RDA Open Call for RDA / EOSC Future Domain Ambassadors #2
EOSC Future
Research Data Alliance
30 June 2022 - 12:00 am CET
15 September 2022 - 04:00 pm CET
Individuals or Organisations
€10.000
This second Open Call for EOSC Future Domain Ambassadors offers up to €10.000,00 per grant to domain experts and skilled communicators to promote data sharing and open science practices in their disciplines.
RDA/EOSC Future is building a network of ambassadors to support activities designed to build awareness around the work and outputs of EOSC Future from a disciplinary perspective. This network will also help disciplinary experts grow their own networks and collaborate with like-minded people and organisations via RDA. Successful applications will ensure that benefits such as good data management and data sharing techniques are brought back to the disciplinary communities served and that domain-specific needs and input are streamlined into the work supporting the development of EOSC.
This call is additionally targeted towards applicants interested in raising awareness within under-represented research communities in EOSC, particularly:
- Research communities highlighted in a recent RDA4EOSC report that mapped the level of engagement of various disciplines within EOSC* https://www.rd-alliance.org/rda4eosc-research communities;
- Research communities that are not currently represented by a disciplinary Working Group in RDA, https://www.rd-alliance.org/rda-disciplines;
- Research communities that could benefit from enhanced engagement with EOSC.
FAQs
Criteria and conditions
- Applicants should be working at the vanguard of data or research infrastructure activities in a specific research domain or cluster of domains. Preference is given to applicants from one of the underrepresented communities identified in the linked report* or those who can demonstrate a tangible benefit or need within their community for enhanced engagement with EOSC;
- Ideally, but not essential, be involved in RDA as active member, participant, chair, or contributor to RDA WG/IG activities, recommendations and outputs, especially in the past 12 to18 months;
- Operate as an influencer and have the ability to recruit collaborators across different segments of the community, particularly within their domain/discipline specific community(-ies);
- Have a good understanding of the European Data Infrastructures landscape, including initiatives such as the European Open Science Cloud, EOSC Association working groups, the FAIR movement, knowledge of the Open Science agenda, and how these intend to evolve in Europe;
- Reside and/or work in an EU country or associate countries.
Further conditions
- This call is not open to members of the EOSC Future consortium. Staff working on the EOSC Future project (i.e. directly funded through a beneficiary (its department or unit executing EOSC Future activities), as a LTP or seconded personnel) are not eligible to apply for grants under the RDA Open Calls and will be asked to tick a Declaration of Honour box upon application.
- A mid-term and final term report will be submitted, following a contractual agreement, highlighting progress, and lessons learned and potential contingency planning.
- Successful applicants may be asked to share their details (photo, bio, short project description, contact data) for dissemination purposes. All results created, where applicable, will be made available on the RDA website for 4 years.
- Travel/attendance to relevant conferences is encouraged and financially supported
The tasks for which applications are encouraged are as follows:
- Assess the level of awareness and engagement of their community in the EOSC, highlighting the barriers and the potential ways bridges can be built e.g. via RDA WG/IG, RDA Communities of Practice, existing connections to the European Science Clusters and infrastructures.
- Further strengthen the outreach activities within EOSC Future, e.g. widening the user base, outreach to potential users.
- Act as multipliers across disciplinary networks, at regional, national and thematic level.
- Present EOSC at community-related webinars (where applicable).
- Actively contribute to defining and promoting what EOSC Future and EOSC have to offer to specific domain/disciplinary community (-ies) (e.g. via RDA domain-specific WG/IGs presentations, webinars, training sessions, survey, etc.).
- Document domain-specific use cases that highlight the benefits of EOSC in a disciplinary context specific to the Ambassador´s community (e.g. how to address a specific need, a needed thematic service, increasing the value of disciplinary datasets if made available through EOSC, etc.).
- Document the RDA outputs and recommendations as connectors or enablers between disciplinary communities and the EOSC.
Applicants will be asked to provide a plan for their ambassadorial work highlighting how the envisioned activities will a) help clarify the accessibility and benefits of the EOSC to their specific community, will b) support awareness raising and engagement and impact in their community practices, and will c) in the longer term also help make a significant contribution in the context of EOSC.
Candidates will be asked to submit an application that will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
1. Excellence:
a) A statement describing the commitment to the vision of EOSC, the FAIR movement, national Open Science agendas (implementation), links to European data infrastructures or similar federated infrastructures. (25%)
b) A brief summary of previous and current activities demonstrating the applicant’s community involvement and any additional contributions to RDA related activities, Working/Interest groups, development and/or promotion and/or adoption of RDA Recommendations and Outputs in European Institutions throughout their communities. (25%)
2. Impact:
a) Sustainability and impact potential of the proposal and how this can be carried forward within the context of EOSC and RDA. Applicants should put forward plans for continuing the work beyond the funding period. Methodology of application. The proposal must be thought through, well-written, clear and demonstrate the methodology works. (20%)
3. Implementation (quality and efficiency):
a) A summary of the proposed activity plan for Ambassadorial work, how these are relevant to RDA, EOSC and the specific disciplinary community. Discuss the specific disciplinary barrier / issue they address, how RDA can be leveraged, how it benefits EOSC and the disciplinary community. Include a timeline for activities. (30%)
Your proposal should take into account the RDA Guiding principles and demonstrate commitment to it. Proposals should drive the principles of openness and community activities.
Evaluation:
Applications will be evaluated by experts with insights into the RDA and EOSC who have no conflict of interest (the applicant is not employed by the evaluator’s organisation nor is the recommendation(s) a direct result of their work).
Word limit for applications:
The word limit for your application will be via fields in a form each with a specific word limit. You can start with an application and save it in the system to return to it later. You are allowed to upload accompanying documentation, e.g., project plan and methodology.
Financial Contribution:
The RDA Open Calls programme for Domain Ambassadors will offer up to 10 grants of maximum €10,000 per grant to support the work in this area over the course of the EOSC Future project.
Applications will be evaluated by 3, external experts from the External Pool of Evaluators who possess insight in RDA and EOSC and who have no conflict of interest (the applicant is not employed by the evaluator’s organisation nor is the recommendation(s) a direct result of their work), on the basis of the 3 criteria of Excellence Impact and Implementation outlined above.
Timeline: The Ambassadors programme lasts until the end of the EOSC Future project in September 2023 – and aims to start in November 2022.