Call for proposals
Breed4Food
Predicting Phenotypes of Livestock
Deadline pre-proposals: 01 December 2014
Deadline full proposals: 27 February 2014
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Table of contents
Background ................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Unique aspects of the approach of this programme ............................................................................................ 2
Focus, objectives and applications .............................................................................................................................................. 2
Focus ................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Objectives .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
Applications........................................................................................................................................................ 3
Budget ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
Who can apply? .......................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Proposals and selection .............................................................................................................................................................. 4
Criteria for submission........................................................................................................................................ 4
Pre-proposals – Deadline 1 December 2014, 12 noon ....................................................................................... 4
Full proposals – Deadline 27 February 2014, 12 noon ........................................................................................ 5
Items for evaluation ............................................................................................................................................ 5
Funding ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Partnership agreement ................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Timeframe................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Contact information ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Appendix 1 – Who can apply? ..................................................................................................................................................... 8
Appendix 2 – Format of the full proposal ..................................................................................................................................... 9
Appendix 3 – Assessment and selection procedure .................................................................................................................. 12
Appendix 4 – Procedure after granting ...................................................................................................................................... 14
Appendix 5 – Partnership project agreement template .............................................................................................................. 16
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Background
STW Partnership programmes foster collaboration between academic and industrial researchers.
Technology Foundation STW, the Netherlands funding organisation for the engineering and
application-oriented sciences, is proud to announce that it has found a partner in the animal breeding
companies associated in Breed4Food. We invite academic scientists to submit pre-proposals for
research projects that may give answers to the scientific and technological challenges as described by
Breed4Food in the attached Partnership programme plan.
Breed4Food is an initiative of four Netherlands-based animal breeding companies (TOPIGS, CRV,
Hendrix Genetics and Cobb Europe), prominent global players in animal breeding. Dutch animal
breeders, associated in Breed4Food, generate an annual turnover of 600 million Euro and invest 60
million Euro annually in R&D. The Breed4Food companies are dedicated to be the world leading
research consortium in animal breeding and genetics, enabling the partners to breed better products
to benefit society’s needs.
Unique aspects of the approach of this programme
o
o
o
o
o
Operate as one large team of university researchers together with the Breed4Food
researchers;
The team constitutes a coherent effort to contribute to the challenges put forward by
Breed4Food;
Management and administration of project (proposals) is according to usual STW
procedures;
Scientific quality is safeguarded and guided by university professor project applicants;
Possibility for HBO institutions to participate in research projects.
Focus, objectives and applications
Focus
Animal breeding plays a crucial role in the production of high-quality animal protein for a growing world
population. In the past breeders mainly focussed on improvement of productivity traits. The last 10
years, however, emphasis has changed to efficiency, sustainability, health and welfare traits. Animal
breeding requires high investments in R&D and long-term commitment to meet changing consumer
demands, to increase efficiency in the food chain, to reduce the ecological foot print, to reduce the use
of antibiotics and to contribute to food safety and better health and welfare of livestock.
The Breed4Food Partnership focusses on the development of novel genetic and genomic tools
through innovative science, beneficial to the breeding, production and consumption of animal proteins
with a strong commitment to responsible stewardship of animal resources. In order to achieve this, the
following research targets are specified by the Breed4Food companies to be realised by 2018:
o Genomic breeding values have a reliability of at least 85%;
o Genomics can be used as a sole carrier of breeding value information from crossbred field
performance to a minimal size (non-pedigreed) nucleus breeding population with minimal
generation interval;
o Tools to improve sustainability and disease tolerance necessary to achieve performance in a
world with reduced antibiotics use and more attention for welfare, human health and society;
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o
20,000 high health animals can be individually genotyped and pre-sorted and precision
production handled based on individual genetic merit, some directed to high quality meat and
others towards low cost production.
Objectives
Animal breeding has always been and will increasingly become more knowledge intensive. The
‘genomics revolution’ rapidly opens new opportunities for innovation and scientific research. This
enables Netherlands-based breeding companies to expand their world-leading role and competitive
position through focus on improving food security and new traits needed for sustainable, future animal
production chains.
The main deliverables of the STW-Breed4Food Partnership are:
1. New excellent and distinct knowledge to be applied in animal breeding;
2. Methods and tools for efficient and effective individual phenotyping;
3. Accurate prediction of the phenotype using genomic approaches.
All deliverables will enable genetic improvement in new and complex traits. Combining genomic
information with routine collection of phenotypic data of all important traits, and using sophisticated
statistical and bio-informatics tools, will make the difference and can contribute to sustainable
development and increased added value in the food chain.
Proposals can be submitted on all application areas as further defined in the Breed4Food Partnership
programme plan, which can be downloaded at www.stw.nl
Applications
The Breed4Food companies will use the results of this Partnership programme to improve the
effectiveness and efficiency in commercial breeding programmes and to increase the number of
potentially interesting traits to be selected for.
Budget
For this program a budget of € 3,000,000 is available. The maximum of project costs that can be
requested from STW is € 750,000 per project. Typical Partnership project duration is between 2 to 4
years, but may not exceed 5 years.
Who can apply?
Scientists employed by Dutch universities or para-academic institutes eligible for STW-funding can
submit a (pre-)proposal (see Appendix 1 for eligibility criteria www.stw.nl).
Project proposals must involve two or more research groups from different engineering or scientific
disciplines, because of the inherent multidisciplinary character of the Breed4Food-STW Partnership
programme. HBO institutions are encouraged to participate in the research projects, but are not
eligible to apply.
