Dear All,

The DigiWorld Priority Research Area is pleased to open a call for proposals
for LABs, or "Laboratories for Research".

What is a LAB?

LABs constitute a virtual structure whose task is to create a research ecosystem and to conduct interdisciplinary research in the spirit of the 4*I Principle (as described in the JU’s competition application at https://id.uj.edu.pl/en_GB/wniosek), in the selected sub-area of the DigiWorld PRA (see the tab "PRA description”
at  id.uj.edu.pl/digiworld),
Therefore:

• LABs are not the same as research teams (although they may be the first or additional affiliation of a research team, e.g. with regard to organising competitions or hiring new employees);
• LABs should provide a space for collaboration between researchers employed at different university units and active
  in different disciplines, in line with the principle of interdisciplinarity;
• LABs should be open structures, accepting research groups from different faculties and disciplines with an interest in the same research subject;
• Ultimately, LABs should become inter- or extra-faculty units which, apart from research, will carry out other activities (such as science popularisation, cooperation with the business sector, social projects, expertise studies, research-based teaching);
• LABs should undertake multifaceted collaboration with strategic foreign partners (joint research, educational, social projects, etc.), in line with the principle of internationalization;
• LABs should also undertake long-term cooperation with business and social partners.

In the initial period of their activity, there will be no dedicated funding for the DigiWorld LABs. Research teams working within their scope may apply for funding in open competitions for funding of mini grants, trips, conferences, publications, salary bonuses, etc. These competitions will be organised independently of LABs; LAB membership is not an application requirement nor will it be considered in application evaluation. After a few years, the PRA Steering Team will decide on allocating a separate budget to selected LABs, based on their research achievements, including those related to the success indicators specified in the JU’s EIRU application

Deadlines and applications

The call for applications will be open until 18 September 2020. Applications following the template available below
(see: DOWNLOAD FILES) should be submitted in electronic form to: digiworld@uj.edu.pl.

Within a later deadline (to be announced), the LAB initiators will present their proposal to the PRA Steering Team. Following its approval, as per the General Terms and Conditions of LAB organisation and operation under the program EI.JU (access for logged-in users), the application will need to be supplemented by a proposal of the LAB regulations, defining its organisational structure and scope of activity.