On Thursday, 27 February, we hosted an online Q&A and matchmaking session for the Tailored Lifestyle Programme. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions about the Call for Proposals, with our team on hand to provide guidance and insights.
In addition to the Q&A, attendees were invited to connected with potential partners through short project pitches. Thank you to everyone who joined and contributed to the session!
Couldn’t make it to the session, want to rewatch or forward it to colleagues?
Download project pitch slidedecks:
Ellen van Kleef, WUR – AI-driven nudging; how social media
algorithms shape adolescents’ food choices
Peter Deen, Streasure4Health – Revolutionizing healthcareby visualizing metabolic stress
Budgetform
We have added a budgetform to the call for proposal page.
FAQ
Eligibility and Participation
Q: Is there more information available about the difference between the Signature and the Kickstart projects in the call?
A: From a content perspective, there is not much difference. The main difference is the amount of subsidy and the duration of the project. You can contact us at i4ph@ewuu.nl to check which type suits your project idea best.
Q: At what level does the technology or the science need to be in order to be eligible for grants from this initiative?
A:It can be at any level from TRL 1 to 7, as long as there is a combination of two research institutes from the EWUU alliance, an SME, and a societal partner involved.
Q: Can you be involved in multiple proposals, and if so, how should it be done in the signature and the Kickstarter?
A: Yes, you can be involved in more than one proposal.
Q: Can non-EU partners be involved in the proposal?
A: Yes, as long as two EWUU partners are also involved. Non-Dutch partners can be included, but only Dutch SMEs can use the PPP subsidy for cover part of their costs. These parties must contribute both in cash (at least 50% of their total contribution) and in kind. Any deviation from this requirement must be justified in the project proposal.
Q: Can governmental bodies provide cash or in-kind contributions?
A: Yes, governmental bodies can be included as partners and provide match funds, but they cannot use the subsidy for their own costs. They can provide cash as well as in-kind.
Q: Can a partner other than a knowledge institute or an SME receive subsidy?
A: No, only knowledge institutes and SME’s are eligible for subsidy
Q: Can any researcher within an EWUU organization be part of the consortium or are only people of certain groups or departments be part of a project?
A: Within an EWUU institute (TU/e, WUR, UU or UMCU) any researcher can be part of the consortium as long as at least 2 institutes are represented.
Q: Can TNO (type organisations) submit within this PPS?
A: Yes, this is possible.
Q: Are Medical Centers or hospitals considered to be the private partners?
A: The hospitals are considered as partners that need to contribute at least in kind. University Medical Centres are considered as knowledge providers and have to contribute at least 10% in kind and can to receive subsidy as well.
Q: Can mental health institution Parnassia be classified as a research organization?
A: No. See definition of a research organization: https://www.rvo.nl/onderwerpen/definities#onderzoeksinstelling
Q: I am looking for certain expertises within the EWUU alliance. Can you help to connect me with the right experts?
A: Yes, we can. Please indicate what kind of expertise you are looking for and within which institute. Give a short description of your project, so we can think along with you.
Project Details and Focus
Q: What is understood as unusual collaboration?
A: Unusual collaborations involve people who do not usually work together naturally, such as a dietitian collaborating with a philosopher or the food industry.
Q: What is the boundary between industrial and experimental research?
A: Industrial research involves gaining new information and applying it to the development of your innovation. Experimental development involves improving a product with existing knowledge, often at a later stage of technology readiness levels (TRL 6-7). Industrial research is normally tested with a smaller group size. When you do a second round on a bigger group, you tend to go into experimental development and after experimental development your products should work. See also: Definities Onderzoek & ontwikkeling uit het EU Steunkader
Q: The call requires the integration of 4 aspects – behavior, lifestyle, enabling environment, and technology. Are all four need to be talked in the project?
A: The project may focus on a few aspects while making sure that the other are taken into consideration.
Q: What does inclusivity mean in this particular call?
A: Inclusivity means collaborating with people from low socio-economic backgrounds or vulnerable groups, involving them in the design and execution of the project.