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Proposals and selection
The submission and evaluation process is broken down in two separate, subsequent stages: a call for
pre-proposals followed by a call for full proposals. The STW board will decide on the funding of the full
proposals.
Criteria for submission
The pre-proposals and the full proposals must meet at least the following criteria:
o Project ideas should be discussed with the Breed4Food companies in order to determine
whether proposals fit in the scope of the Partnership programme plan;
o Utilisation of project results should be in the perspective of the Breed4Food companies
breeding activities;
o Proposals should include at least two research groups from different universities;
o Proposals should be multidisciplinary and should address at least two research areas as
depicted in Figure 1 of the programme plan. Proposals within the overlapping three areas
will have the highest priority.
o Proposals that fit only within one research area are not excluded from review on condition
that this choice is adequately addressed and considered in the pre-proposal;
o Exchange of research personnel between universities and Breed4Food companies will be
highly appreciated;
o Inclusion of research from other species than livestock species will be highly appreciated,
but always in the context of application to livestock species
o The institutions must agree in writing to the special Breed4Food Partnership conditions,
which can be found in Appendix 5.
Not able to take part in this Partnership programme are project proposals covering:
o Traditional QTL analysis;
o Research focussing on feed, food and micro biota only;
o Research topics on which there is a conflict of interest with one of the participants as a
result of affiliations with competitors of the industrial Breed4Food companies.
Pre-proposals – Deadline 1 December 2014, 12 noon
Pre-proposals consist of a short description (maximum of 4 pages) of the proposed research, a
utilisation paragraph and a breakdown of the estimated budget needed for carrying out the research.
Proposals should be written in English with a minimum font size of 10 point. Research proposals
should be submitted electronically via Iris, STW’s electronic grant application system. To submit
research applications and for the Iris manual, visit www.iris.stw.nl.
Parties interested to submit a pre-proposal are requested to discuss their project ideas with a
sounding board consisting of representatives of the Breed4Food companies to assess the fit of the
project ideas in the context of the programme plan. This sounding board will organise two open and
interactive meetings in November 2014 creating the opportunity to discuss project ideas with the
Breed4Food companies.
Upon receiving a pre-proposal STW will determine whether the research proposal is eligible for
consideration. The programme committee (PC), consisting of four people from Breed4Food and four
independent scientific experts in the field, will assess the strategic fit within the Partnership
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programme plan and its topics. Generally, the more aspects the proposal covers, the better the project
may fit into the programme. On the basis of individual assessments by the committee members, the
PC will formulate an advice to the applicants in a plenary session. The advice whether to submit a full
proposal can be accompanied by (required or suggested) amendments to the proposal.
Pre-proposals should be structured according to the following format:
Mention ‘Partnership Breed4Food’ in the upper left corner on the front page
1. Title
2. Names and addresses of the applicants
3. Expertise of the applicants including max. 5 key publications
4. Describe how your project fits the scope of the programme, and which aspects of the
programme plan will be addressed
5. Objectives of the project
6. Concise description of the planned research. At least a description should be given of the
expected results and the implementation thereof in industry
7. Preliminary patent search results: essential here is that there is 'freedom to operate' i.e. no
infringement on existing property rights of third parties
8. Preliminary budget forecast with a maximum STW contribution of 750,000 €
9. References (if applicable)
Full proposals – Deadline 27 February 2014, 12 noon
Full proposals must consist of a detailed description of the expected results, planning of the research
and a utilisation paragraph. The utilisation paragraph should include the important industrial
challenges that will be solved, the timeframe to implementation and the expected bottlenecks during
the implementation. The format of the full proposals should be according to the structure as described
in Appendix 2. Breed4Food should be involved bottom-up during the preparation of the proposal.
The scientific quality and the utilisation perspective of the full proposals will be first evaluated by peer
review. Thereafter, the expert programme committee will rank the full proposals. The decision of the
STW board will be based on this ranking. Details on the evaluation procedure of full proposals can be
found in Appendix 3. The procedure after granting is described in Appendix 4.
Items for evaluation
The full proposals will be assessed by at least three independent referees on the following questions
regarding scientific quality and utilisation.
Scientific quality
1. What is your opinion regarding the strategic contribution of this project to the aims of the
Partnership programme?
2. Can you state in which respect this research proposal is particular original and innovative?
3. What is your opinion regarding the competency of the team to carry out the research plans
and on the proposed use of researchers and the requested level of research experience
(PhD-student, post-doc, etc.)?
4. What is your opinion of the research methods and approach described in the light of the
scientific formulation of the problem?
5. How do you rate the chances of the research project leading to the anticipated deliverables,
and are the described time schedule and project phasing in line with this?
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6.
7.
What is your opinion of the adequacy of the available research infrastructure and is the
presented associated investment credit justified? What is your assessment of the size of the
credit for consumables and foreign travel?
Do you have any other comments on other relevant scientific aspects of the research
proposal and what is your impression about the expected impact of this project on the
scientific community?
Potential for utilisation
8. What is your opinion on the implementation of scientific research results that this team has
previously achieved in practice?
9. What is your impression on the potential economic impact of the intended research results?
10. What are the strong and weak points of the utilisation plan, and is the utilisation plan in line
with the aims of the Partnership programme?
11. What necessary steps and timing do you foresee as being needed to utilise the research
results in the business environment of Breed4Food?
12. How do you estimate the chances of generating know-how agreements or patents on
inventions in this research project? Are there any existing patents that may obstruct the
patentability? Are there any other factors that may impede the utilisation of the project
results?
13. What is your impression about the envisioned interaction and cooperation between university
researchers and Breed4Food?
