Guidance for Applicants

Call status: Open

Closing date for Applications:

16:00 o’clock Beijing Time, November 10, 2020

23:59 o’clock Moscow Time, November 10, 2020

I.              Summary

On March 11, 2020, the coronavirus outbreak was declared a global pandemic by the WHO. The spread and potential lasting existence of the COVID-19 pose severe threats to the world. In face of the global challenge, joint efforts of science funding agencies, based on the principles of equality, openness and mutual benefits, are urgently needed to accelerate the R&D activities against the novel coronavirus. To mobilize scientific communities and facilitate research responses to COVID-19, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) are opening a call for collaborative proposals in COVID-19 research.

The purpose of the call is to build on the combined strengths of academic research groups within China and Russia to work together on collaborative research that will advance the understanding of the coronaviruses (SARS-CoV-2) and the illness it causes (COVID-19), in order to contribute to the global response to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Applicants are invited to submit bilateral collaborative research proposals comprising eligible researchers from China and Russia. All proposals will be required to have a Chinese Principal Investigator and a Russian Principle Investigator. This call for proposals will require applicants to work together in partnership within transnational teams on research projects where each country’s component is funded by participating funding agencies in their respective countries. Eligibility to apply is determined by each agency’s eligibility rules and the nature of the resources requested must also adhere to each agency’s guidelines. Further information is presented below and within Annexes. Applicants wishing to apply to the call must use the specific Joint Project Description (JPD) Template associated with this call (Annex 2).

Project duration is 2 years.  

The deadline for receipt of proposals is:  November 10, 2020 for applicants.

II.            Scope of the Call

Based on the research agenda defined by the WHO[1], the priorities identified by the participating funding agencies, as well as the research capacity in China, Belarus and Bulgaria, the scope ofbilateral or multilateral collaborative research between researchers from China, Belarus and Bulgaria will include:

• Screening and development of broad-spectrum anti-coronavirus drugs;

• Research and development of anti-coronavirus vaccine;

• Etiology and pathogenic mechanisms of action of animal-derived viruses and protective immune mechanisms against virus;

• New technologies for rapid and precise diagnosis of coronavirus

The funding agencies wish to develop and strengthen transnational collaborations across the countries involved and to support collaborations which will have a real impact in this field. Applicants must successfully demonstrate the sustainability of the collaboration and the potential impact of the activities proposed.

III.           Funding available

The applicants from the above-mentioned countries will be funded by their respective funding agencies (NSFC and RFBR). The projects will be supported with grants in accordance with the respective national funding regulations. Details are set out in the relevant country annexes.

NSFC: Chinese teams can receive up to 1,500,000 RMB for each project. NSFC-funded costs of each grant will be issued and managed by NSFC according to its funding guidelines and procedures.

RFBR: Russian teams can receive form 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 RUB per year for each project.  

IV.          Eligibility

Each collaborative research proposal must involve one eligible Principal Investigator based in the China and one eligible Principal Investigator based in Russia.

All applicants must adhere to national eligibility rules for research proposals as set out in the relevant country annexes and national call guidelines. Any queries concerning eligibility should be addressed to the contact persons of the respective funding agencies.

Principal Investigators need to ensure that they, and any Co-Investigators included on the application are eligible. Applications involving any ineligible applicants (from China or Russia) will result in the whole application being rejected.

V.            Application

For each proposal, the Chinese PI must apply using NSFC’s ISISN system (http://isisn.nsfc.gov.cn/egrantweb/) by completing a standard NSFC grant application along with the JPD in English. The applicant from Russia must apply to their country’s funder respectively (https://www.rfbr.ru/rffi/ru/contest/n_812/o_2109210). Details are set out in the relevant country annexes.

Please note the JPD must be jointly composed by all the consortia. The applicants must submit the JPD to their country’s funder respectively. The JPD will be the most important material for evaluation. A template of the JPD is presented at ANNEX 2. 

Additional specific instructions for collaboration among China and Russia are provided in the individual Annex for each country. Please ensure you read the annexes of the countries concerned.

Collaboration Agreement

As the research projects will be carried out by all the project partners, the basis of collaboration between the project partners, including ownership of intellectual property (IP) generated during the project and rights to exploitation, and IP management is expected to be set out in a collaboration agreement between the Principal Investigators involved. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigators to put such an agreement in place before the research begins. The terms of collaboration must not conflict with the funding agencies terms and conditions and national law.

Arrangements for collaboration and/or exploitation must not prevent the future progression of academic research and the dissemination of research results in accordance with academic custom and practise and the requirements of the funding bodies.

Details of key issues included in the Collaboration Agreement, for example management of IP, should be described in JPD. The full Collaboration Agreement must be available to be shared with the funders once the project is approved.

VI.          Evaluation

Each funding agency will carry out eligibility and internal checks and agree which proposals will go forward for assessment. Only proposals that fit to the call topics mentioned in Part II of this call will be evaluated and funded.

Eligible proposals will be subject to the independent evaluation by the funding agencies to which the proposals are submitted. Both funding agencies will first establish its respective ranking list of proposals according to the evaluation result. Then a common ranking list will be developed based on a joint panel meeting with panellists recommended by NSFC and RFBR. The final decision on projects to be funded will be made based on the common ranking list and within available budget of respective funding agencies. Each funding agency will have one administrative panel member and a certain number of panel members experts in the call thematic areas. The number of experts from each country will be determined by the funding agencies depending on the number of proposals

Assessment Criteria

To be funded, proposals must be internationally competitive and at a standard equivalent to that normally expected to be supported by each funding organisation.

For further information about the assessment process, please refer to Annexes.

In addition to the assessment criteria, applicants should carefully demonstrate within the JPD that their projects:

·         Represent true collaborative partnerships between transnational research teams; the added value of such collaborations should be clearly highlighted within the proposals.

·         Contain an integrated work plan and an equal commitment to the project (in terms of hours dedicated to the project rather than project costs). Projects that appear to be working in parallel with little interaction between countries will not be supported.

Applicants who receive funding from this call must be prepared to contribute to workshops and/or other networking activities associated with this call.

VII.         Additional Considerations

Ethical issues

Proposals that involve experiments on animals and/or human must be conducted in such a way that is in accordance with the laws and regulations that is applicable in each country.

 All countries where research will be undertaken should be identified. The following special issues should be taken into account:

·         If the project involves ethical content, the applicant must provide the Ethical Approval from Ethics Committees of their own or relevant authority as the attachment to the proposal.

·         If the project involves Informed Consent Form, the relevant regulations must be followed. 

Data management and transfer of materials

Collection and exchange of data and materials must be in strict compliance with the funding agencies terms and the legislation in effect in the respective countries.

VIII.        Reporting

The projects will be monitored through progress reports and the final report by respective funding agencies for its content and progress.

IX.          Timetable

X.            Contacts

[1]https://www.glopid-r.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/who-2019-novel-coronavirus-global-research-roadmap.pdf

Annex 1 Additional guidance

Annex 1 Additional guidance.docx

Annex 2 Joint Project Description Form

Annex 2 Joint Project Description Form.doc

Annex 3 Joint Research Agreement

Annex 3 Joint Research Agreement.docx