Call 2021

Last year, the deadline of the call was extended owing to the unexpected declaration of the state of emergency in mid-March, which resulted in several unforeseeable obstacles and rearrangements. The unexpectedness of last year cannot be compared with this year’s situation. Like every year, the researchers interested in applying for the grant have had the chance to begin compiling the application already since the beginning of February when the application guidelines became available. Various restrictions imposed because the spread of the coronavirus have been in place for some time now. There is therefore no plan to extend the deadline of a month-long call, since it would jeopardise the high-quality evaluation of the applications and award of the grants on time. Depending on future developments, the Council will, if necessary, introduce additional changes regarding the application process and inform the researchers as well as the R&D institutions immediately.

Each year, the amount of the grants to be allocated depends on the grant amounts of the projects that are going to end and on the total grant budget. The money that is in circulation for research grants each year is the money that has been designated for this purpose in the state budget and this amount will only increase if additional funding will be provided. Therefore, the number of the new projects beginning next year depends on how large the grant amounts of the projects that will end are and on how much the size of the budget will change. In previous years, however, faster growth rates have been anticipated and the fact that the duration of one grant project is up to 5 years has not always been taken into account, i.e., the funding allocated during a single call will be locked away, so to speak, for five years. That is the reason behind the so-called ebb and flow of the research funding calls, in which calls with a very large budget (more than €18 million) alternate with calls with a very tight budget (even less than €4 million). This means that the amount of money in use for research grants is the same all the time (up until this year c. €42 million per year, since this year c. €45 million), but what makes the amounts allocated for new grants uneven is the fact that the grant amounts of the projects that end each year are different.

Example: The research funding call that took place the year before last had a very large budget (c. €18 million), since institutional research funding topics (IUT) and several personal research funding projects (PUT) ended. One could therefore assume that in all research fields many projects will receive funding. However, in the field of, e.g., Social Sciences, very few projects ended that year and the money in this field was locked away. The amount allocated for new projects in the field of Social Sciences was therefore very small. However, this did not mean that the funding of Social Sciences had been decreased, since the total grant amounts of ongoing and new projects remained the same.

Most of the additional funding for research and development (R&D) in the 2021 state budget (the long-awaited 1% of the GDP) is aimed at reforming doctoral studies and increasing the R&D budget of different ministries. Little less than €3 million of the additional funding was added to the budget for the research grants that are awarded by the Council. This sum was allocated in call 2020 to the projects which began in 2021, i.e., this money has now also been locked away in ongoing projects. Had there been no additional funding, the budget of the call that took place last year would have been smaller by almost €3 million. The budget of this year’s call depends on the grant budget for 2022 as well as on the grant amounts of the projects that will end this year. The Council expects that in 2022 the budget for research grants will remain at the same level as this year. It is therefore possible to allocate only as much money as will be released as a result of the projects ending in 2021 which, based on currently available information, is just over €6 million.

In 2021, it is not allowed to apply for the grant if you are the PI of a project funded by the Council, incl. the Mobilitas Pluss postdoctoral project that will continue in 2022.

Neither can the members of the senior research staff and other research staff of the projects that will continue in 2022 apply for the team grant. They can, however, apply for the postdoctoral or starting grant.

No, unless his/her participation periods do not coincide.

Yes, it is possible to include cooperation partners both from the private and public sector and both from Estonia and abroad.

The number of characters that can be used in the application is limited in order to provide equal treatment and a high-quality evaluation for all applications. The application form consists of several parts, each of which has a certain maximum number of characters that can be used. The maximum number of characters and the number of characters left is visible in each part of the application form in ETIS. NB! When copying and pasting text from various word processors to the application form, the number of characters could increase and it is therefore advisable to use the sample application form prepared by the Council as well as Microsoft Word as the word processor.

It is necessary to present the information regarding the applicant’s (in case of applying for the postdoctoral grant, the supervisor’s) previous research activities during the past 10 years (i.e., in case of call 2021, since 2011). If the applicant has been on pregnancy, maternity or parental leave, or in compulsory military service during the past 10 years, then the period is extended by the corresponding period in full years and is rounded up to the higher number of years.

