Call 2020

Application guidelines

Evaluation guidelines

Application form template

Application guidelines

Evaluation guidelines

Application form template

Application guidelines

Evaluation guidelines

Application form template

Budget guidelines for PJG, PSG and PRG

Budget tool: starting grant and team grant

Guidelines for Completing Your Ethics Self-Assessment for Grant Application

The recommended form for the data management plan

Guidelines regarding bibliometric background information

Information days on call for grant applications

The information days on the grant application process in 2020 took place:

In Tartu: 17 February at 10:00-12:00 (in Estonian) and at 13:00-15:00 (in English) at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Tartu (Jakobi 2-226).

In Tallinn: 19 February at 10:15-12:00 (in Estonian) and at 13:00-14:30 (in English) at the Estonian Academy of Sciences Hall (Kohtu 6).

The slide presentation of the information days in English can be found here.

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.

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 arise during the implementation of the project, then this, too, has to be explained in the application. In order to assess the various potential aspects of research ethics in the proposed project, it is advisable to take the relevant guidelines into account. The ethics guidelines can be found on the webpage of the Council.

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. 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.

If the corresponding approvals have been obtained by the application deadline, they are valid during the period of the project, and they have been issued to the Principal Investigator (PI) or to the members of the senior research staff, then the approvals should be attached to the application. In other cases, the approvals must be submitted no later than before the beginning of human and animal experiments. If the licence from a human ethics or bioethics research committee has not been submitted prior to the beginning of human or animal experiments, the Council is entitled to revoke the decision of approving the application and terminate the grant contract.

The data management plan consists of a detailed description on the creation, management, collection, and preservation of data. The PI of a funded project has to submit the data management plan during the first six months of the project. It is advisable to use the form which can be found on the webpage of the Council

The postdoctoral fellow and the PI of a start-up or team project must have a full-time employment contract at the institution and (excl. postdoctoral fellow) a place of work in Estonia. Otherwise, the Council may terminate the grant contract.

The PI of a start-up or team project may, in justified cases, have a less than a full-time employment contract at the institution. In such cases, the PI and the institution have to submit a well-reasoned request to the Council. Making an exception is decided by the Council separately in each case.

The postdoctoral fellow and the PI of a start-up project cannot be replaced. In justified cases, it is possible to request the replacement of the PI of a team project. In order to do that, the PI and the institution have to submit a joint well-reasoned request to the Council.

Grant projects, incl. postdoctoral projects, can be temporarily suspended only upon receiving a justified request from the PI and the institution that has to be submitted to the Board of the Council prior to the beginning of the suspension period. The PI can request a temporary suspension of the project in case of pregnancy, maternity or parental leave, compulsory military service, or other exceptional circumstances for up to three years. The grant contract will be suspended for the temporary suspension period of the project.

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 to promote public awareness. Different mediums can be used for disseminating research findings – social media, websites, newspaper and magazine articles, books and textbooks, public speaking, 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.

It is possible to request a smaller amount during the period of the project. For example, the PI who has been awarded a large star-up grant can request the continue receiving funding in the amount of a small start-up grant, e.g., when it is no longer necessary to involve the members of the senior or other research staff, etc. If a project has been awarded a small grant, it is not possible to request a large grant during the next year(s). The Council will not change the amount of the grant during the period of the project, but can decide to terminate the grant contract if the justifications to continue funding are not sufficient (e.g., there are no explanations about why it is necessary to still receive a large grant, although the number of the members of the senior research staff has significantly decreased).In addition to that, grants that are, upon the request of the applicant, smaller than the fixed amount during the first year, can, if so requested, later increase up to the largest fixed amount of this grant type.

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 (except in the postdoctoral grant application), but the distribution of the direct costs may change from year to year. The ratio of direct costs may be changed up to 20% without making a contractual amendment. If the changes exceed that, 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 book-keeping regulations of the institution.

The staff costs of a postdoctoral grant can be used only for the salary of the postdoctoral fellow. In case of start-up grants, the PI and the members of the senior research staff have to be fully or partially remunerated from the grant. In case of team grants, only the members of the senior research staff have to be fully or partially remunerated from the grant.

The postdoctoral fellow can neither be the PI or a member of the senior research staff of another PUT project. Receiving additional funding from other sources is a question of negotiation and agreement between the postdoctoral fellow and the institution(s). Neither the “Conditions and Procedure for Postdoctoral Grants” nor the grant contract between the postdoctoral fellow, the institution, and the Council impose any restrictions in this respect.

Yes, in justified cases (e.g., in case of an interdisciplinary project) a 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 CVs of the co-supervisor(s) will not be evaluated!

There is no separate budget line for scholarships in the budget of start-up grants, but these are included among staff costs. Scholarships can therefore be paid from the staff costs intended for this project. The Council does not set any rates for scholarships; these are set by the institution according to law.

One person cannot receive both a salary and a scholarship for the same work. Scholarships cannot be paid for assignments listed in one’s employment contract/job description.

There is no separate budget line for scholarships in the budget of team grants, but these are included among staff costs. The Council does not set any rates for scholarships; these are set by the institution according to law.

One person cannot receive both a salary and a scholarship for the same work. Scholarships cannot be paid for assignments listed in one’s employment contract/job description.