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FAQ - Calls for projects

First of all, please visit this page: http://www.axa-research.org/calls-for-projects

1. I wish to submit a Project. How should I proceed?

Only institutions registered at the AXA Research Fund may present applicants for funding. Please liaise with the Institution Representative who has been designated by your institution to be a single point of contact with the AXA Research Fund (https://secure-researchfund.axa.com/Public/InstitutionSearch.aspx).

2. Are institutions allowed to resubmit an application?

As campaigns are independent from one another, an institution which was not selected in the previous campaigns is allowed to resubmit a different proposal with a different Principal Investigator.

An institution which has already been granted Project funding is allowed to re-apply in a different research field.

3. Institutions allowed to submit a proposal are selected in the first round. What are the criteria to select them?

This selection is primarily based on academic excellence of the institution in the fields where it wishes to apply, as assessed by the Scientific Board.

Please note that the list of selected institutions is established to ensure a balance of applications between the three clusters of risks defined by the AXA Research Fund (see Modus Operandi Call for Projects, section 3.2).

Moreover, the record of applications submitted in the past by the institution is taken into account (dynamism in the previous campaign is an asset). The AXA Research Fund also wishes to give a chance to newly registered institutions.

4. When will a candidate receive the results of the first round ?

The information regarding the number of applicants will be provided at the opening of the second round.

5. Will AXA Research Fund provide the 12 research fields of the 1st round ? And when?

The online application form with these 12 research fields will be accesible on the opening day of future campaigns. The Institution Representative willing to apply for a Project campaign will have to select from 1 to 12 of the following research fields on the online form (same for PhD and Post-Doc campaigns) :

- Biology & Biochemistry
- Biology & Genetics
- Economics & Business
- Environment/Ecology
- Geosciences
- Immunology
- Mathematics
- Microbiology
- Neuroscience & Behavior
- Plant & animal Science
- Psychiatry/Psychology
- Social Sciences, General.

6. In 1st round of application process, institutions are expected to select from 1 to 12 research fields where it might submit applications. Why are there only 10 research fields listed in the eligibility section of modus operandi?

The online application forms listing the 12 research fields are accessible on the opening day of each campaign. These research fields (Biology & Biochemistry, Biology & Genetics, Immunology, Microbiology, Neuroscience & Behavior, Psychiatry & Psychology, Environment & Ecology, Geosciences, Plant & Animal sciences, Economics & Business, Social Sciences, Mathematics) are discipline centric.
The 10 research fields listed in the eligibility section of modus operandi are rather risk type centric.

7. If the free texts are not mandatory, is there a reason to write them ? Who is going to read them ?

The Institution has the opportunity to write a free text on its strengths. The aim of these free texts is to add a further piece of information in cases when the information about the excellence of Institutions (publication records in the relevant fields, notoriety among peers...) is not sufficient to make a final decision. In this case, the free texts will be read by the AXA Research Fund Team and the selection experts of the first round.

8. Are institutions allowed to match AXA fundings to finance the Project?

The financial involvement of the institution in the Project is valuable and demonstrates the priority of such initiative for the long-term development strategy of the institution.

The institution is allowed to match AXA fundings with fundings from public agencies or partnering institutions (if relevant). However, private fundings (be they personal or corporate) are not recommended.

9. What should be the profile of the Principal Investigator?

The project is expected to be submitted and led by a Head of department/laboratory He/she must meet the following criteria:

- Be already established in the institution as Head of department/laboratory

- Be of the highest caliber (publications in first-rate journals, international stature and network)

- Have demonstrated sound capacity to lead large-scale projects

10. Are consumable expenses or equipments specifically purchased for the Project eligible to funding?

Consumables and equipments may be included in the budget if they are specifically purchased for the Project. However, please be aware that:

- the AXA Research Fund considers a limited amount of requested consumables and equipments as a positive signal of the commitment of the institution towards the project

- the Scientific Board of the AXA Research Fund focuses on the scientific quality of a project. The budget of the selected projects is studied only in a second step and is discussed and negotiated on a case to case basis.

11. Which costs are eligible in the budget?

The budget is expected to be coherent, well structured and consistent along with the length and the research field of the project. There are no stringent rules but recommendations are available in the Modus Operandi – Call for Projects (section 4).

12. Is there a maximum amount for the budget, or a standard amount?

This year, granted budget is up to € 100.000 per year. Please keep in mind that our Scientific Board always focuses on the scientific quality of a project. The budget of the selected projects is studied only in a second step and is discussed and negotiated on a case to case basis.

