Deadline for submission of Joint proposals: 31 August 2023.

See the FDF version - open file

Purpose of the Scheme
Under the framework of a strategic partnership, the aim of this joint seed funding program is to promote collaboration between Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) in the fields of agriculture, bio-medical sciences and One Health. The funding shall enable SJTU and HUJI faculty researchers to identify complementary strengths, facilitate the use of synergies, and promote the development of outstanding future collaborative projects.

Fields of research
Agriculture, Biomedical Sciences and One Health

Targeted Activities
This call is open to tenure track faculty members in the above fields.

The joint funding scheme aims at supporting the first steps of collaboration. The following formats are possible:

• Joint research projects
• Supervision of a joint PhD student;
• Exchange of PhD-students, post-docs;
• Intensive or virtual research workshops;
• Short research stays (for young and established researchers) or video conference;
• Complementary distance research that can lead to an outcome even without a physical meeting (which will be a condition upon a change in travel limitations).

Funding
The joint seed fund operates with a total annual budget of $150,000 (approx. RMB 1,000,000), with $75,000 (approx. RMB 500,000) from each side.

Up to 10 Grants will be awarded up to a maximum of $15,000/RMB100,000 ($7,500/ RMB50,000 support for each partner) for one year. Applications with a budget proposal lower than max. $15,000/RMB100,000 are welcome.

Application
Proposals must be jointly submitted by faculty of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Participants should ideally include both senior and junior faculty/researchers of SJTU and HUJI. At HUJI, applicants must be
faculty members; at SJTU, applicants must be employed on a full-time basis.

The supported activities should have a clearly defined focus and serve as a catalyst for the development of new joint projects. The activities can take place in Shanghai or in Jerusalem/Rehovot; inclusion of third parties is possible, however, the additional costs must be covered by these partners themselves.

The motivation for holding the activity should be clearly explained, including how the relevant SJTU and HUJI institutes or departments are involved and can profit long term from this cooperation and what synergies can arise.

The application will include the following:

• Project details (project description, timeframe, relevance of the project towards the criteria mentioned above)
• CVs for the SJTU/HUJI investigators (all listed on the project team)
• Detailed budget calculation (HUJI Requirements Form)

The length of the application should typically be up to 5 pages.

Submission
Proposals for the SJTU-HUJI seed funding scheme should be jointly submitted by SJTU and HUJI faculty, using the joint online platform at SJTU. Please note that this hyperlink can only be accessed by PIs from SJTU using their jAccount. A template of the Application Form is attached for reference (see Appendix 1 at the bottom of the page).

Selection criteria
Seed funding for joint activities will be provided on a competitive basis, following the criteria below:

• Clearly formulated plan and goals of the activity;
• Information on envisaged synergies;
• Level of concreteness of future joint research, incl. specific timeframe and information on funding programs (i.e. Israel-China funding programs) and steps for developing a joint proposal for submission to further funding;
• Compatibility with the SJTU/HUJI research profiles (interdisciplinary nature, excellence of project leaders, scope of the fields/labs represented in the proposed activity;
• Information on how the cooperation can be sustained beyond the initial seed money funding phase;
• Ability to perform the plan and to achieve its goals;
• Evaluation of the necessity of the collaboration for achieving its goal and its complimentary nature.
• The projects will be reviewed by expert reviewers at each institution and then a consensus meeting will be held to review and select the projects for funding. The SJTU-HUJI selection committee with be headed by:
• SJTU: Vice-President for International, Prof. Lisa XU
• HUJI: Vice-President for International Affairs, Prof. Oron Shagrir and/or Vice-President for Research, Prof. Aharon Palmon

Results will be communicated within two months from the deadline; the proposed activities should commence from October 2023.
 

For further information, please contact:
SJTU: Wei CAO (caowei@sjtu.edu.cn, 86-21-34206752)
HUJI: Keren Sagi (kerensa@savion.huji.ac.il, 972-2-5894852)

1. Project Details:
Provide details of:

• Proposed research collaboration and activity
• How the project will lead to long term collaboration beyond the scope of the seed project
• Expected outcomes of seed grant funding:
  • The submission of at least one joint co-authored publication (or equivalent output);
  • Virtual activities within the first instance until travel restrictions have been lifted and then at least 1 reciprocal visits for staff and/or research students, (i.e. at least one visit by HUJI staff and/or research students to SJTU and one by SJTU staff and/or research students to HUJI) (to be conducted within the duration of the award);
  • Target a suitable scheme for the submission of a joint application for external research funding.
     

2. CVs
Attach CVs for the SJTU and HUJI investigators (all listed on the project team; no more than 2 pages each and including current position and employment history; 10 career-best publications; awards and relevant presentations; current grant income).

3. Detailed budget calculation (HUJI Requirements Form)

 

See the FDF version - open file