Graphene and Human Brain Project: partnering with FET Flagship

FET Flagships are ambitious, large-scale, science-driven research initiatives that aim to achieve a visionary goal. The first two Flagship projects, Graphene and the HBP, were launched on 1 October 2013. Half of the Flagship budget is planned to come from the EU funds, while the other half would mainly come from the member states and associated countries, as well as from the private sector. To support the member states and associated countries in coordinating their contribution to the Flagships, the European Commission is financing an ERA-NET action called FLAG-ERA.

Support through national and regional funding

An important part of the support provided to the FET Flagship initiatives is expected to come from national and regional funding through the use of existing funding schemes, in combination with specific Flagship association mechanisms. The goal of these mechanisms is to allow researchers funded from various sources to work together towards the objectives of the Flagship initiatives in a seamless fashion. The details of these mechanisms depend on the specificities of each Flagship and will be available soon on the respective websites of each Flagship (see the dedicated webpage for Graphene and the HBP). These so-called Partnering Projects will be an integral part of the Flagships under Horizon 2020. Applicable parts of this partnering mechanism will be implemented already during the Flagship's FP7 phase. There are two eligibility requirements for becoming a Partnering Project candidate:

i) the project and its partners already have their own funding or can demonstrate that they will soon have it;

ii) the project significantly contributes to the Flagship’s strategic research roadmap.

Applications of SNSF grantees: points to consider

SNSF grantees can also apply to become Partnering Projects of the FET Flagship initiatives. The following points have to be considered:

• Interested researchers must contact the Flagships before applying for SNSF funding. All necessary information enabling the evaluation of the project, including its feasibility, must be present at the proposal’s submission, as for all other proposals submitted to the SNSF.
• The Flagships will not be involved in the evaluation of the SNSF grant applications, and a positive notice from the Flagship (e.g. a support letter joined to the submitted documents) will not be considered as a pre-decision about the funding of the grant applications. The SNSF will perform the evaluation of the projects following its usual regulations and practice.
• Should the project be funded, the SNSF regulations will apply for the full duration of the grant.
• The exact association procedure is currently being set up and will soon be available on the respective websites of each Flagship.
• In principle, association is also possible for SNSF grants that are already ongoing.

• Graphene Flagship
• Graphene: association mechanisms
• Human Brain Project (HBP)
• Human Brain Project: association mechanisms
• FLAG-ERA