Rules on RU Research Fund
Article 1
Operation and role
The RU Research Fund operates according to the Decision of the RU Executive Board on the 11th of September 2018. The RU Research Fund seeks to further the goal of RU as an environment that facilitates excellence in research and strengthens the University´s reputation [1].
The size of the fund determines the number of funded applications and a cut-off point.
The RU Executive Board is responsible for and in charge of the RU Research Fund. Operationally, RU Research Services oversees the application and evaluation process of the fund.
Article 2
RU Research Fund Grant Board
The RU Research Fund Grant Board (RU RFGB), whose task is to review applications and make funding decisions, consists of two members of the staff of the RU Research Services and the Chair of the RU Research Council.
Board members are responsible for identifying when circumstances exist that could create a conflict of interest for themselves. In the event of a conflict of interest and subject to grounds for disqualification listed in the Administrative Procedures Act, No. 37/1993, board members must recuse themselves from the assessment of applications and funding decisions. In this case, the RU Executive Board appoints another person to take the place of the disqualified member of the board for the grant year in question.
Article 3
Grants
Two types of grants are available:
1. Ph.D. Student Grant that covers proposals, including Project, Excellence, and Doctoral Student proposals, to the Icelandic Research Fund (IRF), that did not receive funding for the specified grant year.
2. Ph.D. Student Travel Grant, for those students that do not receive a research grant of any kind for the specified grant year.
The RU Executive Board may decide to add more grant categories.
The Ph.D. Student Grant size is equal to the regular IRF Doctoral Student Grant for one year. The grant covers the students’ salaries as well as travel costs for up to ISK 300 thousand per grant year. All other costs in relation to the project must be covered by the supervisor/department. The Ph.D. Student Travel Grant is equal to the travel grant in IRF Doctoral Student Grant for one year, i.e., up to ISK 300 thousand per grant year.
The possibility of a Ph.D. Student Grant being awarded for a second and/or third year depends on a renewed application being submitted to the IRF and confirmation of acceptable progress from the relevant RU department. The possibility of a Ph.D. Student Travel Grant being awarded for a second and/or third year depends on the submission of a new application to the RU Research Fund and confirmation of acceptable progress from the relevant RU department.
Article 4
Applicants and eligible applications
RU research faculty and doctoral students at RU can apply for the type of grant listed in Article 3.
Regarding a Ph.D. Student Grant, an application must have been submitted to IRF - and received feedback, i.e., Expert Panel review and ranking of the application in question from the IRF, respectively.
Article 5
Time limits
Applications to RU Research Fund shall be submitted to the RU Research Services within two weeks of the RANNIS announcement of grants awarded by the IRF each grant year. As soon as the date of the deadline is known, information about the deadline and how to apply to RU Research Fund shall be sent out by e-mail to RU research faculty and Ph.D. students.
The RU RFGB shall make its grant decision as quickly as possible and no later than two weeks after the submission deadline.
The submission deadline is announced as soon as the research faculty and Ph.D. students have received an answer from IRF and the Expert Panel review and ranking of the application in question, usually in late January. The submission deadline for a Ph.D. Student Travel Grant is the same as for a Ph.D. Student Grant.
Article 6
Review of applications
RU RFGB decisions on Ph.D. Student Grants are based on awarded grades from the IRF evaluation.
All applications ranked in category A by the IRF are automatically eligible and the grade awarded in the IRF assessment [2] (A1, A2, etc.) determines the order of priority of applications.
When a cut-off is needed within the same IRF grade, the RU RFGB shall keep in mind gender balance, the balance between the RU departments, and the number of already supported projects.
RU RFGB decisions on Ph.D. Student Travel Grants are based on confirmation of enrolment from the department, a clear justification for the travel, and confirmation of acceptable progress from the relevant department.
Article 7
Notifications, reasoning, complaints, and publication
Should additional information be required, or should the RU RFGB have new information, of which the applicant is not aware, the applicant shall be notified thereof.
Applicants are to be notified of the RU RFGB’s decisions in an e-mail.
An applicant who is not awarded a grant may ask for RU RFGB’s reasoning for the ranking of eligible applications.
The decisions of the RU RFGB are final.
Information on grants awarded shall be published in the research section of RU’s external website.
Interim provision
Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 3, Ph.D. Student Grant awarded for the year in question shall be based on existing proposals from the IRF round of the earlier year and already ranked by the IRF as category A applications.
Approved at the RU Executive Board meeting on the 6th of January 2023.
[1] The RU Research Strategy: https://en.ru.is/research/ru-research-strategy
[2] The criteria are „scientific value of the projects, the applicants´ qualifications to carry out the project, suitability of the research facilities, and the likelihood of the project resulting in measurable results and gains“. Further information: The latest IRF’s Handbook, Rules of the IRF for applicants, expert panels, and external reviewers.
