VRG27 / Submission Guideline

• VRG27 / Essential information
• VRG27 / Register & Login
• VRG27 / Create a new proposal
• VRG27 / Information about VRG candidate and proponent
• VRG27 / Overview of chapters
• VRG27 / Details of chapters
• VRG27 / Proposal submission

VRG27 / Essential information

All proposals must be written in English and must be submitted electronically via the WWTF’s Funding Portal.

• The Funding Portal allows you to manage your personal information independently of proposals and calls. If you are involved in multiple proposals or apply in a future call, you can draw upon this saved personal information in the section "My profile". 
• The VRG leader has to invite the proponent to the proposal. Please note that only the VRG leader can submit the proposal.
• A chapter with a red alert symbol () indicates that it is incomplete. Within the marked chapter, click on the red symbol(s) beside individual sections to highlight the fields requiring attention.  A green checkmark symbol () indicates that the information in the chapter is complete. 
• Note: The Funding Portal will save your entries and changes automatically. You can pause data entry at any time. All information will be available again upon your next login. The system constantly validates and saves data in background. Please refresh the website when you think your entries have not been accepted. This will fix the problems. 

Note: The funding portal closes at 2 pm CET on the day of the deadline. The maximum total size limit of the proposal is 5 MB. 

Please note that only the VRG candidate can submit the proposal.

VRG27 / Register & Login

Register at WWTFs’ Funding Portal

1. Go to https://fundingportal.wwtf.at/
2. Go to “Register” in the top menu
3. Enter your registration data (* indicates mandatory fields)
4. You will receive an e-mail to confirm your registration

To log-in with an existing account: go to https://fundingportal.wwtf.at/ and enter your credentials.

VRG27 / Create a new proposal

Create a new proposal

1. Go to “Calls” in the top menu
2. Select the respective call
3. Click “Create new proposal” and new proposal will be created
4. Once created, you will find all your proposals under “My Proposals & Roles” in the top menu. You can delete proposals at any time. Proposals that are not submitted will be deleted automatically after the submission deadline.

VRG27 / Information about VRG candidate and proponent

In the proposal, WWTF requires information about the Vienna Research Group Leader and the proponent. Further partners can be part of the project (either in-kind or funded by WWTF) and can be added later on. First of all, you have to complete your profile. The VRG candidate should create the proposal and invite the proponent to the proposal.

Step 1: Complete "My Profile": 

Upon login, you can fill out your profile or update it (if you have an existing user profile) in the top menu “MY PROFILE”. 

• Please go to the tab in the right top corner and enter your personal data under "My Profile". 
• Please upload your CV based on the template provided for your respective call ("wwtf_cvtemplate_vrg.docx")
• The CV has two parts: the Curriculum Vitae (around 1 page) and a list of your publications (around 1 page). Please do not exceed this page limit as the system will not accept documents longer than 2 pages.
  • Please list all items in reverse chronological order.
  • Publications: please provide a narrative description of your research output, i.e., what’s your focus in publications (e.g., aiming for journals or aiming for monographs); how do you deal with data in your research output; do you aim for knowledge transfer to the public, politics or industry or do you focus on an academic audience, etc.?
  • Please also provide the top 10 selected publications including DOI and a link to a more detailed list of your publications. This can either be your institutional website, personal website, an ORCID profile or a Google Scholar profile.
  • Also include a short narrative description of your additional skills and experience. Please insert your current primary affiliation („home institution“). In case you have multiple affiliations (e.g., using different affiliations for different proposals), these also can be added.

Note: The “home institution” is the current institution of the VRG candidate at time of the application (i.e. abroad). The “host institution” is the future Viennese institution.

Step 2: Confirm your role as VRG candidate

1. Go to your proposal under the tab "My proposals & roles" and select your proposal. 
2. Go the tab "VRG Leader & Proponent" in the proposal and click "I am the VRG Leader".
3. Invite the proponent to the proposal by adding their name and e-mail adress. The proponent is the scientist at the Vienna host institution responsible for the coordination of the proposal and will support the applicant at every stage of the application. He*she is also responsible for the integration of the applicant in case of funding.

Invite the proponent early on, as the funding portal needs the information to create the budget template. He*she has to perform the same steps as the VRG candidate (fill out "my profile" and update section "my role"), to be able to submit the proposal. 

Step 3: Update the section "My role"

The system will ask you to update "my role".

1. Click "refresh from profile". The system takes the recent information added to your profile, including the CV.
2. Add missing information
   • Staff category.
   • Confirmation of eligibility.
   • Add your current home institution (= institution you are currently performing your research at).
   • Sign the "Affirmation". The affirmation serves as your signature to the proposal.

If you want to change your CV in the course of the submission process, you have to click "refresh from profile" in the section "my role". Otherwise, an old version of the CV will be portrayed in the final proposal.

Step 4: Fill out the missing information in the proposal tab "VRG Leader & Proponent". 