14. Do you have any suggestions for improving the utilisation?
Funding
Project grants will cover:
o Personnel costs for temporary positions (including PhD, Postdoc positions, positions for
technical assistants) ;
o Material costs (including national travel costs) ;
o International travel costs;
o Costs for new equipment;
The institution(s) of the applicant(s) ensure(s) the required infrastructure, the supervision and fitting
into the research program of the research institute. The expertise required for the research must be
available at the requesting institute(s), so that external consultants will not be necessary. STW may
verify this with the dean or the executive board of the institute.
Partnership agreement
The Partnership programme is a cooperation between STW and Breed4Food. Each party finances
half the budget of 3 M€. A Partnership agreement has been signed between STW and the
Breed4Food companies. For any issues that might arise during the course of the project, the project
leader can consult STW for advice. In legal matters the text of the STW-Breed4Food contract prevails
above the text of this call and above the general funding conditions of STW.
After granting, the applicant obtains a Partnership project agreement in which the legal and financial
conditions are stated (Appendix 5). The grant is available only after this agreement has been signed
and returned to the STW office.
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Timeframe
Pre-proposals
Call for pre-proposal open
3 November 2014
Deadline pre-proposals
1 December 2014, 12 noon
Positive/negative advice by programme committee
15 December 2014
Full proposals
Deadline full proposals
27 February 2015, 12 noon
Assessment by (international) referees
March – May 2015
Primary applicants' rebuttal
1 – 12 June 2015
Advice programme committee to STW board
July 2015
Decision by STW board
August 2015
Contact information
STW programme committee secretary:
Dr. Lise de Jonge
Van Vollenhovenlaan 661
3527 JP Utrecht
Phone: 030-6001223
Email: l.dejonge@stw.nl
STW legal advisor:
Mr. Koen van Nol
Van Vollenhovenlaan 661
3527 JP Utrecht
Phone: 030-6001317
Email: k.vannol@stw.nl
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Appendix 1 – Who can apply?
Main and co-applicants
On approval of the project, the main applicant becomes the project leader and bears ultimate
responsibility for the realisation of the research including the utilisation plan. Co-applicants must play
an active role (associate supervisor and/or daily supervision of researchers appointed to the project) in
the realisation of the project and may be designated as sub-project leaders in the event of several
participating research institutes.
Who can act as main and co-applicants?
•
Assistant, associate and full professors with a tenured position at:
o Dutch universities (or with comparable positions at the university medical centres)
o KNAW and NWO-institutes
o the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI)
o the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen
o Dubble beamline at the ESFR in Grenoble
o NCB Naturalis
o Advanced Research Centre for NanoLithography (ARCNL)
•
Researchers with a tenure track appointment. STW defines a tenure track appointment as an
appointment for experienced scientific researchers with prospects of permanent employment and
a professorship in due course. The tenure track appointment must be confirmed in writing and
funded from structural resources. STW will verify that the appointment meets these conditions and
that it is guaranteed for the term of the project.
Main and co-applicants with a part-time appointment
•
Main applicants and co-applicants employed on a part-time basis should in any case have access
to sufficient university facilities and budget to carry out the project properly.
•
Main applicants and co-applicants should carry out STW research while they are working for the
research institute. If this is not the case, the other employer should sign a waiver so as to
guarantee knowledge ownership by STW and the research institute(s).
Who cannot apply? (Applies to main and co-applicants)
•
Personnel with a zero-hour appointment
•
Personnel with a temporary employment contract (e.g. postdocs)
•
Emeritus professors
•
Personnel of institutes with an applied or technological objective, such as TNO, the Large
Technological Institutes (GTIs) and the non-university part of the Wageningen University and
Research Centre (WUR)
•
Personnel of a research institute funded by a public-private targeted grant
• Personnel of foreign research institutes
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Appendix 2 – Format of the full proposal
Research proposals should be submitted electronically via Iris, STW’s electronic grant application
system. To submit research applications and for the Iris manual, visit www.iris.stw.nl.
•
Mention on the front page ‘Partnership Breed4Food’ in the upper left corner plus STW dossier
number (if any);
•
The maximum length is approximately 12 (twelve) pages of A4, with minimum font size 10 point;
•
The proposal must be written in English.
Administrative data
On maximally half a page you should provide:
•
Title. The title of the project has a maximum of 225 characters. For publicity purposes, a short,
non-technical title or acronym is required as well.
•
Name, address, phone number, fax number and e-mail address of the applicants and possible coapplicants and the telephone number of the secretary.
•
Applications elsewhere. If support has been applied for elsewhere, you should give the status of
this application at the time of submission.
•
Please enter the following declaration with signature on this page: We, the applicants, declare that
we have taken notice of, and are in agreement with, the special Partnership conditions (see
Appendix 5).
•
STW sends the official correspondence to the main applicant. This is the first applicant
mentioned. STW assumes the main applicant will have the supervision on the project. He or she
becomes the project leader and bears the final responsibility for the execution of the research and
the utilization plan.
Project description
1. Summaries
The summaries should be clear to those active in the field.
Research summary
Summarize in half a page the context, problem statement, research method and expected results.
Utilisation summary
Summarize the utilization potential of the expected results in half a page. Provide everything the
reviewers should know about the utilization: the chosen approach and the way results will be brought
into practice.
2. Composition of the group
The current group
Describe in half a page the composition of the team (academic and industrial) that will perform the
research as well as the reason this team is fit for this research. Indicate the supervisors of the project,
the proposed staff, and how the tasks will be divided.
