IdeaLab: infochat 13 August 2019

1. I am currently filling in my application form and I wonder, to what extent should I emphasize my practical, non-science experience. Is it important for the organisers?

 The practical, non-science experience is very important in the IdeaLab call. You should describe it along with your scientific achievements.

2. Do I understand correctly that being a PhD student I can apply as a participant (PhD is not required)?

'The minimum requirement is a completed master's degree (or equivalent). However, a PhD is a minimum requirement for Principal Investigators, who are or shall be employed in a Polish research organisation.

3.  Is it possible to be a leader both in GRIEG and IdeaLab project at the same time?

 Yes, it is possible to be the a leader both in GRIEG and IdeaLab project at the same time.

4. In case I'll be chosen to participate in the workshop, can I find out what is the profile of other participants?

The selected participants will be informed about the profile of other participants a day or two before the workshop begins.

5. I read that around 30 people will take part in the workshop. Will this amount be divided exactly for each country involved in the project? E.g. 10 Poles, 10 Norwegian etc.?

Around 10-15 people will be selected from Poland and around 10-15 people from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstien, as eligible partnerships must be composed of at least one Polish and one foreign partner.

6. In the previous answer you wrote 'who are or shall be employed in a Polish research organisation'. What position should it be? Would this be part-time, full-time job or contract work?

The form of employment depends on the scope of work which is planned in the project. The specific guidelines regarding employment can be found in Guide for Applicants 4.2.1.

7. How will the participants be selected? Will there be a scorecard or rather a discretionary approach?

Each proposal will be discussed on the panel. The experts' decission will be based on the scores as well as the discussion.

8. Following the advise on application form to keep the certain number of characters I still have a lot space on second page and another advise says: The text together with the questions should absolutely not exceed 2 standard pages in English. Can I exceed the number of characters then or it is not recommended?

The number of characters is obligatory. You shouldn't exceed the recommended value even if your application does not exceed 2 standard pages.

9. We have potential partner for the project from Iceland and he/she would apply for the workshop participation. What's your approach then towards forming a consortium from our institutions? Is it a merit or rather an obstacle? Do you assume to match partners which are NOT known to each other?

We assume that partners will not be known to each other. However, if you and your partner from Iceland submit an application for participation and are selected be the panel of experts, it will be possible for you to develop jointly a project during the workshop. Although, workshop activities might develop in such a way that you will submit a proposal with other workshop participants.

10. How will the organisation of teams during workshop look like? Is it expeceted that the person participating in workshop will propose persons/connections which may contribute to the project? What is ideal number of people involved in the project?

Both, the number of teams creating the ideas as well as team members will be depend on how the workshop evolves. It will depend in the participants initiative and creativity.

11. If I don't have a PhD should I leave the "Year of PhD award" field blank or put "n/a" there?

You can leave that field blank

12. How do you attend to create the profiles of the participants? Do you want to select a concrete amount of lawyers, sociologist or economist? Do you want to have the same amount of concrete profiles in both sides? E.g. the same lawyers from Poland and Norway?

The candidates for participants will be first assessed individually by international experts based on the information contained in the application form. Then the experts will meet as a panel and discuss first the qualifications of the applicants and then the balance of different profiles in the group. These profiles will have to be diverse so that transdisciplinary project ideas could be developed during the workshop

13. 'I keep the number of characters, but my application is a few lines longer than 2 pages. Do I need to make it shorter?

You need to make it shorter.

14. The documentation mentions that places for non-PhD candidates from Poland will be very limited. Is this evaluated at the moment of application or at the grant start date - March 2020? By that time I should already have a PhD.

It is recommended to have PhD at the IdeaLab workshop time because the PI chosen during the workshop will present the project idea, and later will aplly full proposal in OSF online submission system.

15. I also cooperate with researchers from France, can they join the project later?

In the IdeaLab project only the researchers from Poland, Norway, Island and Liechstenstein can be financed. The researchers from the third countries can participate in the project but with their own sources of granting.

16. 'Can I agree to be posted after August 20 when my immediate supervisor returns from vacation?

The application for participation submission deadline is August 19, 2019, 24.00 CEST. After this date submitting the application is impossible.

17. 'I am very interested in cooperation with you, I know if my project which concerns the border of several specialties will be suitable.

