Is there an age limit for senior researchers applying for NEWFELPRO fellowships?

NEWFELPRO project has no age limit related to senior researchers. Applicants have to meet the requirements of the specific fellowship scheme they are applying for (outgoing, incoming or reintegration). Nonetheless, age limit is not one of them.

How do you calculate required research experience when applying for one of the fellowship schemes?

Researchers who apply for NEWFELPRO incoming or outgoing fellowship scheme must, at the time of the call deadline, be in possession of a doctoral degree or have at least 4 years of full-time equivalent (FTE) research experience, while candidates for reintegration scheme must be in possession of a doctoral degree. Full-time research experience is measured from the date when a researcher obtained the degree, which would formally entitle him or her to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the research training is provided. Research experience prior to obtaining the degree will not be taken into account.  Candidates will provide information about their academic degree and research experience as a part of their project documentation.
 

Is there a boundary concerning destination countries in the outgoing fellowship scheme?

In NEWFELPRO outgoing fellowship scheme there is no boundary related to choosing destination country/a country in which the host institution is located. Applicants for the outgoing fellowship scheme choose their destination country in accordance with their preferences.
 

Does the return host institution, institution that we finish our project at as a part of the return phase in the outgoing fellowship scheme, have to be different from the one researcher is currently working on?

NEWFELPRO outgoing fellowship scheme has a compulsory return phase. Return phase lasts for 4 months if the fellowship lasts 16 months in total (outgoing + return), while it lasts for 12 months if the fellowship lasts 36 months in total (outgoing + return). In the return phase, fellow does not have to return at the institution she was working on prior to fellowship. Nevertheless, fellow has to state clearly in her project documentation what institution in Croatia she wants to finish her project at. That institution/return host institution confirms the aforementioned with a letter of commitment to administer the proposed research project in the return phase. Letter of commitment is a compulsory part of the project documentation which is submitted when applying for a call for proposals.
 

Is there a restrictive criterion related to countries a researcher is currently working at when applying for the reintegration fellowship scheme?

Researchers who wish to apply for the NEWFELPRO reintegration fellowship scheme must have Croatian citizenship and hold a doctoral degree. In addition, researchers must have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in a third country for at least 3 years and should not have resided in Croatia more than 12 months prior to the call deadline. In sum, only researchers who worked or studied in a third country for at least three years are eligible to apply for reintegration fellowship scheme. Third countries are countries which are neither EU member states nor third countries associated with FP7 (a list of countries associated with FP7: ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/third_country_agreements_en.pdf).

Can I submit the same project proposal for NEWFELPRO fellowship and Marie Curie fellowship at the level of European Commission simultaneously?

Yes, the same research proposal can be submitted for the NEWFELPRO fellowship and Marie Curie fellowship at the level of European Commission simultaneously. However, if a researcher wins both of them, he will have to choose which one to accept because double financing is not permitted in the Marie Curie framework.

 

Is an unemployed person eligible to apply for a NEWFELPRO fellowship?

NEWFELPRO welcomes project proposals which meet the eligibility criteria, which are complete and submitted on time. Employment status is not among the eligibility criteria.

 

Which institution may I contact as a potential host institution?             

Many different types of host organisations can take part in NEWFELPRO, such as:

• National Governmental or public organisations (e.g. universities, research centres etc.);
• International Organisations;
• Commercial enterprises, including those of small and medium size (SMEs);
• Non-profit or charitable organisations (e.g. NGOs, trusts, etc.);
• International European Interest Organisations (e. CERN, EMBL, etc.).
   

If I win a NEWFELPRO fellowship, can I start my project later than it is expected?

Yes, it is possible to postpone the expected start of the project, which is negotiated with members of the Selection Committee and the NEWFELPRO Secretariat in the negotiation period. However, project leaders must bear in mind that all projects under NEWFELPRO must finish no later than 31 October 2017.

 

Am I permitted to have other financial contributions during the course of the NEWFELPRO fellowship

The host institution’s financial contribution is not mandatory, but if the possibility for such contribution does exist, it is permitted as long as that fact is clearly stated in the documentation package.

 

Will my project be financed in the return phase of the outgoing fellowship scheme as well? If yes, who will provide it?

The return phase is a mandatory part of the outgoing fellowship scheme. During this period the return host provides a monthly allowance to the project leader in the same way the Host institution abroad does during the outgoing period. The fellowship amount in the return phase is based on the average salary of experienced/senior researcher according to Croatian national legislation and the gross amounts can be found by following this link: http://www.newfelpro.hr/default.aspx?id=86. 
 
