LS25 / Evaluation criteria

The following criteria are used in the evaluation.

• Scope: Is the project within the scope of the call?

Projects that do not meet the key requirements regarding scope will be rejected by the jury, regardless of scientific quality. 

The key criteria in the evaluation of proposals are scientific excellence of the project and applicants, and the relevance and impact of the proposed research: 

• Scientific innovation of the proposed research project: What is the scientific novelty and transformative potential of the proposed approach? Does the proposed research work meet the highest relevant international standards?
• Relevance and impact: How does the proposed work address unmet clinical needs? To what extent does the project have potential to advance prevention, diagnosis or treatment for patients? What are the mid- to long-term academic and clinical impacts of the advancements expected from the project? 
• Scientific excellence and academic potential of the applicant(s): Do the applicants demonstrate the expertise and potential to conduct the proposed research? Please note that scientific track record is measured according to academic age.

Further criteria:

• Feasibility: Are the timeframe and budget adequate for carrying out the project? Are the proposed resources suitable for achieving the goals? Overall, how likely is the project to contribute to advances in precision medicine?
• Team composition and interdisciplinary collaboration: Teams should include an appropriate mix of expertise, bringing together researchers from complementary scientific disciplines if required. A clear description of the roles of the individual partners and a clear project management plan must be presented.
• Data management: How will research data be managed and shared? Has the sustainability and impact of new resources been considered? Please also consider WWTF’s Open Science Policy.
• Consideration of gender aspects: The relevance of potential sex-specific and gender-related aspects of the proposed projects should be considered and explained throughout the proposal. Please consider WWTF's guidelines regarding sex and gender in research.

Other aspects:

• Career breaks such as for parental leave, care duties and longer illnesses will be taken into account in the evaluation of the proposals. Please indicate the time periods in the applicants' CV to allow them to be considered.  

Please note that the short proposal will be evaluated by a jury panel, who will be asked to act as generalists when evaluating proposals. In contrast, the full proposal will additionally be evaluated by reviewers with specific expertise in the topics of the proposal. Thus, an appropriate level of scientific detail should be provided at each stage to allow evaluation of the proposal by the respective audience.