guide for applicants1.2 process and msca the proess fellowship programme is a marie...

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Call 1 Opens: 4 December 2018

Call 1 Closes: 4 March 2019

2018

GUIDE FOR APPLICANTS

2018

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction to PROCESS ................................................................................................................ 4

1.1 About the Research Centres ................................................................................................... 5

1.2 PROCESS AND MSCA ..................................................................................................................... 6

1.3 Indicative Timeline for Calls for Proposals .................................................................................... 6

1.4. Training & Development Opportunities through PROCESS .................................................... 7

1.4.1. Secondment to Industry.................................................................................................. 7

2. About the PROCESS Fellowships ..................................................................................................... 7

Duration of the Fellowships ............................................................................................................ 7

2.1. Eligibility Requirements ........................................................................................................... 7

3. Applying to PROCESS ..................................................................................................................... 11

Publication of Call for Proposals ....................................................................................................... 12

The Proposal ................................................................................................................................. 13

Eligibility Screening ....................................................................................................................... 13

International Peer-Review Evaluation .......................................................................................... 13

Invitations to Interview and the Interview Process ...................................................................... 14

Final Funding Decision .................................................................................................................. 15

Redress Process............................................................................................................................. 15

4. Employment as a PROCESS fellow ................................................................................................ 15

4.1 Visa information for non-EU/EEA researchers ............................................................................ 15

4.2 Financial aspects ......................................................................................................................... 16

Appendix A: Templates for PROCESS Proposal ..................................................................................... 17

Appendix B: User Guide for Submission on SULIS portal ...................................................................... 36

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Pease read this document CAREFULLY before registering as an applicant Important Dates

Application deadline Call 1 4 March 2019 11.59h Irish Standard Time (IST) Peer review March/April 2019 Interviews* June 2019 Fellowships Start in UL 1st October 2019

*Please note these dates are indicative and subject to change.*

Revision History Version 1.0 Released on Call 1 open date, 4th December 2018 Version 2.0 Released 12 February 2019 (Financial Aspects Revision)

This project has received funding from the European

Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation

programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant

agreement No. 801165

www.process-cofund.eu

Email: [email protected]

http://www.process-cofund.eu/

mailto:[email protected]

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1. Introduction to PROCESS The overarching research theme of PROCESS is Advanced Manufacturing of high value-added products

and engineering solutions for related industries, with emphasis on particulate product processing for

new products within the dairy and pharmaceutical sectors. During the programme (2018-2023), 26

postdoctoral fellowships will be offered in a broad range of research areas incorporating, but not

limited to, process modelling and integrated process control, Process Analytical Technologies (PAT),

heat, mass and momentum transfer, hybrid processing and subsequent smart data management, to

promote processing agility and flexibility within an Industry 4.0 framework. Each 2-year fellowship

will consist of three phases: an initial phase at UL, a mandatory secondment period in the non-

academic sector between 3-6 months (may be international), and a final return phase at UL.

Secondments must be relevant to the Fellow’s research project and to his/her own career

development.

PROCESS will adhere to the COFUND principle of “individual-driven mobility” meaning that applicants

will have the freedom to choose their research project within the wide interdisciplinary research areas

of the three Centres, their supervisor and secondment organisation. All fellows will be based in

Ireland at the University of Limerick and must select a supervisor affiliated with one of the three

research centres. Projects proposing fundamental or applied research will be eligible, and inter-or

multi-disciplinary proposals are strongly encouraged.

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The broad themes within PROCESS are listed in the figure below. If you are interested in applying but

are unsure about where your research may fit, please email [email protected] to register your

interest and seek clarification.

1.1 About the Research Centres Three world-leading and complementary Centres, headquartered at UL, form the PROCESS

Fellowship Programme, namely the Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre (SSPC)

www.sspc.ie, the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology Centre (PMTC) www.pmtc.ie, and the

Dairy Processing Technology Centre (DPTC) www.dptc.ie,

The SSPC is a global hub of Pharmaceutical Process Innovation and Advanced

Manufacturing, and is a unique collaboration between 24 industry partners,

9 research-performing organisations (RPOs) and 12 international academic

collaborators. It is the largest research collaboration in Ireland with total

research income of >€65m, and is one of the largest globally within the

pharmaceutical area, supporting 43 post-docs and 60 PhD students.

The DPTC’s research agenda is driven by the long-term growth opportunities

for the dairy sector. DPTC has a total research income of >€25m funding 30

post-docs, and focuses on cost competitiveness in dairy processing, process

quality and safety by design, and environmental sustainability towards a zero

emissions Irish dairy industry. The DPTC has 8 industry partners and 9 RPOs.

The PMTC is focused on pharmaceutical process innovation, advanced

manufacturing, rapid micro-analytical techniques, control of continuous

processing, soft-sensor modelling tools and active pharmaceutical

ingredients (API) real-time release. The total research income to date is

>€11m with 32 industry partners and 8 RPOs.

http://www.pmtc.ie/

http://www.dptc.ie/

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1.2 PROCESS AND MSCA The PROCESS Fellowship Programme is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie COFUND

action (MSCA) led by three Research Centres hosted at the University of

Limerick: Synthesis and Solid State Pharmaceutical Centre, which is funded

by Science Foundation Ireland, the Dairy Processing Technology and the

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Technology Centre, both Enterprise Ireland

technology centres. Candidates awarded a PROCESS fellowship will have the

opportunity to develop their research activities at these Research Centres

whilst gaining the long-term benefits of being part of the prestigious group of

MSCA fellows.

The MSCA, and through it the PROCESS Programme, aims to provide researchers with the necessary

skills and international experience for a successful career, either in the public or the private sector.

The MSCA programme responds to the challenges sometimes faced by researchers, offering them

attractive working conditions and the opportunity to move between academic and other settings.

