SoMoPro - How to sign up

6th call for proposals under the SoMoPro Programme - Autumn 2016

WHO CAN APPLY AND HOW:

Foreign and Czech scientists with doctoral degree or at least 4 years of research experience (full time equivalent) after obtaining an education that allows them to access doctoral programmes.

Researchers who have not resided or carried out their activities in the Czech Republic for more than 12 months over the last 3 years. For scientists after a career break, we offer a special condition – they can enroll into the program if they have not lived and worked in the Czech Republic for more than 3 years in the last 5 years and at the same time have not been active in research for at least 12 months immediately prior to the deadline for submission of proposals.

Applicant submits only one project proposal in cooperation with the host institution from the South Moravian Region - see an overview of Host Institutions.

OTHER CONDITIONS:

Supported research domains are defined by the regional Smart Specialisation Strategy of the South Moravian region.
The duration of the fellowship must be at least 12 months and at most 36 months. The projects supported in the 6th Call may start as soon as March 2017 and end on 31 May 2020 at the latest.

6TH CALL TIMETABLE:

call publication: 1st September 2016
proposal registration: between 1^st October and 30^th November 2016
eligibility check: December 2016
peer review: from January till February 2017
evaluation results announcement: March 2017
negotiations of the grant agreements: from March till May 2017

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:

Call for Proposals - Call for proposals under SoMoPro 3
SoMoPro in a Nutshell - provides essential information about the programme
Guide for Applicants - contains all the criteria, instructions and requirements for submitting a project proposal
Application Template (Word) - the template includes a brief explanation on how to fill out the application correctly
Grant Agreement Template - a model agreement between the host institution and The Regional Authority of the South Moravian Region (programme coordinator)
Guide for Beneficiaries - guidelines for grant beneficiaries

SEMINAR FOR APPLICANTS:

We have organised an information seminar for SoMoPro applicants on 3^rd and 12^th October 2016. You can download the video from seminar HERE.The presentation is available HERE.

Several frequently asked questions and answers:

What does it mean “permanent contract”?

It is an open-ended contract. It means that it is a contract for a particular period (e.g. 3 years), not a permanent contract.

I need an extra part-time employment along with SoMoPro full-time contract. Is it possible?

Yes, it is possible from SoMoPro programme point of view but you have to report this fact in the project proposal with an adequate explanation.
At the same time you need to check at your host institution if it is possible and for what time they enable you this additional part-time contract.

What if I do not manage to obtain the ethical clearance within the deadline 30th November 2016?

It is possible to provide the ethical clearance additionally after the deadline, however an explanation must be provided in the project proposal with an expected date and if it is possible provide a copy of the request as well.

Does the number of team members in the host /partner institution include all the staff members related to the project?

The number of team members should include only research workers who would directly participate in the proposed project. Therefore only the number of key team members should be stated without auxiliary staff.

STEERING COMMITTEE:

Steering Committee is an advisory body of SoMoPro programme and its task is to ensure scientific quality of the programme. It is responsible in particular for monitoring and approval of the evaluation and selection process. Steering Committee members participate also on annual monitoring of the assigned reports of the supported projects.

Statutes of the Steering Committee to download.

STEERING COMITTEE MEMBERS:

Dr. Tanja Pettersen - Advanced Materials
Ing. František Matúš, CSc. - Information and Communication Technologies
prof. RNDr. Tomáš Opatrný, Dr. - Electronics and Photonics
Dr. Irene Fassi - Advanced Manufacturing Technologies
Doc. RNDr. Ladislav Burýšek, Ph.D. - Biotechnology and Biomedicine

Thematic RESEARCH priorities

Download Thematic research priorities.

Research domains and RESEARCH topics

Material Research

Novel materials (esp. metallic, polymeric, composite, ceramic and other advanced materials) and applications resistant to extreme conditions, corrosion, incl. materials leading to lower environmental impact, lower energy usage (e.g. lower weight), and re-usability;
Biomaterials and materials for environmental and medical applications, incl. implant-tissue interaction;
Non-destructive testing of materials and structures;
Nanomaterials and self-organisation of structures;
Safety and potential environmental and human risks of new materials;
Material fatigue, friction, wear and creep, modelling of material properties and their boundary conditions;
Surfaces and coating technologies, surface interactions, incl. heat protection and resistance.

Information and Communication Technologies

Data and network security, safety of critical infrastructures, cryptography; social dimension of cybersecurity;
Database systems and applications, advanced algorithms, data mining, especially for security and defence;
Big data and analytics, incl. bioinformatics;
Advanced mathematical modelling;
Artificial intelligence and cognition (content and semantics, learning in ontological networks, speech processing);
Computer architecture and networks;
Multimedia, video and application for creative industries (e.g. gaming).

Electronics and Photonics

Advanced and secure communication (radio, wireless, microwave, remote control) and data transmission;
Navigation and geolocation systems, including radars, satellite and pilot-free technologies;
Digital signal processing, incl. biomedical signals;
Power electronics, solid state electronics for conversion and control of electric power, incl. data transmission for energy distribution;
Smart grid and smart metering;
Sensors (incl. biosensors) and sensor networks, esp. low cost sensors;
Measuring techniques and systems, incl. bio-based technologies;
Novel approaches in research of charged particles and photonic systems, incl. correlative microscopy solutions;
Image analysis, processing and visualisation, incl. multimodal and integrated systems of image analysis;
Novel methods and applications in light and particle optics and imaging (esp. in cell imaging and imaging in fields bridging research in biological and nanotechnological fields);
Biomedical engineering, sensors for medical and environmental applications, including wearables and monitoring of health and life functions;
Integration of electronics with biological tissues, advanced biomaterials-based and bio-compatible electronics.

Advanced Manufacturing Technologies

Materials and technologies for additive and green manufacturing, integration of conventional (subtractive) and additive technologies;
Digital manufacturing (modelling, simulation, visualisation, automation and process control, big data analytics for manufacturing);
Virtual prototyping, modelling, testing and predicting properties of materials and systems (incl. conductivity, insulation, electric current isolation, heat-resistance, thermal stability, magnetic properties, hardness, vibration resistance, safety);
Robotics, brain and cognition, cybernetics, agent systems, emergent behaviour, cyber-physical objects, adaptive systems, human-machine interaction;
Technologies for efficient energy production, distribution and management; integrated energy solutions;
Novel approaches and applications of environmental technologies and engineering, esp. in water and waste processing and material re-use;
Bionics and bio-inspired approaches in engineering.

Biotechnology and Biomedicine

New biotechnologies for medicine, life quality and environmental enhancement;
Eukaryotic cell biology and biophysics, molecular regulatory mechanisms of ageing, disease development and cell transformation;
Multiple (genetic, life style, environmental, socio economic, psychological) aspects of aging and development of diseases, assistive technologies for ageing;
Structural biology and application of novel analytical methods, esp. cryo-electron microscopy;
Genome editing and protein engineering for future medical and diagnostic applications;
Clinically relevant biomarkers, improved and more reliable diagnostic and therapeutic tools, incl. improvements in automation of diagnostic methods and personalized medicine;
New disease-related pharmacological targets, molecular mechanism of disease, genome instability and disease and identification of new diseases biomarkers;
Stem cells and regenerative medicine;
Applied research in public health and health data management;
Interdisciplinary clinical research in cardiology, oncology and neurology leading to extended healthy years;
Bioinformatics linked to novel genomic and proteomic technologies, incl. standards and data pooling.