The projects should result in international research and policy-relevant outputs.

The Call is open to all researchers with a university affiliation, who hold a doctorate (PhD degree) and normally have at least two (2) years of post-doctoral research experience. This criterion does not apply to the research assistants appointed to the project.

Applications from groups of researchers are also eligible. The Principal Investigator (PI) and lead members must fulfil the eligibility criteria.

Applicants who have previously been awarded funding from the Hellenic Observatory’s research calls cannot reapply in the same academic year that the previous project finished.

Applications are limited to one application per person/group each year.

Eligible costs include salaries, travel, research assistance, impact and knowledge exchange, and publications.

An essential requirement for the large grant (with a budget of up to GBP £20,000 plus up to GBP £5,000 for LSE Academic) is that the project will be delivered in a collaborative fashion, with the applicant team pairing with an LSE-based academic (Assistant Professor equivalent or higher), who will substantially contribute to the project (with a target budget for the LSE component of a maximum of GBP £5,000). The Hellenic Observatory cannot offer advice or mediation in establishing partnerships with LSE academics. Submitted proposals should briefly explain the rationale for the collaboration (synergies, complementarities), any previous history of collaboration across the members of the research team, and the current contact with the LSE staff member. They should also explain in sufficient detail the specific role of each member of the research team (including the LSE academic(s)) in the project.

Applications were to be submitted electronically by 30 September 2022 (23.59 GMT) in Word format to Hellenicobservatory.Research@lse.ac.uk and the subject line of the email should read “HO Cyprus Call 2022”.

Please submit proposals of no more than 2,500 words (Calibri font, size 11, justified alignment, 2cm margins, single spaced). Proposals should address the five evaluation criteria laid out in the Selection Process below and should be structured under the following sub-headings:

• Summary: project title, name of the PI (and other lead researchers together with a structure of the team and the allocation of tasks across its members), start and end dates, total budget figure
• Research objectives and project outline (including literature review)
• Methodology
• Timeline
• Planned Publications (other than the Policy Brief and the Research Note- see Deliverables below): format, content, publisher, date of submission
• Impact
• Annex 1: Personnel (including short biographies). Full CV’s should be attached as separate documents together with a listing of cited references.  The time commitment of each applicant should be clearly shown and justified.
• Annex 2: Detailed Budget - see Budget below. Please complete the Excel budget template provided.

The budget should justify the costs identified for the project. Eligible costs include salaries, travel, research assistance, impact and knowledge exchange, and publications, in so far as they can be accepted as essential parts of the proposed research. Overhead costs of up to 15% of the total budget are allowed, but these should be included in the budget (the total budget cannot exceed (1) £8,000 or (2) £20,000 (plus up to £5,000 for the LSE Academic). The selection committee has the right to request additional information regarding budget costs and to award a smaller amount than the one requested or advertised. Awards must be used solely for the purposes set out in the application. An amount of up to 20% of the total budget can be transferred between budget headings without reference to the Hellenic Observatory. Please note that these transfers cannot be between staff and non-staff costs. Requests for budget transfers in excess of this amount should be addressed to the Hellenic Observatory.

Proposals will be assessed by the Hellenic Observatory and members of its Research Advisory Group according to the following criteria:

• Originality, significance, rigour and impact of the research
• Evidence that the individuals involved have the capacity to execute the proposed project and deliver on stated outcomes
• Contribution towards policy-relevant challenges facing Greece and/or Cyprus
• Value for money
• Compatibility of the research with the broader work of the Hellenic Observatory

The Hellenic Observatory and the Research Advisory Group are solely responsible for approving the eligibility of applications and reserve the right to request additional information from the applicants. In all cases, the decisions of the Hellenic Observatory and the Research Advisory Group are final. Correspondence concerning the reasons behind the decisions cannot be entered into.

The successful researcher / research team will be required to provide:

• Policy Brief: A Policy Brief of 2,000 words (after 6 months where project run is 12 months and after 12 months where project run is 24 months).
• Final Research Note: A Final Research Note of up to 10,000 words at the end of the project together with a detailed breakdown of all the expenses.
• Other: Scholarly publications and publications in other outlets, stemming from the research project will be a significant criterion for the evaluation of the applications submitted.

The researcher / or research team will be obliged to give full acknowledgement to the Hellenic Observatory in all publicity and outputs related to the project, copies of which should be sent to the Hellenic Observatory. The Hellenic Observatory also retains the right to publicise a summary of the results, with full acknowledgement to the authors of the research, on its website and in its other publicity outlets.

What happens next?

- A collaboration agreement between LSE and your institution is set up. It is hoped that the agreements will be drawn up and signed by all parties by the beginning of December 2022. The successful applicant(s) must provide a relevant research account in their host institution for the transfer of the grant.

- Funds are transferred in two equal instalments -the first on commencement of the project and the second on completion of the defined deliverables to the satisfaction of the Hellenic Observatory.

Application Deadline                 30 September 2022 (23.59 GMT)

Successful Projects advised     November 2022

Contracts drawn up                   November- December 2022

Project Commencement           January 2023

Proposals should be submitted electronically in Word format to Hellenicobservatory.research@lse.ac.uk by 30 September 2022 (23.59 GMT) and the subject line of the email should read “HO Cyprus Call 2022”. All applicants will receive a confirmation email upon receipt of their proposal. 

All enquiries should be directed by email to Hellenicobservatory.research@lse.ac.uk.