1.3 Indicative Timeline for Calls for Proposals

PROCESS will

provide:

A cutting-edge research environment to develop PROCESS researchers as the scientific leaders of tomorrow

High quality, researcher-specific scientific training to Fellows to make sure they have the skills to meet their career goals

Excellent training in transferable skills

Industry-specific training and placements in the dairy and pharmaceutical sectors. This is a unique opportuntity for PROCESS fellows.

An attractive and supportive working environment

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1.4. Training & Development Opportunities through PROCESS

Like all MSCA actions, PROCESS will focus on the career development of its fellows. Formal structures

are in place to support this training such as a support committee composed of a formal supervisor and

a non-academic supervisor.

In most cases, the non-academic supervisor will be an experienced industrialist based in one of the

industry partner companies and who will host the fellow during the mandatory secondment period.

For those choosing an international secondment outside of Ireland, a different non-academic

supervisor may be selected with the approval of the academic supervisor.

PROCESS fellows will also develop a unique Career Development Plan (CDP) at the start of the

fellowship that includes plans for technical and non-technical training, with advice and support from

their supervisors. The Career Plan will be reviewed quarterly to ensure the training needs for the

fellow are met.

The University of Limerick will also provide opportunities for further career and training mentoring

through its Centre for Teaching and Learning and Graduate Studies Office. For example, the mentoring

scheme links fellows with other members of staff to provide additional support, informal meetings on

a one-to-one basis to share experiences and to offer advice at from the viewpoint of different career

stages.

1.4.1. Secondment to Industry

Training and development is not restricted to the laboratory or the classroom. PROCESS supports

career development that provides fellows a number of experiences, including a 3-6 month mandatory

secondment to industry. This is a unique opportunity for fellows to pair their research interests with

real-life, current research challenges. Working side-by-side with industrialists enables the fellow to

put research into practice and widens their professional networks. The SSPC, PMTC and DPTC all have

strong ties to industry across the PROCESS research themes. A letter of support from industry to host

the secondment is required as part of the application, and the proposed supervisor should assist the

applicant in securing this before submission.

Career development opportunities will also be provided through ‘Meet the Industry’ events where

fellows can engage with members of partner companies where networking and workshop activities

with a goal to facilitate new ideas and collaborations.

2. About the PROCESS Fellowships Duration of the Fellowships Each fellowship will be funded for a period of 24 months. In this time, the fellow will conduct a

research project and a mandatory secondment to industry.

2.1. Eligibility Requirements 2.1.1 Eligibility of Applicants (all criteria must be met).

Researchers can be of any nationality.

At the close of Call 1 (4 March 2019), the applicant must meet the requirements of an MSCA

‘experienced researcher’. An experienced research is one who is in possession of a doctoral

degree or with at least four years of full-time equivalent research experience at the time of

the PROCESS Call 1 deadline (4 March 2019).

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o There will be three application categories: general applications, career restart, and reintegration applications. A relaxed mobility requirement applies to applicants who fall under the career restart and reintegration categories.

o General Fellowship Applicants are those who do not meet the Career Restart or

Reintegration Fellowships. General Fellowship applicants must come from outside of

the Republic of Ireland to meet mobility requirements, as required by H2020 rules.

This means General Fellowship Applicants must not have resided or carried out their

main research activity in the Republic of Ireland for more than 12 months in the 3

years prior to the PROCESS Call 1 deadline (4 March 2019).

Please Note: Compulsory national service and/or short stays such as holidays should not be taken into

account when calculating the mobility timeframes.

Table 1 Criteria for Mobility for PROCESS Fellows

Research

Experience

Application

Category

Additional Eligibility

Considerations

Mobility

Requirement

All incoming fellows

must be in possession of a

PhD degree or have at

least four years full-time

equivalent research

experience.

General Not applicable Applicants may

not have resided

or carried out

their main activity

(e.g. work, study)

in the Republic of

Ireland for more

than 12 months in

the 3 years

immediately prior

to the call

deadline.

Career Restart In order to be considered

within the ‘Career

Restart’ category, the

applicant must have

undertaken a career break

in research (i.e. he/she

must not have been active

in research for at least 12

months immediately prior

to the call deadline).

Applicants may

not have resided

or carried out

their main activity

(e.g. work, study)

in the Republic of

Ireland for more

than 3 years in the

5 years

immediately prior

to the call

deadline.

Reintegration In order to fall within the

‘Reintegration’ category,

the applicant must be a

national or long-term

resident of an EU MS or

AC.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Whilst a relaxed mobility rule applies for candidates who fall under the career

restart/reintegration category, there will only be one selection process for all applications (i.e.

separate selection panels will not exist for career restart/reintegration applications). All applications

will be assessed under the same selection process.

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Equal Opportunities

PROCESS will provide clear and transparent information for all potential applicants. The University of

Limerick is an equal opportunities institution and welcomes applications from a diverse range of

groups. Through its equal opportunities policy, UL will not discriminate on grounds such as gender,

civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, or membership of travelling

community. Applicant researchers with disabilities will be facilitated by the Disability Support Services

at UL, where required.

UL has recently been designated a “University of Sanctuary”, which commits UL to an action plan with

a focus on encouraging, promoting and enabling refugees and asylum seekers to access third-level

education. Dedicated support services will be offered to such candidates, including the following

options

1) the option for the candidate to submit an application by post where online applications would not

be possible;

2) revised application of eligibility criteria to ensure researchers who have suspended their activities

while seeking refugee status are not disadvantaged, e.g., not counting as residency the time spent by

applying for refugee status in Ireland;

3) additional supports during the Fellows integration phase including the 1:1 support of the PROCESS

PM.

Researchers at Risk The Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions (MSCA) enable displaced researchers moving to Europe to continue their careers through the provision of funding and support. As a MSCA programme, PROCESS will support applications from researchers who are at risk/who are displaced by conflict, or whose situation makes it difficult for them to pursue their research careers. Support will be provided on a case-by-case basis, both during the application process and during the fellowship programme. Available support may include:

Application submission by post where online application requirements may discriminate against the researcher’s circumstances.

