Call for submission of proposals for common scientific and technological projects on cooperations between institutions of the Slovak Republic and the Republic of France in years  2008 and 2009. Programme Stefanik

1. LEGAL FRAME
Based on the Agreement between the Government of the Slovak Republic and the Government of the Republic of France on Cultural, Technological, Educational and Scientific Cooperation, signed on March 21, 1995 in Paris, the Slovak Research and Development Agency (SRDA) in cooperation with the Division of Science and Technology  of the Ministry  of  Education of the Slovak Republic opens a Call for submitting proposals for common scientific and technological projects between collaborating organizations in the Slovak Republic and the Republic of France.
2. THEMATIC FIELDS 

This Call does not define any priority resarch areas. On the basis of common RTD activities the proposals from any RTD field can be submitted with duration of two years.
Cooperating partners from RTD organizations with common objectives and complementary skills are invited to submit joint proposal. The projects will be implemented by means of exchange of
scientists and information. 

3. ELIGIBLE PROPOSERS  

Project proposals can be submitted by any legal or physical body in science and technology in the Slovak Republic within all research and development sectors (universities, enterpreneurs, governmental, non-profit) that is involved in an agreed research program by means of existing supported projects. At least one partner within the proposal must be from France.

4. CALL DURATION AND SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL     

The Call was opened on March 15, 2007, the deadline being May 15, 2007. Applications must be submitted in electronic form using on-line system. An original copy of signed form should be delivered to the Agency at the latest  by 18.00 on May 15, 2007, or sent by mail to the address APVV, Mýtna 23, 81107 Bratislava with post stamp date latest May 15. 
After this deadline it is impossible to submit proposals. The proposal must be signed by all participating organizations (signatures of responsible project leaders, statutaries and stamps). Signatures and stamps of French partners sent by fax will be accepted.

5. START AND TERMINATION OF THE PROJECT           

The projects submitted in the frame of this Call can start at the earliest on February 1, 2008, and must be completed on December 31, 2009.

6. FINANCING   

The financial support offered within this call is strictly limited to mobility (travelling costs and daily subsistence allowances). The involved organizations must be able to demonstrate that they have the other necessary resources to carry out the project (a grant, institutional resources, commercial funding, etc.). The numbers of grants and the way of financing should be declared in box „Actual ensured financial resources in Slovakia“. It is possible to plan short-time stays maximum 2x10 days/year.
The Slovak party provides:
•	travel expenses up to the level of return plane ticket price - economy
	class - to France for Slovak employees/experts of research and development 
•	health insurance of Slovak experts during their stay in France
•	daily allowances for French experts in Slovakia in accord with the Slovak law on reimbursement of travel expenses (Art. 283/2002) 
•	accommodation for French experts in Slovakia maximum 20 nigths/year (max. 2000,-Sk/night)
•	travel expenses, daily allowances and accommodation for Slovak employees/experts of research and development  which  accompanied  French experts in Slovakia
•	conference expenses for Slovak employees/experts of research and development (travel, daily allowaces, accomodation, no conference fee) in Slovakia in case the conference is clearly connected with project’s subject.

Similarly, the French party will cover travel  and insurance for French experts coming to Slovakia. Further, daily allowances for Slovak experts during their stay in the France will be provided.
 
Finances will be provided in accordance with the approved budget of the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic by the Agency (APVV) for project duration. The expenses in Slovak Republic will be provided in accord with approved budget for bilateral scientific and technological cooperation for years 2008 an 2009.  

7. EVALUATION

The selection of projects has two stages. In the first stage the proposals will be treated separately by national committees, the second round will be done by a Joint Committee.

At national level the proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria:
I.	Scientific and application targets (60 points)
-	Added value in given RD sector 10 points)
-	Originality at national and international level (10 points)
-	Quality of presentation and targets (10 points)
-	Reasons for cooperation (10 points)
-	Appropriateness and emergency of proposed methods (10 points)
-	Potential socio-economic and scientific contribution (10 points)

II.	 Expertise of proposer and organization (20 points)
-	Professionality (15 points)
-	Infrastructure (5 points)

Maximum points: 80
The evaluation in Joint Committee will be done under these conditions:
•	Single party proposal will be not evaluated
•	Proposal with high ranking from both parties will have priority as compared to contraversial ones
•	Discrepances will be discussed having in mind mutual interest

Evaluation results and final list of financed projects will be announced after Joint Committee meeting.

8. RULES FOR PROPOSERS                    

Each project must have one responsible person from each Slovak and each French participating organisation. The proposal must be submitted parallel by the leading Slovak partner in Slovakia and the leading French partner in the France. The responsible persons submit forms filled in Slovak and English or French and English, respectively. The proposals must involve the title, list of all participants, duration and specific goals. Further, the timetable and finacial requirements distributed in chapters and years, brief CV`s of Slovak participants, list of French participants and clear arguments for international cooperation should be present. If the projects is linked to already existing cooperation, the responsible proposer should mention the anticipated results and their added value for Slovakia.

9. OBLIGATIONS OF THE PROPOSER       

The statutary of the Slovak organization will sign a contract for financial support with the Agency (APVV). At the end of each year the responsible person reports to the Agency. The report must include a statement of progress with the project and cost statements relating to the claimed travel and subsistence expenses for the period in question. After the project is terminated the responsible person must provide a final report to the Agency.
 
Contact:

Slovak Republic        

RNDr. Soňa Ftáčniková, CSc.
Head of multilateral and bilateral cooperation
Slovak Research and Development Agency
Mýtna 23                                                         
811 07 Bratislava
tel:  02/57204502
fax: 02/57204599 
e-mail: ftacnik@apvv.sk
http://www.apvv.sk

The Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic     
Stromová 1
813 30 Bratislava
Division of Science and Technology  
Unit of Bilateral Cooperation and International Organizations 
RNDr. Anna Sitárová, PhD.
Work address:
Hanulova 5/b
Tel.: +421 (02) 69202240
Fax: +421 (02) 69202213
e-mail: anna.sitarova@minedu.sk
http://www.education.gov.sk

France

Programmes d'actions integrées is changed to Partenariats Hubert Curien (PHC)
Égide
Service Recherche et Entreprises
28 rue de la Grange-aux-Belles
75010 Paris
Tél. : 01 40 40 57 42
Mél : recherche@egide.asso.fr 
http://www.egide.asso.fr/fr/programmes/pai/appels

Pr. Gilles Rouet
Attaché de coopération universitaire et scientifique et universitaire
Ambassade de France en Slovaquie
Sedlarska 7
812 83 Bratislava
Tél : +421 2 59 34 77 50
Télécopie : +421 2 59 34 77 99 
Mél : gilles.rouet@diplomatie.gouv.fr