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Objectives of the Visiting Fellowship Scheme

With a view to fostering the global competitiveness of research groups operating in Hungary, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as “MTA”) launches a call for applications for inviting internationally acclaimed foreign researchers as Visiting Fellows to conduct joint research work in research groups operating at MTA’s research institutes or research centres or in research groups receiving MTA funding and operating at Hungarian universities. The Visiting Fellows invited on the basis of the successful applications will take part in the work of the research group either within the framework of public employment or on a contract basis. Joint research projects can be carried out in all fields of science ‑ natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences and humanities. The Visiting Fellowship Scheme is not meant to fund visits to research units, or participation in conferences or delivering lecture series in Hungary.

Applicants

Within the framework of the Visiting Fellowship Scheme, funding will be available for the invitation of a limited number of foreign researchers pursuing top-level research and possessing a record of outstanding research performance of worldwide recognition, for a period of 3-12 months. Applications may be submitted by leaders of research groups ("Lendület‟ – "Momentum" ‑ or other) operating at MTA's research centres or research institutes, as well as leaders of MTA-funded research groups or "Lendület" ("Momentum") research groups operating at Hungarian universities (hereinafter referred to as "Host PI's", where PI means Principal Investigator). The Host PI may submit the application, to be drawn up in cooperation with the foreign researcher to be invited (hereinafter "Visiting Fellow") and to be approved by the head of the Host Institution (general director of the research centre or director of the research institute or rector of the university concerned), to the President of MTA. The research to be conducted in Hungary under the Visiting Fellowship Scheme is to be completed by 30th June 2017 at the latest.

The amount and form of funding to be requested under the scheme
The total amount of funding available under this scheme for the year 2016 is HUF 50 million. Individual grants may reach the maximum amount of HUF 2.5 million per month. This is a "gross" amount, which is to cover all kinds of costs of the visiting researcher (personnel costs including social security contributions, operation expenses and other costs). No additional costs will be accepted as eligible costs.

Terms and conditions under the Visiting Fellowship Scheme

1) The Host PI will undertake, in cooperation with the administrative unit of the Host Institution, to provide appropriate research facilities for the Visiting Fellow.

2) If needed, the Host Institution (MTA's research centre or research institute or the university) will undertake to provide logistic and administrative support for the Visiting Fellow concerning his/her entry and stay in Hungary.

3) The Visiting Fellow and the Host PI must submit a joint research report within one month after the end of the Visiting Fellow's stay in Hungary. This report shall have an annex containing the manuscripts of the scientific papers the Visiting Fellow and the Host PI have prepared together and the title of the scientific journal in which they intend them to be published, containing the manuscript of at least one scientific paper meant to be published in one of the top periodicals of the respective scientific field. The research report has to be supplemented with a maximum two-page abstract for communication purposes written in Hungarian, summarizing in plain language and if necessary highlighting by means of illustrations the main ideas behind the joint research work undertaken in the course of the fellowship and the results achieved.

4) The joint scientific publication has to be forwarded electronically to the e-mail address meghivas [at] titkarsag [dot] mta [dot] hu. In the publication reference has to be made to the invitation under MTA's Visiting Fellowship Scheme.

5) Visiting Fellows are required during their stay in Hungary to spend the time determined in the employment relationship entered into under the Fellowship fully on the implementation of the joint research project. They are allowed to deliver university lectures subject to the consent of the Host PI, and without any remuneration.

6) When requested by the President of MTA, Visiting Fellows shall give their opinion on MTA's Visiting Fellowship Scheme, shall summarise the experiences they have gathered concerning the state of play in the field of scientific research at large in Hungary, and shall put forward proposals concerning the possible ways of improving the Visiting Fellowship Scheme.

7) The names of the Visiting Fellow selected for invitation, of the Host Institution and of the Host PI respectively, as well as the abstract of the research report prepared for communication purposes, will be published by MTA.

Requirements regarding the form and content of the application

The application package should comprise the application form, the respective CV's of the Visiting Fellow candidate and the Host PI, as well as an accompanying letter written both in English and Hungarian.

- The application form (to be found in Attachment 1) should be completed in full, and should contain the original or electronic signature of the foreign researcher to be invited, as well as the respective original signatures of the Host PI proposing the invitation and of the head of the Host Institution. A short summary of the scientific career of the Visiting Fellow candidate and that of the Host PI should also be attached to the application form.

- The accompanying letter, drawn up in Hungarian and English, should be signed by the Host PI, should be maximum 2 pages long, and should point out the significance of the joint research envisaged, the expected impact of the invited researcher's activity in Hungary, and a maximum 10-sentence-long summary, designed for communication to the public, about the joint research work envisaged. The full name of the employer of the Host PI as well as that of the employer of the Visiting Fellow candidate, together with their respective e-mail addresses, should also be given in the accompanying letter.

Application procedure

1) Contact is established between the Host PI and the foreign Visiting Fellow candidate.

2) They draw up a joint plan for research to be done in Hungary for a period of minimum 3 and maximum 12 months.

3) The Visiting Fellow candidate sends the completed application form, containing his/her original or electronic signature, to the Host PI (electronic version is acceptable).

4) The head of the Host Institution (general director of a research centre of MTA, director of a research institute of MTA (being an independent legal person), or rector of a university) approves of (signs) the application form which has already been signed by the Visiting Fellow candidate and the Host PI, and approves of (signs) the bilingual accompanying letter.

5) The Host Institution forwards the application package (application form, CV's of Visiting Fellow candidate and Host PI, accompanying letter in two languages) to the President of MTA.