Application of the eligibility criteria appropriately to ensure researchers who have suspended their activities whilst seeking refugee status are not disadvantaged.

For applicants who applied for or who are applying for refugee status in Ireland, the time spent in that process will not count as time resident in Ireland.

Contact the Programme Manager for further information on any of these options

([email protected]).

Gender Equality

The Athena Swan Charter promotes the advancement of women

working in STEMM areas within higher education throughout the UK

and Ireland.

UL holds a Bronze Award from Athena SWAN 2015, established to

encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of

women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in research.

UL received funding in 2014 for GEM “Gender Equality in Decision-Making” - an EU project supporting


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the principles of Athena SWAN and aimed at developing initiatives to support achievement of gender

balance in decision-making roles. All decision makers will be briefed in gender equality, including how

to avoid unconscious gender bias.

2.1.2 Eligibility of Proposals (all criteria must be met).

All proposals must use the templates provided on the PROCESS website. Other proposal

formats or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

A complete application consists of: o A completed “Part A – Administrative Information” (applicant details, keywords and abstract

(max. 250 words). o A completed “Part B – Proposal” document (max. 10 pages) o A completed “Part C – CV” document (max. 5 pages) o A completed “Part D- Ethics Self-Assessment” - Applicants will have to provide additional

information on how they intend to address the potential ethics issues as required by the Horizon 2020 Guidance on Ethics Self-Assessment (Version 5.2 or later)2 as part of their submission.

o “Part E—A signed Letter of Support from proposed academic supervisor o “Part F”—A signed Letter of Support from proposed non-academic supervisor o “Part G”—Referee Letters (max. 2 letters) o “Part H”—Signed General Data Protection Consent Form

It is mandatory for the researchers to contact their proposed supervisor and secondment host

organisation(s), and to obtain their guidance during the proposal preparation stage. The

researcher is encouraged to work closely with these parties in preparing the proposal.

It is mandatory for the applicant to contact the PROCESS management team to ensure that

the project idea fits the remit of the PROCESS programme ([email protected])

The main academic supervisor must be a Principal Investigator based at UL in one of the four

participating Centres: the SSPC, the PMTC or DPTC.

All applicants must have two supervisors: a main academic supervisor and a secondment

(non-academic) supervisor. Academic supervisors will assist applicant in securing non-

academic supervisor.

All supervisors must align with the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the

Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers

The host organisations for secondments must be involved in activities relevant to the

proposed research, and with the capacity and infrastructure to train the researcher and

support the research work.

Partner organisations for secondments can be located anywhere in the world.

Total secondment time allowed: 6 months (min. 3 months), which can be divided into shorter

mobility periods (min. 2 weeks). The secondment should significantly add to the impact of

the Fellowship.

Short visits to international collaborators will also be encouraged if they fit with the

developmental needs of the Fellow and/or research project. Short visits (e.g. for lab work) will

be distinguished from "secondments" since they have a different nature and pursue different

objectives. Any work done will be supervised directly by the Fellow’s supervisor.

Researchers will be required to complete an Ethics Questionnaire to capture any potential

ethics issue

The proposal must be in English and contain all requested documentation (see Application

Documents section 3 Applying to PROCESS)


https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/charter


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Applications must be submitted through the SULIS platform, except in cases where an applicant satisfies the ‘Researchers at Risk’ criteria. To register and obtain a username and password for the SULIS platform, please send a request to [email protected].

The proposal must be received on or before the call deadline (4 March 2019, 11.59 IST)

Only one application per applicant may be submitted per call (resubmissions for the second call from unsuccessful applicants are encouraged)

The proposals must adhere to the ethical standards applicable to MSCA

The proposal must address one or more of the PROCESS themes: process modelling and integrated control; PAT; bulk solids processing; heat and momentum transfer; mass transfer and physical chemistry and hybrid processing and subsequent smart data management/modelling

2.1.3 Research Ethics Requirements

The PROCESS programme will be carried out in compliance with ethical principles (including the highest standards of research integrity) and applicable international, EU and Irish law. PROCESS will comply fully with the H2020 ethics policy, including those reflected in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU and the European Convention on Human Rights and its supplementary protocols. The programme will not fund:

o Research activities aiming at human cloning for reproductive purposes, o Research activity intended to modify the genetics of human beings that could make such

changes inheritable, o Research activities intended to create human embryos for the purpose of research or for

stem cell procurement. Prior to the start of the fellowships, all projects will require formal ethical approval from the relevant host university’s ethics committee.

3. Applying to PROCESS

Figure 1 Summary of Call for Fellowships: Steps from Application to Fellowship Offer

Researchers should register interest in the PROCESS programme well in advance of the call deadline

to confirm eligibility and alignment to the research remit. To do so, please submit a PROCESS

register your interest on the website under the ‘How to Apply’ page.

Once registered, you will receive a username and temporary password to the submission portal:

SULIS.


https://sulis.ul.ie/

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The following sections provide an indicative timeline and steps involved from preparation of the

proposals to the fellowship start date. Please consult the PROCESS website (www.process-

cofund.eu) for updates to this Guide for Applicants, as well as information posted on the FAQ and

News sections for the latest application information.

Publication of Call for Proposals

Call 1 for PROCESS will open on 4 December 2018. The call will close 4 March 2019, 11.59h Irish

Standard Time (IST).

The PROCESS website (www.process-cofund.eu) will also launch on 4 December 2018 and will

provide information about PROCESS, the research centres, the participating Principal Investigators

(PIs) and all application documents and templates.

Applicants should contact the PROCESS team any time during the open call period with questions

on the PROCESS programme, relevant documentation, eligibility or accessing the SULIS platform.

•Check your eligibility

•Register your interest on the PROCESS website under 'How to Apply' menu.

•Contact your preferred academic supervisor(s) from our list of PROCESS PIs

•Start preparing your proposal and CV.

