Call for international partnership projects: PSL Global Seed Fund 2024

The call is aimed at faculty and researchers from PSL’s component schools and associate members.
The GSF is open to all topics and disciplines, and to all international partners.
Projects involving several PSL component-institutions and PhD students will be particularly appreciated.

Main objectives of the call:

• support projects in their launch phase
• consolidate or expand pre-existing partnerships
• promote new international scientific or educational collaborations between researchers, teams and institutions, and strengthen the internationalization of PSL’s Graduate Programs
• boost the outreach and attractiveness of PSL and its component schools overseas

Additional funding opportunities through our privileged partnerships

The GSF is not limited by topic or partner; the initiative is bottom-up, depending on the projects that researchers are keen to develop internationally. However, to maximize the leverage effect of the GSF, PSL communicates each call for proposals to all its privileged partners, who relay it internally. You may therefore be contacted by a foreign team wishing to work with you. Once the selection process is complete, PSL will inform its partner universities of any projects involving them, so that they can benefit from additional funding through existing mechanisms. You will be informed of these funding opportunities when the results are announced.

For projects involving British partners, particularly from London, the Dauphine London campus can provide a workspace to facilitate on-site assignments.

Funding

• Total budget for the call for proposals: €150,000
• Maximum funding per project €12,000
• The activities covered by the funding will take place between Septembre 15,2024 and September 15, 2025

Types of activities eligible

• Organization of conferences, research seminars, workshops, artistic events, seasonal schools (organization and travel costs)
• Exploratory or consolidation missions with an international partner or future partner
• Research trips for PhD or postdoctoral students (*if the trip cannot be covered by specific ERASMUS+ funding)
• Transfer of knowledge or expertise aiming to strengthen scientific skills
• Hosting of an intern at a laboratory (internship wages)

Main evaluation criteria

The evaluation process will mainly consider:

• the project’s scientific quality and originality,
• the project's ambition and expected short-term results: what is the project's potential in terms of kick-starting a mission? For example, the project aims to prepare the submission of an application to a national or international call for proposals,
• the involvement of several PSL component institutions in the project whenever appropriate,
• the interest of the collaboration for PSL. The project should target a partner whose complementary nature and contribution in scientific and technical terms or in terms of access to the field are clearly highlighted in the application.

Other important points:

The selection panel will pay particular attention to the following criteria:

• involvement of young researchers (PhD/postdoctoral)
• multidisciplinary
• co-funding: for example, it is co-funded by one or more PSL institutions; it has mirror funding from the international partner; it is/will be the subject of external funding.
• The Jury will pay particular attention to the carbon footprint of the proposed projects.

How to apply?

Complete the attached application form, include a short CV for the project sponsor and written proof of the commitment of the foreign partner(s) to the project (letter, email).

Application must be sent before midnight on 22 april 6pm to the international relations department of the project leader's institution (component, associate or partner), whose contacts are listed below. PSL's international relations department may be added in copy (relations.internationales@psl.eu). In case of projects involving several institutions, the project leader will forward the project to the IRD of his or her institution and will inform any other IRD that may be involved, adding them in copy of the email. If you have any questions about the call for applications, please contact: relations.internationales@psl.eu

Selection procedure:

Projects will be sent to the International Relations Department of the respective institution (component school, associate member, partner), which will perform an initial review of the projects received, to determine whether there is internal or external funding that is better suited for the submitted projects.

The projects will then be forwarded to PSL's International Relations Department.

All proposals sent will be examined by a panel made up of:

• Vice-President of International Relations and the PSL International Relations Department
• A representative of the PSL Education Department
• A representative of PSL's research department

The outcome will be announced around May 20, 2024

Administrative procedure

• A funding agreement will be established between PSL and the project leader’s component school
• A short financial report must be supplied in the two months following the project to the PSL international relations office (template provided).

Timeline

• Call launch: March 25th
• Closing date: April 22nd, at 6 pm Paris time
• Results by May 2àth
• Eligibility of expenditure from Septembre 15, 2024, to September 15, 2025