Available infrastructure
This information includes available laboratory room and equipment.
Candidate researchers
In case candidates for the proposed staff positions are already known, you mention them here. Give a
short explanation of their suitability for the position.
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3. Scientific description
In this section of maximally four pages an expert in the field should find all information to assess the
quality of the proposed research. Treat the following subjects:
Contents of the research
Provide the scientific objectives and the starting-points of the project. Describe the methods and
techniques you will apply, the knowledge to be developed, and the instruments and models you will
use.
Required personnel and equipment
Provide motivations for staff and equipment and possible other requirements for the research.
Time schedule and allocation of tasks
Describe the proposed course of the research over the years and how the different parts must interact.
You give decision points (milestones) and moments research results are expected (deliverables).
Further, you indicate if and where you see a role for Breed4Food in the work plan. You need to
describe the research activities as a function of time and visualize this by means of a Gantt chart.
4. Fit within the research topics of the programme
Describe in half a page explicitly the fit of the proposal in the programme and its research topics.
These topics are described on page 2 and 3 of this call and in the Breed4Food programme plan. The
program committee will use this section particularly for the assessment of the fit in the programme.
Connections with other research
Mention similar research that is performed elsewhere, either in the Netherlands or in the rest of the
world. Describe the relation with your own research and the contacts with these groups (or the plans
to establish them).
5. Utilisation plan
The utilization plan of maximally two and a half pages must be clear to those with general knowledge
of the application domain.
The challenge from the practice and the proposed solution
Your research will address problems encountered in industry with not-yet-existing solutions. Indicate
the industrial relevance of this problem and the impulse this research gives towards the solution.
Indicate which steps you will take to bring the research results into actual practice. Provide details for
assessment of the feasibility and the conditions for successful application.
Cooperation with Breed4Food
Describe the ambitions you have in cooperating with the Breed4Food companies. Describe the way
the researchers will interact with those present at Breed4Food and how you foresee the possible
placements of researchers at Breed4Food premises will take place. Please indicate how Breed4Food
could use and implement the project results and deliverables coming from this project.
Past performance in utilisation
Indicate the past successes that the academic team achieved in bringing academic research results
into industrial practice, in relation with specialised nutrition or related activities.
6. Contracts and patents
If there are any contracts relevant to the proposed research project, these should be mentioned here
in half a page. Mention any ties to competitor companies of Breed4Food companies. Also provide
patent search results. Describe the results of the patent search that you have executed on your project
goals and ambitions and what keywords you have used to browse the EPO or similar patent search
databases systems. Indicate if you have patents or running patent applications in the field of the
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research. Make clear that there is complete freedom to operate and that the project is not infringing or
developing upon rights or patent claims that are owned by other parties than the applicants. This
section takes maximally half a page.
7. Budget
Present a budget table overview per project year and add specifications per cost category. All
amounts are without BTW (VAT). The length of this section is at maximum one page.
•
Personnel
You can apply for temporary staff: PhD-students, post-docs or technicians. Staff is appointed by the
applicant institution. The actual appointment is subject to prior written permission of STW. STW may
withdraw a grant if vacancies are not filled within a year after granting. The salary rates for staff can be
found at www.stw.nl
•
Materials
The costs of office and laboratory goods, small instruments and appliances must be specified here.
National travel expenses of the project are also part of this budget including all costs related to travel
and possible subsistence at Breed4Food premises. Standard personal computers for data and text
editing will not be funded by STW.
•
Foreign travel expenses
These are costs for foreign travel and subsistence for congress or short working visits abroad for the
project.
•
Investments
These are costs for necessary equipment and other investments for the project. Give specifications of
the equipment and a cost breakdown if applicable. Indicate availability of such equipment at other
universities and institutes and evaluate alternatives before requesting new equipment.
•
Overview of the total project costs
Present a table with the planning of the staff appointments and the budgets per project year. Use the
above mentioned cost categories. The contribution requested from STW is at most € 750,000.
8. Literature
In maximally two pages list all relevant and publicly available publications of the participating parties of
the proposal, as well as relevant publications of others.
9.
Key words, abbreviations and acronyms
Appendix: Potential referees
(not to be included in the proposal; please submit on separate page)
List four (inter-)nationally renowned university expert referees in the field of the project that could
potentially review your proposal. The referees should be able to review the proposal objectively and
therefore should not have participated as co-author in publications of the applicants.
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Appendix 3 – Assessment and selection procedure
Check of the full project proposal by STW
The STW office confirms the receipt of every proposal. A check is performed whether or not the full
proposal satisfies all requirements as mentioned in this document as well as the freedom to operate
rule of STW. In case of doubt STW will contact the applicant and may ask for a revised version.
Pre-selection
In the assessment of full proposals and selection procedure there is no pre-selection of proposals.
However, STW has the right to add a pre-selection if needed. This will be the applicable in case there
appears to be a very large number of proposal applications through which the chances of getting an
individual proposal funded has become very small.
Peer review
STW presents the full proposal to a number of experts in the field of the proposal. These referees are
from the scientific community, knowledge institutes and relevant industry. They will, individually
without any interaction with fellow referees or applicants, review the proposal on the basis of criteria
for scientific quality and utilisation potential, as stated in the paragraph ‘Items for evaluation’. Per
project the comments of at least three referees will be used. STW will combine the comments of the
referees in a so-called protocol. In this protocol the comments of the individual referees are made
anonymous.
Reply (rebuttal) by the applicants
STW will send the protocol to the main applicant requesting to react to each of the individual
comments of the referees.
