EOSC-Life Digital Life Science Open Call Frequently Asked Questions

How long should my research project last?
- We are looking for projects which last approximately 12 months, though there is flexibility in the exact length of the projects. No reimbursement for project work will be possible beyond the end of the EOSC-Life project grant (Feb 2023).

When will I be informed of the outcome of my application?
- You will receive updates by email when the status of your application changes. You can also view the current status of your application on your ARIA user dashboard. We aim to inform all applicants of the outcome of their applications within two months of the call closing date.

Who can I contact with questions about my application?
- For any general questions about the Digital Life Science Open Call please contact opencall@eosc-life.eu who will ensure your query is dealt with by the appropriate experts. To contact the technical experts directly use the contact buttons provided in the application interface.

In the guidelines it states I must make contact with EOSC-Life technical experts. How do I know which technical expert to contact?
- In the submission interface you will see “Contact Experts” buttons. These buttons will allow you to send your message to the expert team who will then assign an individual expert to liaise with you on your project. If your project covers multiple EOSC-Life application areas, you should contact the experts for each area separately.

I’ve submitted my application but there are changes I would like to make. What should I do?
- Contact opencall@eosc-life.eu who can assist you and make modifications to your proposal after it has been submitted. Please note that we do not guarantee that we can apply your requested changes after the call deadline.

I can’t find my colleague in the team selector.
- Make sure that your colleague has registered with ARIA

The guidelines state that my profile will be used as part of the assessment. How do I update my user profile?
- To update your profile visit the profile editor page at https://instruct-eric.eu/adm/profile/edit.For more detailed instructions view our help guide at <https://instruct-eric.eu/help/aria-user-1/guide/managing-your-profile-32/

How and when will the resources necessary for my project be received?
- If your institute is a beneficiary in the EOSC-Life project, we can easily transfer the requested resources to your institute so that your institute can claim them back from the European Commission as part of the periodic financial reporting. To transfer resources to your institute if your institute is external to the EOSC-Life consortium <https://www.eosc-life.eu/about/partners/>, you will be required to join the consortium to receive funds and carry out your project either as a new beneficiary or linked third party as appropriate.

What funding is available for my project?
- There is no predefined award amount for each successful project. Projects for the open call should be approximately 12 months in duration and EOSC-Life has allocated budget to support one full-time staff member equivalent for the duration of the project. Projects are welcome to request more or fewer resources than this in the budget section of the proposal if you require. Budget will be a consideration when prioritising projects for funding.

How many people can work on my project?
- Your team can be of any size, however EOSC-Life has allocated budget to support the equivalent of one full-time staff member for the duration of the project. You will be asked to specify how this resource will be split amongst the team in the budget spreadsheet which forms part of your application. Please note that if your team is split across different institutions EOSC-Life can only transfer funds to the institution of the lead applicant who would then be responsible for distributing the funds to collaborators.

Until when can I contact the technical experts regarding my project?
- Applicants are expected to make contact with the technical experts at the latest on the 8th of December that is 14 days before the submission deadline in order for the experts to have time to process your request.

I am working in the UK. How is Brexit going to affect the eligibility of UK researchers to this Open Call?
- EOSC-Life, which provides the award from the Digital Life Sciences Call is a Horizon 2020 funded grant and, as such, we would continue to apply the rules as per ongoing grants. According to the Withdrawal Agreement, H2020 funds (please see https://www.ukro.ac.uk/Documents/factsheet_brexit.pdf?pubdate=20180824) can continue to be received by UK participants for the lifetime of the individual H2020 grant even if that is after 31 December 2020. We would therefore inform that you are eligible for this call.

Where can I find the project proposal template specifying the guidelines and sections to be included in the proposal?
- You can find the application form within ARIA on the application page when you click on "Begin a New Proposal". Only the applications that are submitted via ARIA will be considered. However, you can find a pdf version of the application form for information.

What happens when I contact the expert?
- When you consult the technical experts, you will be asked to provide information regarding your project by answering this short questionnaire. The information provided will help us assign your enquiry to an appropriate expert and streamline the discussion with the expert. You will be asked to provide this information as soon as possible since we can only pass on enquiries to the technical experts if they are received at the latest by the 8th December.

Can I get funding for cloud and compute resources through this open call?
- This open call does not provide budget for cloud and compute resources. However, alternate sources of funding for such resources might be available. Please get in touch with the cloud deployment and resources experts to discuss about these funding opportunities.

Can I hire new staff to carry out proposed project work?
- Though there is no formal restriction on hiring new staff to carry out proposed project work we would remind applicants that their project must be ready to start within 2 months of project acceptance which is unlikely to provide sufficient time for recruitment. Expertise of the research team will also be taken into account during the assessment stages to determine project feasibility. As a result we would recommend against designating a majority of the proposed work to a member of staff who has not been hired prior to application.