•Work with your proposed academic supervisor to contact and obtain the support of your preferred non-academic secondment host(s)

•Obtain Letters of Support from your proposed academic supervisor and secondment host(s)

• Obtain 2 referee letters

•Submit your application (Parts A-H) on the SULIS platform in advance of the deadline. Sections A and H should be submitted as separate PDFs. Sections B-G should be submitted as a single PDF.

HOW DO I GET STARTED WITH AN APPLICATION TO PROCESS?




http://www.process-cofund.eu/how-to-apply/register-interest

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The Proposal Once you have confirmed your eligibility and research alignment, you should begin preparing the

research proposal. Please note that it is your responsibility to contact the PROCESS academic

supervisor to discuss your proposal and to gain support for your application. This is important as you

can only submit your fellowship application once such support has been obtained.

It is crucial that you use the templates provided on the PROCESS website. Proposals that do not

use the required template will not be eligible for funding consideration.

PROCESS strongly recommends all applicants to submit at least 24 hours ahead of the call deadline.

Eligibility Screening Following the closing date for Call 1 (4 March 2019), the PROCESS Project Manager will conduct

eligibility screening on all applications received. Eligible applications will be submitted to the

international peer review panel for evaluation.

International Peer-Review Evaluation Three international experts (based outside Ireland) will be selected by the Programme Committee

from the PROCESS international reviewer database to review each application, and will be allocated

based on a good match between the proposal topic and the expertise of the reviewer. The panels

will be balanced in terms of gender and of the relevant academic and non-academic sectors.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria: Table 2 Proposal Evaluation Criteria

Excellence Impact Implementation

Quality and credibility of the

research/innovation project; level of novelty,

appropriate consideration of

inter/multidisciplinary and gender aspects and

relevance to the PROCESS research theme.

Enhancing the potential and

future career prospects of the

researcher

Coherence, effectiveness and

appropriateness of the work

plan

Quality and appropriateness of the training and

of the two-way transfer of knowledge between

the researcher, host and industry partner

Quality of proposed exploitation

and dissemination of results, and

relevance to industry.

Appropriateness of the

allocation of tasks and

resources

Quality of the supervision and of the

integration in the team/institution of the host,

secondment host and partners

Quality of the proposed measures

to communicate the project

activities to different audiences

Appropriateness of

management structure and

procedures, including risk

management

Capacity of the researcher to reach or reinforce

a position of professional

maturity/independence

Appropriateness of the

institutional environment

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Scoring will be awarded as described in Table 3:

Table 3 International Peer Review Scoring

Score Description

0 Proposal fails to address the criterion or cannot be assessed owing to missing or incomplete information.

1 Poor. The criterion is inadequately addressed, or there are serious inherent weaknesses.

2 Fair. Proposal broadly addresses the criterion, but there are significant weaknesses.

3 Good. Proposal addresses the criterion well, but a number of shortcomings are present.

4 Very Good. Proposal addresses the criterion well, but a small number of shortcomings are present.

5 Excellent. Proposal successfully addresses all relevant aspects of the criterion. Any shortcomings are minor.

The PM will apply weightings to the score awarded by the reviewers following their remote consensus

meeting as summarised in Table 4.

Table 4: Weighting and priority of PROCESS scores

Excellence Impact Implementation

Weighting and Priority ex aequo of scores

50% (Priority 1) 30% (Priority 2) 20% (Priority 3)

Each proposal will receive a maximum score of 5 from each reviewer. The scores from the 3 reviewers will be averaged to produce an average review score. The scores for all proposals will be ranked for selection for interview. There will be no individual criterion threshold, but an overall threshold score of 70% (3.5/5) will be required to progress to interview stage. Proposals with scores below this will not proceed.

Reviewers will be asked to provide comments to underpin their scores in a constructive and

transparent manner. The PM will compile a Consensus Report for each proposal containing the scores

and reviewer comments, plus any comments from the Research Ethics Committee.

Invitations to Interview and the Interview Process Applicants selected for interview will informed via email no later than 10 May 2019 (Call 1).

All interviews will be conducted in English. Interviews may be carried out face-to-face or via video/web conferencing. No advantage is conferred to those who attend the interview in person. Important: It is the candidate’s responsibility to organise the necessary web/video conferencing facilities to participate in remote interview session.

The interview panel will consist of a minimum of 5 members, to include the following (of which at

least 2 international):

Chair of interview panel: Padraig McPhillips (CEO of DPTC – not directly linked to research projects) UL HR Research Administration Officer: Janet Clifford Marie Curie-Skłodowska Actions National Expert or NCP (Irish Universities Association) Representative from the target PROCESS industry community, e.g. a senior R&D executive 2 PIs from the Centres not linked to the proposal

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The interview will last 50 minutes, including a 10-minute presentation from the candidate on their

proposal. The presentation should also cover their career development plan and expected impacts.

The remaining time will be used for the panel to ask questions to assess the candidate’s ability,

motivation and suitability. The interviews will take place preferably face-to-face, or via video

conferencing to avoid long-distance travel or other difficult circumstances. The interviewers will assess

the candidate using the same scoring system as for the reviews, and will produce an overall score.

The project manager will compile an Interview Report with the score and any comments from

interviewers. After the interview, the project manager will add up the final weighted score for the

peer review process and the consensus score from the interview. The final mark for the applicant will

therefore be composed equally from the evaluation of the written proposal (50%) and the interview

(50%). This will lead to a final score between 0 (very poor) and 10 (excellent).

Final Funding Decision Letters of Offer will be issued by the University of Limerick HR Department following the Final

Funding Decision. Acceptance letters must be returned within four weeks of issue. Fellowships

awarded in Call 1 will start 1 October 2019.

Redress Process All applicants will have recourse to redress. Redress requests can only be made with regard to

procedural issues or perceived incorrect application of eligibility criteria, and not with regard the

scientific judgments of the remote reviewers and members of the interview panels. The PM will

forward the redress requests to the Redress Committee (RC). The RC will either reject or accept it; in

the latter case, a new remote peer review with ethics check and/or interview will be arranged.

