5. Conditions for the performance of the subject of the invitation to tender

5.1. Entry requirements

    (1) To be eligible to apply for a call for tenders, the applicant must be the subject of the call for tenders (in accordance with point 3 of the call for tenders).

    (2) The leader of the bilateral project must have a researcher registration number, which means that he/she is registered in the Register of ROs or the Register of Private Researchers of the Agency.

    (3) The leader of the bilateral project must hold a PhD degree and fulfil the conditions of research merit for the leader of a research project as laid down in the Act, the Rules of Procedure, the Rules on Conditions for Leaders and the Methodology.

    (4) The minimum quantitative entry requirements for the leader of a notified bilateral project, as laid down in the Methodology, relate to a minimum score in scientific publications (A1), documented collaboration with other funders (A3) in the last five years and a minimum number of clean citations in the last ten years, which the leader of a notified bilateral project must demonstrate. The minimum quantitative entry requirements are calculated according to the following formula: A1 ≥ 0.3, CI ≥ 1 and A3 ≥ 0 (where CI is the number of net citations). The values are the same for all disciplines.

    (5) If the applicant's bilateral project leader has not been employed or self-employed in research for at least three months in the last period (research absence), the most recent interval period including the five years of employment in research may be taken into account instead of the last five years for the purpose of fulfilling the entry condition for the bilateral project leader. The period taken into account shall also be extended in the case of actual use of parental leave, documented absence due to sickness or injury or other cases of absence provided for in the health insurance regulations, and employment outside the research activity of more than three months. The extension of the period taken into account shall not be affected by the use of parental leave in the form of partial absence from work. If the leader of the bilateral project has not been employed in a research activity during the last five years, the last interval period, which includes the five years in a research activity, must be entered in the application. The application must indicate the longer documented absence and the reasons for it. In verifying the entry conditions, the Agency will only take into account the information provided in the application. Research absence should also be indicated in the application in the footnotes for other collaborating researchers, if this is necessary to fulfil the conditions for the performance of the subject of the call for proposals.

5.2. Other conditions

    (1) The maximum duration of a bilateral project may be two years.

    (2) The bilateral project applied for must involve researchers from both countries.

    (3) The Slovenian and Montenegrin project leaders must submit their applications, as a rule, at the same time and in the manner determined by the competent institutions.

    (4) The participating researchers in the Republic of Slovenia must include at least one doctoral student or researcher whose first doctoral thesis has not been defended for more than five years (the year of the doctoral thesis is taken into account; from 2017 onwards).

    (5) The members of the project team must have a researcher registration number with the Agency (registered in the Register of ROs or the Register of Private Researchers).

    In the framework of a call for proposals, a researcher may apply as leader of only one bilateral project.

5.3. Eligibility

    The conditions must be fulfilled on the closing date of the call. If the conditions are not fulfilled, the application will be rejected by decision of the Director on a proposal from the selection board.
     

6. Procedure and criteria for the selection of applications for co-financing

    Applications will be examined by an expert panel appointed by decision of the Agency's Director.

    The panel shall draw up a draft list of applications, in which it shall:

    a.) rank the applications with their respective marks in the following order:

•        the top 20% of the list shall be those applications whose supervisors are researchers whose first doctoral thesis has not been defended for more than five years (the year of the doctoral thesis is taken into account), in descending order, with the associated quantitative marks for the scientific published merit of the bilateral project leader, determined on the basis of the A1 mark referred to in Article 35 of the Rules of Procedure (hereinafter referred to as 'A1'),
•        the 20 % quota referred to in the first indent shall not include applications whose supervisors are researchers whose first doctoral thesis has been defended less than five years ago but who have had approved bilateral projects with Montenegro in the Agency's last two calls (2018-2020 and 2021-2022; hereinafter referred to as the Agency's most recent calls). These applications shall be ranked in descending order of A1 score in the second quota, where all other applications not ranked in the top 20% of the list of applications referred to in the first indent shall be ranked,
•        followed by the applications which have not met the priority criteria set out in the previous indent, in descending order of the quantitative scores for the published scientific merit of the bilateral project leader, determined on the basis of the A1 score,

    b.) at the end of the list of applications, applications which do not meet the eligibility criteria and are therefore not evaluated shall be ranked separately from the other applications mentioned above.

Priority will be given to applications whose leaders have not had an approved bilateral project in the Agency's most recent calls for proposals. Applicants who have not had an approved bilateral project in the Agency's most recent calls will be marked 'yes' by the panel in the draft list of applicants.

The draft list of applications with the corresponding marks will be forwarded by the expert panel to the Slovenian part of the international mandated body called the Joint Commission for Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the Republic of Slovenia and Montenegro (hereinafter referred to as the Intergovernmental Commission for Scientific and Technological Cooperation).

The Interstate Commission for Scientific and Technological Cooperation will not consider applications that have not been submitted in both countries.

The Interstate Commission for Scientific and Technological Cooperation will consider independently the applications received and evaluated by the two countries. On the basis of the terms of reference and a joint decision, it will select the bilateral projects and determine the amount of co-financing for each selected bilateral project. The Slovenian side will endeavour to have 20% of the selected bilateral projects led by young bilateral project leaders. On the basis of the decision of the Interstate Commission for Scientific and Technological Cooperation, the selection of the applications for co-financing will be decided by the Director of the Agency by means of a decision on the selection of the applications, on the basis of which notifications on the selection of the applications will be issued to the applicants.
     

7. Indicative financial envelope of the call and co-financing of bilateral projects

The indicative financial envelope for the implementation of this call for proposals for the entire call period, which runs from 1.1.2023 to 31.12.2024, is EUR 80 000,00. 

