AAP HUB: A springboard to innovation

NB: Depending on the projects and the applicant’s institution, project leaders may receive support in setting up their projects. Please do not hesitate to contact Joséphine Corre before submitting your application.
To find out more about the HUB, click here.

Terms and conditions of the call for proposals

OBJECTIVE
The ISblue Hub aims to strengthen links between research communities and socio-economic actors by promoting the emergence of collaborative projects. This call for proposals specifically aims to support the ideation, structuring, design, prototyping and cooperation phases led by researchers, teacher-researchers, doctoral students and post-doctoral students within the ISblue scope, prior to the maturation phase.

The call aims to:
– create or strengthen structural cooperation in the field of marine science and technology between research teams and societal stakeholders;
– facilitate the design phase and springboard towards maturation;
– enable concepts, methods or research results to be tested against real-world use cases with stakeholders from the socio-economic, associative or institutional spheres;
– promote networking and cooperation between research teams, disciplines, institutions and external stakeholders;
– prepare the transition to preliminary pre-maturation and incubation schemes, in particular the PUI BlueBox.

The projects are not intended to result in the creation of a legal entity, but rather to strengthen ties with socio-economic actors and society. Student involvement is not mandatory to submit a project in this call, but could be an advantage.  These projects will be supported and carried out within the common framework of the ISblue HUB, allowing candidates to access, through this call for proposals, material resources, consumables, small equipment, Fablabs service costs and missions to support their initiatives and carry out their projects in conjunction with socio-economic actors and local mechanisms.

These projects may be carried out in the premises made available by the institutions or even within the HUB’s premises at the Pôle Numérique Brest Iroise. The winners will be able to benefit from the support of the ISblue HUB manager throughout the course of their projects.

WHO CAN APPLY​
All researchers, teacher-researchers, doctoral students and post-doctoral students affiliated with ISblue partner institutions, either individually or as part of a team, including inter-laboratory or inter-institutional teams. 

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA​
These projects must demonstrate their creativity and feasibility, as well as their connection to the socio-economic world and ISblue institutions. Eligibility criteria must cover several of the following aspects:
– Scientific relevance and innovative technological contribution, as well as the project’s alignment with one or more ISblue themes;
– ISblue’s contribution to current or future relationships with actors in the socio-economic, associative and civil society spheres (industrialists, innovative SMEs, start-ups, associations, foundations, local authorities, etc.);
– The consideration of a multidisciplinary and/or sustainability dimension in the project’s subject matter and/or organisation;
– Projects related to training, inter-institutional projects and projects related to partner infrastructures (fablabs, laboratories) will be given priority; 

TIMELINE AND FUNDING​
The call for proposals is open on an ongoing basis with an annual budget of €25,000.

This funding will provide selected candidates with financial resources to support their stated needs (e.g. funding for access to specific experimental resources, purchases of consumables and small equipment, analysis costs, missions, costs of Fab-Lab services or other organisations), enabling the winners to carry out their projects.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE
The application form must be completed online.

ASSESSMENT OF APPLICATIONS
Complete projects will be analysed by a panel composed of members of the HUB ISblue working group on an ongoing basis. Feedback on the assessment will be provided within one month.
Grants are awarded based on the financial envelope available for the year and according to the assessment criteria mentioned above.