Applicants will be informed about the results of redress within 30 days of their request.

The RC will manage redress requests from unsuccessful applicants, made within 30 days of an

evaluation result. The RC will inform applicants of their decision within 30 days.

MSCA National Contact Point, Ireland A Senior Researcher/ Lecturer from UL who is not related to the project A representative from UL’s Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation

4. Employment as a PROCESS fellow

Following approval of the final funding decision, successful candidates will be offered an employment contract for the duration of the fellowship from the University of Limerick. The fellow will be employed by his/her host university under the same employment conditions as other externally funded researchers employed at the university. Applicants wishing to know the terms and conditions associated with the employment contracts should contact the University of Limerick Human Resource department. The employment contracts will be in line with Irish Law and the Terms of Employment (Information) Acts 1994 and 2001.

4.1 Visa information for non-EU/EEA researchers Non-EU/EEA nationals require permission to work and/or study in Ireland. As a PROCESS fellow,

you will be able to avail of a range of services offered by the EURAXESS office in Ireland. EURAXESS provide free advice to researchers and their families coming to work/study in Ireland -information on a range of issues and areas affecting researchers, including immigration, visas, employment law, healthcare, childcare, social services, and life in Ireland are available.

Researchers may contact EURAXESS Ireland for guidance. It also operates the Irish Hosting Agreement Scheme, which is a visa scheme designed for non-EU/EEA researchers wishing to work

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in Ireland. Under the scheme, visas are issued rapidly and traditional work permits are not required. For more details, see the EURAXESS website.

4.2 Financial aspects The PROCESS fellows will receive the gross salaries (living and mobility allowance are included)

detailed in table. These figures have been calculated in accordance with the Irish Universities

Association (IUA) researcher salary scale guidelines for start dates in October 2019. Please note the

revision regarding mobility allowance and new PRSI calculation in this 2.0 version.

Please note that salaries received by the fellow will be liable for taxes and/or other deductions.

Information on Irish taxation can be found at the Office of Revenue Commissioners website.

Contributions towards the cost of conducting the research (e.g. towards consumables, travel) and

towards the management and training/development activities directly related to the funded research

project will be provided by the PROCESS programme.

1 The programme will apply the family definition as in the MSCA Work Programme 2016-2017: Family is defined as persons

linked to the Fellow by (i) marriage, or (ii) a relationship with equivalent status to a marriage recognised by the legislation of the country where this relationship was formalised; or (iii) dependent children who are actually being maintained by the Fellow. Qualification for this allowance is at the time of recruitment.

Category Gross salary (per annum)

Fellow with family1 €46,620

Fellow €41,212


https://www.revenue.ie/en/Home.aspx

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Appendix A: Templates for PROCESS Proposal

Important Dates


* Please note these dates are indicative and subject to change.*

Revision History Version 1.0 Released on Call 1 open date, 4th December 2018

This project has received funding from the

European Union's Horizon 2020 research and

innovation programme under the Marie

Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 801165





TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL “PART A”—ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

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Please complete all sections of this form. Do not leave any section blank. If not relevant,

please enter ‘N/A’ in the appropriate field.

NB* Successful candidates will be required to provide documentary evidence to back up

the information provided in this form.

APPLICANT FULL NAME:

PROJECT ACRONYM:

NAME OF PROPOSED ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR:

QUALIFICATON AS AN EXPERIENCED RESEARCHER

APPLICANTS MUST BE EXPERIENCED RESEARCHERS (ER): THEY SHALL, ON 04 MARCH 2019, BE IN

POSSESSION OF A DOCTORAL DEGREE OR HAVE AT LEAST FOUR (4) YEARS OF FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT

POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE. FULL-TIME EXPERIENCE WILL BE MEASURED FROM THE

DATE WHEN A RESEARCHER OBTAINED THE DEGREE THAT WOULD FORMALLY ENTITLE HIM/HER TO

EMBARK ON A DOCTORATE PROGRAMME, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT A DOCTORATE WAS EVER

PLANNED OR ENVISAGED.

HAVE YOU BEEN AWARDED A PHD?

YES

NO

University degree by which you became eligible to pursue a PhD degree

Degree: Awarding institute/body

and country:

Date of award (or expected

date of award):

IF YOU DO NOT HOLD A PHD, BUT HAVE AT LEAST 4 YEARS FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT RESEARCH

EXPERIENCE, PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS OF SUCH EXPERIENCE. PLEASE NOTE THAT FULL-TIME

EQUIVALENT RESEARCH EXPERIENCE IS MEASURED FROM THE DATE WHEN THE APPLICANT

OBTAINED A DEGREE THAT WOULD FORMALLY ENTITLE HIM/HER TO EMBARK ON A PHD DEGREE

(E.G. THIS MAY BE THE DATE OF AWARD OF THE MASTER’S DEGREE, OR IN SOME CASES THE DATE OF

AWARD OF THE BACHELOR’S DEGREE).


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Details of full-time research experience (Please add additional rows, as needed.)

Degree (s)

obtained after

the university

degree by which

you became

eligible to

pursue a PhD

degree

Degree and

details of the

research

activities

carried out:

Awarding

institute and

country:

From:

dd/mm/yyyy

To:

dd/mm/yyyy

Date of

award:

dd/mm/yyyy

Duration

of research

activities

expressed

in months:

Doctorate PhD details:

(e.g. thesis)

Awarding

institute and

country:

From:

dd/mm/yyyy

To:

dd/mm/yyyy

Date of

expected

award:

dd/mm/yyyy

Duration

of research

activities

expressed

in months:

Other research

experience

Position and

details of the

research

activities

carried out:

Institute/Organisa

tion and country

From:

dd/mm/yyyy

To:

dd/mm/yyyy

Duration

of research

activities

expressed

in months:

MOBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applicants may not have resided or carried out their main activity (e.g. work, study) in Ireland for more

than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the call deadline2. A relaxed mobility rule applies

for “career-re-start” and “reintegration” applications3. In such cases, applicants may not have resided

or carried out their main activity in Ireland for more than 3 years in the 5 years immediately prior to

the call deadline.