13. Does the AXA Research Fund favor Projects involving international networks?

International collaborations are valuable but not mandatory. The AXA Research Fund currently supports both multi-partners projects and teams in a single institution.

14. In a case of collaboration between teams based in different research institutions, how will the funds be transferred?

AXA sets up an agreement with the host institution of the Principal Investigator. This institution is in turn responsible for the breakdown of the budget between the different teams involved.

15. My application has not been selected. May I get some feedback to understand the reasons why?

We can give you some highlights of the referees and of our Scientific Board assessments for you to better understand why your application has not been selected and to improve any further application with us. As the first step of selection by the AXA Research Fund is done by the academic institution itself, all feedbacks are sent through the channel of the Operational Contact. That's why, to get this feedback, your operational contact must send us to the email address dedicated to communication with operational contacts (which, in case he/she does not know it, he/she can find in the application platform using his/her registration codes) an email entitled "Feedback Projects (year) - (Name of the applicant)". Please note that since many of you are asking such feedback, we might need a few weeks to send it.

Comments

12/01/2012 - posted by Cristina

Dear Sirs: I had reading your calls for grants, and I would like to aks you about the compatiblility of both of them. I am interesting to know if is possible to present by the same institution two founds applications: one por projets (when the timetable will be available) one for post doctoral, and in this second case if is possible to present more than one candidate for the same institution. I will be waiting for your kind answer. Yours sincerely Cristina Garcia Grants Technician CIBER-BBN

16/01/2012 - posted by AXA

Dear Cristina, One institution is allowed to submit proposals in different application campaigns at the same time as long as these campaigns are managed independently one from another. There is a restriction on the number of candidates one institution is allowed to submit in Projects, PhD and Post-Doct campaigns. Please refer to the relevant modus operandi to figure out the new application processes. The AXA Research Fund team

17/01/2012 - posted by Curtis

Hello, I submitted some information but am not sure if it is what I should have done and if there is anything else I should do. Is there someone I can call? Thank you.

19/01/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

Dear Curtis, If you have a question which is not provided in the Modus Operandi or in this FAQ, please post it on this FAQ.

22/01/2012 - posted by Dori

Dear Sir / Madam I am contacting you with regards to the above listed call for proposal. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is already listed and holds an account within the AXA Research funds. With regards to the new call, we understand that as an institution we need to access the site and list the field of research we wish to purpose- I am unable to do that within the current link- will appreciate your guidance and assistance In addition for the second round we need to fill in the selected proposal – the current view we see is for previous call "Synthetic" ' is this the same file we need to use during this call? I thank you for your kind collaboration and assistance

23/01/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

Dear Dori, Plese contact the Scholarship Administration of the Ben-Gurion University who is responsible for managing the first round and has access to the application platform. Thank you.

25/01/2012 - posted by Maria

Dear Sir/Madam: I´m contacting you with regards to the possibility of resubmission. Our institution presented a project last year but it was not selected. This year, we are willing to apply to be allowed to present a new proposal in the same research field, and (in case of being selected), to propose a new project. However, we would like to have additional clarification to what is indicated in Question 2 of the FAQs in your web: A resubmission implies that our institution would have to propose both a different project and also with a different principal investigator than last year´s?. Thank you for your assistance. Maria Mirabal

25/01/2012 - posted by Jeanett

Dear Sir/Madam: I hereby contact you due to our great interest in submitting a proposal for the currently open call for projects from the AXA Research Fund. In this regard we have two questions that we would truly appreciate if you could clear out for us: 1. We found in the FAQs section a quote that mentions the following: “Are institutions allowed to resubmit an application? As campaigns are independent from one another, an institution which was not selected in the previous campaigns is allowed to resubmit a different proposal with a different Principal Investigator. An institution which has already been granted Project funding is allowed to re-apply in a different research field.” In our case we submitted this project for last year’s call and now wish to resubmit. Does this mean that we cannot submit it with the same Principal Investigator? 2. Currently, we are two Spanish R&D institutions involved in the project but we would be interested in collaborating with a research group from the US. Does the program allow us to subcontract this american entity to carry out part of the work? And in case it does, would the subcontract be an eligible expense in the project?? Thank you for your assistance. Jeanett Bolther

26/01/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

Dear Maria, Indeed your institution may present a new proposal in the same research field - if it is selected it can then present a new proposal with a different PI. Best wishes.

26/01/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

Dear Jeanett, - Regarding the PI of the new project, please refer to our reply to Maria (see above) - regarding a subcontract with another institution, please refer to point 11 and 14.