Among the R&D results, it is also possible to show the articles that have not been published yet, but have been accepted by the publisher. In that case, the latest version of the accepted article together with the letter of confirmation from the publisher has to be added. The PDF files containing the full texts of the articles have to be uploaded, too. If the access to the articles is restricted, then the status can be selected in ETIS as “restricted”.

 NB! The manuscripts that have been accepted or the articles that have been published after the application has been submitted will not be taken into account.

The information regarding this part of the application can be found in the evaluation guidelines for the respective grant type (postdoctoral, starting, and team grant) on the website of the Council.

Administrative information related to the application (copies of diplomas, letters of confirmation, applications for making exceptions, etc.) can be added to the application form in ETIS under the tab “Additional information”.

 NB! The reviewers will not evaluate the files uploaded under the tab “Additional information”.

NB! If the additional materials do not meet the requirements, then the application will be sent back to the applicant for making corrections.

NEW! In call 2021, it will not be possible to submit an unchanged application. The reason behind that is that several significant changes have been introduced, including the following ones:

• The period that will be taken into account concerning the applicant’s previous research results has changed (the past ten years, including the period before obtaining the doctoral degree, will be taken into account in case of all applicants);
• The principles behind ranking the applications of equal standing have changed (the scientific expertise of the PI is now the first evaluation criterion that will be taken into account);
• The names of the grant amounts as well as the requirements for applying for the large grant amounts (III and IV) have changed (submission of a more detailed budget, requirements concerning the composition of the research team, etc.);
• The rating scale for the criterion of the grant amount has changed (instead of 0 or 1, the grade 0.5 has been added);
• In the field of Natural sciences, the applications will be processed in two separate Expert Panels (Exact sciences and Biological and Environmental Sciences).

NB! It will not be necessary to change the application that is based on the application that was approved partially last year and awarded the grant for one year in its entirety (if the applicant does not deem it necessary), but in case of applying for the large grant amounts (III and IV), the parts of the application that have changed due to the new requirements defintely have to be changed.The PIs of the projects that were awarded the grant for one year and are applying for the grant again will have to sumbit a brief overview on the results (if there are any) and the progress of the project to the Council in September. This overview will be taken into account when evaluating the criterion Importance for Estonia.

The same person cannot be listed in any other grant application in the same call, except when his/her participation periods in diferent projects do not coincide.

A researcher who has a doctoral degree and has received consent from a positively evaluated Estonian R&D institution can submit the grant application.

One can simultaneously apply for only one grant.

The applicants should first familiarise themselves with the principles of data management adopted by their institution and complete a data management course at their institution. The guidelines provided on the website of the University of Tartu Library are helpful for filling in the section for data management.

No, it is necessary to include only the workload that the PI and the member(s) of the senior research staff have at the institution according to their employment contract. During the implementation of the project the workload of the PI must be 1.0 except in justified cases with the approval of the Evaluation Committee. The minimum workload that the participants of the team project can have at the institution is 0.2 (one day per week). If applying for the team grant with the grant amount III or IV, then the research team has to include at least three members of the senior research research staff who are employed at the institution with the workload of at least 0.5. If applying for the starting grant with the grant amount III or IV, then the research team has to include at least one member of the senior research research staff who is employed at the institution with the workload of at least 0.2. The contribution of the PI and of the member(s) of the senior research staff has to be described in the application and it could be taken into account when evaluating the applications.

It is important to differentiate between dissemination that is aimed at the academic world (both within a particular discipline as well as among other disciplines) and at the public.

The need for disseminating the results of research projects is related to the expectations of the state and the society, aiming to make the research funded with public money more transparent and raise public awareness. Different mediums can be used for disseminating research findings outside academia – social media, websites, newspaper and magazine articles, books and textbooks, public appearances, and audiovisual aids. The dissemination of research findings helps people understand how research can have a positive impact on their life and on the society as a whole. It also encourages the creation of new forms of cooperation with other researchers and with enterprises and demonstrates the importance of high-quality research to decision-making and funding bodies.