2 Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status (under the 1951 Geneva Convention and the 1967 Protocol) are not taken into account. Short stays are characterised by the type of activity rather than by a specific number of days. A period can only be considered as a short stay if the researcher did not reside or did not have their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Ireland during that period (such as holidays). 3 In order to be considered within the “career restart” category, the applicant must have undertaken a career break in research – must not have been active in research for at least 12 months immediately prior to the call deadline. To be considered within the “reintegration” category, the applicant must be a national or long-term resident of EU Member States or Associated Countries who wish to return and reintegrate in a longer-term research position in Europe; the applicant must move or have moved directly to Ireland. Long-term residents are defined as researchers who spent a period of full-time research activity of at least five consecutive years (without breaks in research) in one or more Member States or Associated Countries.

If claiming 4 years full-time researcher experience

Date of qualification by which you became

eligible to pursue a doctorate

Qualification and Awarding institute/body and country:


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Please provide details regarding the location of your work/study for the period from 4 March 2016 to

4 March 2019 (include details such as the institution/organisation where you worked/studied,

location and dates; if you resided in different locations during this period please provide details for

each location):

FOR CAREER RESTART AND REINTEGRATION APPLICATIONS:

If you wish to be considered under the “career-restart” or “reintegration” application category and

avail of the relaxed mobility rule, please provide the following details:

Did you have a career break in research (e.g. paternal leave, working outside research) for at least 12

months in the last 5 years? (Please use the call deadline as reference date)

YES

NO

Please provide details of any period of inactivity in research: (include dates and nature of activities

undertaken in each period):

Are you a national or long-term resident of an EU member state or associated country who wishes to

return and reintegrate in a longer-term research position in Europe?

YES

NO

If you wish to apply under the reintegration category, please provide details of the research activities

undertaken in EU member states, in associated countries and in countries outside Europe: (include

research institution, dates, position, and country for each period entered):


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REFERENCES

Please provide details for two referees. Please note referees will only be contacted if you are

successful in obtaining a fellowship offer and once you have provided consent for same.

Name Organisation Email Phone number

(include country

code)

Please explain their

relationship to you

(e.g. supervisor,

manager)


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TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL “PART B”—PROPOSAL ACRONYM XXXX

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Guidelines (shown highlighted in grey throughout this document):

In drafting the proposal, applicants must follow the structure outlined below.

This page and all similar instructions in highlighted italics should be deleted.

a. The uploaded document must include the proposal title in the header. Applicants must use the

following formatting constraints: Arial, at least font size 10, margins (2.0cm side, 1.5cm top and

bottom), single line spacing.

b. References should be listed in footnotes, Arial font size minimum of pt. 8.

All references will count towards the page limit.

ABSTRACT (max. 2,000 characters including spaces). This will not count towards the page limit.

Start page count

10 pages maximum comprising of sections:

1. Excellence

2. Impact

3. Implementation

Stop page count

GANTT CHART. This will not count towards the page limit.

c. Delete all text highlighted in grey before submitting your proposal.

Please ensure that sections 1-3 do not exceed the limit of 10 pages. It is up to the applicant to decide how

many pages to allocate to each section within the 10-page limit.

ABSTRACT:

Max. 2,000 characters


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1. Excellence4

1.1. Proposed research

In this section, you must provide a detailed description of the scientific and technical aspects of the

proposal, demonstrating the originality and novelty of the research, the proposed research

methodology and its potential impact.

Introduction, state-of-the-art and objectives – Provide an overview of the proposal. Discuss the state of-the-art. Specify the objectives of the proposal, in the context of the state-of-the-art in the field. When describing the envisaged research, it should be indicated how and why the proposed work is important for the field and what impact it will have, if successful. Specify any particularly challenging or unconventional aspects of the proposal, including multi- or inter-disciplinary aspects (if relevant).

Describe the proposed methodology.

Originality and novelty of the research - Explain the contribution that the proposed research is expected to make to advancements within the research field. Describe any novel concepts, approaches or methods that will be employed.

Provide details on the proposed secondment to the non-academic sector. State whether the

secondment is fully agreed or if it is envisaged. It is mandatory for the researchers to contact

their proposed supervisor and secondment host organisation(s), and to obtain their guidance

during the proposal preparation stage. The researcher will be encouraged to work closely with

these parties in preparing the proposal.

Important note: As part of the PROCESS programme, fellows will undertake a 3-6 month

secondment to the non-academic sector. The secondment must be relevant to the proposed

research.

1.2. Transfer of knowledge

Training in a variety of technical and non-technical skills will be provided as part of the PROCESS

programme. In this section, you should describe briefly:

How you as an experienced researcher hope to take advantage of the training offered, and any skill areas you feel would you would benefit from in particular

Outline any previously acquired knowledge or capability that you may transfer to the research group you will join, the wider group within your hosting Centre (DPTC/SSPC/PMTC/), and to your community of peers on the PROCESS programme

1.3. Proposed supervision

Relevance of the proposed supervision – Provide information regarding the prospective supervisor that relates to your research proposal (e.g. their expertise in the proposed topic, their track record in the field, main international collaborations, participation in relevant projects, relevant publications). Provide evidence of the match between your proposed research and the capabilities of the research group you will join. Provide similar details for the secondment supervisor/secondment organization).

4 References should be listed in footnotes, Arial, font size minimum pt. 8. All references will count toward page limits.


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2. Impact

2.1. The potential impact of the research and the expected impact of the fellowship on the applicant’s career prospects

Describe the contribution that the proposed research is expected to make to advancements within its field. What is the potential impact of the research if successful?

Provide a brief outline of your career objectives/goals.

