Explore Call for international mobility 2018

TERMS

In 2018, EXPLORE first call for international mobility will support:

Option 1: Mobility opportunities for targeted recipients as detailed below (Professor, Professor-Researcher, Researcher, Doctoral student, Engineer, Technician or administrative staff), from or to the targeted strategic destinations of the MUSE consortium which are presented inAnnex 1;

Option 2: Mobility opportunities for a PAIR of beneficiaries, comprised of a research institution staff member who is highly familiar with platforms in partnership abroad, jointly carrying out a mission with a staff member who is not familiar with such exchanges (Professor, Professor-Researcher, Researcher, Doctoral student, Engineer, Technician or administrative staff). These paired mobilities seek to leverage, promote or strengthen existing platforms in partnership abroad, or to explore new prospects (cf. Links to existing platforms in partnership inAnnex 2).

Seeking to structure tomorrow’s university, which will be non-exclusive and open to all disciplines, and besides the two above-mentioned priorities, proposals that both meet the eligibility and selection criteria of this call, and offer exceptional value-added to the I-SITE MUSE may be considered for funding.

DESTINATION AND ORIGIN

For its mobility program, MUSE will noticeably favor, but not exclusively, prioritized universities or partners (including non-academic ones) or geographical areas and countries (cf.Annex 1andAnnex 2), in connection with its scientific program (cf.Annex 3).

TARGETED PARTICIPANTS

EXPLORE international mobility support program is designed for:

• Doctoral students: INCOMING and OUTGOING mobilities seeking to explore collaborative projects with MUSE strategic partners for potential post-doctoral professional research projects;
• (Assistant) Professors, Professor-Researchers and Researchers (tenure and contract-based) : INCOMING and OUTGOING mobilities;
• Engineer, technician or administrative staff (tenure and contract-based): OUTGOING mobilities only.

INCOMING mobility requires an invitation letter from the educational and/or research structure within MUSE scope.
OUTGOING mobility requires the approval signature from the director of the educational and/or research structure within MUSE scope (for Doctoral students, (assistant) Professors, Professor-Researchers and Researchers); or from the supervisor of the Engineer, Technician or administrative staff member employed by one of MUSE consortium members.

Mobility recipient are not subjected to any nationality condition. In case of INCOMING mobilities, the recipient must be employed by (or, in case of doctoral students, registered in) an institution.

PROJET ELIGIBILITY

• Coherent with MUSE global scientific ambition, focused on three societal challenges that are “FEED – PROTECT – CARE”, and open to all themes/disciplines likely to contribute to those objectives (cf.Annex 3);
• Submitted within the framework of an educational and/or research structure within MUSE scope;
• Separate from mobilities generated from institutions whose core activity is international mobility (namely CIRAD, IRD, CIHEAM-IAMM).

N.B.: funding for mobilities targeting the participation to a symposium or a conference isexcludedfrom EXPLORE scheme.

APPLICATION EVALUATION CRITERIA

In addition to coherence and project quality, the following selection criteria will be taken into account:

• By its exploratory component, the contribution of value-added for I-SITE MUSE (strengthening of excellence, acquisition of new skills, innovation);
• The development of partnerships with private-public stakeholders in the area of education, research, value-generation or pedagogical and organizational innovation;
• The collaborative impact induced by the mobility project within I-SITE MUSE (for instance, the project involves 2 educational and/or research structure within MUSE scope);
• Commitment of hosting structures and of structures of origin, especially in terms of dedicated human or financial resources.

SUPPORT AMOUNT AND DETAILS

EXPLORE international mobility program offers financial support comprised of:

(1) a daily allowance, which varies according to the country of destination (cf.Decree of 3 July 2006which sets the rates of French daily mission allowances), limited to a maximum of 30 daily allowances, whatever the total duration of the mobility may be;

(2) the payment of transportation expense (based on real costs and limited to 2 round-trip tickets per recipient) according to the following grid:

0-999 km… 600 € maximum travel expense per mobility
1,000-7,999 km… 1,300 € maximum travel expense per mobility
More than 8,000 km… 2,000 € maximum travel expense per mobility

Distance between the place of departure and the place of arrival is calculated withthe tool developed by the European Commission. This financial support is meant to help compensate additional costs induced by the mobility, and under no circumstances can finance salary costs or wages.

RECIPIENTS OBLIGATIONS

Selected candidates will be required to sign a commitment charter upon accepting the financing offer. This charter will precisely detail the recipient’s obligations during her/his mobility in terms of communication, I-SITE MUSE ambassador’s role or experience feed-back to be provided to MUSE (activity report) upon completion of the mobility.

EVALUATION PROCESS

Applications will be submitted electronically via a dedicated submission portal on themuse.umontpellier.fr website, section Call for projects / EXPLORE. All requested attachments must be submitted for the application to be valid. Application file should include:

• Completed application form;
• Approval signature from the director of the applicant’s educational and/or research structure of employment, or of the applicant’s supervisor in the case of support staff;
• Letter of invitation from the director of the hosting educational and/or research structure.

Application assessment – Following the administrative assessment of submitted applications by MUSE executive team, applications will be transmitted to an evaluation committee for ranking.

The evaluation committee is comprised of members from the Academic Council of University of Montpellier (10 members), of representatives of MUSE clusters (5 members), and of representatives of MUSE consortium member institutions (8 members). The evaluation committee will assess applications deemed to be eligible and will present a ranking list to the MUSE Board for final decision.