NB! Please think about and describe how and to which target groups the research will be disseminated during the entire period of the project already in the application as well as if and which costs will accompany the dissemination activities.

The only files that can be attached to the justification part of the application in ETIS are as follows:

1) the list of references used in the justification part of the application;
2) figures illustrating the relevant issues in the justification;
3) timetable of the project (e.g., Gantt chart);
4) risk assessment and mitigation plan.

The materials added to the justification part of the application will also be examined by the reviewers and therefore only PDF files can be added (and not, e.g., DigiDoc files).

NB! If the additional materials do not meet the requirements, then the application will be sent back to the applicant for making corrections.

NB! The additional files attached to the justification part of the application cannot contain descriptive or explanatory text (e.g., the research methods have to be described in the main part of the application, not in its annex).

The applications are processed and the ranking lists compiled in the Expert Panels which represent seven R&D (sub-)fields in accordance with the categorisation of the OECD Frascati Manual (2015) classification of research and development (R&D) fields. Depending on field-specific differences, the number of the applications, etc., there could be one or several Expert Panels in one field. The funding decisions will be made in seven fields:

1. Natural sciences
   • Exact sciences
   • Biological and environmental sciences
2. Engineering and technology
3. Medical and health sciences
4. Agricultural and veterinary sciences
5. Social sciences
6. Humanities and the arts

The research field(s) under which the application belongs has/have to be listed in the application. It is also possible to list different (sub-)fields and show their percentages as well as to choose the preferred Expert Panel. However, the Evaluation Committee may decide which Expert Panel should process which application, i.e., the preference chosen in the application may not be taken into account.

Yes, he/she can apply.

No, he/she does not. By submitting the application, the applicant and the institution confirm that if the application will be approved, the institution will enter into a full-time employment contract with the applicant for the project period.

In starting and team grant applications, students and skilled specialists (laboratory technicians, assistants, engineers, technicians, etc.) whose participation is essential for the implementation of the project can be included as the other staff members. It is not possible to include people with a doctoral degree and in the case of a starting grant also doctoral students as other members of the research staff.

The application has to be filled in in English, because the applications are evaluated by international expert panels.

The CVs of the applicant and of the member(s) of the senior research staff provide additional information for the experts evaluating the applications (e.g., information regarding previous research experience, a full list of publications, etc.). It is therefore very important that the ETIS CVs of the applicant and of the members of the senior research staff that are attached to the application are correct and up-to-date, so that it would be possible to evaluate their qualifications against their role and tasks described in the application. The ETIS CVs that have not been updated may have a negative impact on the assessment of the application.

The data management plan contains a detailed description of the data created during the project, and the processing, collection, storage of data. The PI of the funded project submits a data management plan approved by the institution within the first six months of the project. You can choose the form of the data management plan yourself. You can use the form on the ETAG website.

Before the submission deadline (31st March 2025 at 17:00 Estonian time), it is, in justified cases, possible to send the application back for corrections if requested so by the applicant. After the submission deadline the application is considered to have been submitted and it will not be possible to make any content-related changes, corrections, or additions. Before the reviewing process begins, the technical details (compliance with formal requirements, obvious factual errors, e.g., incorrect year, etc.) will be checked by the ETAG, during which the ETAG may send the application back to the applicant for making amendments.

NB! One is allowed to make only these changes that the ETAG has drawn attention to. In case other additions or corrections become evident or if the changes have not been made by the deadline, the ETAG is entitled to reject the application.

Since call 2020, there are two types of thresholds: the qualification threshold and quality threshold.

The qualification threshold on the nine-point differentiated rating scale (grades 1–5) is 3 (good) and on the three-point differentiated rating scale (grades 0-1), the qualification threshold is 0.5 (partially appropriate).

The quality threshold is the minimum final score of the application that is formed by the grades of the evaluation criteria. The information, incl. the field-specific quality thresholds, can be found in the evaluation guidelines for the respective grant type (postdoctoral, starting, and team grant) on the website of the Council.