Assessment by the expert programme committee
The programme committee (PC), consisting of four persons of Breed4Food and four independent
scientific experts in the field, will rank the full proposals. The four scientific PC members will separately
give grades on a scale from 1 to 9 (see scale definition below) for the scientific quality and the four
Breed4Food PC members for utilisation. Thereafter a preliminary ranking is made. The PC will then
define the final ranking based on the average grades given by the PC members individually, the 'fit'
into the programme, the cohesion between the project proposals and (if necessary) other strategic
arguments. The PC finalises a ranking of the proposals including an argumentation in case it wishes to
deviate from the ranking obtained by averaged scores. The decision of the STW board will be based
on the ranking of the proposals by the PC. The STW board can decide not to spend the maximum
available budget for this call.
Score
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Excellent
Between excellent and very good
Very Good
Between very good and good
Good
Between good and moderate
Moderate
Between moderate and very moderate
Very moderate
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NWO Code of Conduct on Conflicts of Interest
STW asks active researchers from research institutes and specialists from other knowledge-intensive
organisations to participate in assessment procedures. These people are themselves involved in
ongoing or new research and often belong to large organisational associations and research networks.
Therefore, any conflict of interests, or anything that remotely resembles this, must be avoided in the
assessment of research proposals.
To ensure a fair assessment and transparency for applicants, STW uses a code of conduct on
conflicts of interest that is in line with the NWO Code of Conduct on Conflicts of Interest. This code
identifies possible forms of conflicts of interest and indicates the steps to be taken to avoid conflicts of
interest. Parties subject to the code of conduct are: referees, jury members, committee members,
members of decision-making bodies and STW officers. The full text of the code of conduct on conflicts
of interest used by STW is available at: www.nwo.nl/en/about-nwo/governance
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Appendix 4 – Procedure after granting
During the course of a project the following procedures apply. Extensive information is available on
www.stw.nl/nl/projectleider.
Granting
The first mentioned main applicant will be considered to be the principal investigator and will as such
be appointed as project leader by STW. After granting, the project leader obtains a number of
documents in which the legal and financial conditions are stated. The grant is available only after
these documents have been signed and returned to the STW office. Initially, the credits for materials,
travel and investments are granted only for the first two years and the credit for staff salaries is
granted only for the first three years. STW reserves the remaining budget for the “Request for project
continuation” after two years.
Start of the project
The start date of the project is the date of the appointment of the first staff member. Usually, this is not
the date of granting. The budget becomes available at project start and when the abovementioned
signed documents have been received by STW.
User committee
For each Partnership project a user committee (UC) is established in which it is explicit who is part of
this committee and who is not. The UC members alone will get access to the confidential project
documentation. By default, the committee consists of at least the project leader and fellow applicants,
the researchers paid through this Partnership programme and at least one representative from
Breed4Food and one program officer of STW. A STW management assistant will distribute the
documents prior to the UC meetings upon request of Breed4Food. Furthermore, PC members may
attend the meetings. Others (e.g. students, other university staff, consultants, etc) may only attend
these meeting upon invitation or after approval of Breed4Food.
User committee meetings and reporting
Approximately three months after the start of the project the user committee will meet for the first time.
The standard meeting and reporting frequency is 6 months. In this meeting the project progress is
discussed as well as future planning. Upon request, the project leader sends a progress report to STW
every half year. The project leader is the chairman of the user committee meetings unless
Breed4Food indicates otherwise. A program officer from STW will occasionally attend the meetings.
The user committee will receive all draft publications for approval prior to publication (see Appendix 5
for details). This includes website information, poster and oral presentations, conference contributions
and other scientific publications.
Continuation of projects
For projects that last for three years or longer, the project leader must submit a continuation request
one and a half year after the start of the project. To decide on the continuation Breed4Food and STW
will jointly decide using advice input of the scientific PC members.
Termination and termination date
The termination date of a project is the date on which the last temporary appointment is terminated.
The project leader then receives two final forms from STW to round off the project in terms of both
content and funding. Unallocated credits cease to be valid after the end of the project. The summaries
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requested in the final form are used for the purpose of publication in STW’s utilisation report. STW
publishes an annual utilisation report giving progress updates 5 and 10 years after the start of a
project.
Discontinuation
STW may discontinue a project before the official termination date if the obligations and/or general
funding conditions are not or are no longer fulfilled, if the scientific quality of the research and/or
utilisation of the results of the research are inadequate, and/or if strong deviation from the approach of
the Partnership programme without written approval from PC.
Contribution to the programme
Each Partnership project will contribute to the coordinating and cohesion stimulation activities as
described in the programme plan and as will be developed by STW and the PC during the course of
the Breed4Food programme. Examples are the attendance and presentation of project results on
possible Breed4Food programme conferences, input for a possible programme website etc.
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Appendix 5 – Partnership project agreement template
PARTIES:
(1)
Stichting voor de Technische Wetenschappen, a foundation existing and organized under
the laws of The Netherlands, with registered office at Van Vollenhovenlaan 661, 3527 JP
Utrecht, the Netherlands, hereinafter to be referred to as “STW”, in this matter duly represented
by its Executive Director, dr. E.E.W. Bruins;
(2)
<Name company>, a company existing and organized under the laws of [_xxx_], with
registered office at [_xxx_], the Netherlands, hereinafter to be referred to as “<PARTNER>”, in
this matter duly represented by [_xxx_]; and
(3)
<University>, a research institute existing and organized under the laws of the Netherlands,
with registered office at [_address_], hereinafter to be referred to as “Academic Project Partner”,
in this matter duly represented by [_name_];
All parties hereinafter together and individually to be referred as “Parties” respectively “Party”.