28/01/2012 - posted by Rebeca

Good morning I am a member of the AXA comunity, I was granted with a postdoctoral fellowship in 2009, and now, thanks to the research activity that I could developed during my postdoc granted by AXA I could obtain an stable position at my country. I am working at University La Paz Hospital (Madrid, Spain), as Senior researcher, and I would like to apply for AXA projects. Is it possible to apply for it since this institution? I have seen that the hospital is register in the AXA website, but I am not sure if I could apply for it. thank you so much in advance for your help Best wishes

30/01/2012 - posted by Phil

Dear Sir/Madam, The eligibility for PIs includes the criterion that they must be Heads of Dept/Laboratory. However, many in this position do not necessarily have time to do research. I was wondering how flexible this criterion was, or whether you would make allowance for a PI to be responsible for the project, but for a Co-I to undertake the majority of the research. In addition, what are your thoughts on applicants who have been Head of Dept, but don't currently hold that position? Thank you Phil

30/01/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

Dear Rebeca, Regarding the profile of PI expected for the project funding scheme, please refer to the answer to question 9 in the above FAQ. Best wishes.

31/01/2012 - posted by Tessa

Hi there With regard to the research themes, is it acceptable for projects to be interdisciplinary and thus address more than one of the themes (for example life risks and socio-economic risks)? Many thanks!

31/01/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

Dear Phil, Regarding the profile of PI expected for the project funding scheme, please refer to the answer to question 9 in the above FAQ. Best wishes.

31/01/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

Dear Tessa, Indeed, projects can be interdisciplinary and address more than one of the themes. Best regards.

01/02/2012 - posted by Jessica

Dear Sir/Madam I am emailing on behalf of academics at my instutution in the UK who are interested in this scheme. 1) In the past we have been allowed to have a small amount of salary time in order to manage the project, and also a small amount of management costs. However, I notice that the guidance notes now specify that we cannot apply for salary/teaching cover (“the budget should not include his/her salary”) or overheads (“ wording the AXA Research fund does not cover infrastructure or overhead costs.”) Can we still apply for these as long as we fully ‘justify’ such costs, or are such costs now completely ineligible? 2) Can we submit with 2 Principal Applicants (co-PIs of equal status)? Or is it necessary that one is selected as the PI and other must be a co-applicant? Kind regards

02/02/2012 - posted by Barbara

Dear all, it's not yet clear to me if we are entitled to submit maximum an application as Politecnico di Torino or not. It's very important to clarify this point. On this page http://www.axa-research.org/calls-for-projects, I read: "2. Second Round Application: a. Pre-selection of candidates by the institution: The operational contact submits the names and emails of the pre-selected candidates on the AXA Research Fund’s application website. b. The candidates receive an email from the AXA Research Fund, providing them with an access and a password to fill in their on-line application, on the AXA Research Fund’s application website." Then I understand that more than a candidate can partecipate and our institution can submit more than an application. Is it right? Best regards, Barbara Facta

02/02/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

Dear Jessica, 1) Indeed, as stated in the Modus Operandi, salary of the PI & overheads are not eligible. 2) There should be one PI and a co-applicant.

02/02/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

Dear Barbara, Thank you for this comment. There are typos on the page you mentioned and we will correct them very soon. The correct guidelines to apply are in our Modus Operandi, http://www.axa-research.org/sites/dev/files/A-Howtoobtain-Modus/Projects2012.pdf - as detailed in 5.2, our academic partners can send us a single candidate. Sorry for the misleading indications.

16/02/2012 - posted by Jo

Your project eligibility guidelines state that countries are eligible if they are "one of the countries associated to the EU within the meaning of the 7th Framework Programme of the EU (FP7, i.e. Switzerland, Israel, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Turkey, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia, Albania and Montenegro)" New Zealand is able to apply for FP7 funding from the EU as a "Third Country." Are New Zealand Institutions therefore able to apply for Axa Project Funding? I would be grateful if you could clarify this for me. Thank you.