NB! If you have applied for the same grant type before from the Council and you are not certain whether this application passed the threshold or not, please contact the Council beforehand in order to make sure that you are eligible to apply in this call.

The overall goal is to find the most suitable and professionally most qualified reviewers for each application. The members of the Evaluation Committee and the field-specific Expert Panels are the ones who suggest suitable reviewers. The applicant can also mention suitable as well as unsuitable reviewers in the application. If the applicant considers some reviewers unsuitable, e.g., due to a conflict of interest, then it is necessary to justify that. The Council will check the potential conflict of interest between each reviewer and application.

It is not possible to answer that question, since the Council does not divide applicants into “Estonian” and “foreign”. Research is nowadays international per se and therefore all capable researches can apply and can be awarded the grant regardless of their citizenship, nationality, religious or ethnical background, etc. The Estonian research community (that means researchers working in Estonia) is quite international and we are happy about that. Therefore, all researchers who are working in Estonia or are about to work in Estonia are considered as Estonian researchers.

The reviews, the final evaluation, and the position of the applicant in the ranking list will be made available in the first half of November 2021, after which the applicant and the institution are entitled to submit a written joint opinion regarding the proposal within the time limit (approximately two weeks) established by the Council. The funding decisions will be made available by the end of 2021. After that, the Management of the Council will sign a directive to approve or not to approve an application.

The grant applications are visible in ETIS only to a very limited number of people. In order to process the applications, authorised employees working at the Council and at the R&D institutions have access to the applications. In order to evaluate the applications, the members of the Evaluation Committee, members of the field-specific Expert Panels, and the reviewers have access to the applications. All the aforementioned people have to sign an authorisation agreement, the integral part of which is the declaration confirming confidentiality and the absence of any conflict of interest.

NB! The people evaluating the applications will not gain access to the applications before signing the declaration. If someone has declared a conflict of interest or the conflict of interest with one or more applications has become evident, then no access to this/these application(s) will be granted in ETIS, i.e., this person will neither be able see the application, the additional materials attached to it, nor the evaluation results.

NB! In case of reasonable doubt concerning the conflict of interest or breach of confidentiality, the applicant shall inform the Council immediately.

No, this has not been determined beforehand. Separate field-specific ranking lists will be compiled for the different grant types (postdoctoral, starting, and team grant). When compiling the budget, one has to pay attention to that the grant amount applied for is justified and realistic for achieving the objectives of the project, and that all the requirements for applying for this grant amount have been met. If the grant amount applied for will be evaluated as being inadequately justified, then this could result in the application remaining below the funding threshold.

 NB! Please familiarise yourself with the principles behind compiling the ranking lists and ranking the applications of equal standing that have been described in the evaluation guidelines available on the website of the Council.

It is important to justify the amount of the estimated staff costs (why is it necessary to involve this particular number of senior or other members of the research staff, i.e., to what extent will their salary or scholarship be covered by the grant and what are their roles and tasks, incl. the role of the students involved in the project, etc.) and the amount of research costs, incl., the costs for conducting the experiments. It is also necessary to objectively justify why one is applying for this particular grant amount (I-IV in case of starting and team grants, and I-II in case of postdoctoral grants).

In order to calculate the direct costs better, a special budget tool is available both on the website of the Council as well as in the upper right-hand corner of the application form in ETIS. Based on the average annual budget that is calculated in the table (by summing up the annual costs and dividing this sum with the number of the years) and in accordance with the budget guidelines, the most suitable fixed grant amount has to be added to the application.

In case of applying for the grant amounts I and II, adding the XLSX file of the budget tool to the application is only optional. In case of applying for the grant amounts III and IV, it is obligatory to add a detailed calculation of the budget to the application form in ETIS, i.e., the filled-in XLSX file in English.