WHEREAS:
(A)
STW enables new technology by funding applied scientific research and promoting technology
transfer.
(B)
<PARTNER>, through its Affiliates (as defined hereinafter), is [_description core-business
partner_].
(C)
STW and <PARTNER> have concluded a so-called ‘Partnership Agreement’ attached as
Annex 3 to this Agreement, on the basis of which they invite Dutch universities and research
institutes to submit project proposals in the field of [_description_], with the intention to jointly
fund the project proposals that are approved.
(D)
The Academic Project Partner has submitted the project proposal, titled [_title_], attached as
Annex 1 to this Agreement (“Project Proposal”). The Project Proposal has been approved by
decision of [_date_].
(E)
The Parties now wish to lay down in writing the terms and conditions for the execution of the
Project Proposal.
HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:
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Article 1
Definitions
As used in this Agreement the following terms, either in plural or in the single form, have the following
meaning:
1. ‘Agreement’ shall mean this agreement, including all annexes and amendments hereto.
2. ‘Affiliate’ shall mean any person, corporation, partnership or other business entity, which is
under control by or under the same controlled as <PARTNER>, ‘control’ meaning in this
context the direct or indirect ownership of more than fifty percent of the capital stock of a
<PARTNER>, the power to exercise more than fifty percent of the voting rights in a
<PARTNER>, and/or the power to determine the policy of a <PARTNER> in a decisive way.
3. ‘Background’ shall mean all IPR, information, techniques, know-how, software and materials
(regardless of the form or medium in which they are disclosed or stored) that is not generated
or conceived within this Research provided by a party to the other party within the Research,
with the exception of the Results.
4. “Effective Date” means the date on which the Project formally starts, which is when the Project
leader undertook an initial expenditure of allocated funding or the date of the first appointment
of personnel, whichever is first.
5. “IPR” means Intellectual Property Rights, including industrial property rights, Know-how,
copyrights, neighbouring rights and any similar right recognized from time to time in
jurisdiction, together with all rights of action in relation to the infringement of any of the above.
6. “Party(ies)” shall mean the party(ies) to this Agreement.
7. ‘Project’ shall mean the research project for the performance of the activities in the field of
[_description_], as described in the Project Proposal.
8. ‘Project Leader’ shall mean an employee of the Academic Project Partner with ultimate
responsibility for the content and realization of the Project.
9. “PC” shall mean Program Committee, as further described in art. 4 of the Program Agreement
(Annex 3).
10. ‘Results’ shall mean all inventions, information, materials, methods, processes, products,
programmes, software, findings and discoveries that is generated or conceived in a Project,
and IPR thereto.
11. “User Committee” shall mean a committee established within the Project according to STW
policy, existing of the project leader, researchers, potential users, program offer and if
applicable special invited experts.
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Article 2
Conduct of the Project
1.
The Academic Project Partner shall conduct the Project in accordance with the Project Plan,
and the applicable “STW Funding Conditions” as attached in Annex 2, to the best of its
knowledge and ability and taking into account the criteria and standards applicable to scientific
and/or technological research. The Academic Project Partner shall conduct the Project during
the term of this Agreement.
2.
For the performance of the Project, the Academic Project Partner shall select and appoint
personnel with appropriate qualifications. [_name_] shall be appointed as Project Leader. The
Academic Project Partner shall ensure that the Project Leader and the other appointed
personnel comply with the obligations imposed on the Academic Project Partner and its
employees in this Agreement.
3.
In the execution the Project, the Academic Project Partner will coply with all applicable
legislation and will behave in an ethically acceptable manner as may be expected in scientific
and/or technological research. The Academic Project Partner shall inform STW and
<PARTNER> immediately if new information emerges which is relevant to (the conduct of) the
Project or the utilization of the Results.
4.
A User Committee will be formed, consisting of a maximum of two representatives of each
Party. The meetings of the User Committee will be chaired jointly by the academic project
leader and a representative of one of the Companies. Results to date are evaluated at these
User Committee meetings and the participants need to achieve approval by the User
Committee meeting forf the (adapted) research plans. The User Committee proposes decisions
on continuation, adaptation or termination of the project to the PC. The progress report shall be
sent at least two weeks before the User Committee meeting and shall contain amongst others a
description of the Results obtained so far. The Project Leader shall use the format, as can be
found on the website of STW.
5.
The project leader submits a continuation application to STW within eighteen months after the
starting date. In the continuation application the project leader describes the progress, work
plan/milestone planning, anticipated results, (additional) input from users, options for protecting
results, options for commercialising the results and the necessity of the remaining funding in
order to carry out the project plan. STW may impose further conditions regarding the content of
the continuation application.
STW submits the continuation application to the users in the User Committee. STW asks the
users to give a reasoned opinion (in writing or during the User Committee meeting) on the
continuation of the project. On the basis of the continuation application and the opinion of the
Users Committee, and after advice of the PC, STW takes a final decision on the continuation of
the project where the opinion of the PC is leading.
6.
If, according to the Project Plan, part of the Project will be performed by an Affiliate of
<PARTNER>, <PARTNER> shall ensure that such Affiliate shall perform these activities in
accordance with and in the manner as described in this article.
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Article 3
Funding and payment
1.
The Academic Project Partner is according to the Project Plan entitled to compensation of
expenses, incurred by the Academic Project Partner in the execution of the Project. For the
performance of the Project, STW and <PARTNER> have budgeted an amount of € [_amount_].
