For the next SciLifeLab funding cycle (2025-2028), NBIS will allocate a given budget to joint platform Technology Development Projects (TDP:s) with other SciLifeLab platforms. In brief, each TDP proposal is worked out jointly between NBIS and the other platform(s), the proposals are then ranked by the SciLifeLab management group, and the NBIS resource allocations are decided by the NBIS management group based on this ranking. The deadline to submit your initial ideas to info@nbis.se is 2024-06-07 (23.59). The initial idea can be very preliminary, but it is of course good if it contains enough information for us to understand what kind of competence is needed. The initial idea submission is mandatory.
The deadline for the final proposals to be submitted is 2024-08-30 (23.59), and the granted projects will start at the earliest 2025-01-01. The selection criteria for the ranking are
NBIS will allocate in total 4 full-time equivalents (FTE) annually for these TDPs. A proposal can comprise max 1 FTE per year over max 2 years, but smaller/shorter projects are welcome and encouraged as well. Extensions are possible but will depend on a renewed extension proposal and ranking towards new projects. Co-funding by the platform in various forms (own staff, reagents, funding of additional NBIS staff) is possible but not required. The TDP:s are supposed to have a clear novelty aspect and provide deliverables of general interest; specific PI-driven research projects or resources devoted to running existing daily operations at the platforms will be handled through NBIS general support tracks and services as usual (https://www.nbis.se/services).
The main applicant is responsible for the project and will act as a project leader/project owner reporting to the NBIS management group, and is expected to engage substantially during the entire project running time. The main applicant is also responsible to ensure that adequate economic resources are available as needed for the deployment, maintenance, and continuous updates of the intended project outcome beyond the TDP end date, including e.g. staff and compute/storage/IT solutions.
More than one application per platform is allowed, but if we see too many initial ideas being proposed we might have to ask some platforms to make an internal priority to keep the numbers manageable. Beware that this first round of proposals is a bit of a pilot and we are happy for input on the process and how to adjust it for coming years, to maximize the user value of our resources ☺