 

Who is eligible to write a letter of recommendation?

Please ask two academics to provide recommendations, e.g. your doctoral supervisor, the senior academic at the institute at which you are currently working, the senior academic at any host institution at which you have spent more than 2 months away from your own institute as a guest researcher in the last five years, or other academics qualified to comment on your work.

 

How do I send requests for letters of recommendation?

Once you enter contact details of the two referees in the online system (under tab A2 – Contact Information, section C) CONTACT DETAILS (TWO REFEREES)), first you have to click the “Submit” button. With this the online system records the data entered, and a blue button titled “Send a request to the referee” appears under each referee’s contact details. Now you have to click the blue button “Send a request to the referee” for each of the referees. Each time you press the “Send a request to the referee” button, a message “Email to referee [1 or 2] was sent!” will appear at the top left side of the page. In this way they are notified about your reference request, and they will be able to complete the online reference request form which will not be visible to you. If you omit this step, completed letters of recommendation will not generate in the online system and you will not be able to click the “FINAL SUBMISSION” button and submit the project proposal! Applicants should bear in mind that it is their own responsibility to send requests to the referees in a timely manner. This step is described in detail in NEWFELPRO 2013 Guidelines for Web Application for Electronic Submission of Project Proposals_Second Call (step 12.)
 
 

What if my project develops in an undesired or unplanned direction?

As part of the documentation package (section B1) the project leader has to assess possible risks related to his research proposal. In short, the project leader must make a risk assessment and present alternative scenarios of project implementation in case a part of the project does not develop as planned.
 
 

How often do I have to write reports during the course of my project and who approves them?

The project leader will regularly report on the project development to the NEWFELPRO Secretariat. First report is due after 5 months of project duration, and then regularly every 6 months until the project ends. A decision about further financing of the project will be made on the basis of project leader’s reports. After the project ends, the project leader will submit the final report.
 
 

Can I submit a project proposal which would include a one year stay at one Host institution, and a one year stay at another Host institution?

The Host institution which administers the project has to be clearly stated in the documentation package. There can only be one Host institution, which in any sense does not exclude research stay at other institutions, if that is required for project development. If that is the case, it must be stated in the documentation package. However, a period of absence from the Host institution must not exceed 30% of anticipated fellowship duration.   
 
 

How will project proposals be evaluated? What is the procedure for choosing evaluators for a particular project proposal?

Each project proposal that meets the eligibility criteria will be assessed independently by 3 international experts, on the basis of criteria and sub-criteria clearly outlined in the Call for Proposals. Keeping in mind the financial framework of each call, project proposals that will be taken into consideration for financing are ones with an average grade of 3,5 or more. Evaluators will be chosen following the procedure, as explicated in Section V of the Annex 2_NEWFELPRO 2013 Guidelines for Evaluators and Evaluation Procedure_Second Call. 
 

Will all of the scientific areas be equally represented through the selection procedure?

NEWFELPRO allows applicants to freely apply within any scientific area of their choice and fellows/grants are assigned only on the basis of excellence and quality of research projects. The decision will be made according to evaluations of international experts which will be written on the basis of evaluation criteria. For more information on evaluation criteria please refer to the Annex 2_NEWFELPRO 2013 Guidelines for Evaluators and Evaluation Procedure_Second Call.
 

Can I submit an interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary project proposal under NEWFELPRO?

Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary projects can be submitted under NEWFELPRO. The project leader will clearly outline the scientific areas encompassed within the project proposal, as well as category of research. For more information please refer to the Annex 3_NEWFELPRO 2013 Instructions for Applicants_Second Call_updated version.
 

Will project applicants be permitted to see the evaluation table, as part of the documentation package, which will guide the evaluators when evaluating project proposals?

Project applicants will be able to see the evaluation table under Section VIII of the Annex 2_NEWFELPRO 2013 Guidelines for Evaluators and Evaluation Procedure_Second Call.
 

As part of the documentation package, I must list literature reference (Section B4). Does this refer to bibliographical references used when working on prior projects or references used through preparation of the research proposal?

Under Section B4, the most relevant bibliographical references used for the preparation of the research proposal should be provided. You should provide a list of personal bibliographic references as a part of the CV form.