Introduction
The UAE Ministry of Education, Higher Education Affairs, is pleased to announce the launch of Collaborative Research Program Grant 2019. The aim of this grant is to build research teams of scale, focusing on an integrated research program capable of applying scientific excellence to the advancement of knowledge for the benefit of the UAE. This funding scheme seeks to encourage researchers to pursue original and ambitious research questions through the provision of multi-annual funding.
Working in partnership with UAE higher education institutions (HEIs), it offers a three-year grant aid to research teams to support the hiring of research personnel, purchase of consumables, presentation at conferences, peer publication of results in conformity with best international practice in their disciplines, and stakeholder engagement.
While the salaries of Principal Investigators (PIs) will not be covered in whole or in part by the grant, as a part of this grant scheme the UAE Ministry of Education will consider collaboration with HEIs in the attraction of leading international scholars to locate in the UAE. This will take the form of supplementing the personal benefits package offered by the HEI with a range of research supports.
This scheme is designed to encourage collaboration among researchers resulting in the development of research capability critical mass in the focus areas of the UAE Science, Technology and Innovation Policy. Cross-cutting, multidisciplinary approaches to addressing open research questions are best suited to achieving novel results. With this in mind, applicants are encouraged to recognize the value in taking a holistic approach to multidiscipliniarity in team formation.
A collaborative approach to delivery of a research program over the timeframe of award associated with this scheme provides an ideal environment for mentoring emerging faculty. Accordingly, applicants are encouraged to identify and include Emirati emerging faculty in the team. These may be included under the heading of postdoctoral researcher (for recent PhD graduates) or Funded Investigators (for those with experience post PhD, either as a postdoctoral researcher or through relevant work experience).
A mentoring plan will need to be submitted as part of the proposal and peer reviewers will be asked to assess the quality of this plan.
FAQs
1. WHAT WILL I GET OUT OF A COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM GRANT?
You will build research teams of scale focusing on an integrated research program capable of applying scientific excellence to the advancement of knowledge for the benefit of the UAE.
2. WHICH DISCIPLINE IS THIS PROGRAM FOR?
It should be recognized that the optimal approach to delivery of intended outcomes may come from the application of methodologies associated with one of the R&D fields listed in Table 1. Proposals should show their relevance to at least one of the UAE Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy focus areas that are listed in Table 2.
Table 1: R&D fields
Board Classification
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Second-level Classification
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1. Natural sciences
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1.1 Mathematics
1.2 Computer and information sciences
1.3 Physical sciences
1.4 Chemical sciences
1.5 Earth and related environmental sciences
1.6 Biological sciences
1.7 Other natural sciences
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2. Engineering and technology
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2.1 Civil engineering
2.2 Electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering
2.3 Mechanical engineering
2.4 Chemical engineering
2.5 Materials engineering
2.6 Medical engineering
2.7 Environmental engineering
2.8 Environmental biotechnology
2.9 Industrial biotechnology
2.10 Nano-technology
2.11 Other engineering and technologies
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3. Medical and health sciences
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3.1 Basic medicine
3.2 Clinical medicine
3.3 Health sciences
3.4 Medical biotechnology
3.5 Other medical sciences
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4. Agricultural and veterinary sciences
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4.1 Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries
4.2 Animal and dairy science
4.3 Veterinary science
4.4 Agricultural biotechnology
4.5 Other agricultural sciences
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5. Social sciences
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5.1 Psychology and cognitive sciences
5.2 Economics and business
5.3 Education
5.4 Sociology
5.5 Law
5.6 Political science
5.7 Social and economic geography
5.8 Media and communications
5.9 Other social sciences
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6. Humanities and the arts
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6.1 History and archaeology
6.2 Languages and literature
6.3 Philosophy, ethics and religion
6.4 Arts (arts, history of arts, performing arts, music)
6.5 Other humanities
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Table 2: UAE Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy Focus Areas
UAE Science, Technology, and Innovation Strategy Policy Areas
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· Education Innovation and Technology
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· Architecture and Urban Design
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· Health Information Technology and Bioinformatics
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· Arabic Digital Technology
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· Smart City Applications and Solutions
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· Financial Services Technology
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· Biotechnology and Genomics
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· Petroleum Geosciences
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· Water Management and Economics
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· Internet of Things and Big Data
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· Solar and Alternative Energy Technology Systems
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· Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing)
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· Space Sciences
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· Advanced Building and Construction Materials
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· CubeSats and Nanosatellites
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· Food Security
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· Cybersecurity
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· Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
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· Semiconductor Process Development
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· Autonomous Vehicles
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· Robotics and Artificial Intelligence
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· Transportation Logistics, Analytics and Security
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· Public Health Non-Communicable Diseases and Wellness
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· Aerospace Advanced Materials, Manufacturing, Maintenance and Testing
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2. AM I ELIGIBLE?
