Which JPND Member States are participating in this call?

The JPND member states contributing to this call are:

– Denmark (Danish Innovation Foundation)

– Canada (Canadian Institutes of Health Research) *joined on May 28th, 2014, specific requirements apply

– France (French National Research Agency)

– Germany (Federal Ministry of Education and Research; pending on final approval)

– Italy (Ministry of Health)

– Luxemburg (National Research Fund)

– The Netherlands (The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development)

– Norway (The Research Council of Norway)

– Sweden (The Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare)

– United Kingdom (Medical Research Council)

Co-ordinators of Working Groups must come from one of the nine participating JPND member states. However, this is a cross-JPND activity and Working Group membership may contain researchers from JPND member countries who are not financial participants to the call and from countries outside of the JPND membership.

Who may apply as a Working Group Coordinator?

Any Principal Investigator or Senior Post-Doctoral Researcher who is based in an eligible institution within one of the ten JPND member states participating in this call may apply as a Co-ordinator of a Working Group. The lead applicant does not have to be the most senior member of the Working Group.

Which Working Groups will be considered?

For a proposed Working Group to be eligible it must be trans-national and involve researchers from three or more of the 28 JPND member countries. We encourage the inclusion of essential expertise from outside the JPND membership.

Who should be considered for Contributing Members of Working Groups?

It is anticipated that the outcomes of Working Groups will be guidelines and methodological frameworks that will be allow for cohort studies to be fully exploited for neurodegenerative research. As such, we expect the Contributing Members of working groups to be internationally recognised experts in their particular fields. Applicants should consider whether the composition of the proposed Working Group best meets the need to create guidelines that will be respected by the field.

Can contributing members of Working Groups be included in more than one application?

Individuals are permitted to be members of Working Groups in more than one proposal. However, it is recommended that individuals do not act as the Working Group Coordinator for more than one proposal.

What size should Working Groups be?

It is expected that each Working Group will be comprised of between 3 and 20 people. Proposed Working Groups should consist of individuals from at least three JPND member states.

Is an external reference group required?

The use of an external reference group is not a compulsory part of the application. However, Working Groups may wish to consider using an external reference group or similar quality control mechanism in order to ensure that objectivity is maintained in developing the Working Group’s conclusions.

Do I need to name the members of the proposed Working Group in the application?

We recommend that you contact your proposed Working Group members and have the names ‘signed up’ before submitting your application. Naming the Working Group members on your application form will make for a stronger proposal.

How do I submit an application for this call?

The Call Text and an application template are available from (https://www.neurodegenerationresearch.eu/initiatives/jpnd-alignment-actions/longitudinal-cohorts/call-for-working-groups). Completed PDFs of the application template are to be submitted via email to [email protected] by 17:00h GMT on June 16, 2014. Full proposals that do not meet this deadline will be rejected.

Does the scientific area covered by the Working Group have to be one of the seven suggested in the Call Text?

The seven scientific areas described in the Call text are areas where the JPND Action Group on Longitudinal Cohort Studies decided that further thinking is required to reach consensus on guidelines and a framework for future studies. However, this list is not exclusive and proposals for areas that are similar in theme will be considered. A scientific rationale for the importance of a Working Group in this new area would be required.

What budget should be applied for?

The proposal budget should depend on the workplan and will be dependent upon the size of the working group, the number of workshops to be held, additional communications requirements, and plans to publish the Working Group outcomes. A maximum budget of 50,000 € may be requested.

Who decides which proposals receive funding?

Evaluation of proposals for this call will be undertaken by a Review Panel based around the JPND Scientific Advisory Board, which will make recommendations to the funders. The criteria to be used are:

  • The scientific fit to the call
  • The standing of the experts within the proposed working group and whether as a group they have the appropriate mix of scientific skills
  • The timeliness of the ideas proposed for discussion
  • Plans for dissemination and the potential impact of the outcomes to the field.
  • The feasibility of the project plan to include delivery of the report in Q1 2015.

The Review Panel will recommend a ranked list of proposals to a JPND Sponsor Group that comprises representatives of call funding organisations. The JSG will consider funding options for projects in the fundable range in order to determine an optimal alignment with available funding.

What are the funding ‘rules’?

Each participating funding body will fund one Working Group; this is expected to be possible because many of the Working Groups will have members from at least three and perhaps many more countries. As part of this process the Panel may recommend the appointment of additional Working Group members to the core group to enable sponsorship of a fundable project by a funding body that has unspent funding available.

Do workshops need to be held in the country that is responsible for funding that Working Group?

This will depend on the constraints on the funding agency. There is no requirement to do so. It would be permissible to hold the workshop in another JPND country (ie not the country of the funding organisation) providing this decision can be justified and providing all the funding organisations who are participating in the call agree.

How often should the Working Group meet?

It is anticipated that each project would involve small workshops at the beginning and end of the process. Between these times, it is expected that the working groups would work remotely, meeting via tele-/web-conference/ e-mail or other media during this period.

What reporting arrangements are required? Who do we report to? When are final reports due?

Final reports will be expected during Q1 of 2015, with a final deadline of March 31st 2015. Reports are to be delivered to jpngworkinggroups(at)headoffice.mrc.ac.uk by this date. A template and guidelines will be provided for the reports.

What will JPND do with the Working Group report?

It is anticipated that the Working Groups will establish guidelines and methodological frameworks that will have an impact on future neurodegeneration research in population and cohort studies. All of the Working Group reports will be published on the JPND website and discussed by the JPND Executive and Management Boards. We encourage the Working Groups to consider additional methods for ensuring that the recommendations of these reports reach their audiences eg publication in a scientific journal or adoption by a learned society.

Who can I contact for more information?

Please contact Dr Stephen Meader at jpndworkinggroups(at)headoffice.mrc.ac.uk if you should have questions about scientific remit or regarding making an application for this call.