17/02/2012 - posted by Nana

Dear Sir/Madame, I have a question regarding the optional free text which can be added in the comment box for the preapplication of the institution: how specific do one should comment on the research field/s and the funding sheme the institution wants to apply for? Does funding sheme and research field in this regard mean "Call for Projects" and one of the 1-12 research fields or more specifically one of the three risk-categories (life, socio-economic, environmental) or - even more specific - e.g. "Socio-Economic risks", " Geopolitical Risks ", "Scarcity and access to natural resources"? Thank you for the clarification! Best regards, Nana

07/03/2012 - posted by Axa Research Fund

@Jo: Unfortunately, New Zealand is not eligible for our project campaigns. Best regards, The AXA Research Fund

08/03/2012 - posted by Axa Research Fund

@ Nana: In the presentation of your institution, it is useful to highlight the elements that distinguish you from other institutions in the same field; tell us what makes your institution special. > You can indeed also justify the various research fields in which your institution is planning to apply, and relate them to the overal strategy of your institution. > As far as the "funding scheme" is concerned, you may for instance want to let us know why your institution has chosen to participate in the Project campaign, as opposed to the PostDoc or the PhD campaign, and how that makes sense within the overall strategy of the institution. Best regards, The AXA Research Fund

19/03/2012 - posted by Isabelle

Dear AXA Funds, Your funding areas exclude clinically- oriented research projects. Could you specify what does that mean, what types of project are out of scopes ? Thanks !

19/03/2012 - posted by Axa Research Fund

@Isabelle: Our understanding of clinical research is the following: a research project aiming at understanding the basic mechanisms of a disease and its impact of health is considered fundamental, however, if the research aims at designing drugs to treat this disease, it will be considered clinical. Best regards, The AXA Research Fund

20/03/2012 - posted by Jess

Dear Sir/Madam I wonder if you could clarify some terminology around the PI for us? Your guidance states that only Head of department/laboratory may apply as PI. But these two things do not seem to be synonymous (there may be several degrees of separation in a science context between a head of dept and a head of lab), and perhaps the equivalent in social sciences is 'Head of Centre', 'Head of Institute', or perhaps 'Head of a research group'. Could you clarify please? At our institution the head of dept is called a 'chair', and this is an administrative focused role which is regularly rotated between the full Professors. In this context then, would a head of a research group (former 'Chair' for 3 years until last year) be ineligible to apply just because he was no longer the administrative Chair? Many thanks.

20/03/2012 - posted by Axa Research Fund

@Jess: To be eligible for our funding scheme, a PI must be the *current* head of department/institute/laboratory. Best regards, The AXA Research Fund

21/03/2012 - posted by Jason

Dear Sir/Madam, Please could you advise if mutiple insititutions are allowed to be included in an AXA Research project application, as we have had interest from additional parties in progressing with a proposal to these funding oppourtunities. Kind Regards

21/03/2012 - posted by Donna

Good Afternoon in your call guidance it states that the research fund commits up to €100,000 per year for projects, can you tell me is this at 100% fec including inflation? many thanks D

21/03/2012 - posted by Axa Research Fund

@Dana: For more detail on the costs covered by our grants, please take a look at p.7 of our Call for Project Modus Operandi. Our grants are not adjusted for inflation. Best regards, the AXA Research Fund

21/03/2012 - posted by Axa Research Fund

@Jason: It is possible to have two or more PIs in the project, but one of them must be identified as the leading PI; it is her/his institution that the Fund will be dealing with in case the project gets funded. Best regards, The AXA Research Fund

22/03/2012 - posted by Igal

In one of the replies above, it is indicated that there may be "one PI and a co-applicant". Please advise in which way the "co-applicant" (from the same institution as the PI) is to be added to the grant application, and also how the role of a "co-applicant" is viewed by Axa: is the co-applicant considered to be responsible for the research project, together with the PI (i.e. essentially making the "co-applicant" a co-PI), or is the main PI viewed as the sole person responsible for the research project vis-a-vis the Axa Research Fund? Thank you in advance.

25/03/2012 - posted by Igal

Further to my previous query from last week (immediately above) regarding PI/co-PI status, I would appreciate if you could also advise regarding what is meant by "recommendation letters" in the online application -- are the applicants expected to solicit letters of support for the proposal from colleagues, locally and/or from abroad? If not, please explain what type of "letter of recommendation" is expected to be provided. Thank you.

27/03/2012 - posted by Felipe

I would like to know how to register a principal investigator in the Call for Projects. We successfully registered our institution to your research fund a few weeks ago. We are now trying to register a Principal Investigator in the Call for Projects in https://secure-researchfund.axa.com/. Currently we are unsure of how to carry out the registration as there does not seem to be any suitable option for this. In particular as we log in we can only see the following menu: + Homepage + Update Institution + Apply for first rounds (A message "No campaign found" is displayed and no further options are available) + Propose candidates (A message "No campaign is opened for a first round neither a second round or You have not passed the first round of selection for the remaining campaigns" is displayed and no further options are available) + Institution Chair We were further unable to find related information in the FAQ. Would you please advice us on how can we register our Principal Investigator? Thank you very much in advance.

