Call for Applications FAQ

• What do you mean by "research team"

A research team is a group of researchers.e.s attached to the same research unit (in a university, national research organization, university hospital, etc.) collaborating on a specific scientific project.

• How to apply individually?

You can apply alone, but an institutional affiliation is required, via a DRCI (delegation for clinical research and innovation) or a research unit. If you haven't already done so, you can request a laboratory affiliation with an associated budget line.

• What if several researchers from the same team want to participate on different topics?

If several researchers from the same team are working on different topics, they can participate in separate projects within the same consortium while grouping together around complementary themes. This makes it possible to structure an overall project while maintaining distinct specialties.

• Does being part of a project-related scientific council prevent you from applying?

Members of the scientific council of the National Platform for End-of-Life Research, the Interdisciplinary End-of-Life Research Program or other councils linked to this project can still submit a letter of intent. Indeed, as applications are examined by an external jury (SAB- Scientific advisory board), they can be validated without conflict of interest.

• If I am already involved.

It is possible to be mentioned as a partner in a project submitted by another team. This indication may help the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) to set up consortia. However, each researcher can only be responsible for one project.

• If the project is led by one or more French institutions, is it possible to include partners and/or study sites outside France but in European countries?

It is possible to involve foreign researchers and/or study sites outside France, provided that the researcher (mentioned in the "research team /researcher" section of the letter of intent) is affiliated with a French institution, represented by his/her director (in the "coordinator" section). These foreign researchers must be mentioned in the "partners" section. However, they will not be able to draw up an agreement within the framework of this call for applications, nor receive funding for the execution of the work package envisaged. Funds will be allocated to the institution submitting the project, and must be channeled through it.

• How does international collaboration work in this framework?

Funding can be used to organize study days or co-organized actions with foreign colleagues, but it is not possible to pay these foreign researchers for their research time through the program. The aim is to initiate collaborations to facilitate international publication and/or respond to European calls for projects.

• Is it important to communicate my intention to apply?

Yes, it's worth spreading the word within your network that you're interested in taking part in a research project, to broaden the scope for collaboration. This may not only arouse the interest of other researchers, but also attract people or institutions likely to agree to become research sites.

• What are the criteria for young researchers in the program?young researchers (doctoral or post-doctoral students) must apply through their laboratory director or supervisor, who must be a permanent research staff member. The aim is to enable researchers at the start of their careers to take part in projects in collaboration with more experienced researchers.

   

  • What if I want to do a post-doctorate as part of the interdisciplinary end-of-life research program?

  If you are a doctoral student and would like to apply for a post-doctorate, you must partner with a.e chercheur.e permanent.e who will carry your candidacy and can then allocate the necessary funds to carry out your project.

  Evaluation of candidacies

  • What is the role of the Scientific advisory board (SAB) in selecting projects?

  The selection committee will examine the relevance of the project to the challenges addressed and assess the complementarity of the teams. Its aim will be to encourage collaboration and interdisciplinarity, while avoiding competition between teams. Thanks to its overall vision, the SAB will be able to define the synergies between them.

  • How and by whom will the consortia coordinators be chosen?

  The SAB will make proposals, but,in fine, it's the members of each consortium who will validate the choice of coordinators together. There will systematically be one person specializing in the humanities and social sciences and the other in health.

• What should the letter of intent indicate?

It is recommended not to submit a letter of intent with a project that is too mature, as it will probably have to evolve. Once the consortia have been proposed and accepted, methodological structuring work will be carried out, with exchanges between teams and researchers. The aim is for each team to broaden its usual field of research, both in terms of interdisciplinarity and territorial networking of collaborations.
That's why it's important to specify in the letter of intent what you can bring to the consortium, in particular by mentioning your methodological specificities or rare skills. This will promote complementarity between teams.
Don't hesitate to mention what you lack either (for example, if you have a strong point in methodology but need expertise in sociology).

• Should a given pathology be targeted in the letter of intent?

The program is not limited to specific pathologies. On the contrary, it aims to address cross-cutting end-of-life issues. A particular focus on a given pathology may, however, be justified if it fits in with the project's thinking.

• How to define the project's duration?

This is an indicative duration. The actual duration of the project will be adjusted after evaluation by the SAB according to the number of groups involved and consortia funded. The exact amounts and durations will be discussed with the teams once the projects have been submitted.

• How to define the budget?

You need to give a range that takes into account your specific needs (e.g. travel costs, funding for a PhD student, etc...).

• Should geographically distant teams, but with common research objectives, submit a joint letter or on the contrary file separate applications?

If you submit a joint letter of intent, only one of the departments will receive the funds as a member of the consortium, but it may allocate part of it to the other team. If you choose to submit two separate letters, there is a risk that the SAB Scientific advisory board will select only one (for example, if it feels that one of the two letters promotes interdisciplinarity more). If you opt for this option, we advise you to cite each other as partners to guide the selection, while remaining open enough in your proposals to be integrated into a work package or consortium broader than the one you had initially envisaged.

• How many letters of intent can I submit?

A single candidate or team may submit only one letter of intent.

File formatting

• Must the file be submitted in French or can it be exclusively in English?

In accordance with the instructions on the Platform website, the submission must be made entirely in English, both via the form to be completed on the website and in its pdf version.

• Are text formatting (fonts) allowed?

You are free to use colors, bold or italics, or to underline words or groups of words. Such formatting will not be a limiting criterion for evaluation. However, it is preferable not to overload the document.

• The letter of intent must be "single-spaced". Is it permissible to skip a line between each paragraph?

Yes, there's no problem with skipping lines to air out the text. The only constraint to be respected is the five-page limit.

• Can we add appendices?

It is not possible to add appendices to the letter of intent; your proposal must absolutely be condensed into the five pages provided.

• To make up for the page limit, is it possible to add, at the end of the document, a sentence such as "any additional details and information are available on request"?

We advise you to avoid this kind of cross-reference, as there is no guarantee that the SAB will go looking for this additional information. It's better to include, in a synthetic way, all the elements you wish to convey.