In order to be eligible for this grant from the UAE Ministry of Education Fund, the project’s Principle Investigator (PI), who is designated as the lead of the research program, must hold a faculty appointment in an higher education institution (HEI) licensed by the UEA Ministry of Education. The other PIs must be employed in the UAE in a role where at least 20% of their time can be devoted to research. This role can be in education, government or industry. The list of licensed institutions can be found at www.caa.ae.
All applications for grant funding also need to be endorsed by the Research Office of the their host HEI (Vice President for Research or equivalent). Applications for funding may include participants from institutions outside those funded by the Ministry of Education.
If you are an Emeritus/ ‘retired’ academic Professor, you can apply provided that your host HEI provides a letter signed by the Vice-President of Research (or equivalent) that confirms its commitment to the below list prior to the award commencing:
- There will be a written contract of employment/statement of appointment (or similar) in place, which extends at least up to the expiration date of the award.
- The Emeritus / ‘retired’ Professor will have full access to all facilities, labs, and other infrastructure necessary to successfully embark on the intended program of research. • The Emeritus / ‘retired’ Professor will have full signing and approval authority, in order to manage the award appropriately, and to supervise students.
- The Emeritus / ‘retired’ Professor will be bound by the rules and regulations of the institute, as is the case for other faculty colleagues.
- The Emeritus / ‘retired’ Professor will be covered by the host body’s indemnity insurance.
This letter needs to be submitted in advance of the proposal submission deadline in order to receive approval. A template for the letter can be found at this link.
If the applicant will attain Emeritus/ ‘retired’ status during the course of the award, a similar letter of support must be provided by the host higher education institution. Once approval has been received from the UAE Ministry of Education the applicant must include the letter of support in his/her grant application.
4. HOW MUCH FUNDING IS AVAILABLE?
The upper limit on funding is AED7,500,000 over three years for any program proposal.
5. WHAT CAN THE FUNDING BE USED FOR?
The upper limit on funding is AED7,500,000 over three years for any program proposal. Subject to adherence with the General Terms & Conditions, the grant can be used to engage personnel (Funded Investigators, postdoctoral researchers, technicians, and administrative support staff), purchase consumables, support travel and publication. It may also be used to enable engagement with stakeholders, who may benefit from the output of the research, with a view to securing their partnership and support for future research endeavour.
Collaborative programs may differ in scale and scope. In general, it is expected that each program will be comprised of three to five principal Investigators (PIs). Additionally, it is envisaged that PhD students will form approximately 50% of the total personnel complement of the team. Applications may include provision for the funding of Master’s students. However, it must be demonstrated how this contributes to enhancement of labour market skills relevant to future needs of the UAE economy and aids in the development of the pipeline for PhD students.
6. DO I NEED TO FIND MATCHING FUNDING?
No. Matching funding is not required for this program.
7. HOW LONG DOES THE FUNDING LAST?
The Collaborative Research Program Grant funding will be of three years’ duration and shall commence within 6 months of issue of the formal letter of award.
The time between formal award and commencement is designed to enable the award recipient and host institution to make arrangements for securing supports – such as the engagement of research personnel – critical to the conduct of the project
8. CAN I APPLY ON MY OWN?
No. The Collaborative Research Program Grant is designed to encourage collaboration and it is expected that each program will be comprised of three-to-five principal Investigators (PIs).
There must be a well-defined framework for cooperation with one of the PIs designated as lead of the research program. Cross institutional membership of research program teams is encouraged but it is expected that the program has a joint physical site enabling regular interaction among research personnel.
9. WHO SIGNS THE FUNDING CONTRACT?
The Collaborative Research Program Grant is intended to operate as a partnership between the UAE Ministry of Education and HEIs. The formal contract of award between the Ministry of Education and the host HEI will include the contribution in cash and in-kind that the host HEI is making to the specific program.
The HEI will need to confirm the support of the institution’s leadership for the project and outline the steps that will be taken to facilitate the researchers (see under Evaluation for a guide on how these supports will be assessed), should the application succeed.
It is expected that the Collaborative Research Program Grant will lead to identifiable spill over benefits to host HEIs – the letter of support from HEI leadership should identify where these are likely to occur.
10. HOW DO I APPLY?
To apply for the Collaborative Research Program Grant 2019, please submit the application requirements through the link. Proposals not in compliance with any details or guidelines specified in this document, or the Terms and Conditions, will not be eligible for an award and will be returned without review.