The conditions on the basis of which the Academic Project Partner can claim its expenses, are
described in the document ‘STW Funding Conditions’, attached as to this Agreement.
Article 4
Results
1.
STW has funded the research according to its Funding Conditions in which is laid down that all
Results are jointly owned by STW and the Academic Project Partner.
2.
The Academic Project Partner shall ensure that both its employees as well as any involved third
parties (taking into consideration article 9.5 of this Agreement) who might be able to claim rights
to the Results, transfer those rights to the Academic Project Partner and STW.
3.
In return of the contribution to the Project, STW and the Academic Project Partner hereby grant
to <PARTNER> at no additional costs a non-exclusive worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free right
to use the Results for research, development and commercial purposes without the right to
sublicense other than to its Affiliates. In the event <PARTNER> wishes to be granted nonexclusive rights to a particular Result in a particular application field, <PARTNER> will inform
STW in written notice within three (3) months of being notified of the existence of such Result.
4.
In the event <PARTNER> wishes to be granted exclusive rights to a particular Result in a
particular application field, <PARTNER> will inform STW in written notice within three (3)
months of being notified of the existence of such Result. In that case, <PARTNER> shall be
granted exclusive rights to such Result upon –at least- the following conditions:
(a)
<PARTNER> pays to STW a remuneration based on a market price. This remuneration
shall be a lumpsum and/or royalty payment based on the revenues generated by the
Results or a lumpsum. In the negotiation about the market price Parties shall take into
account the in kind and financial contribution of <PARTNER> to the Programme and the
particular Project. Such negotiations on the market price shall be conducted in good faith
by the Parties.
(b)
<PARTNER> shall make reasonable endeavours to commercialise the Results.
(c)
STW and the Academic Project Partner that generated the Result retain at all times a
royalty-free right to use the Results for further non-commercial internal research and
education.
(d)
STW and the Academic Project Partner are not liable for any loss or damage incurred by
<PARTNER> or by third parties arising out of the use or exploitation of the Results.
<PARTNER> indemnifies STW and the Academic Project Partner from claims from third
parties due to damage arising out of the use or exploitation of the Results by or through
<PARTNER>.
5.
In case, in accordance with paragraph 4, exclusive rights will be granted to <PARTNER>, the
Academic Project Partner will nevertheless remain entitled to use the Results for further noncommercial, internal research and education purposes.
6.
As long as the option to grant exclusive rights as meant in paragraph 4, is not being executed
by <PARTNER>, STW and the Academic Project Partner shall be entitled to grant (user) rights
with regard to the Results to third parties.
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7.
The Project Leader shall inform STW and <PARTNER> immediately if Results are generated
which are eligible for protection by a patent. The Project Leader shall then complete an
invention disclosure form, the format for which can be found on the website of STW. Based on
said invention disclosure form, <PARTNER> shall decide within three (3) months whether the
Results will be patented. In case of a positive decision, the Parties shall agree on the details for
the patent application procedure. The patent application shall be filed on behalf of STW and the
Academic Project Partner. The costs related to the patent application shall be borne by
<PARTNER>.
8.
The application of a patent shall not affect the rights of <PARTNER> and its Affiliates, as
described in paragraph 3 above, as long as <PARTNER> pays its share in the patent costs.
Article 5
Confidentiality and publication
1.
Each Party undertakes to observe the Background of another Party as well as the Results, in
whatever form, as to be information of a confidential nature. Each Party undertakes to hold the
Background of another Party as well as the Results, both during the term of this Agreement as
well as for an indefinite period of time thereafter, in strictest confidence and not to disclose or
allow the disclosure of the Background of another Party or the Results to any third party, or to
make the Background of another Party, the Results, or any part thereof, publicly available. A
Party shall treat the Background of another Party as well as the Results with the same degree
of care that it applies to its own confidential information (but in any case not less than
reasonable care).
2.
Each Party undertakes to use the Background of another Party solely for performance of the
Project, and not for any other purpose. Each Party shall furthermore undertake to use the
Results only in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
3.
The aforementioned obligations and prohibitions are not applicable to the Background, the
Results, or any part thereof:
(a)
has come into the public domain prior to, or after the disclosure thereof and in such case
through no wrongful act of the receiving Party;
(b)
was already known to the receiving Party, as evidenced by written documentation in the
files of the receiving Party;
(c)
has been lawfully received by a Party without restrictions or breach of this Agreement;
(d)
has been or is published without violation of this Agreement;
(e)
is independently developed in good faith by employees of the receiving Party who did not
have access to the confidential information.
The burden of proof lies with the receiving Party.
4.
Each Party is entitled to give its employees and the employees of its Affiliates access to the
Background of another Party as well as the Results, as far as such is necessary for them to
fulfill their tasks. Each Party will ensure that its employees and the employees of its Affiliates will
hold the Background of another Party as well as the Results in strictest confidence and use the
Background of another Party as well as the Results in accordance with the provisions of this
Agreement.
5.
<PARTNER> recognizes the desire from STW and the Academic Project Partner to publish
results and/or details of academic research in scientific journals, and/or present these at
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scientific meetings. STW and the Academic Project Partner recognize <PARTNER> desire to
preserve the IPR arising out of the Project. Therefore, STW and the Academic Project Partner
shall have the right to publish scientific results of the Project, subject to the provisions in this
article. <PARTNER> shall be furnished with a copy of any proposed publications for review and
comment, prior to the submission for publication, for manuscripts at least thirty (30) days prior to
submission, and for abstracts at least ten (10) days prior to submission.
6.
