissemination and
WP6 D6.1 D6.2 D6.3 D6.4
communication
WP7 Secondments
… …
Milestone M
Legend
Deliverable D
Page 25 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART C”—CV
Guidelines (shown highlighted in grey):
d. Applicants must use the following formatting constraints: Arial, at least font size 10,
e. Your CV should be limited to 5 pages maximum.
f. Examples/guidelines are shown highlighted in grey. These should be deleted.
g. Applicants must follow the structure outlined below:
NAME AND CONTACT DETAILS
Name:
Address:
Email:
CAREER PROFILE
Please ensure the PhD year and/or number of years of full-time equivalent research experience is clear and
verifiable. If appropriate to your experience level, please also include details of history of supervision (Numbers of
current and completed MSc and PhD students or other staff, directly under your supervision.)
Education
Employment
INNOVATION/COMMERCIALISATION ACTIVITY
e.g. previous industry collaborations, patents, spinouts. Please distinguish between patents applied and under
review versus patents granted
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS (RESEARCH AND IMPACT)
Please list your key research achievements (e.g. prizes and awards; recognitions; invited presentations to peer-
reviewed/internationally established conferences; funding received so far; any other relevant details that can
support your application.
THIS SECTION SHOULD NOT CONTINUE TO PAGE 3. 2 PAGES MAX TO END OF THIS SECTION!
Page 26 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART C”—CV
Publications section – max of 3 pages! Replace X with numbers/text
PUBLICATIONS
Total No. of Senior Author Total no. of citations:
h-Index: X Source of citation data: X
Publications: X Publications: X X
Conference
Book
Journal Articles: X Reviews: X Books: X associated Other: X
Chapters: X
publications: X
Please list your relevant publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, peer-reviewed conference proceedings,
monographs, book chapter, etc.
Follow this format: A.N.Other, J.Bloggs and J. Doe*, Title of Paper, Journal Name (Year)
*=Senior author
Page 27 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART D”—ETHICS SELF-ASSESSMENT
ETHICS ISSUES TABLE
Please complete the ethical assessment table below, indicating “yes” or “no” in the corresponding
box:
1. Human Embryos/Foetuses
Does your research involve Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs)? YES / NO
Does your research involve the use of human embryos? YES / NO
Does your research involve the use of human fetal tissues/cells? YES / NO
2. Humans
Does your research involve human participants? YES / NO
Does your research involve physical interventions on the study participants? YES / NO
3. Human Cells /Tissues
Does your research involve human cells or tissues (other than from human YES / NO
embryos/foetuses?
4. Personal Data
Does your research involve personal data collection and/or processing? YES / NO
Does your research involve further processing of previously collected YES / NO
personal data (secondary use)?
5. Animals
Does your research involve animals? YES / NO
6. Third Countries
In case non-EU countries are involved, do the research related activities YES / NO
undertaken in these countries raise potential ethics issues?
Do you plan to use local resources (e.g. animal and/or human tissue YES / NO
samples, genetic material, live animals, human remains, materials of
historical value, endangered fauna or flora samples, etc.)?
Do you plan to import any material - including personal data - from non-EU YES / NO
countries into the EU?
Do you plan to export any material - including personal data - from the EU to YES / NO
non-EU countries?
In case your research involves low and/or lower middle income countries, YES / NO
are any benefits-sharing actions planned?
Could the situation in the country put the individuals taking part in the YES / NO
research at risk?
7. Environment & Health and Safety
Does your research involve the use of elements that may cause harm to the YES / NO
Environment, to animals or plants?
Does your research deal with endangered fauna and/or flora and/or YES / NO
protected areas?
Does your research involve the use of elements that may cause harm to YES / NO
humans, including research staff?
8. Dual Use
Does the research involve dual-use items in the sense of Regulation YES / NO
428/2009, or other items for which an authorisation is required?
9. Exclusive focus on civil applications
Could your research raise concerns regarding the exclusive focus on civil YES / NO
applications?
10. Misuse
Does your research have the potential for misuse of research results? YES / NO
Page 28 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART D”—ETHICS SELF-ASSESSMENT
11. Other Ethics Issues
Are there any other ethics issues that should be taken into consideration? YES / NO
If yes, please specify in the ethics statement to be provided under
document “PART D – Ethics Self-Assessment”.
If you answered “YES” to any of the questions above, you must provide additional information
about how these issues will be addressed in your research by completing document “PART D –
Ethics Self-Assessment” which will need to be submitted as part of your application
documentation.
Page 29 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART E”—LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR
Letter should be on University Letterhead
Letter must be signed
Page 30 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART F”—LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM HOSTING CENTRE OR DEPARTMENT
Letter should be on centre/institute letterhead
Letter must be signed
Page 31 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART G”—REFEREE LETTERS
Only two (2) reference letters are required. Additional letters will not be considered part of the
application.
Page 32 of 39TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL
“PART H”—SIGNED GDPR CONSENT FORM
PROCESS Personal Data Consent Form
Surname:__________________________________________________________________________________
Forename(s):_______________________________________________________________________________
Institution/Company:________________________________________________________________________
Official email we can use to contact you:_________________________________________________________
I, _____________________ understand the terms and conditions under which the PROCESS COFUND MSCA
programme and its representatives obtain, manage and share my personal data. I further understand my rights
under the GDPR, effective 25 May 2018, and consent to the following processing, use and sharing of my personal
data by PROCESS and its representatives (select any that apply):
For the purposes of reviewing and evaluating the research proposal by an independent panel of
international peer-reviewers, University of Limerick Human Resources and PROCESS management team
to determine eligibility and funding decisions related to the PROCESS programme.
For reporting to the EU Commission, SFI, EI or other governmental agencies to carry out legal
obligations outlined in the PROCESS Grant Agreement, HR contracts and/or grant terms and conditions
stipulated by the funding body. Specifically, personal data reported in the EU Portal, SESAME or SULIS,
the PROCESS website, annual and governance reports, project updates, and financial reports.
For data processing required to complete or verify payroll, expenses, stipends and funding allocations
or to report information necessary to submit applications for new or continued funding.
For communications regarding PROCESS research or other related activity, including EPE and outreach
activities, scheduling of all meetings and reviews, communications with industry partners and their
representatives as it relates to the research programme or employment opportunities for research
team members.
Signature: _______________________________Date:_____________________
Note: Consent is voluntary and can be withdrawn at any time.
From 25 May 2018, you will have several enhanced rights under the GDPR:
To find out if we use your information and request a copy of your information
Have inaccurate information updated/corrected
Object to particular use of your information for our legitimate purposes
In certain circumstances, have your personal data deleted or our use restricted
Exercise the right to data portability
To withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent email
PROCESSdataprotect@ul.ie
A full GDPR Personal Data Protection Summary is available for review on PROCESS website: www.process-
cofund.eu
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