CROSS-DISCIPLINARY PROJECTS (CDP)

Call for projects –  2023

15th July summary template - AAP CDP TEMPLATE - FAQ - Evaluation grid 

29th June - 17:00 -  Informational webinar : https://univ-lille-fr.zoom.us/j/95496792782

The University of Lille has chosen to place the challenges of contemporary transitions (societal, economic, technological, ecological, etc.) at the heart of its scientific strategy. To meet these challenges, it is organising its activities around 4 hubs, thematic centres of excellence that closely combine research, education and innovation:

- Precision health

- Science for a changing planet

- The digital world at the service of people

- Changing cultures, societies and practices

The University of Lille Excellence Initiative is launching a call for projects (CDP) aimed at exploiting the interdisciplinary vocation (*) of the hubs to meet the challenges of transitions. These interdisciplinary projects, known as Cross-Disciplinary Projects (CDP), will help to raise the profile and influence of the University of Lille and consolidate its position as a player at the service of society. These emblematic projects will also help to increase the attractiveness of the University of Lille, both for lecturers and researchers and for students, who will see them as a source of meaning for their training. For this last reason, the CPDs will closely combine research and training. Lastly, these projects could be a source of visibility for the general public, as well as for local authorities and socio-economic partners.

The priority criteria are as follows:

-          The CDP should strengthen Lille's reputation in the field of transitions and the visibility of the hubs of the Initiative of Excellence, and to this end it should be clearly positioned in relation to research carried out in the field on a national and international scale.

-          The CDP will need to have a structuring dimension for the site, and to achieve this it will need to involve a team that brings together the skills required for the project's success. The size of this group may vary, but it should be large enough to provide real added value compared with traditional research projects (such as the ANR). External partners may be involved, but without funding, and their participation must be justified by a specific contribution to the project.

-          Particular attention will be paid to the interdisciplinarity of the project, whether this results from an intra- or inter-hub approach.

-          The project must involve risk-taking, or a break with conventional approaches in the field in question.

-          The project must include a substantial training component, particularly in relation to the graduate programmes. Project sponsors should contact the heads of the graduate programmes (or master's courses) and the components concerned to provide a framework for their proposal.

-          The project should include an objective of attracting external researchers, or an approach aimed at preparing high-level applications for competitive competitions. It may also involve junior professorships.

The following criteria will contribute to the selection process, although they do not have priority:

-          The theme may be linked to a regional, national and/or European strategy, but the project must not duplicate responses to existing calls for proposals. The aim here is to be able to apply more effectively to calls for proposals by increasing the skills of the group.

-          The project could be in line with the theme of one of the CPERs supported by the University of Lille, but without its funding being redundant with what is potentially planned in the CPER. For example, the project could help to strengthen an upstream research dimension of the project that is not currently funded.

-          The project could help to strengthen the careers of young researchers, for example by involving them in coordination or by helping to create a high-potential research team.

-          The project may involve international partners, in particular those identified as priorities for the University of Lille (**) or international chair holders, with the aim of responding to major European or international calls for proposals.

-          The project may involve an innovation component, in particular with the involvement of socio-economic partners who will contribute to the co-financing of the project (joint labs, industrial chairs, etc.).

-          The project may involve the University of Lille's accredited platforms.

In addition, to be eligible, the project must meet the following expectations:

-          It must pay particular attention to gender equality.

-          The results of the project will be part of an open science approach, including open data management in FAIR mode.

-          The project will contribute to opening up science to society, involving scientific outreach activities or partnerships with civil society players (associations, public policy institutions, etc.).

Participation in the CDP is open to all staff from the University of Lille and its partners (CNRS, Inrae, Inria, Inserm, Lille CHU, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Centrale Lille, IMT- Lille Nord Europe).

It is planned to select the CDPs in several waves, including 3 to 6 projects for the 2023 wave.

They may vary in size, duration (4 or 8 years), and receive funding of between €0.2m and €0.8m per year for 4 years, renewable once after evaluation. The project can therefore be built over 8 years if its ambition so requires, but it must clearly propose an evaluation stage with success indicators at mid-term. The breakdown of the funding is left to the choice of the promoters, but must be justified. It should be noted that no investment in medium-heavy equipment will be possible (it will be capped at €100k/year and must not exceed 15% of the annual budget). The CDP will aim to supplement its budget beyond the initial allocation from the Initiative of Excellence, in particular by responding to internal and external calls for proposals (particularly European), by approaching local and regional authorities where the theme allows, and by forging partnerships with the socio-economic world. During the course of the project, the University of Lille Foundation will be able to help the CDP to seek support.

If it wishes to be programmed over 8 years, the project must, at the halfway stage, not only meet the success objectives proposed by the project leaders, but also demonstrate its attractiveness and have obtained additional funding from competitive calls for proposals (particularly European).

Responses to the CDP call for proposals must be submitted on the dedicated platform before 30 September 2023 -  23h59.

Provisional timetable:

-          March 10^th : launch of the AMI

-          May 10^th : AMI deadline

-          May 22^nd : auditions

-          June 1^st : recommendations sent to promoters following the auditions

-          June 19^th : launch of the CDP call for tender

-          July 15th : submission of a provisional summary of the project (1/2 page, to help anticipating evaluations)

-          September 30th : submission of CDP projects

-          December 18^th : exogenous evaluation feedback

-          January 8 to 12^th : rebuttal period (experts respond to any factual errors)

-          January 25^th : Jury (proposal of a selection)

-          February : Selection by the ULille CODIR (extended to partners)

Assessment criteria: See dedicated document.

(*) the term interdisciplinary is used generically and covers the broader meanings of pluri-, trans- and interdisciplinarity.

(**) The University of Lille's priority international partners are currently the member institutions of the 3i network (Universities of Kent, Ghent and KU-Leuven), the member institutions of the European NeurotechEU network (https://theneurotech.eu/founders/ ), the partner institutions of international chairs, and the University of Liège, co-supervisor of the cross-border UMR BioEcoAgro.