CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment) Boost Cascade Funding Programme – 1st Open Call
Programme Category
Programme Name
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
CoARA Boost’s first cascade funding call facilitates institutional change and targets pilot and exchange-of-knowledge initiatives. It will fund +20 projects facilitating knowledge-exchange, piloting new initiatives within institutions, and enabling lasting institutional change. As such, it encourages and supports research organisations to investigate and test what will efficiently work ‘in real life’.
Detailed Call Description
Τhe first call aims to:
- Facilitate the exchange, transfer and adaptation of proven good practices and their adoption in research organisations.
- Catalyse the set-up or transformation of research assessment practices and tools in line with the commitments of the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment.
- Support the development and testing of new and innovative research assessment approaches, models and procedures.
Projects can be proposed by any of the organisation types specified below through a cascading grant mechanism. By the end of the programme, it is expected to have a diverse portfolio of projects available that will translate the shared vision outlined in the Agreement into tangible, lasting institutional changes in research assessment practices.
The CoARA Boost cascading grants are a tool for organisations to implement the 10 commitments that are enshrined in the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (ARRA) and facilitate institutional change in the context of research assessment.
The activities eligible for support must demonstrate the commitment to a systemic change with medium-term or long-term trajectories and impact. The grants will support organisations to develop, pilot and implement, assessment criteria, tools and processes; while avoiding contradictions across assessment systems, types and purposes, through continuous dialogue. There is room for diverse starting points and approaches.
As part of the 1st call, three types of projects will be supported. These reflect different stages of an institution’s reform journey, namely:
- knowledge exchange (teaming projects): facilitate the transfer and adaptation of experience and practices from a more advanced/experienced organisation to one or more less experienced ones.
- piloting (institutional pilot projects): offer an opportunity for institutions to experiment with and evaluate new assessment approaches, procedures, frameworks, and tools in the context of a clearly defined initiative (such as a pilot competitive call in a university or the development of a concept)
- paving the way for a lasting change (institutional change projects): provide the means to accelerate change in procedures and process in an organisation.
In case of technical questions concerning the submission platform SmartSimple (operated by ESF) please reach out to: esf-panels@esf.org
An online information session for interested parties will be organised on the 3rd of June 2024, 14h00 (Brussels time). Registration form will be available soon.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
Proposals may be funded up to €30.000 – €60.000 each.
After the signature of the Sub Grant Agreement by both Parties (ESF and successful applicants), the successful applicants will receive 70% of the total Project budget, depending on the type of Project:
- For the teaming projects: the maximum grant amount is €40.000 (in total for all the organisations taking part in the teaming project). The maximum project duration is 12 months.
- For the institutional pilot projects: the maximum grant amount is €30.000. The maximum project duration is 12 months.
- For the institutional change projects: the maximum grant amount is €60.000. The maximum project duration is 12 months.
The 30% remaining budget will be distributed once the Final report has been sent to the Secretariat.
Approximately 20-25 projects are expected to be funded in the first round.
Except for the teaming projects, the cascade funding program is designed for mono beneficiaries (i.e., one organisation per application).
In the case of teaming calls, co-applications from maximum 3 organisations are welcome.
Thematic Categories
- Education and training
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Eligibility for Participation
- Educational Institutions
- Local Authorities
- NGOs
- Non Profit Organisations
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- Semi-governmental organisations
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
The primary targets of the CoARA Boost Cascade Funding Programme are legal entities of the following types:
- Academies, learned societies that implement some form of research assessment;
- National/regional authorities or agencies that implement some form of research assessment;
- Public or private research funding organisations;
- Research centres, research infrastructures;
- Universities;
- Other relevant non-for-profit organisations that implement some form of research assessment.
Applications from faculties of universities are also eligible. However, the university needs to be formally the applicant.
A maximum of one application per organisation is allowed for all calls.
Beneficiaries of the CoARA Boost project are not eligible to participate in the call. In the case of beneficiaries that are umbrella organisations, their member organisations are eligible. Nominating organisations of the CoARA Steering Board members are also eligible, as the Steering Board does not directly participate in the evaluation of the proposals. The Steering Board will not have any role in both the evaluation and selection of winning applications.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
EU Contact Point
Any questions regarding the call can be directed to the CoARA Secretariat: funding@coara.org