Requirements for applicants

To be eligible for funding, you must be:

• A top researcher and/or innovator in any of the NGI Focus Areas addressed by the Open Call (see Guidelines for Applicants, section 1.4 and 1.2).

• An employee of an eligible legal entity (limited to: universities, research centres, mid-caps, SMEs and startups) registered under the European Commission regulations (see Guidelines for Applicants, section 3.1).

• A valid EU, OCT or H2020 Associated Countries passport holders (exception will apply to those non EU passport holders that hold a valid residence permission in the EU, OCT or H2020 Associated Countries).

• Eligible to receive a US J-1 visa.

Requirements for EU organisations applicants are employed at

Only applicants working in EU entities legally established in any of the following countries will be eligible:

• Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU), including their outermost regions.

• Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) linked to EU Member States: Anguilla, Aruba, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Antarctic Territory, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands.

• H2020 Associated Countries: according to the updated list published by the EC.

For further details y, please refer to the Guidelines for Applicants (see section 3 – EU Organisations).

WHEN WILL I KNOW IF I HAVE BEEN SELECTED AS AN EXPLORER?

Final results will be communicated to applicants during the first week of May2021 (a subject to change - number of proposals received and availability of the external evaluators may affect the final resolution forecast).

WHEN WILL THE EXPEDITION TO THE US TAKE PLACE?

The period for US Expeditions will start in Jun 2021 and will finish at the end of Oct 2021.

• For 3-month expeditions, there will be a flexible time window to start the experience. The only condition that applies is to choose 3-months in a row and not end later than the end of Oct 2021 (that is, not to start beyond the end of Jul 2021).

• For 5-month expeditions, start and end dates are fixed: Jun 2021 to Oct 2021

HOW CAN I APPLY?

The F6S platform is the official entry point for all proposals. Submissions received by any other channel will be automatically discarded.

For further details, please refer to the Guidelines for Applicants (see section 5 – Submission of proposals).

CAN I SUBMIT MORE THAN ONE PROPOSAL?

Only one proposal may be submitted for evaluation per applicant. However, this shall not exclude candidates from the same EU organisation from submitting separate proposals to the call. Up to 2 candidates may submit their proposal per EU organisation. 

For further details, please refer to the Guidelines for Applicants (see section 4.5 – Number of proposals per applicant).

CAN I RE-SUBMIT THE SAME PROPOSAL I SUBMITTED TO PREVIOUS NGI EXPLORERS OPEN CALLS?

Resubmission is allowed for those applications that were not successful in the 1st Open Call for proposals nor the 2st Open Call for proposals subject to an improvement of the application(s) previously submitted.

For further details, please refer to the Guidelines for Applicants (see section 4.5 – Number of proposals per applicant).

ARE YOU SHARING ANY INFORMATION ABOUT MY PROPOSAL?

Yes. A summary of the proposals and the participants’ information will be shared with the EC. Following the call resolution, datasets with the selected Explorers for the 3rd Open Call will be published on the NGI Explorers website, including basic information data on submission statistics and total funding received.

Unless under your explicit agreement, no technical insights will be published anywhere.

HOW WILL THE EVALUATION PROCESS UNFOLD?

The evaluation process for the NGI Explorers Program has been designed following a 3-step structure:

• STEP1 | ELIGIBILITY CHECK: First, we will check if your proposal meets the call’s criteria for eligibility, as detailed in the Guidelines for Applicants (see section 6.2 – Eligibility).

• STEP2 | EXPERT REVIEW: Then, your proposal will undergo a detailed evaluation from our pool of external expert reviewers.

• STEP3 | ONLINE INTERVIEWS: Shortlisted applicants will then be invited to online interviews.

• STEP4 | RESOLUTION: Finally, we will publish the resolution for the call (acceptance or rejection).

For further details on the evaluation process, please refer to the Guidelines for Applicants (see section 6.3 – Proposal evaluation).

WHAT ARE THE EVALUATION CRITERIA?

Proposals are evaluated based on:

• Background and know-how: description of the applicant’s expertise and skills.

• Excellence: technical quality of the applicant’s idea and its proposed implementation.

• Impact: ambition of the applicant’s idea, value proposition and expected outcomes.

For further details on the evaluation criteria and scoring, please refer to the Guidelines for Applicants (see section 6.3 – Proposal evaluation).

WHAT HAPPENS IF I AM SELECTED?

