Resume

To support research in groundbreaking, original, and highly relevant (up to three years) Projects that will lead to advancements in knowledge and solutions related to some of the most important health problems of our century.

The "la Caixa" Foundation is looking for research projects of scientific excellence in their field, with potential value and high social impact.

The "la Caixa" Foundation encourages proposals of any trans-disciplinary nature that cross the boundaries between different fields of research with groundbreaking approaches, pioneering proposals addressing new and emerging fields of research or proposals introducing unconventional approaches to health problems.

Projects eligible for this call must be led by non-profit Research Performing Institutions (RPI) based in Spain or Portugal

Objective

The objective of this grant is to support basic, clinical or translational biomedical research Projects. Clinical trials are not eligible in this call. Projects must be groundbreaking, original and highly relevant.

Projects have to be submitted in one of the following five priority Thematic Areas of biomedical research:

a) Cardiovascular disease.

b) Neuroscience* - Included Mental Health projects.

c) Infectious disease.

d) Oncology.

e) Other biomedical areas: other biomedical projects not specifically focused on the previous thematic areas. They will be projects of high biomedical and health interest in transversal areas such as genetics, pharmacology or chemical biology or facilitating technologies such as bioinformatics, nanotechnology, big data, etc.

*One of the selected Projects in the neuroscience thematic area will be on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and will be funded partially by the Francisco Luzón Foundation

Categories and funding

Projects also have to be submitted in one of two Categories:

a) Category A Projects: Projects that can be submitted by only one Institution (the Host institution) but can also be submitted by a Consortium. Projects in this category may receive support up to a maximum of €500,000, for an up to 3-year proposal.

b) Category B Projects: Projects that must: (i) include a trans-disciplinary approach and (ii) be necessarily submitted by a Consortium. Consortiums in Category B must include a minimum of 2 Research Performing Institutions. Projects in this category may receive support up to a maximum of €1,000,000, for an up to 3-year proposal.

All Consortiums can include as well other Partner Institutions apart from RPI’s such as civil society organizations (e.g. patient associations) and/or established companies.

The maximum number of RPI’s per Consortium is 5.

The “la Caixa” Foundation believes that high quality international collaborations improve health research and will specially value the inclusion of cross border collaborations in Category B Projects.

Eligibility expenses

• Personnel costs

• Travel expenses

• Consumables and Equipment

• Publications

• Subcontracting (Audits and others)

• Other direct costs

• Indirect costs: a maximum of 10% of the Direct costs (minus Subcontracting)

Indirect Costs must include the cost of an external audit that must be done by the Host Institution.

For Projects in Consortium, up to 30% of the total budget can be allocated to Partner Institutions based outside of Spain and Portugal.

Eligibility Criteria

The Host Institution must be a non-profit Research Performing Institution based in Spain or Portugal. The Host Institution will be the coordination Institution in case of Consortiums.

Host Institutions must have endorsed or asked for endorsement in The European Charter & Code for Researchers before the closing date of this call. The European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers documents addressed to researchers, as well as research employers and funders in both the public and private sectors, are key elements in the EU’s policy to boost researchers’ careers.

Projects proposed must be original and cannot already be funded, totally or partially, through any other grant (either by the “la Caixa” Foundation or by any other Institution) at the time of submission.

The application must include a Project Leader (PL) and can include a Co-Project Leader (Co-PL). The Co-PL cannot be based in the same Institution as the PL

The PL must be connected, either by statute, employment or other type of collaboration in the framework of this project, to the Host Institution at the time of the grant application. In the case of national health system institutions which develop their research activities through private foundations or other private or public entities in accordance with the applicable regulations, the PL must be connected to these

PL and Co-PL must have a minimum of 6 years of postdoctoral research experience, and must have finished their doctoral degrees before 1st October 2011

There is no limit to the number of Projects that an Institution can submit or be awarded as Host Institution or Partner Institution

Application submission

The Application must be submitted electronically through the application link available on the “la Caixa” Foundation Call for Projects website:

https://www.convocatoriaslacaixa.org/Convocatorias/?idioma3

In case of interest please contact with FSJD Research's Department as soon as possible, not later than 28 th February 2018.

Attached Documents

a) Call for Proposals

b) Rules for Participation

b) Code of Conductfor evaluators

c) Application Form