Under the framework of a strategic partnership, the aim of this joint seed funding program is to promote collaboration between Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) in the fields of agriculture, bio-medical sciences and One Health. The funding shall enable SJTU and HUJI faculty researchers to identify complementary strengths, facilitate the use of synergies, and promote the development of outstanding future collaborative projects.

Agriculture, Biomedical Sciences and One Health

This call is open to tenure track faculty members in the above fields from SJTU and HUJI.

Please note that past grant recipients may re-apply to the call on the condition that a new and different project proposal is submitted and it is not an extension of a past or ongoing funded project.

The joint funding scheme aims at supporting the first steps of collaboration. The following formats are possible:

• Joint research projects
• Supervision of a joint PhD student;
• Exchange of PhD-students, post-docs;
• Intensive or virtual research workshops;
• Short research stays (for young and established researchers) or video conference;
• Complementary distance research that can lead to an outcome even without a physical meeting (which will be a condition upon a change in travel limitations).

The joint seed fund operates with a total annual budget of $150,000 (approx. RMB 1,000,000), with $75,000 (approx. RMB 500,000) from each side.

Up to 10 Grants will be awarded up to a maximum of $15,000/RMB100,000 ($7,500/ RMB50,000 support for each partner) for one year. Applications with a budget proposal lower than max. $15,000/RMB100,000 are welcome.

Proposals must be jointly submitted by faculty of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Participants should ideally include both senior and junior faculty/researchers of SJTU and HUJI. At HUJI, applicants must be faculty members; at SJTU, applicants must be employed on a full-time basis.

The supported activities should have a clearly defined focus and serve as a catalyst for the development of new joint projects. The activities can take place in Shanghai or in Jerusalem/Rehovot; inclusion of third parties is possible, however, the additional costs must be covered by these partners themselves.

The motivation for holding the activity should be clearly explained, including how the relevant SJTU and HUJI institutes or departments are involved and can profit long term from this cooperation and what synergies can arise.

The application will include the following:

• Project details (project description, timeframe, relevance of the project towards the criteria mentioned above);
• CVs for the SJTU/HUJI investigators (all listed on the project team);
• Detailed budget calculation (HUJI Requirements Form)

The length of the application should typically up to 5 pages.

Proposals for the SJTU-HUJI seed funding scheme should be jointly submitted by SJTU and HUJI faculty, using the joint online platform at SJTU. Please note that this hyperlink can only be accessed by PIs from SJTU using their jAccount. A template of the Application Form is attached for reference (see Appendix 1).

31 August 2024

Seed funding for joint activities will be provided on a competitive basis, following the criteria below:

• Clearly formulated plan and goals of the activity;
• Information on envisaged synergies;
• Level of concreteness of future joint research, incl. specific timeframe and information on funding programs (i.e. Israel-China funding programs) and steps for developing a joint proposal for submission to further funding;
• Compatibility with the SJTU/HUJI research profiles (interdisciplinary nature, excellence of project leaders, scope of the fields/labs represented in the proposed activity;
• Information on how the cooperation can be sustained beyond the initial seed money funding phase;
• Ability to perform the plan and to achieve its goals;
• Evaluation of the necessity of the collaboration for achieving its goal and its complimentary nature.

The projects will be reviewed by expert reviewers at each institution and then a consensus meeting will be held to review and select the projects for funding. The SJTU-HUJI selection committee with be headed by:

• SJTU: Vice-President for International, Prof. Weidong LIU
• HUJI: Vice-President for International Affairs, Prof. Oron Shagrir and/or Vice-President for Research, Prof. Aharon Palmon

SJTU: Enjia ZHUANG   (enjiazhuang@sjtu.edu.cn, 86-21-34206753)

HUJI: Naomi Shalom (naomishal@savion.huji.ac.il, 972-2- 5882924)