Objectives

The Social Observatory of "la Caixa" is launching a new call for excellent social research projects that rely on data to provide robust quantifiable evidence and insights about current and emerging social challenges in Spain through an original and innovative approach.

This call is intended to promote social research projects based on sound quantitative data analysis to produce reliable evidence for policy decision-makers and practitioners,building bridges between science and society.

To do so, applicants are encouraged to think outside the box in the project conception,execution and data management, including exploitation of existing data sources or thegeneration of new data. Therefore, projects are expected to have an original perspective,use novel concepts, new methodologies and approaches and/or to be disruptive in management of data.In this first edition of the call, "la  Caixa" Banking Foundation will allocate up to.

Requirements for eligibility

Proposal

- Data-driven methodology: This call will fund data-driven research projects that help us to broaden our understanding on current and emerging social challenges in Spain using quantitative methods. The projects awarded with a grant must generate new evidence-based knowledge. Specifically, the research must involve existing data (including longitudinal, cross-national, administrative data); new data especially generated for the research project and/or new forms of data (such as internet data derived from social media and other online interactions or geographical information systems).

- Innovative proposals: The call encourages pioneering proposals introducing unconventional and innovative approaches in terms of a) proposed methodology, b) production or re-use of quantitative data and c) the social challenge to be analysed.

- Defined scope: The projects must be focused on Spain. In the case of comparative perspectives, Spain must be included in the analysis. Therefore, the data used to carry out the study must refer to Spain. Studies regarding subset units (such as regions, metropolitan areas, cities) within Spain are eligible as long as the results contribute to understanding the concepts in broader terms or the results are relevant, at least, to the entire country.

- Social research: Because social challenges are complex and require converging spheres of knowledge to provide comprehensive and innovative answers, the call is open to proposals from all disciplines focused on social issues as long as they fulfil all the requirements contained in these rules for participation. The research needs to be socially-driven: the core of the analysis must concern current or emerging social challenges, shedding light on social phenomena and providing a better understanding or measurement of social interactions.

- The following proposals are excluded from this call: social research projects without an empirical approach based on real data, literature reviews, pure theoretical approaches, social intervention projects (unless the intervention(s) itself constitutes the research object of a quantitative analysis), design of courses and materials and any other proposals that differ from drawing up a research question(s) and testing hypothesis. In order to look for novel ideas and promote the generation of new research lines and knowledge, proposals that imply the continuation of projects in the course of development, or subsequent phases of projects the results of which have already been totally or partially disseminated, as well as projects having been funded (either through ”la Caixa” or any other third-party grants) will not be considered eligible at the time of submission and may be give rise to rejection during the life cycle of the granted project.

Principal investigador

- The call is aimed to support proposals led by individual researchers (“PIs”) of any nationality who conduct their research activity at a public or private university or research centre legally based in Spain.

- The call is open to researchers who can demonstrate research independence and evidence of prior achievements. For this reason, applicants (PIs) need to meet the following requirements:

- Emerging researchers: applicants whose PhD was awarded between 7 and 2 years before the call deadline (i.e. between 13th June 2017 and 13th June 2012) are required to have published at least 3 scientific articles in the preceding 5 years.

- Consolidated researchers: applicants whose PhD was awarded 7 years or more before the call deadline (i.e. before 13th June 2012) are required to have published at least 5 scientific articles in the preceding 5 years.

- In those cases of interruption of research activity between the date of the awarding of the PhD and the call deadline, the applicant may request an extension of such periods. To these effects, the following causes will be considered as an interruption of the research activity:

- Illness or accident that had led to sick leave of three months or more. An extension may be requested for the number of justified months.

- Maternity or paternity leave. An extension of 1 year can be requested for each child.

- Within the same call, each applicant (PI) can only submit one single proposal. Likewise, each proposal can only be submitted by one single applicant.

- Applicants awarded with a grant will not be allowed to submit new proposals in subsequent calls of the grant during the time the funded project is still being executed. By way of exemption, applicants may submit new proposals in subsequent calls of the grant during the final year of execution of the project.

Host institution

- The host institution (the “HI”) must be a non-profit research-performing organization: a public or private university or research centre legally based in Spain, which will sign the grant agreement with ”la Caixa” Banking Foundation, together with the applicant, as PI of the project. As such, the HI needs to certify through explicit commitment, by means of a letter of commitment, its engagement of the PI for at least the duration of the project.

- Specifically, the host institution letter of commitment will certify the endorsement of the proposed project and the commitment to signing the grant agreement with ”la Caixa” Banking Foundation should the project be funded, and must be signed by both the legal representative of the HI and the PI and submitted by the former. A specific template will be provided for this purpose.

- The HI is required to offer the PI independence to manage the project. The HI must be willing to support the PI and the team members, if necessary, throughout the project period, providing an appropriate scientific and administrative environment for the project to be conducted.

- Should the project be awarded with a grant, the PI must be legally linked to the HI, either by statute, work contract or other type of collaboration by the time the project starts and, at least, during the whole duration of the project.

Funding

The grant will fund projects with a maximum flat-rate amount of EUR 100,000 each.

Duration

24 months

Submission of proposals

- In the first stage, a short proposal together with the HI letter of commitment needs to be submitted prior to the corresponding deadline through an online system available on the programme website. Successful preselected short proposals are invited to submit a full proposal and to demonstrate the research capabilities of the PI and research team, if applicable.

- Both short and full proposals will be blind-reviewed, therefore the short and full proposals must be anonymous and must not contain any information by which the identity of the applicant (PI), research group, or affiliation can be recognized. The letter of commitment and “Capabilities” document are exempted from this condition.

- Proposals must be written entirely in English. The whole process of submission and selection of applications, including the interview, will be carried out in English. Documents or statements must also be submitted in English.

Call timeline

Short proposals: Deadline for submission: June 13, 2019.

Full proposals: Deadline for submission: October 16, 2019.

More information:

socialresearch@fundaciolacaixa.org

In case of interest, please contact with the Research Management Department.