How does the fellowship improve your career prospects? Explain how the fellowship will contribute to furthering your professional development as an independent/mature researcher. If you have career objectives are outside of research/academia, explain the relevance of the fellowship in contributing to these objectives.

2.2. Proposed measures for communication and results dissemination

What is your communication and results dissemination strategy? Outline how you will disseminate the results of your research and how you will communicate the new knowledge generated during the fellowship (e.g. publications, conference attendance, poster presentations, reports, workshops, outreach activities).

3. Implementation

3.1. The work plan

Describe your research work plan. Include any work packages, tasks, deliverables and milestones required for the completion of the proposed research/fellowship. The proposed secondment and the proposed dissemination and communication activities should also be included.

The fellowship duration is 24 months. The proposed project must be feasibly undertaken

within the fellowship duration.

Important note: A Gantt chart must be provided at the end of this document reflecting your

work plan. It should give the schedule for work packages, deliverables, milestones,

secondment and dissemination and communication activities. The schedule should be in

terms of number of months elapsed from the start of the fellowship. Please see example

provided at the end of this document.

3.2. Management, progress monitoring mechanisms and risk management

Describe any management structure/procedures and progress monitoring mechanisms you will adopt to ensure that the research/fellowship objectives are reached.

Describe any potential risks associated with the research project implementation. Describe your proposed contingency plans.


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3.3. Institutional environment (infrastructure)

Describe the infrastructure and facilities (e.g. any equipment; specialist software) required to carry out the proposed research based on what is available in the University of Limerick or through its hosting centres (DPTC/SSPC/PMTC). Describe any other necessary resources required (e.g. specialized computer/software).

If you require additional resources and support not currently in situ at the University of Limerick, explain where they will be acquired and detail any additional sourcing costs.


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Please include a Gantt chart reflecting your work plan described in section 3.1. The Gantt should give the schedule for work packages, deliverables,

milestones, secondment, and dissemination and communication activities. The schedule should be in terms of number of months elapsed from the start of

the fellowship.

Please see example below. You may modify the example (e.g. add/delete rows; rename work packages) or add your own chart.

Notes:

The titles of the WPs indicated in the Gantt example do not have to be followed or included in your Gantt. Adapt the Gantt example as needed or add

your own chart.

The number of WP’s provided below is an example only. Add or remove WP’s as needed.

Add as much detail as needed to reflect your work plan.

GANTT CHART: EXAMPLE ONLY—ADAPT TO YOUR PROPOSAL BEFORE SUBMISSION

Work Package Title 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

WP1 Management D1.1

M1.1

WP2 Experimental Work M2.1

D2.1

WP3 Field work M3.1

M3.2 D3.1

WP4 Research part x

WP5 Research part y

WP6 Dissemination and

communication

D6.1

D6.2

D6.3

D6.4

WP7 Secondments

… …

Legend

Milestone M

Deliverable D

TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL “PART C”—CV

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Guidelines (shown highlighted in grey):

d. Applicants must use the following formatting constraints: Arial, at least font size 10,

e. Your CV should be limited to 5 pages maximum.

f. Examples/guidelines are shown highlighted in grey. These should be deleted.

g. Applicants must follow the structure outlined below:

NAME AND CONTACT DETAILS

Name:

Address:

Email:

CAREER PROFILE

Please ensure the PhD year and/or number of years of full-time equivalent research experience is clear and

verifiable. If appropriate to your experience level, please also include details of history of supervision (Numbers of

current and completed MSc and PhD students or other staff, directly under your supervision.)

Education

Employment

INNOVATION/COMMERCIALISATION ACTIVITY

e.g. previous industry collaborations, patents, spinouts. Please distinguish between patents applied and under

review versus patents granted

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS (RESEARCH AND IMPACT)

Please list your key research achievements (e.g. prizes and awards; recognitions; invited presentations to peer-

reviewed/internationally established conferences; funding received so far; any other relevant details that can

support your application.

THIS SECTION SHOULD NOT CONTINUE TO PAGE 3. 2 PAGES MAX TO END OF THIS SECTION!

TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL “PART C”—CV

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Publications section – max of 3 pages! Replace X with numbers/text

PUBLICATIONS

Total No. of Publications: X

Senior Author Publications: X

h-Index: X Total no. of citations:

X Source of citation data: X

Journal Articles: X Reviews: X Book

Chapters: X Books: X

Conference associated

publications: X Other: X

Please list your relevant publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, peer-reviewed conference proceedings,

monographs, book chapter, etc.

Follow this format: A.N.Other, J.Bloggs and J. Doe*, Title of Paper, Journal Name (Year)

*=Senior author

TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL “PART D”—ETHICS SELF-ASSESSMENT

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ETHICS ISSUES TABLE

Please complete the ethical assessment table below, indicating “yes” or “no” in the corresponding

box:

1. Human Embryos/Foetuses

Does your research involve Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs)? YES / NO

Does your research involve the use of human embryos? YES / NO

Does your research involve the use of human fetal tissues/cells? YES / NO

2. Humans

Does your research involve human participants? YES / NO

Does your research involve physical interventions on the study participants? YES / NO

3. Human Cells /Tissues

Does your research involve human cells or tissues (other than from human embryos/foetuses?

YES / NO

4. Personal Data

Does your research involve personal data collection and/or processing? YES / NO

Does your research involve further processing of previously collected personal data (secondary use)?

YES / NO

5. Animals

Does your research involve animals? YES / NO

6. Third Countries

In case non-EU countries are involved, do the research related activities undertaken in these countries raise potential ethics issues?

YES / NO

Do you plan to use local resources (e.g. animal and/or human tissue samples, genetic material, live animals, human remains, materials of historical value, endangered fauna or flora samples, etc.)?

YES / NO

Do you plan to import any material - including personal data - from non-EU countries into the EU?

YES / NO

Do you plan to export any material - including personal data - from the EU to non-EU countries?