VRG27 / Overview of chapters

Go to “My proposals and roles” in the top menu and click on the incomplete proposal. The proposal is organized in seven chapters (as tabs):

• Basic Information
• VRG Leader & Proponent
• Host and Partner Institution(s)
• Work Programme
• Integration of the Proposed Group Leader
• Budget
• Uploads

VRG27 / Details of chapters

Go to “My proposals and roles” in the top menu and click on the incomplete proposal. The proposal is organized in seven chapters (as tabs).

Basic Information

To be filled out by the VRG candidate.

Enter basic information as indicated.

Scientific Disciplines

When entering the scientific disciplines, fields will be suggested as you type. Please use the ÖFOS categories as issued by Statistik Austria.

Application Track

Select the application track you are applying in. Please note that as a VRG candidate you can only submit one proposal to the call.

Reviewer Suggestions 

You have to suggest five reviewers and can optionally exclude up to three reviewers (certain persons, not entire institutions / departments).

For the reviewer suggestions, please take care of the following parameters:

• Please do not suggest reviewers who have a known conflict of interest with the VRG candidate and/or the proponent.
• Please do not include persons at Austrian institutions, as the proposals will be strictly reviewed internationally only.
  

The information provided is only visible to WWTF office.

Excluded Reviewers

You can exclude and suggest certain persons, not entire institutions or departments. The information provided is only visible to WWTF office.

VRG Leader & Proponent

To be filled out by the VRG candidate.

This chapter contains the data of the main applicants of the proposal (i.e. VRG candidate and proponent). The VRG candidate and the proponent can input and edit information. Ideally, information about VRG candidate and proponent have already been entered. 

The VRG candidate needs to add the following information on career steps so far and highlights of recent work.

Career steps to date

Provide information on the groups in which the VRG candidate has worked up until now.

Highlights of recent work

Add highlights here. Include non-scientific career milestones, as WWTF considers unconventional research careers.

Description of (scientific) leadership potential

Including relevant experience inside and outside the academic context and a vision for leading and managing the prospective group in Vienna.

Applicants motivation

Provide the candidate’s motivation for applying to this position.

Confirmation of eligibility

Confirm that you have worked at a research institution outside of Austria at least two years within the last three years. Confirm that you are not currently employed in Austria at the time of submission of the proposal.

Information on the proponent

Check if the proponent has already filled out their profile and completed the section "my role".

Host and Partner Institution(s)

To be filled out by the future Viennese host institution and the VRG candidate.

Description of host institution (specific department/institute)

The future host institution (specific department/group) should be outlined. It should be more than a general description, specifically tailored at the host environment of the VRG candidate.

Motivation of host institution/proponent to bring the VRG candidate to Vienna

The motivation of the host institution to bring the VRG candidate to Vienna must be clearly established. Why is the VRG candidate the right fit for your institution? Amongst others, describe (complementary) competencies and research interests the VRG candidate will bring to the institution. Also describe, why the proponent chose to apply together with this candidate.

Further partner institutions (optional)

You can add further partner institutions.The criteria for "partner institutions" are the following:

• Partner institutions are different from those of proponent's host institution
• Partner institutions are a substantial part of the project, which means they either receive or give (monetary) contributions.
• By adding a partner institutions, you can allocate budget to this institution in the "budget" chapter, which is particularly relevant in case of a cooperation with a researcher at this institution.

Wider research network 

Insert information about the wider research network and describe additional institutions and research groups with which the VRG candidate intends to collaborate in Vienna.

Work Programme

To be filled out by the VRG candidate

Scientific abstract

Please provide a concise scientific abstract. This will be used in approaching reviewers.

Work programme

• The work programme must be uploaded as a single PDF file with a maximum of eight pages (including references). Use the template provided from the funding portal, and make sure to stick to the formatting guideline!
  • • It includes the state of the art in the proposed field and scientific challenges in the next years and the research plan
    • Give a concise review of the subject of research, of the state of the art in the proposed scientific field and the scientific challenges the VRG candidate wants to address with their future research group.
    • Formulate the concrete research question(s) you would like to address and specify the objectives to be achieved and the theoretical and methodological approaches.
    • Try to outline your work programme as concretely as possible and give the jury a clear picture that you know which work packages to start with.
    • A clear vision and outline of future research are expected. The file may include figures, charts, etc. Please use the template provided. Make clear how your research fits the call topic.

• Please also upload a GANTT chart outlining your project (1 page).

Please note that the references in the work programme refer to the references used when writing the work programme (the bibliography). The "relevant references" section further below should highlight key publications in your respective research area.

Ethical considerations

Please state why / why not your proposed project contains potential ethical aspects. Please follow the research ethics guidelines of your host institution. If the planned project requires ethical approval, it is the obligation of the VRG candidate to acquire it as soon as it is needed. Please describe in the online submission shortly the necessity of an ethical approval, the process of acquiring it and possible challenges.

Open science statement

Please explain your intentions about providing access to publications and to shareable research data (e.g. sharing, accessibility, metadata, sustainability, ownership). For more information refer to the Open Science Policy.

Use of generative AI

Please describe if and how genAI has been used in your proposal. For more information refer to this page.