29/03/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

@Igal: The PI is the main point of contact in the research team for the AXA Research Fund. Co-PI is expected to be the the other senior contributor to the project. Rgearding the letter of support, please refer to the Modus Operandi p10. Thank you.

29/03/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

@Felipe: We invite you to liaise with the main point of contact of your institution with the AXA Research Fund and make sure your institution was selected in the first round and invited to submit full proposal. Should it be the case, only this representative is able to designate the Principal Investigator on behalf of the institution (following guidelines detailed in the modus operandi). Best wishes, the AXA Research Fund

29/03/2012 - posted by Igal

Thank you for getting back to me, but I would appreciate further clarification. My question was not regarding the "letter of support by the president/rector", but rather for what comes immediately after this -- "letters of recommendation" (the Modus Operandi, p. 11, states: "Please note that additional letters of recommendation may be uploaded separately in the form"). It is not clear what you are looking for here. A "letter of recommendation" is what is normally provided for a junior researcher (e.g. post-doc applying for a fellowship), not something that has to be provided for a senior researcher applying for research funding. Was it your intention that letters of support from colleagues could be provided here? If not, please clarify exactly what is meant by "letters of recommendation". Thank you.

03/04/2012 - posted by Carina

Dear Sir/Madam, I would like to add a partner to our AXA Research Fund application. This institution is also registered at the AXA Research Fund. Is it possible to submit one application in collaboration? If yes, how should we proceed? Since the call is institutional does it mean that both institutions have to submit the same application? How does it work? Thank you very much for your kind attention. Yours sincerely, Carina

04/04/2012 - posted by Anna

Dear Sir/Madam Whene do you envisage to open next call for projects?

05/04/2012 - posted by Temprado

Dear Sir/Madam It is unclear for me whether equipment costs such as EMG, EEG, Movement Analysis devices are eligible costs? Yours sincerely, JJT

05/04/2012 - posted by András

Dear Sir/Madam, What type of funding scheme is applicable to call for projects? Is it pre-financing or post-financing? Yours sincerely, DA

13/04/2012 - posted by Anne Marie

I have a question regarding the project description. It says in the MO p 10 that you have to indicate how the PI plans to promote interactions between AXA and academics. Does that men AXA as the AXA company or the AXA Research Foundation? best regards, Anne Marie Zwergius

18/04/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

@Igal: letters of recommendation follow the same principle as for junior researchers, but the PI gets to choose their referents as they please. It is up to you to make the most strategic choice in order to highlight the strong points of your application. Best regards, the AXA Research Fund

18/04/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

@Carina: please refer to our answer to Jason's question, a bit further up on the page. Best regards, The AXA Research Fund

18/04/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

@Anna: our funding calendar is available at the following link: http://www.axa-research.org/sites/dev/files/upload/Calendrier_for_publication_Final.pdf Best regards, The AXA Research Fund

18/04/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

@Andras: we finance projects from their very start to their completion. We do not offer "post-financing". Best regards, The AXA Research Fund

18/04/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

@Anne Marie: We mean the AXA Research Fund - the issue here is to know whether the PI will be a good facilitator between their institution and the Fund regarding their dealings once the grant has been awarded. Best regards, The AXA Research Fund

18/04/2012 - posted by Kristiaan

Dear Sir/ Madam, The modus operandi dealing with the research project persentation document states: 1. General background information on current and past research work 2. Positioning of this project vs other national/international research programs in the same research field (please provide a comparative overview) and existing collaborative work. Could you please clarify what exactly is asked ? 1. Does this include our own past and present work or only the theoretical background/introduction of the project? 2. What is exactly meant? Again, should the project be positioned vs current literature? What exactly should be included in the comparative overview? Thank you for the clarifications.

19/04/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

@Kristiaan: 1. Background information includes both a review of the existing literature on the topic of your project, and a description of your past and current research work (possibly showing how it related to the project you are presenting to the Fund); 2. In case there are other research groups elsewhere dealing with similar topics as yours, we want to know what they are doing and why your project is different (and possibly better) than theirs. Best regards, The AXA Research Fund

19/04/2012 - posted by Declan

Two questions : (1) In the 'Call for Project - Application form' you ask for max 4800 characters on preliminary studies. Does this refer to previous studies by research team members or preliminary work we have done in relation to this specific project for example initial project planning work carried out or some descriptive statistics? (2) Can I clarify that you want us to approach a referee, ask them for their suggestions and then we paste them into the space under 'Non-conflicted referee's suggestions' ?

