The HERA Joint Research Programme offers €18.5 million for humanities-led research on cultural encounters, requiring collaborative proposals from at least three principal investigators in different countries. The selection process involves two stages, beginning with outline proposals due by May 4, 2012. Projects can receive a maximum budget of €1 million, with a duration of up to 36 months, and must engage non-academic partners to enhance knowledge exchange.

1. HERA Joint Research
Programme
Cultural Encounters
Information Sessions
Lucy Parnall
AHRC

2. Joint Research Programme
Key Facts
• Pooling national and European funding: research funding
organisations in 18 countries and the European Commission
• 18,5 M € available for Humanities-led research in “Cultural
Encounters”
• Supporting excellent collaborative research projects (CRP)
• Supporting knowledge exchange with non-academic audiences
• 2 stage assessment with Outline Proposals
• 1 Handling Agency for the centrally managed selection process:
European Science Foundation

3. HERA JRP timeline
9 Feb 2012 Launch of the Call for Outline Proposals
4 May 2012 Deadline for the submission of Outline
Proposals
Jun 2012 Review Panel: selection of Outline Proposals
Jul 2012 Invitation for the submission of Full Proposals
Oct 2012 Deadline for the submission of Full Proposals
Oct-Nov 2012 Peer review of Full Proposals
Dec 2012 Rebuttal by applicants – PI response (one
week)
Jan 2013 Review Panel: ranking of Full Proposals
Feb 2013 HERA JRP Board meeting: funding decisions
Feb-Jun 2013 Contract negotiations
Jun 2013 Start of Collaborative Research Projects
Jun 2016 End of Collaborative Research Projects

4. Assessment Process
– 1st stage: Outline Proposals
• Outline Proposals are evaluated by the international Review
Panel;
• Shortlisted applicants are invited to submit Full Proposals.
– 2nd stage: Full Proposals
• Each Full Proposal is evaluated by at least three external
expert referees;
• Rebuttal by applicants (PI response): applicants are invited
to submit comments on referee evaluations
• The international Review Panel evaluates and ranks Full
Proposals
• The HERA JRP Board makes final funding decisions

5. Eligibility
• Proposals must follow the prescribed format and be
submitted before the deadline of 4 May 2012, 14:00
CET/13:00 GMT
• At least 3 eligible researchers (Principal Investigators) in 3
participating countries:
Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland,
Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
Slovenia, Sweden and United Kingdom
• Maximum budget per CRP: € 1M
• Maximum project duration: 36 months
• All applicants and budget items must be eligible according
to the National Eligibility Rules (see www.heranet.info)

6. Principal Investigators
• At least three PIs from three participating countries in
a project.
• Each PI leads research activities at his/her institution.
• One of the PIs also functions as the Project Leader
(PL) of the project.
• There can be more than one PI from the same country
in one proposal (provided they are based at different
institutions).
• Only one PI from the same institution in one proposal.
• You may act as PI in more than one proposal.
• You must meet AHRCs criteria of Principal Investigator

7. Project Leader (PL)
• PL is a senior researcher with a solid experience of
managing collaborative research projects.
• PL submits the proposal on behalf of the whole project
team.
• PL is the contact point between the Handling Agency
and other Principal Investigators.
• You may act as PL in one proposal only.
If the funding is granted, the PL host institution will:
• distribute the funds to other PI’s host institutions;
• take responsibility for proper financial management of
the grant;
• take responsibility for all reporting duties.

8. Other Staff - UK
– Co-Investigator
– Research Assistant
– PhD Students (must be complementary but stand
alone)
– Other staff as needed eg co-ordinator/admin
support
– Co-I’s etc can not be listed as investigators in
application form but can be mentioned in text
– Academic staff must meet AHRC’s eligibility
criteria

9. Non Academic Partner
• Non-academic APs – stakeholders in the cultural,
heritage or educational sector, media, or creative
industries, who may provide significant added value
and valuable insights to the project from the user’s
perspective.
• APs are encouraged to participate in an advisory and
collaborative capacity to help explore the knowledge
exchange potential of the proposed research.
• Time of APs must be self-funded; only their travel and
subsistence costs can be covered from the project
budget.

10. Outline Proposals - Application
Format
• Your application must be written in English.
• Access the online application system via the link on
www.heranet.info and enter the following details:
– Proposal title, acronym, keywords and abstract;
– Contact details of the applicants.
• Upload the filled out application template containing:
– A short description of the project;
– CVs of the Principal Investigators;
– Estimated budget in Euros;
– Letters of commitment from non academic Associated
Partners, if applicable.

11. Short Description of CRP
(Max 2000 Words)
• What research question(s) does the CRP seek to answer?
• In what way is the project original and/or innovative?
• What are the objectives of the CRP?
• By what methods will the research question(s) be tackled?
• How are the skills of the partners complementary?
• What is the added value in tackling your research question(s)
from a trans-national perspective?
• How will partners work together? What management and
coordination structures are proposed?
• What is the significance of the research question(s)? How will
these contribute to the “Cultural Encounters” theme?
• What is the potential impact of the proposed research to both
academic disciplines, and relevant stakeholders and user
communities?
• How will the CRP engage in knowledge exchange or active
dissemination engaging user communities and audiences outside
academia?

12. Finances
• Each partner costs on their own rules; no matter
the country is ‘leading’
• For UK follow FeC rules
• Budget must be in Euros
• Outline budget is an estimate; can change
• For budget table:
– Enter in 80% Figure (except students)
– Combine estates and indirects for the overheads line
– For students – enter 100% of costs stated in guidance
(do not count towards researcher FTE)

14. Outline Proposal
Assessment Criteria
• Potential for research excellence
• Novelty and originality of research
• Qualification of the applicants and coordination
structures proposed
• European added value of collaboration
• Relevance to the theme “Cultural Encounters”,
including potential impact of the proposed
research beyond academia

15. What to do to succeed
• Read all the guidance documentation published on the
HERA website www.heranet.info.
• Verify the eligibility of the applicants and budget items
according to the National Eligibility Rules.
• Contact the HERA office, your research office or your
National Contact Point, if you have questions.
• Make sure you understand the evaluation criteria.
• Describe your project idea (incl. objectives, methodology,
collaboration and potential impact) within the given space
of 2000 words!
• Don’t forget why does your project fit ‘Cultural Encounters’
• Arrange face-to-face meetings with your project partners
when writing the proposal to ensure coherency of ideas.
• Use clear and straightforward language.
• Upload your proposal well ahead of the submission
deadline!

16. Relevant documents
• Call for Proposals
• National Eligibility Rules
• FAQ
• Glossary
• Application template
All documents are available online at
www.heranet.info

17. Who to contact?
Application Process etc
Julia Boman hera@esf.org
UK Eligibility Queries
Lucy Parnall l.parnall@ahrc.ac.uk
Kelly Sidgwick k.sidgwick@ahrc.ac.uk
Thanks to Julia Boman at ESF for draft slides