In the budget table, the names of the participants of the project have to be mentioned. The salary for the members of the research staff can either be provided so that their names have been listed separately (e.g., in year x, the salary for the member of the senior research staff y will be covered by the grant in the extent of 80% in the sum X, etc.) or so that the salary for the participants have been grouped together (members of the senior research staff, other members of the research staff (academic and non-academic staff), other members of the research staff (students), e.g., the annual salary (incl. taxes) for the three members of the senior research staff X, Y, and Z all together is the sum x. In any case, it is necessary to mention to what extent the salary for each of the participants of the project will be covered by the grant.

The staff costs of the postdoctoral grant can be used for the salary of the postdoctoral fellow.

In case of starting grants, the PI and the member(s) of the senior research staff have to be fully or partially remunerated from the grant.

In case of starting grants with the amounts III and IV, the salary of at least one member of the senior research staff has to be covered by the grant to the extent of at least 50%.

In case of team grants, it is obligatory that the member(s) of the senior research staff are fully or partially remunerated from the grant. In case of grant amounts III and IV, the salary of at least three members of the senior research staff has to be covered by the grant to the extent of at least 50%.

No, the justification for and the elaboration on the grant amount (direct costs) will be evaluated on the basis of the objectives of the project as well as on the methods and/or specifics of the research field. If the budget has not been justified well enough, then it will have an impact on the score of the application, which could mean that, since the competition is tough, the application will not be approved.

Yes, the applicants of starting and team grants have the right to request a smaller amount than the fixed grant amount, but the amount has to be rounded up to a whole number.

In call 2021, the date of obtaining the first doctoral degree or equivalent qualification in the research field in which the application is to be processed cannot be earlier than 1 January 2016. The date of obtaining the doctoral degree or equivalent qualification is the date in the respective document issued by the awarding body.

If the applicant has been on pregnancy, maternity or parental leave, or in compulsory military service after obtaining his/her first doctoral degree or equivalent qualification, the period of qualification is extended by the corresponding period in full months and is rounded up to the higher number of months.

The applicant who does not have a doctoral degree or equivalent qualification at the time of submitting the application may submit the application, provided that the applicant will obtain the doctoral degree or equivalent qualification before 1 January of the year the project is scheduled to begin.

NEW! If the applicant does not have a doctoral degree at the time of submitting the application, then the time when the doctoral degree is expected to be obtained has to be specified in the application. It is advisable to contact the Council in order to make sure that you are eligible to apply in this call. It will not be necessary to submit an application for making an exception.

If the topics of the postdoctoral project coincide, then the applicant has to choose one of them. The same project cannot be financed from different sources.

Even if the Evaluation Committee has made the preliminary funding proposal, then until the directive of the Council to award the grant has been signed, this is at the applicant’s own risk. The start date of the postdoctoral project can be postponed, but the projects that have received funding in call 2021 have to begin no later than on 1 July 2022. In justified cases, it is possible to request a later start date of the project, but in this case the end date of the project will not be extended and the allocated grant amount will be smaller according to the number of the months passed. The start date of the postdoctoral project is the first day of the month and the end date is the last day of the month.

The postdoctoral fellow can neither be the PI or the member of the (senior) research staff of another research project funded by the Council. When it comes to receiving additional funding from other sources, then the Council does not impose any restrictions in this respect.

The institution is an Estonian R&D institution that will enter into an employment contract with the postdoctoral fellow. The collaborating institution is the foreign R&D institution where the project will be carried out. The grant will be allocated to the Estonian institution (not to the collaborating institution).

No, the applicant who has been awarded the doctoral degree by an Estonian R&D institution cannot apply for the postdoctoral grant to carry out the project in Estonia. If the applicant wishes to implement the postdoctoral project partially in Estonia, then it has to be highlighted in the application and its necessity has to be justified. It is also necessary to clearly indicate the time period(s) of staying in Estonia as well as the activities undertaken in Estonia (e.g., in the Gantt chart). In justified exceptional cases it is possible to implement the project in Estonia only partially, but no more than up to a limit of 50%.

Yes, they can.

