OSSEP grants are intended to initiate or strengthen links between different research groups.
Therefore the applicant has to:
- undertake work of relevance to the Programme;
- apply for a stay in a laboratory in a European country other than the country of origin (except where the exchange is between two separate communities and the aim is to promote their transdisciplinarity);
- return to the institute of origin upon termination so that the institute may also benefit from his/her broadened knowledge.
Duration and target audience
- for short-term visits: for senior scientists for 1 to 2 weeks.
- for collaborative research projects: primarily for young scientists typically for 3 months or occasionally for 6 months for collaborative projects performed at two centres.
Grants do not cover salaries
Eligibility
At least one of the institutes involved must be located in a country supporting the programme (Denmark, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom). However, in the case of short-term visits priority will be given to senior scientists involved in the programme collaboration.
Individual conference participation is NOT supported
Applications
Applications must contain the following information (no special forms are necessary)
- applicant’s title, name, postal address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address (for statistical purposes it would be appreciated if the applicant could indicate his/her nationality, gender and date of birth);
- name, postal address, telephone, fax and email of the prospective host at the receiving institute;
- estimated budget in Euros, including an estimate of travel expenses from a certified travel agent;
- proposed dates and duration of the visit;
- title of the proposed research project;
- a short description of the proposed project work (maximum 100 words for short visits and 200 words for collaborative research projects of 3-6 months) and the aim of the visit (justifying the length);
- a brief curriculum vitae;
- a letter of recommendation from someone familiar with the applicant’s work;
- a letter of acceptance from the host at the receiving institute.
All of the above should be submitted electronically by email. However, please note that whilst the letters referred to in the last two bullets should be emailed in advance, the originals must also be sent by post.
Incomplete applications will NOT be taken into consideration
Levels of Support
The level of support offered by ESF grants is intended to reimburse travel and to compensate the additional costs of living abroad. No salary is paid by ESF to grantees. It is the grantee’s responsibility to ensure adequate personal and health insurance coverage during the visit, including any special insurance required for laboratory work. Cancellation insurance will be reimbursed if an APEX plane ticket or other fare with special conditions is purchased.
The Programme Steering Committee may decide to allocate lower levels of support for programme grants than those indicated below by ESF/PEN (formerly PESC).
- For visits of up to 7 days:
travel, accommodation and meals up to a maximum amount of 1600 EUR are reimbursed on the basis of actual costs, after the submission of a completed travel claim form accompanied by original tickets, invoices, and other justifications of expenditure. - For visits of between 7 days and 1 month:
costs for travel (on the basis of APEX fares), and accommodation (on a bed and breakfast basis) are covered on the basis of actual expenditure. In addition as far as the maximum amount granted allows (i.e. 1600 EUR), a daily allowance of up to 35 EUR may be paid as a contribution to meals and living expenses. - For visits of more than 1 month:
Costs for travel (one return trip on the basis of APEX fares where possible) will be reimbursed up to a maximum of 500 EUR on the basis of actual expenditure, for which original tickets must be submitted, and a subsistence allowance of up to 1500 EUR per month may be paid.
For short-term visits, the grantee will be reimbursed by the ESF after the visit. In the case of longer visits, a payment of 75 per cent of the total award is normally made in advance of the visit, if time permits, with the balance of the award payable after the visit on receipt at the ESF Office of an account of expenditure, accompanied where necessary by original tickets and bills.
A short scientific report of the visit is also required, together with a statement from the collaborator/supervisor at the receiving institute which confirms the duration of the grantee’s stay and the scientific subject of the visit. Both the account of expenditure and the scientific report should be submitted within one month of completion of the visit. Whilst the scientific report should be submitted electronically, the statement from the collaborator/supervisor may be mailed.
Deadlines
For short-term visits there is no deadline, applications are dealt with on a rolling basis.
However, for applications for collaborative research projects, decisions are taken once every 3 months.