If you are among the lucky group of Explorers in the Open Call, you will be invited to sign a Sub-Grantee Funding Agreement to officialise your participation in the Program.

After this, you will attend a 2-3-day immersion bootcamp to get to know your fellow Explorers and prepare for your stay overseas. 

Following Immersion, you will be ready to start your own Expedition and enjoy the 3 or 5-month stay in the US, in close collaboration with your corresponding US Node.

At the end of your Expedition, you will be summoned back to attend the NGI Explorers Oscars, an event where you will be able to tell us all about your journey and even be awarded for your hard work!

WHERE DOES THE FUNDING COME FROM?

Funding will be provided by the NGI Explorers Consortium under a Sub-Grantee Agreement signed by the selected applicants, their EU organisations and the NGI Explorers Consortium. Funds come directly from the European Commission (Horizon 2020 Framework Programme), which uses the NGI Explorers Program as intermediary.

For further details on the Program’s funding scheme, please refer to the Guidelines for Applicants (see section 4.4 – Origin of the funds).

WHAT KIND OF EXPENSES DOES THE FUNDING COVER EXACTLY?

The Program will provide funding for travel and subsistence costs during your Expedition in the US. Under certain circumstances related to COVID-19 impact and/or alternative remote mode of the Expedition, the grant eligibility might be expanded. The decision will be taken by the NGI Explorers Consortium based on a case-by-case situation. 

Accounting for insurance costs and any other additional provisions during the Expedition is the responsibility of each individual Explorer and/or the EU organisation that employs them.

For further details on the funding covers, please refer to the Guidelines for Applicants (see section 9 – Payment).

WHEN AM I GOING TO BE PAID?

Payment releases will be linked to each step of the Program:

• 20% at the end of Immersion, subject to having signed the Sub-Grantee Funding Agreement and the required documentation for Contracting provided.

• 65% at the end of the Expedition.

• 15% at the NGI Explorers Oscars.

A payment schedule will be included in the Sub-grantee Funding Agreement to be signed. For further details on funding releases, please refer to the  Guidelines for Applicants (see section 9 – Payment).

DO I HAVE TO KEEP TRACK OF MY EXPENSES?

Not in this case. Payments are a flat rate and will be released if (and only if) some conditions are met. For the Program, these conditions will be assessed periodically via a series of checkpoints  to assess progress of Explorers in their paths toward meeting project’s goals..

For further details on follow-up procedures, please refer to the Guidelines for Applicants (see section 8.2 – Expedition).

CAN I SECURE FUNDS FROM OTHER SOURCES FOR THE SAME PROJECT?

Funds for the NGI Explorers Program come from the H2020 Framework Programme of the European Commission. As such, standard H2020 regulation applies. Should you receive additional public funding for this project, it falls within your responsibility to ensure compatibility between different funding sources.

WHAT IF, GIVEN THE COVID-19 SITUATION, I CAN NOT TRAVEL TO THE US?

NGI Explorers Program’s Expeditions will be performed in-person in the US for a selected period of 3 or 5 months (Full Expedition in the US).

In case the Full Expedition in the US may not be allowed due to travel and safety restrictions given the COVID-19 situation, the Sub-grantee Agreement will be amended to one of the following alternative options: 

• Full remote Expedition in Europe: refers to an Expedition fully performed remotely in an eligible EU Member State or H2020 associated country. In this scenario Explorers shall still perform a full work dedicated to executing their Expedition work plan.

• Mix between in-person Expedition in the US and remote in Europe: refers to an expedition partially performed in the US and partially remotely in an eligible EU or H2020 associated country. 

For further details on the Expedition alternative options, please refer to the Guidelines for Applicants (see section 1.7 – NGI Explorers - Alternative Expedition options).

DOES THE PAYMENT SCHEME CHANGE IN CASE THAT I CAN NOT PERFORM THE FULL EXPEDITION IN THE US ?

In the event that the COVID-19 pandemic does not allow traveling to the US under safe conditions or the Expedition can not be fully performed in-person in the US, the payment scheme of the grant will change as follows:

• If Full remote Expedition in Europe: 50% of the Full expedition in the US monthly rate will be applied.

• If Mix between in-person Expedition in the US and remote in Europe: Average of accumulated rate of Full expedition in the US and Full remote Expedition in Europe will be applied. 

For further details on the alternative payment scheme, please refer to theGuidelines for Applicants (see section 9 – Payment).