The Agency will co-finance the selected bilateral projects in accordance with the budgetary possibilities and on the basis of the Agency's financial plan for those years.

In accordance with the signed agreement between the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Montenegro, the Agency will co-finance the eligible costs of the call for proposals to Slovenian applicants (research organisations), namely:

•      international transport costs incurred in the most economical way, taking into account price and time, for Slovenian researchers visiting Montenegro;
•     accommodation costs for visiting researchers from Montenegro during their visits to Slovenia, up to a maximum of EUR 100 per day, and for longer stays (15 days or more) up to a maximum of EUR 1 250 per month;
•      daily subsistence allowances for researchers from Montenegro visiting Slovenia, up to the amount laid down in the Regulation on the reimbursement of work-related expenses and other income not included in the tax base (hereinafter referred to as 'the Regulation'), which, at the time of publication of this call for proposals, amounts to EUR 21,39; and EN - daily subsistence allowances for researchers from Montenegro visiting Slovenia, up to the amount laid down in the Regulation on the reimbursement of work-related expenses and other income not included in the tax base (hereinafter referred to as 'the Regulation')
•     the cost of local public transport from the place of residence to the place of the Research Organisation (RO) for researchers from Montenegro visiting Slovenia; if air transport is used, the cost of public transport (only exceptionally taxi) from the airport to the RO and from the RO to the airport is also eligible.

The following will be co-financed for junior researchers from Montenegro:

•      accommodation costs during visits to the Republic of Slovenia, up to a maximum of EUR 1,250.00 per month for longer visits;
•      daily subsistence allowances for visits to the Republic of Slovenia up to the amount laid down in the Regulation;

        international transport costs in the most economical way, taking into account cost and time, for longer visits to the Republic of Slovenia.

The Agency will co-finance the actual costs after the visit. The selected applicants, regardless of the length of the stay (short visits - up to 14 days or long visits - 15 days or more), will pay the Montenegrin researchers an advance payment of the daily subsistence allowances on arrival in Slovenia in a lump sum, equal to the daily subsistence allowances provided for in the Regulation for the duration of the visit. Slovenian applicants shall bear the cost of medical insurance for Slovenian researchers.

8. Time of implementation of the call for tenders

    The period of implementation (visits) of the subject of the call for proposals is from 1.1.2023 to 31.12.2024.

9. Submission of applications, method of submission and equipment of applications

9.1. Method and form of application

Applications to the call for proposals must be completed and submitted using the Application form ARRS-MS-BI-ME-2022.

The application must be submitted in both electronic and paper formats. The two formats, electronic and paper, must be identical in content.

    Paper application

The paper application must be submitted in a sealed envelope marked 'DO NOT OPEN - Application for the Call for proposals for the co-financing of scientific research cooperation between the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Montenegro in the years 2023 and 2024' and the name and address of the applicant. Only one application may be submitted in each envelope marked with the following. The paper application must be signed in manuscript by the representative or authorised person of the RO, by the leader of the research project and stamped by the RO.

    Electronic application

The electronic application must be sent to BI.ME@arrs.si (only the ARRS-MS-BI-ME-2022 application form should be submitted, without any annexes; for the sake of automatic data processing, the .doc format is preferable, but not signed and stamped).

9.2 Deadline for submission of the application

Applications must be submitted in writing and electronically by 15.00 on 25 May 2022.

An application will be considered on time if it is received in paper form at the Agency's address by 15.00 on 25 May 2022 inclusive. Applications submitted by registered post from Slovenia no later than 15.00 (postmarked) on 25 May 2022 will also be considered on time.

9.3 Completeness of applications

Applications that are not submitted on time and are not marked correctly (it is not clear that the application is for a call for proposals, or to which call for proposals it relates, or the applicant is not identified) will not be considered by the Opening Committee and will be returned unopened to the applicants with a covering letter (unless the envelope does not identify the applicant and the application is opened). An application will be deemed formally complete if it is submitted on the forms and in the format prescribed and contains all the information and annexes required by this call for proposals. Incomplete applications will be dealt with in accordance with Article 20 of the Rules of Procedure.
 

10. Date of opening of applications

The opening of applications is scheduled for 29 May 2022 at 09.00 on the premises of the Agency.
     

11. deadline for notifying applicants of the outcome of the call for proposals

Applicants will be informed of the outcome of the call for proposals within eight days of the adoption of the Director's decision on the selection of the applications.
     

12. the place, time and person from whom interested parties may collect the call for proposals

The call for proposals will be published on the Agency's website (www.arrs.si) from the date of publication of the call for proposals in the Official Journal of the Republic of Slovenia. Further information on the call for proposals is available from the Agency's call for proposals officer, Ms Fana Rožič Novak, by telephone (01) 400 5950 or by e-mail: Fani.Rozic-Novak@arrs.si.

In Montenegro, the application should be submitted to the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, the contact person in Montenegro being Ms. The contact person in Montenegro is Ivana Lagator, e-mail: ivana.lagator@mpnks.gov.me, website https://www.gov.me/mpnks .

Number: 5100-7/2022-2
Date: 21.3.2022

Prof. Dr. Mitja Lainscak,
Acting Director

Published in the Official Journal of the Republic of Slovenia, No 43/22, 25.3.2022.

Tender dossier:

    The Law on Scientific Research and Innovation (ZZrID) (Official Gazette of the RS, No 186/21);
     
    Rules on procedures for (co-)financing and evaluation and monitoring of research activities (Official Journal of the RS, No 52/16, 79/17, 65/19, 78/20 and 145/20);
     
    Rules on the criteria for determining the eligibility of a research project leader (Official Journal of the Republic of Slovenia, No 53/16);
     
    Methodology for the evaluation of applications for calls for proposals