19/04/2012 - posted by Klaus

Question: In the 'Call for Project - Application Form', applicants are supposed to furnish a research plan and provide details on the duration of the project. Does this mean the project needs be broken down into literature review, data collection/collation/analysis, write up, dissemination of results etc. and is the applicant required to allocate a certain number of months to these individual tasks?

20/04/2012 - posted by Yves

Dear Sir/Madam, In the 2012 AXA Call for Projects it is said that the projects can be "carried out over a period of two to five years". However, in the budget file that can be dowloaded from the submission site, only three years are displayed. Does this mean that only three years are allowed, or otherwise, could we get a 5-year budget file? Thank you for your response. Yours sincerely, Yves Brunet

20/04/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

@ Declan: 1) By preliminary studies in this case, we mean preliminary work done on the specific project presented in your application. 2) We do not ask that you approach referees: we ask for name suggestions for people who do not have any conflicts of interest with your project, but who may be qualified to review it. Best regards, The AXA Research Fund

20/04/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

@ Klaus: regarding the presentation of your research project, we do not expect you to follow rigid rules. It is really up to you to make the most strategic choices in order to highlight the strong points of your application. Best regards, The AXA Research Fund

20/04/2012 - posted by AXA Research Fund

@ Yves: the document we provide is an excel template; you are welcome to expand it to cover a 5-year period. Best regards, The AXA Research Fund

23/04/2012 - posted by Igal

The online application requires pasting information in fields in the online form, as well as uploading an ~10-page "Detailed Project Description" PDF. The headings of the online fields approximately correspond to certain of the sections suggested for inclusion in the Project Description PDF. Is it intended for sections to be cut-and-pasted from the Project Description into the information fields in the online form (i.e. will the referees focus only on the 10-page project description), or should new/additional information (which will also be considered by the referees) be included in the online information fields? If the reviewers indeed focus only on the PDF, for whom is the information from the online fields intended -- for general administration, or for planning and advertising purposes, etc.?

26/04/2012 - posted by Laura

Dear AXA team, I have 2 questions. 1) Is It possible that the part of the budget supported by the institution (University) consist in the costs of the time that PI and other researchers emploied by the university spend working on the project and in the cost of overheads, such as, for example, electricity, gas or phone? And which is the espected percentage of the total budget supported by the institution? 2) If we want to involve some foreign partner in the project, what have we to do with the budget and other fulfilment now? Have we to specify the partner budget? Have we to attach to the submission a letter of intent on partecipating to the project by partners? Have we to do something else? Thank you and best regards.

26/04/2012 - posted by Jenny

It states in the Modus Operandi that general administrative costs are not eligible. However can we cost in time for a clerical assistant or project administrator who would be hired to work specifically on the project? Thank you

30/04/2012 - posted by Leo

Dear AXA team, I would like to clarify the upload limit issue. The online form indicates at many places that the upload limit is "4 Mo". What does "Mo" mean? Thanks!

30/04/2012 - posted by JJ

I unable to access to the website with the attributed login and password. I worked last week, now it doesn't. Please help me.

30/04/2012 - posted by Matthew

Dear Axa, I am applying for a Project. Is there enough flexibility in the budget for it to exceed €100,000 in some years and be less in others?

01/05/2012 - posted by SM

Is it possible to have a PhD student in the project team, i.e. the student's PhD fees and stipend to be paid by the project grant like a PhD studentship ?

01/05/2012 - posted by Orla

Dear AXA, We are currently completing the application and would like some guidance on what is meant by ‘the planned organization’ to achieve the specific aims of the project and how you expect this to differ from ‘the project plan’. Kind regards,

02/05/2012 - posted by Sandy

Hi. Thanks for this very helpful information. One thing I'm still unsure of is how to handle project partners in an application. I'm applying from the UK but the project would involve colleagues from New Zealand. However, all the funding would be spent by my university. Can I include the New Zealand partners as co-applicants and upload their CVs? Or should I just ask them for letters of recommendation since New Zealand is not an eligible country? Many thanks.

03/05/2012 - posted by Nagavalli

Hi, I have a question regarding the insititutional contributions. Is it necessary that the institutional contribution must be towards consumables? Can the contribution be in the form of e.g. stipend to a PhD student? Thanks a lot.