YES / NO

In case your research involves low and/or lower middle income countries, are any benefits-sharing actions planned?

YES / NO

Could the situation in the country put the individuals taking part in the research at risk?

YES / NO

7. Environment & Health and Safety

Does your research involve the use of elements that may cause harm to the Environment, to animals or plants?

YES / NO

Does your research deal with endangered fauna and/or flora and/or protected areas?

YES / NO

Does your research involve the use of elements that may cause harm to humans, including research staff?

YES / NO

8. Dual Use

Does the research involve dual-use items in the sense of Regulation 428/2009, or other items for which an authorisation is required?

YES / NO

9. Exclusive focus on civil applications

Could your research raise concerns regarding the exclusive focus on civil applications?

YES / NO

10. Misuse

Does your research have the potential for misuse of research results?

YES / NO

TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL “PART D”—ETHICS SELF-ASSESSMENT

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11. Other Ethics Issues

Are there any other ethics issues that should be taken into consideration? If yes, please specify in the ethics statement to be provided under document “PART D – Ethics Self-Assessment”.

YES / NO

If you answered “YES” to any of the questions above, you must provide additional information about how these issues will be addressed in your research by completing document “PART D – Ethics Self-Assessment” which will need to be submitted as part of your application documentation.

TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL “PART E”—LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR

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Letter should be on University Letterhead

Letter must be signed

TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL “PART F”—LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM NON-ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR

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Letter should be on company letterhead

Letter must be signed

TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL “PART G”—REFEREE LETTERS

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Only two (2) reference letters are required. Additional letters will not be considered part of the

application.

TEMPLATE OF PROCESS PROPOSAL “PART H”—SIGNED GDPR CONSENT FORM

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PROCESS Personal Data Consent Form

Surname:__________________________________________________________________________________ Forename(s):_______________________________________________________________________________ Institution/Company:________________________________________________________________________ Official email we can use to contact you:_________________________________________________________

I, _____________________ understand the terms and conditions under which the PROCESS COFUND MSCA

programme and its representatives obtain, manage and share my personal data. I further understand my rights

under the GDPR, effective 25 May 2018, and consent to the following processing, use and sharing of my personal

data by PROCESS and its representatives (select any that apply):

For the purposes of reviewing and evaluating the research proposal by an independent panel of

international peer-reviewers, University of Limerick Human Resources and PROCESS management team

to determine eligibility and funding decisions related to the PROCESS programme.

For reporting to the EU Commission, SFI, EI or other governmental agencies to carry out legal

obligations outlined in the PROCESS Grant Agreement, HR contracts and/or grant terms and conditions

stipulated by the funding body. Specifically, personal data reported in the EU Portal, SESAME or SULIS,

the PROCESS website, annual and governance reports, project updates, and financial reports.

For data processing required to complete or verify payroll, expenses, stipends and funding allocations

or to report information necessary to submit applications for new or continued funding.

For communications regarding PROCESS research or other related activity, including EPE and outreach

activities, scheduling of all meetings and reviews, communications with industry partners and their

representatives as it relates to the research programme or employment opportunities for research

team members.

Signature: _______________________________Date:_____________________

Note: Consent is voluntary and can be withdrawn at any time. From 25 May 2018, you will have several enhanced rights under the GDPR:

To find out if we use your information and request a copy of your information

Have inaccurate information updated/corrected

Object to particular use of your information for our legitimate purposes

In certain circumstances, have your personal data deleted or our use restricted

Exercise the right to data portability

To withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent email [email protected]

A full GDPR Personal Data Protection Summary is available for review on PROCESS website: www.process-

cofund.eu




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Appendix B: User Guide for Submission on SULIS portal

Important Dates


*Please note these dates are indicative and subject to change.*

Revision History Version 1.0 Released on Call 1 open date, 4th December 2018

This project has received funding from the European

Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation

programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant

agreement No. 801165





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All PROCESS applications must be submitted through the SULIS portal, which can be accessed

through the PROCESS website. To ensure the confidentiality of all submissions, this portal is

username and password protected. To obtain a secure username and password to the SULIS portal,

register your interest on www.process-cofund.eu

Step 1. Register as a PROCESS applicant on the website under ‘How to Apply’, then ‘Register

Interest’. You will receive a secure username and password to access the SULIS portal.

Step 2. When you are ready to submit your proposal, access the PROCESS website and navigate the

How to Apply section, as follows:

Select ‘How to Apply’ menu and select ‘Apply Now’

Review the document checklist to ensure all aspects of the application have been included.

http://www.process-cofund.eu/how-to-apply/register-interest


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When you are sure that all of the application materials are ready for submission, select

‘submit to SULIS’. This will bring you to the SULIS login page where you should enter your

username and password: https://sulis.ul.ie/

Your login details were sent to you when you registered as a PROCESS applicant. If you have

forgotten your password, you can reset it by clicking on ‘Password reset Guest Accounts on

the left-hand side of the screen.

https://sulis.ul.ie/

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Select ‘Sites’ at the top right corner of the screen. Select ‘PROCESS COFUND Call 1’ in the

dialogue box that appears.

Select the ‘Drop Box’ icon on the left panel of the screen.

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A file with your name will appear in the middle of the screen. Click on your name to open

this folder Select ‘actions’ and then the ‘upload files’ option from the drop-down menu.

Upload Part A, Part H and Parts B-G as 3 separate PDFs using the browse or drag and drop

option (see screenshot)

NOTE: Ensure the email notification box is ticked and select ‘Continue’ to submit your

application.

You will receive a confirmation email that your application has been uploaded to your folder.

This submission will also appear as a date/time-stamped in your applicant folder.

IMPORTANT: SUBMISSIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE CALL DEADLINE WILL NOT BE REVIEWED AND

WILL BE DEEMED INELIGIBLE. PLEASE ENSURE YOUR SUBMISSION IS POSTED BEFORE THE

DEADLINE IN IRISH STANDARD TIME