The letter of confirmation has to be addressed to the Council. It has to contain a confirmation by the collaborating institution and by the postdoctoral supervisor that:

• the supervisor is familiar with the topic and with the period of the postdoctoral project and is willing to supervise the postdoctoral fellow on this topic and during this period;
• the supervisor and the collaborating institution are aware that the postdoctoral fellow will implement the project (at least partially) in the country where the collaborating institution is situated;
• if the application will be approved, the postdoctoral fellow will have a place of work, necessary equipment, and access to the necessary information and research infrastructure.

It is also advisable to add a short description of the planned tasks that the postdoctoral fellow will undertake at the collaborating institution.

The letter should be signed by the supervisor and/or by an authorised representative of the collaborating institution.

When describing the development of the research career of the postdoctoral fellow, it should be considered if the project includes the following aspects:

• gaining experiences through new methods and methodology, and working with new instruments;
• participating in seminars and (training) courses at the collaborating institution;
• transferable skills, incl. compiling a project or patent application, leading a project or a research team, supervising students, public speaking, entrepreneurship, etc.

Yes, in justified cases (e.g., in case of an interdisciplinary project) the postdoctoral fellow can have more than one supervisor. The CV of the co-supervisor(s) can be added as a separate file under the tab “Additional information”. The co-supervisor(s) will not be evaluated.

Yes, it is possible to use some of the grant money for remunerating the supervisor. In addition to remunerating the supervisor, the collaborating institution may also ask the postdoctoral fellow to reimburse other costs. The applicant should find out which costs (e.g., bench fee) the collaborating institution expects him/her to cover as soon as possible. The ways for covering these costs have to be arranged with the (Estonian) institution beforehand.

In 2021, researchers who have obtained the doctoral degree between 1 January 2015 and 1 January 2020 are eligible to apply. The date of obtaining the doctoral degree or equivalent qualification is the date in the respective document issued by the awarding body.

If the applicant has been on pregnancy, maternity or parental leave, or in compulsory military service after obtaining his/her first doctoral degree or equivalent qualification, the period of qualification is extended by the corresponding period in full months and is rounded up to the higher number of months.

The length of the period of the research experience acquired in a foreign country is not unequivocally defined. The requirement of having conducted postdoctoral research and/or having acquired research experience in a foreign country in order to apply for the starting grant stems from the need to assess the sufficiency of the international research experience of the applicant. Generally, one year may be considered the minimum length of the postdoctoral research period or equivalent research experience in a foreign country. The information, incl. the time period(s), regarding postdoctoral research and/or the research experience acquired in a foreign country has to be included in the applicant’s ETIS CV.

Yes, the applicant of the starting grant needs to have aquired research experience in a foreign country after obtaining his/her doctoral degree (e.g., postdoctoral studies). The periods one has been abroad during the doctoral studies will not be taken into account.

In 2021, a person cannot apply for the team grant if he/she is the PI or the member of the senior research staff of a research project funded by the Council that will continue in 2022 or last longer than that.

If there is a wish to include students who will obtain their doctoral degree in the future, then they have to be listed as the members of the other research staff in the the application. It is also possible to explain that they will be involved in the project as the members of the senior research staff once they have received their doctoral degrees.

The researchers who work at other Estonian R&D institutions may also participate as the members of the (senior) research staff. Their remuneration and the research costs of the project shall be agreed upon between the PI, the institution, and the institution(s) where the members of the (senior) research staff are employed.

If the relevant licences have been obtained by the application deadline, then they should be attached to the application. In other cases, the licences have to be submitted no later than prior to the beginning of the respective research. If the licence from the specific ethics committee has not been submitted prior to the beginning of the respective research, then the Council is entitled to revoke the decision of approving the application and terminate the grant contract.

It means that the applicants are required to consider and describe all ethical issues involved in the proposed project. The applicants have to consider the ethical risks of any procedure involving human participation, the collection and use of personal data, and animal testing. The description of the principles of research ethics must specify how the principles of voluntary participation, informed consent, confidentiality, and anonymity of the subjects will be followed as well as how such data will be stored and protected. More specific information can be found in the document “Guidelines for Completing Your Ethics Self-Assessment for Application of Personal Research Funding”.