STW and the Academic Project Partner agree to give good faith consideration to any comments
or suggestions which are offered by <PARTNER> within the time limits set forth in this article. In
addition, at <PARTNER> request, STW and the Academic Project Partner shall delay any
proposed publication disclosing inventions, ideas, or other IPR for which <PARTNER> intends
to obtain patent protection, until such time that proper submission of patent application(s) has
been completed. <PARTNER> shall limit any such delay to a maximum period of three (3)
months.
7.
If the publication or presentation of results and/or details of academic research would
necessitate the simultaneous disclosure of Confidential Information, as mentioned in
paragraph 3, of <PARTNER>, STW and the Academic Project Partner shall provide
<PARTNER> with a written request for permission to disclose said information.
8.
The Academic Project Partner shall ensure that every scientific publication contains the
following declaration to indicate that the Results were achieved with financial support from
STW:
“This research is supported by Technology Foundation STW”
and for Dutch publications:
“Dit onderzoek wordt gefinancierd door Technologiestichting STW”
Where possible, the publications, including scientific posters and prototypes, should also
contain the STW logo.
The Academic Project Partner shall furthermore consult with <PARTNER> whether
<PARTNER> wants its support to the Project to be mentioned as well in the publication.
9.
For the purposes of reporting to the government and the society, STW may publish nonenabling summaries of the Project following consultation with the Project Leader. STW shall
ensure that such summaries shall not affect the possibility of applying for patent rights with
regard to the Results.
Article 6
Liability and warranties
1.
Each Party is responsible for its own actions and omissions under this Agreement.
2.
<PARTNER> agrees to indemnify STW and the Academic Project Partner for any claims for
damages arising out of the execution of this Agreement and caused by or result from the
negligent acts or omissions or intentional misconduct of the Partner,.
3.
The Academic Project Partner agrees to indemnify STW and <PARTNER> for any claims for
damages arising out of the execution of this Agreement to the extent such claims or damages
are caused by or result from the negligent acts or omissions or intentional misconduct of the
Academic Project Partner.
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4.
Notwithstanding article 2.1 above, the Academic Project Partner makes no representation and
extends no warranty of any kind, either express or implied, with regard to the effectiveness,
merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose of the Results.
Article 7
Term and termination
1.
This Agreement shall become effective on the Effective Date and shall thereafter remain into
force until the end of the Project. The end of the Project is the last day of service of the last
researcher funded by STW.
2.
After this Agreement has ended, the articles 4, 5, 6, 7.2, 8 and 9 shall remain in full force and
effect.
3.
If the participation of a Party in the Agreement is terminated prematurely on the basis of the law,
the other Parties shall discuss if they wish to continue the Agreement and on what conditions.
Should the participation of the Academic Project Partner be terminated and the other Parties
decide that they nevertheless want to continue the Project, the Academic Project Partner will, at
the request of STW and <PARTNER>, cooperate to the best of its ability in transferring the
Project to the selected new research institute.
4.
When the participation of a Party has been terminated as meant in paragraph 3 above,
paragraph 2 above shall apply, with the understanding that said Party shall not acquire any
rights with regard to the Results, generated after the termination of its participation.
5.
Each Party is entitled to terminate this Agreement by written notice sent by registered
mail to the other party if the other party is in breach of this Agreement and the breach is
not remedied within thirty (30) days of the other party receiving written notice specifying
the breach and requiring its remedy.
6.
STW and the Academic Partner have the right to terminate this Agreement prematurely
by registered mail if <PARTNER> becomes insolvent or if an order is made or a
resolution is passed for the winding up of <PARTNER> or if <PARTNER> is granted
suspension of payment.
Article 8
Governing law and jurisdiction
1.
This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the Netherlands.
2.
If any dispute should arise between any of the Parties, such Parties shall use reasonable effort
to settle such dispute before pursuing any remedy they may have at law.
3.
Any dispute, resulting from this Agreement, or further agreements resulting there from which do
not stipulate otherwise, which has not been solved by the Parties in accordance with the
previous provision, shall be submitted to the competent court in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Article 9
Miscellaneous
1.
None of the Parties shall be entitled to transfer, by means of assignment, sale or otherwise, or
to encumber any and all of the rights granted under and obligations deriving from this
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Agreement, either in whole or in part, to a third party without the prior written consent of the
other Parties.
2.
Unless explicitly agreed otherwise in writing, none of the Parties is entitled to act or make legally
binding declarations on behalf of any of the other Parties. Nothing in this Agreement shall be
deemed to constitute a joint venture, agency or any other kind of formal business grouping or
entity between the Parties.
3.
Any amendments or additions made to the Agreement shall only be valid and binding between
the Parties if made in writing and executed by all Parties.
4.
This Agreement contains 2 annexes which form an integral part of this Agreement:
Annex 1 Project Proposal ‘[_title_]’
Annex 2 STW Funding Conditions
Annex 3 Partnership Agreement STW – Breed4Food
5.
None of the Parties grants any rights and/or licenses to the other Parties, either explicit or
implicit, nor waives any of its existing rights, unless explicitly mentioned in this Agreement.
6.
The articles of the Partnership Agreement govern this project agreement and, in case of conflict,
shall prevail over the articles in this project agreement.
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Signed in threefold:
Stichting voor de Technische Wetenschappen
Utrecht, ……………………………
[signature]
……………………………
Dr. E.E.W. Bruins,
Executive Director
Company
[place], ……………………………
[signature]
……………………………
[name],
[title]
University
[place], ……………………………
[signature]
……………………………
[name],
[title]
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