If you already have a project in mind, the Grieg call would be a better option than the IdeaLab call. The IdeaLab workshop is specifically designed to drive new approaches to address the research challenges of the call. The participants exchange ideas and reconceive the world from new perspectives that challenge current perspectives. They develop project ideas during the workshop. However, existing ideas might turn out to be interesting for other participants and become elements of the future projects.'

18. Regarding PHD title - I am going to obtain this on 8th of October, 2019 then should I mention this in application form?

Under the section: Year of PhD award please write the exact date of your planned PhD (8th of October). There will be no possibility to add anything to the form after the deadline. Please remember that to become a PI you need to have a PhD when workshop starts.

19. Given our representative is the only one from a field, and all other patricipants have not too much in common - what would be your approach? Given he/she is very good during based on their qualification and during the workshop, would you select the best team the person would fit or reject the apllication?

The selection of participants as well as research teams will be made by experts. This experts have very good experience in IdeaLab calls, so they will choose the best persons and teams.

20. I cooperate with researchers from Norway, can they participate later if they do not participate in workshops?

If the institution from Norway wants to participate in project/be part of the project, its representatives have to participate in IdeaLab workshop.

21. Are there any specific qualifications you are looking for? Especially in the context of the IdeaLab topic which is very broad - more of quantitative / data science or just interdisciplinary?

Knowledge and expertise from a broad range of disciplines and cultures will be required. We are looking for people who not only are specialists in their individual fields but also have an inquisitive nature and the ability to integrate their knowledge into new ideas that border on other disciplines, approaches and ways of thinking. However, there are no specific qualifications we are looking for. The experts will first evaluate the individual qualifications of each candidate and then discuss the group as a whole.

22. Are there any specified topics which are prefered in this project?

No there are no specific topics which are prefered in the IdeaLab.

23. I have a "technical" question. Can I move the part with the open questions of the form to the beginning of the new page so that I can see exactly that this part takes 2 pages?

You can move the part with the open questions to the beginning of the new page.

24. Do I need to have a partner from Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein before applying for participation in the workshop?

No, participants from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein have to submit their individual application for participation in the IdeaLab workshop according to the same procedure as the participants from Poland.

25. Can the projects have the character of basic research solely or can they also be the application ones?

Only basic research projects can be funded under the IdeaLab call. Basic research should be understood as ˜experimental or theoretical endeavours undertaken to gain new knowledge of the foundations of phenomena and observable facts, without any direct commercial use. Projects which generate new solutions or social innovations are warmly welcomed, but the project grants will not support activities such as commercialisation, development or enhancement of products or any other direct commercial use.

26. When completing the application form I have focused on showing my knowledge, the topic I am expert on and how it possibly matches the topic of Idealab. Is it ok or should I focus more on how creative and open to new ideas I am?

When completing the application form, please follow the questions in the form. They cover all aspects: qualifications, experience as well as personal characteristics. The final decision on qualification to the workshop will be made by the experts.

27. Will it be possible to develop an existing project idea during the workshop?

The IdeaLab workshop is an intensive discussion forum in which free thinking is encouraged to uncover innovative solutions. Outcomes are not pre-determined, but are defined during the event. However, existing ideas might turn out to be interesting for other participants and become elements of the future projects.

28. Is there a given number of Polish and Norwegian participants to be selected for the workshop in October?

The number of participants from Poland and from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein is not determined precisely. However, Polish and foreign participants have to be selected so that eligible partnerships could be created during the workshop. Around 10-15 people will be selected from Poland and around 10-15 people from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstien.

29. Do I need to be present during all days of the workshop? If I am from Krakow can I leave in the afternoon and come back the next day.

Participants are required to attend the entire IdeaLab. The workshop is a very intensive event. Leaving the venue in the afternoon won't be possible.

30. Will NCN provide mentors/leaders organizing discussions/group work on selected subjects or will experts pick up these from participants?

Yes, the NCN will provide mentors and facilitators who will lead the workshop.

31. Will it be possible to change the partners in the project after IdeaLab workshops?

Changing the Host organisation, due to circumstances unforeseeable by the Participant at the application-for-participation stage, is possible during the application procedure, until the submission of the full proposal. If such a change occurs after the IdeaLab workshop, justification must be provided in the full proposal, and is subject to the evaluation of the consistency of the full proposal with the project idea developed during the workshop by the experts, as the new Host organisation needs to have comparable resources to the one described on the project idea form, and evaluated during the IdeaLab workshop. The Host organisation must meet the minimum requirements to be eligible under this IdeaLab call.