The use of the research methods that require a review or approval from a specific ethics committee should also be clearly indicated in the application. If the project necessitates compliance with the Nagoya Protocol, the applicant has to mention whether he/she already has or has to obtain the due diligence declaration.

If no ethical issues discussed in the document “Guidelines for Completing Your Ethics Self-Assessment for Application of Personal Research Funding” arise during the implementation of the project, then this, too, has to be explained in the application.

The Nagoya Protocol is a convention on biological diversity aimed at sharing the benefits arising from the access to and utilisation of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way.

Guidance document on the scope of application and core obligations of Regulation (EU) No 511/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the compliance measures for users from the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation in the Union was adopted on December 14, 2020.  Overview of conditions for applicability of the EU ABS regulation can be found in Annex 1.  Specific guidance on the concept of utilisation is presented in Annex 2.

It is important to be certain if the project necessitates compliance with the Nagoya Protocol before submitting the application. If human genetic resources will be used, then the Nagoya Protocol does not apply to the project. If it becomes apparent that the planned R&D activities are related to genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge and therefore necessitate compliance with the Nagoya Protocol, then it will be necessary to declare the due diligence declaration in the international database DECLARE. If such a project is funded, then the due diligence declaration has to be submitted to the Council in the final report at the latest. The due diligence declaration is necessary for gaining access to genetic resources. Should you wish to discuss whether your research and research objects necessitate compliance with the Nagoya Protocol, please contact a Research Funding Officer working at the Council or a contact person working at the Ministry of the Environment before submitting the application.

The PI of the team project may, in exceptional cases, have a less than a full-time employment contract at the institution. Changing the workload of the PI has to be agreed upon with the Council before submitting the request, which has to be confirmed by the institution, to the Council. What should be taken into consideration is that the Council may decide to continue funding the project at a lower rate if the workload of the PI has reduced.

The PI of the starting project may have a less than a full-time employment contract at the institution if he/she simultaneously works part-time for another employer in Estonia to achieve the objectives of the project (e.g., working simultaneously as a healthcare practitioner).

The PI of the starting project cannot be replaced. In justified cases, it is possible to request the replacement of the PI of the team project with a member of the senior research staff of the project. In order to do that, the PI and the institution have to submit a well-reasoned request to the Council.

Grant projects can be temporarily suspended upon receiving a justified request from the PI, which has also been confirmed by the institution. The request has to be submitted to the Management of the Council prior to the beginning of the suspension period (the start date and the expected end date in full months). It is not possible to suspend the project retrospectively. The PI can request the temporary suspension of the project in case of pregnancy, maternity or parental leave, compulsory military service, or in case of other exceptional circumstances for up to three years. The grant contract will be suspended for the temporary suspension period of the project.

Projekti vältel on üldjuhul võimalik taotleda üksnes grandi mahu vähendamist. Näiteks saab suure mahuga stardigrandi projektijuht taotleda grandi jätkamist väikse stardigrandi mahus, kui kaob vajadus (põhi)täitjate kaasamiseks vms. Samuti võib ETAG teha ettepaneku projekti jätkamiseks vähendatud grandimahuga, kui suure grandimahu tingimused ei ole täidetud. Ainsa erandina on võimalik taotleda grandimahu suurendamist juhul, kui taotleja soovi alusel eraldati talle esimesel aastal fikseeritud grandimahust väiksem summa. Sellisel juhul on tal võimalus järgmis(t)el aasta(te)l põhjendatud juhtudel taotleda grandi suurendamist tema projekti fikseeritud grandimahuni.

Yes, it can. The activities and direct costs of the project are to be described in the application for the first year of the project, but the distribution of the direct costs may change from year to year. The ratio of direct costs may be changed up to 20% (of the annual grant sum) without making a contractual amendment. If the changes exceed that, then the changes must first be agreed upon with the Council. The budget allocations may be transferred from one year’s budget to another year if this is in accordance with the accounting regulations of the institution.