Before submitting the proposal, check that:
- your proposal fulfils the conditions set out in the call
- the proposal (both the administrative forms and technical annex) is complete, readable, accessible and printable
- the requested declarations have been made
For further information, please check the Collaborative Research Program Grant 2019 Guide. If you have any enquiries, please contact the Research Grants Team at the Ministry of Education Higher Education Affairs through: research@moe.gov.ae
11. WHEN IS THE CLOSING DATE?
The Collaborative Research Program Grant 2019 call will close on 22 October 2019.
12. WHEN WILL I KNOW THE OUTCOME?
Following closure of the application window, the grant applications will be sent for review to a database of international reviewers, selected for their expertise in the respective grant application subject. The applications deemed to be the most promising and relevant to the UAE will receive the grant award. The winning grant applications will be announced on 17 December 2019.
If your proposal is considered inadmissible or ineligible, we will inform your host higher education institution’s research office (via a ‘proposal rejection letter’ sent by email), with the reasons why and how to appeal.
If the proposal is (for the moment) eligible, but you are not, we will inform you through your host higher education institution’s research office (via an ‘applicant rejection letter’ sent by email).
13. WHAT OUTPUT IS EXPECTED FROM THE AWARDED PROJECT?
The project plan ought to indicate a roadmap to publication and conference presentation. Reviewers will assess the feasibility and likelihood of achieving the key performance indicators associated with the roadmap. The output roadmap should also indicate the steps to be taken to ensure that foreground intellectual property will identified and protected.
Applicants will be required to submit an impact statement detailing how the research program will support the achievement of the relevance of this research to serving society and meeting the UAE Science, Technology and Innovation Policy.
14. HOW WILL MY PROPOSAL BE EVALUATED?
Proposals will be evaluated along two dimensions: peer review of the scientific merit of the proposal using assessments by global experts located outside the UAE; and an assessment of the complementarity of the host institution contribution with the needs of the project. A weighting of 90% will be given to the peer review and 10% to the institutional assessment
For the peer review, postal reviews will be secured from at least two experts, based outside the UAE, in fields of research associated with the application. These assessments may be supplemented with site visits and interviews with shortlisted applicants prior to final assessment and ranking.
Peer review assessment criteria (90%):
- Quality of the Research Proposal (45%)
- Track Record of Research Team (30%)
- Impact of the Research Program (15%)
Institutional partnership assessment factors (10%):
- The capacity to reduce the teaching loads of successful applicant PIs to levels compatible with the needs of the research program.
- Evidence that the collaboration will contribute to optimizing infrastructure utilization across universities.
- Initiatives to enhance administrative support pathways to eliminate blockages and delays.
- Training environment provides the potential for broadening and strengthening trainees’ ability to conduct innovative and substantive research (for Emirati researchers especially)
Cash Contribution
15. HOW ARE THE INDEPENDENT EXPERTS SELECTED?
We will appoint independent experts to review your application from a database of experts. When selecting evaluators, we look for:
- a high level of skill, experience and knowledge in the relevant areas
and, provided the above condition can be satisfied, a balance in terms of:
- geographical diversity
- gender
- where appropriate, the private and public sectors
- an appropriate turnover from year to year
We exclude experts that have a conflict of interests. We consider that a conflict of interest exists, if an expert:
- was involved in the preparation of a proposal
- benefits directly or indirectly if a proposal is accepted
- has a close family or personal relationship with any person representing an applicant
- is a director, trustee or partner or is in any way involved in the management of an applicant
- is employed or contracted by one of the applicants or any named subcontractors
16. WILL MY PROPOSAL BE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL?
We will treat your proposal confidentially, as well as any related information, data, and documents we receive from you. We will ensure that the process of handling and evaluating proposals is carried out in a confidential manner.
External experts are also bound by an obligation of confidentiality.
17. CAN I REPLACE A PROPOSAL ONCE SUBMITTED?
Once submitted, you may not replace the proposal with new proposals or make changes or additions (unless we ask you to clarify any obvious clerical errors on your part). All submitted proposals will be sent for evaluation.
The PI can, however, withdraw a proposal by sending an e-mail with a letter of authorisation from your Host Institution
18. CAN I SUBMIT MULTIPLE PROPOSALS?
No, you can only be a PI on one application per call.
19. WHAT HAPPENS IF I OMIT SOME INFORMATION?
To be considered admissible, a proposal must be readable, accessible, printable and complete.
Incomplete proposals may be considered inadmissible. This includes the requested administrative data, the proposal description, and any supporting documents specified in the call.
In case of an ‘obvious clerical error’ (e.g. omission to submit evidence or information on a non-substantial element of the proposal), we may first ask you to provide the missing information or supporting documents.
If the missing information or document would substantially change the proposal, it will not be taken into account.