One-to-one advice and support

• Initial situation
• Project goal
• Methodology
• Estimation of the project duration
• Estimation of the necessary resources (available and additionally required)
• Necessary / existing / sought-after partners or competencies

One-to-one mentoring (one mentee and one mentor)

• What do we want to achieve?
• How do we want to achieve it?
• What is new/innovative about it?
• Why us (why are we the most appropriate group to achieve the goals)?
• Why now (what happens if it is not solved now)?
• Why with the help of a / this research grant?

Each funding instrument has its own specific objectives and requirements, and each also has its own guidelines for submitting an application. This module is primarily about getting to know the characteristics of the chosen funding scheme and designing the application accordingly. In basic research projects, a scientific hypothesis is often indispensable; this module deals in detail with the formulation and testing of hypotheses. The end result should be a well-structured draft text that is geared towards testing a biological hypothesis.

Depending on the type and complexity of the selected/proposed funding instrument, a budget plan for the project and the MUI's share is drawn up jointly. A variety of factors must be taken into account, such as maximum funding amount, possible cost categories, consideration of full cost calculation, overhead cost shares, sensible distribution among the partners. It is often the case that the funding body only provides for a certain percentage funding quota, which must be taken into account in the case of a more complex integration of corresponding in-kind / in-cash shares in the project budget. It should be noted that cross-financing of R&D projects from the global budget is not possible at the MUI.

In this module, a submission-ready version of the application is created, if necessary after adjusting the concept and/or budget. An English-language correction is also offered - in this step, further adjustments to the expansion or structure are sometimes discussed in an interactive process. The result should be an application that appears in all its glory and therefore has the best possible chance of being funded.

Almost all funding bodies organize project submission via proprietary electronic submission platforms with various specific peculiarities and pitfalls. Training and support can be offered for the operation of these systems. It should also be noted that some of these portals require central approval by the MUI. Appropriate lead times must be planned.

If the information from the “One Pager” or the selection of the most suitable funding instrument results in the need to identify further partners, the corresponding access points to the various partner search platforms are set up and contacts to relevant players (e.g. SAT, FFG, EEN etc.) are arranged. Information from the “One Pager” can then be used directly for the partner search; if Module 1 was not used, a corresponding partner search profile is created together.

Furthermore, appropriate templates (partner descriptions etc.) are provided.

https://www.enterpriseeuropenetwork.at/de/internationale-partnersuche
https://www.ffg.at/europa/service/partnersuche

The MUI has a well-established system for funding costs incurred during project development. If the selected funding instrument is provided for in the guidelines for this intramural funding, researchers are supported in applying for this funding in this module. External service providers can be used for cooperation projects. The applications are then also formally reviewed before they are forwarded to the Research and International Affairs Division for approval.

https://www.i-med.ac.at/forschung/forschung_EU_Foerderungen/F-E_Anschubfinanzierung.html 

Most funding institutions now expect projects to include a significant application-oriented component. Particularly in the case of projects in cooperation with partners from industry, aspects of intellectual property must therefore already be taken into account in the project preparation phase, which are then further specified in the consortium agreement with the partners once funding has been approved. Depending on the requirements of the funding institution, there is a certain amount of room for maneuver. It may therefore make sense to provide and offer correspondingly critical supervision of the intellectual property aspects (e.g. property rights strategy) of the application by the TTO of the FSI as part of this module.

The FSI is constantly striving to develop sample texts, templates and tools that make it easier for applicants to create or improve their grants. This will be continued in the future and made available in the corresponding intranet area of the FSI. If required, MUI researchers can make use of these tools.

https://www.i-med.ac.at/forschung/intranet/euprojekteinrichtung.html 

Data management plans (DMPs) are now an integral - and often mandatory - part of the requirements of the respective funding institution. As this is a comparatively new aspect of the funding conditions, the creation of a DMP sometimes raises questions among researchers. For this reason, the FSI has built up special expertise in this area in order to assist researchers together with the IT department in the preparation of the DMP if necessary in order to comply with all the framework conditions required by the funding body. You can reach us at research-data@i-med.ac.at

The FSI is constantly expanding its range of training courses in order to publicize and support the grant writing services offered. Both internal training courses (e.g. FSI Academy, investigators' course, workshops on funding lines) and external speakers are involved. These training courses are constantly being expanded and are offered on a regular basis.

https://www.standort-tirol.at/cluster/netzwerke/een#kmu-instrument