Q: Can mental health qualify as a domain of lifestyle if it’s not related to nutrition and physical activity?
A: Yes, mental health can qualify.
Q: What is the status of the private healthcare providers (rehabilitation centres, elderly care) in the project and what contribution they can (and have to make)?
A: These are considered as partners that need to contribute at least in kind. They cannot receive subsidy.
Budget and Funding
Q: Can knowledge institutions hire PhD students for the projects?
A: Yes, the projects can hire PhD students (given the costs it might be suitable for the Signature project). We also recommend considering Engineering Doctorate (EngD) programmes. For instance, in the TU/e the Engineering Doctorate in Data Science and other disciplines is a prestigious programme designed to develop highly skilled professionals in the specific fields. It is essentially a collaboration projects with industry partners (for example ASML, Unilever, Philips, and many others), providing trainees with real-world experience and networking opportunities. The programme format entails the following:
- Graduation Projects: EngD is placed for up to 12 months in the company as an individual 1FTE, starting in mid-January and September 1, to work on a real solution for a company. Projects include designing data-driven solutions, machine learning models, and implementation in Python and many more.
- Training Projects: 10 weeks, teams of 3-5 trainees, 50% workload, with three yearly sessions. Projects focus on data scans, data analysis, and high-level design of data-driven solutions.
- Data Challenge Weeks: 5 days, twice per year, covering up to six different topics.
- Financing: The total cost of the EngD programme is €100,000. Industrial partners finance between 50% to 80% of these costs, making the programme an interesting opportunity for public-private partnerships. A borader EngD programme also exists in WUR.
Q: What about the Co-financing part of it? What kind of subsidy you can get when you have industrial versus experimental versus fundamental research?
A: The subsidy percentage and required co-financing depend on the type of research (fundamental, industrial, or experimental, or a combination of thereof). They also depend on the total project costs incurred by the various partners (knowledge institutes vs. SMEs). The call text includes two examples in section 5 of the call text illustrating how this structure may look.
Q: What is the maximum cost you can declare as a research organization?
A: The maximum cost you can declare is 70%, but the minimum required contribution is 10%. The remaining 20% can be filled with Co-funding cash or in-kind contributions by partners. Knowledge institutes can also provide additional in-kind contributions themselves (as shown in one of the examples in section 5 of the call text).
Q: The universities’ cost can be covered up to 70%. Is it for each university 70% or for one it can be 60% and for another – 80% with cumulative sum equal to 70%?
A: There is a max of 70% of costs which can be covered by the subsidy per knowledge institution. Lower percentage is possible, higher – is not.
Q: Can governmental bodies provide cash?
A: Yes.
Q: What can be contributed as in kind contributions?
A: Personnel time, use of facilities & equipment, use of existing datasets, use of proprietary software, provision of consumables/reagents/biological samples/essential materials, training & expertise, use of buildings, meeting rooms, office space etc., support in recruiting study participants, stakeholder engagement, access to industry contacts etc.
Q: Do we need to fill in and submit the budget form for the preproposal as well?
A: No, the table in the preproposal form is sufficient. The budget form can be used to calculate for yourself. The full proposal needs to be accompanied by the budget form.
Q: How much can the budget in the pre-proposal differ from the full proposal?
A: The total budget may vary by up to 5%. The distribution of funds among partners should remain largely unchanged. If the deviation exceeds 5% or if there are significant changes in the budget allocation between partners, a justification must be provided in the full proposal.
Q: Will the funds be given in one go or in instalments?
A: The funds will be given in instalments
Letters of Intent
Q: Is a Letter of intent (LoI) binding for the next step (full proposal)?
A: No, this is not binding. For the full proposal phase we request Letters of Commitment, which are legally binding.
Q: Do all letters of intent have to be submitted with the pre-proposal?
A: Yes, the letters of intent need to be there already in the pre-proposal phase. They do not have to be signed by someone authorized to put signatures. But have to include the amounts required as a match fund.