Deadline for application

Applications are to be submitted to the President of MTA before 9th March 2016, 12:00 (CET) as follows:

1) the application form, the two CV's and the accompanying letter in Hungarian and English in a pdf file, as well as the application form without signature in a doc file, are to be sent to the following e-mail address: meghivas [at] titkarsag [dot] mta [dot] hu;

2) hard copies of the documents mentioned in point 1) are also to be mailed or delivered personally to the following address: MTA Titkárság Kutatóintézeti Főosztály (1051 Budapest, Nádor utca 7.). The latest date of postage shall be 9th March 2016.

The Department of Research Institutes shall send confirmation of receipt of the application to the applicant. Should the applicant not receive confirmation of receipt of the application within eight days of the deadline for application, he or she may prove that submission of the application took place before the deadline by presenting the relevant documentation to the Department of Research Institutes of the Secretariat of MTA.

Selection process

Applications shall be evaluated by the evaluators appointed by the President of MTA. Based on the proposal put forward by the evaluators, the members of the jury appointed by the President of MTA shall judge the applications along the following criteria: the specific research plan prepared by the applicant (the Host PI) and the Visiting Fellow candidate, the significance of the scientific outcome to be expected from the cooperation and the general impact the cooperation is expected to have on the Hungarian scientific community.

The jury shall group the applications into three categories (definitely eligible for funding, eligible for funding, non-eligible for funding) and shall set up a ranking within each category. The total sum of the grants provided for applications which are judged to be definitely eligible for funding shall not exceed the total amount of funding announced in the call for applications. Based on the ranking, the final decision shall be taken by the President of the MTA until 7th June 2016 at the latest.

Notification of selection results

1) The President of MTA shall notify the heads of the Host Institutions of the outcome of the selection process in writing not later than 13th June 2016, he shall send an invitation letter to the Visiting Fellows selected for invitation (sending a copy to the head of the Host Institution concerned), and shall publish the list of the names of successful applicants on MTA's website www.mta.hu.

2) All further correspondence is to be done directly by the Host Institutions and the Visiting Fellows selected for invitation.

Conclusion of the grant agreement, payment of the grant and reporting

Once the application has been selected for funding, the Secretariat of MTA shall provide the Host Institution with the amount of the grant awarded. The grant is non-refundable, and it may be transferred to the grantee in a single amount pursuant to the grant agreement.

The amount of the grant may be used to cover personnel costs and operating expenses. No other cost of any type may be covered by the grant.

Any amount which was unused or unduly used, or illegally used or used for purposes other than it was meant for shall be repaid increased by late payment interest, in accordance with the relevant specific legislative provisions. The time schedule for repayment shall be fixed in a separate agreement.

The detailed rules concerning the settlements of the accounts will be laid down by the grantor at the start of the grant period.

Checking of conformity with requirements of form

Applications exhibiting a failure in terms of form or content may not be considered. No lack of any required component may be remedied.

The application package submitted will be checked by the Department of Research Institutes of the Secretariat of MTA. In the case of applications which are found to have been submitted in the required form, the Department of Research Institutes shall send a confirmation of acceptance to the applicant within 7 days following the submission of the application, otherwise it shall reject the application without considering it on its merits.

Complaint

The applicant may lodge a complaint with the President of MTA where the applicant is of the opinion that the application process itself or the decision-making process leading up to the decision on the award of the grant, or the proceedings related to the conclusion of the grant agreement or to the payment of the grant or to the claim for the repayment of the grant might be in breach of the relevant legislation or contrary to this call for applications.

A reasoned complaint may be submitted in writing on one occasion, within 10 days of the receipt of the decision on the contested measure or of the decision on the failure to act.

The complaint must specify the reasons - i.e., concrete references to the legislative provision or the provision of the call for applications which has been violated - on the basis of which a review of the decision is sought. Failing such justification and concrete references, the complaint will be rejected without being considered on its merits. Where a complaint is being examined, only the points contested shall be reviewed. Complaints shall be processed and evaluated within 15 days of their receipt.

The means and time limit for lodging a complaint

Complaints may be submitted within 10 days of the receipt of the decision on the contested measure or of the decision on the failure to act, to the e-mail address meghivas [at] titkarsag [dot] mta [dot] hu. Complaints shall also be posted on the 10th day at the latest following the receipt of the decision on the contested measure or of the decision on the failure to act, and they shall be addressed to the President of MTA at this address:

MTA Titkárság, Kutatóintézeti Főosztály
1051 Budapest, Nádor utca 7. or 1245 Budapest, Pf. 1000

Legal remedy

No legal remedy is open concerning the merits of the decision rejecting the application.

Miscellaneous

The intensity of the financial support is 100 %. Applicants are not required to provide own financial resources. There is no application fee.

The application package submitted will be checked by the Department of Research Institutes of the Secretariat of MTA. In the case of applications which are found to have been submitted in the required form, the Department of Research Institutes shall send a confirmation of acceptance to the applicant within 7 days following the submission of the application, otherwise it shall reject the application without considering it on its merits.

For further information on the call for applications, please contact the Department of Research Institutes of the Secretariat of MTA at the address meghivas [at] titkarsag [dot] mta [dot] hu or visit the website of MTA www.mta.hu.

Additional information

The grantor hereby informs all applicants that

a) The legal provisions on the right to informational self-determination set out what shall be considered as data of public interest. The data which would not qualify as such in the first place but are being processed by an individual or a body

- who/which is in charge of the preparation of the call for applications,

- who/which is in charge of the announcement of the call for applications,

- who/which is in charge of the preparation of the decision on the award of the grant,

- who/which is in charge of the decision-making, and which is related to the call for applications or to the application process or to the decision on the award of the grant, shall be considered data which is public on grounds of public interest.

b) the grant provider shall check the use of the grant in line with the terms of the grant agreement, pursuant to the provisions of the Government Decree 368/2011 (XII.31.) on the implementation of the Act on Public Finances.