Programme summary
https://www.nrf.re.kr/eng/main
The programme is a pilot collaboration between NRF, the National Research Foundation of the Republic of Korea and FNR, the Luxembourg National Research Fund. The programme objective is to create new and strengthen existing bilateral cooperation networks and expand opportunities for future research cooperation efforts by promoting joint research between Korea and Luxembourg.
The grants must be used for joint research activities, research collaboration, joint seminars, conferences, workshops and exchange of researchers between the applicant groups, over a one-year period. In addition to the description of the joint research activities, the application also needs to focus on the collaborative arrangements between the participating organisations. Rather than a one-off event, this fund can be used to develop a series of interlinked exchanges over one year. The location of activities should be shared where possible between Luxembourg and Korea.
- Cooperation Type: Joint Research, Networking and Knowledge Exchange
- Hosting academic events between Korea and Luxembourg (e.g. conferences, symposiums, seminars, workshops, etc.) to promote knowledge exchange and the development of bilateral links for future research collaborations.
- LU Funding Organisation: Luxembourg National Research Fund (www.fnr.lu)
- Korean Funding Organisation: National Research Foundation of Korea (nrf.re.kr)
- 2 Themes: Bio Technologies / Quantum Technologies
- Call Opening/Closing Date: 27 August 2024 – 26 September 2024
- Participation Qualification: Luxembourg and Korean researchers interested in exploring collaboration within a topic area of strategic interest to both countries to identify future bi- and multilateral cooperation research
Funding specifics & funding duration
The organisations invest together about 400.000 EUR and will select 3 projects.
Project Duration: 1 year (1 December 2024 – 30 November 2025; latest project end date for the Luxembourg part: 30 March 2026)
Funding Scale per project: Up to 70.000 EUR FNR funding/project
(The FNR funds can be used to cover joint research and organisation of networking events in Luxembourg, staff exchanges, academic placements and participation in networking events. The details on the eligibility for the various budget categories (INTER) are available within the FNR Financial Regulations.)
In principle, NRF and FNR will cover costs of their respective research teams, i.e. no money crosses the border. Research activities in Luxembourg will be covered by the FNR, as well as any costs related to staff exchanges, academic placements and participation in networking events of Luxembourg-based staff.
If an event is in Luxembourg: FNR would cover the costs of: Luxembourg participants, the conference venue and event costs. We request Korean funding to cover the cost for their participants to visit Luxembourg (airfares/transfers/accommodation). If an event is in Korea: FNR would cover the costs of the Luxembourg participants to visit Korea. Korea funding sources would usually cover the costs of Korean participants, the conference venue and programme meals.
Application information
How to apply: Both research partners are required to submit a joint proposal to their respective funding agencies:
The Korean partner should submit a joint proposal to Integrated R&D Information System (IRIS) – https://www.iris.go.kr
The Luxembourg-based partner (and the coordinating institution’s administration) should submit an INTER application including a pdf of the application submitted in Korea to the FNR online submission system (FNR Grant Management System) no later than 4 days after the NRF call deadline of 26 September (so by 30 September).
For Luxembourg PI, the general FNR Requirements for principal investigators and supervisors must be fulfilled (https://www.fnr.lu/fnr-beneficiaries/how-we-fund-research/). A PI may act in one proposal only, independent if as PI or as participating researcher.
Eligible Institutions: The following Luxembourg based institutions are eligible for financial support from the FNR, e. i) public institutions performing research in Luxembourg; ii) non-profit associations, societal impact companies (SIS), and foundations performing research in Luxembourg that have obtained a special authorization from the Luxembourg Ministry for Higher Education and Research. https://www.fnr.lu/fnr-beneficiaries/
For further information for Luxembourg-based applicants please contact: Dr Helena Burg, Head of International Relations, FNR (helena.burg@fnr.lu)
Evaluation
- Evaluation: NRF and FNR will both run an evaluation of the proposals, according to the same selection criteria. At the FNR, this will be done by an interdisciplinary panel. The three highest ranked proposals at NRF and FNR will be retained for funding.
NRF evaluation criteria
| Evaluation Criteria | Indicator | Weighting |
| ① Researcher/Institute Capability | ∙ Expertise and R&D capabilities of domestic/international researchers (teams) | 20 |
| ∙ Appropriateness of the research team’s organizational structure | ||
| ② Research Plan | ∙ Excellence and creativity in research objectives and content | 30 |
| ∙ Rationality and fidelity of project implementation systems and strategies | ||
| ③ International Collaboration | ∙ Necessity of international collaborative research and the specificity of its plan | 30 |
| ∙ Mutual complementarity between parties and potential for collaborative network development | ||
| ④ Expected Impact | ∙ Appropriateness of anticipated outcomes and utilization methods | 20 |
| ∙ Feasibility of technology acquisition and its technological and economic ripple effects | ||
| Total | 100 | |