Frequently Asked Question

FAQ for
Call for Service Provision on “Advancing Personalized Technology” 
Who can apply?

Researchers and entities listed in the call text can apply.

Researchers from Ukraine being an Associated Country to the Horizon Europe programme are explicitly encouraged to apply.
Russian nationals on an EU sanction list are excluded from this call.

 

  1. Could you please clarify if the call is open to for-profit private companies not-SME? 
    Both natural persons and companies are eligible to apply to the call.
  2. Are start-up companies established by academic researchers eligible for this call?
    Yes, both natural persons and companies are eligible to apply to the call.
  3. In the ELIGIBILITY section it is mentioned that junior researcher can apply, is it possible to apply for funding for MSc student?
    Researchers at any career stage, including first stage researchers are welcome to apply for the call. A first stage researcher is either doctoral students at the IsCED level 8 who are engaged as researchers, or researchers working in posts that do not normally require a doctorate degree. Examples: ‘PhD students’ or ‘junior researchers’ (without a PhD). MSc students, though theoretically eligible, are not in the scope of this call.
  4. Can PhD students apply?
    Yes, PhD students are eligible to apply.

    Researchers at any career stage, including first stage researchers are welcome to apply for the call. A first stage researcher is either doctoral students at the IsCED level 8 who are engaged as researchers, or researchers working in posts that do not normally require a doctorate degree. Examples: ‘PhD students’ or ‘junior researchers’ (without a PhD). MSc students, though theoretically eligible, are not in the scope of this call.

  5. Can ongoing EU project apply for the service?
    In case of approval, canSERV provides one or more services free of access for the applicants. Applicants with ongoing EU projects that would benefit from additional services requested through canSERV can submit a research proposal for service provision.

    However, double funding needs to be avoided, users can only request services that are not already planned and declared under the other granted EU grants or grants awarded by an EU Member State, non-EU country or other body implementing the EU budget.

 

Writing my Application
  1. When writing the research proposal details; what is meant by “how many units will be used”?

    In the application form, you will need to estimate how many units (e.g., samples, models, hours, or days of access) you will need. You need to indicate the number of units for each service requested (e.g., Service xy – 5 Units). A help text is provided for several services in the Service Guidelines: Please read the Service Guidelines before applying. 

  2. Is there a limit in the number of services that can be applied to?

    The call does not limit the number of services requested. However, in the application form a justification to each solicited service will be requested, which is an evaluation criterion. We kindly recommend the applicants to request only services that can be well-justified. Should you have any questions regarding the service selection, please scroll the catalogue, and use our helpdesk to find the right service(s) for your project. 

  3. You did mention to be very focused in our proposal and having the minimum required amount and effort needed for accomplishing our project’s main goal. Several PIs from our institute would have interest in applying. Should they apply individually with focused services or instead present a more holistic proposal including more services (and likely higher budget)? What would be the best approach?

    It is for the applicant to decide, what is the best for the planned research project.  

    The scientific evaluation will take into consideration the following three criteria: 

    • Scientific merit and/or clinical impact of the research proposal.
    • Justification to the solicited service(s).
    • Feasibility of the proposal.

     In the question raised, we suggest investigating, whether the scientific merit and/or clinical impact of the mentioned “holistic” research proposal would be higher or not. 

  4. Is there a way to get further information about a service? For example, getting organoid or cell lines, how can we find what cell types or disease models are available?

    Please read the service description in the canSERV Directory. 
    In addition to that, a help text is provided for several services in the Service Guidelines. If you have any further questions or if this information is not provided, please use our helpdesk to find the right service(s) for your project. 

Budget and costs

How much is the overall budget for the Open Call?

A budget of up to 1.000.000 € was allocated for the Second Open Call.

Can I finance laboratory equipment?

The budget only covers costs related to offering these services.
The budget does not cover acquisition of new laboratory equipment or the personnel costs of the applicant.

How will the costs of the selected services estimated?

If you apply to this call, the costs will be checked as part of the evaluation, during the feasibility check. As part of this, a final price estimation for the selected service(s) will be made, based on, for instance, the number of samples. Our TNA access managers will reach out to You for further alignment and information in this phase, if needed, and the details for the price estimation can be clarified in the frames of this dialogue.

Time frames for service provision

How long can a service provision take?

The duration of stay at a research infrastructure must normally be limited to three months. There is a possibility that the completion of the service provision might take more than three months, in case it does not affect a longer physical stay, and in case it is indicated and justified clearly in the application.

In which time frame I have to use the service?

If your proposal is successful, we expect the service to be offered and finalized within 3 months. If the experiment takes longer than 3 months, then our TNA Access Managers, who will support you along the way to get access to the service, will inform the canSERV Coordinator. The Coordinator will take in to consideration – among others – that the completion of the service provision might take more than three months, in case it does not affect a longer physical stay, and in case it is indicated and justified clearly. If you want to delay the access to the services, you have to inform us and it will be discussed within the project what is an acceptable time frame.

Transnational Access

Should the users’ country of origin be considered as a limitation for access to ERICs?

According to the Horizon rules, transnationality means scientists can only apply for TNA services outside of their home country. However, there is an exception for international organizations:

“The research team, or its majority, must work in countries other than the country(ies) where the infrastructure is located (when the infrastructure is composed of several research facilities, operated by different legal entities, this condition must apply to each facility) except when access is provided by an International organisation, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), an ERIC or similar legal entities with international membership.” (Horizon Europe Work Programme 2021-2022 3. Research Infrastructures (European Commission DecisionC(2022)2975 of 10 May 2022))

What are the Molecular Tumor Boards?

MTBs are composed of highly interdisciplinary team of clinicians of various specialities as well as bioinformaticians and systems medicine experts to treat cancer patients for whom routine guideline therapies – applied through organ-specific tumour boards – did not help. MTBs operate at the interface between clinical routine and translational research.

In case of any further question please contact us