Gender considerations

Please indicate, where in the proposal you have considered gender relevant aspects. For more information on what gender relevant aspects need to be considere, go to this page. As page numbers are only available in the proposal PDF, you can work around and use the section title of the funding portal tabs or the sub-headings of your work programme where the information can be found. This information should allow the reviewers and jury to evaluate, whether and how gender aspects have been considered in the proposal process. 

Disclosure of other applications for funding

Applicants agree to provide full information in all related matters. The project cannot be subject to double funding. If you mark the check box “yes”, please also insert more information in the textbox. WWTF reserve its rights to check for double funding with other funding organizations.

Relevant references

List the key publications representing the state of the art in the respective research area. Please be aware of the maximum of 20 references. Mark the 10 most relevant references by clicking on the check box “Most relevant”. Please note that this is not your personal publication list (your personal publication list should be included in the CV)!

• • The system can import publication data from external databases, e.g., by DOIs. For PubMed: use the number of pubmed.gov. For arXiv, use only the numbers without “arXiv:”
  • Use a uniform reference style. If you import references through the database lookup, please use the style of the imported reference for the references entered manually.

Integration of the Proposed Group Leader

To be filled out mainly by the future Viennese host institution

Selection process

Please describe the selection process for the VRG candidate (search process, principles of selection and criteria applied). If there was a search committee, briefly describe its role, the persons involved, and the search criteria applied. Please include gender mainstreaming measures / affirmative actions here. Female scientists in Austria are clearly underrepresented in leading positions which is, among other reasons, due to gender biases in selection procedures. It is a goal of WWTF and of the Austrian scientific community to overcome these biases. What measures were applied to attract women as VRG candidates? Please describe your institution’s policy to avoid gender biases.

Active recruitment procedures

As stated in the Call Specifications, active recruitment procedures with the aim of finding VRG candidates of the Viennese university/research institution are mandatory. Please indicate via the check box if this has been done. Please indicate in what journal(s) the ad has been published, and which further channels have been used. Upload one job announcement (as PDF) as an example. The uploaded file is for WWTF office only.

Career advancement of VRG candidate

Describe the contractual relationship with the VRG candidates and her/ his status within the host institution during the whole funding period, as well as the concrete steps leading to a tenured position. 

Describe the contractual relationship with the VRG candidate and their status within the host institution throughout the whole funding period. The provision of a clear-cut career plan is mandatory. Explain in detail the steps leading to a tenured position (for example the process of receiving a “Qualifizierungsvereinbarung” including time frames). The details provided here will be the foundation for contractual negotiations in the case of funding. Refer to the Call Specifications for further details.

Interim evaluation

Carrying out an interim evaluation of the VRG Leader is obligatory. The host institution is obligated to conduct an interim evaluation of the VRG leader. This evaluation should take place in the middle of the Vienna Research Group funding period, but not later than at the beginning of the fifth year. An international element in the evaluation is necessary (e.g., the involvement of a reviewer from abroad). The publication record and the research profile of the VRG leader must be subject of the interim evaluation. Further aspects might be included by the host institution. Please describe here the concrete schedule and the planned evaluation process. Please note that the interim evaluation should be organized together with WWTF. Different scenarios for the interim evaluation are specified in the Call Specifications.

Long-term career perspective after the end of the WWTF grant

WWTF is convinced that long-term perspectives for researchers are a prerequisite to hire excellent researchers. What is the long-term career perspective of the VRG candidate (e.g., path to full professor) after the funding period? Please describe the host institution’s structures and policies for achieving this. What is the host institution’s strategy for a long-term perspective/tenure track? What is the prospective development of the group after the funding period?

Integration of the group leader at the future host institution

What measures are taken for the integration of the VRG candidate into the institute/department of the host institution and between other partners like universities/facilities/departments/institutes? What support will the VRG candidate receive upon arrival (administration, housing, onboarding, …)? How will the access to administrative resources be organized?

Budget

To be filled out mainly by the VRG candidate.

For details about eligible costs, indirect costs and in-kind contributions, please refer to the Call Specifications.

• All institutions added in the chapter “VRG Leader & Proponent” as well as partner institutions added in the chapter "host and partner institutions" will be listed automatically in the budget table.
• All figures are in € and in full numbers!
• At least 80% of the requested funding must be allocated to the region “Vienna”. Up to 20% may be allocated to other partner(s).
• Non-personnel costs should not exceed 30% of the overall budget. If non-personnel costs exceed 30% of the total budget, a justification must be included in the budget. 

Planning of personnel costs

• The VRG candidate will be inserted automatically (after confirmation of "my role").
• Before you can start the calculations about personnel, you must add a row for every person by clicking “Additional persons”.
• Please click the funding source (WWTF, in-kind, WWTF & in-kind) and then add the average yearly time commitment for each project year. The column with the years (“Y1, Y2, …”) will be automatically updated as soon as you have entered the project duration in “Basic Information”. Finally, for those persons where WWTF funding is requested, fill in the salary corresponding to a 100% employment in the first project year. This is the “Brutto-brutto-Jahresgehalt”, i.e., gross yearly salary including all expenses for the host institution as well. Please be aware of the Austrian labour cost system.
• The total funding applied for each person will then automatically be calculated including a 3,5% annual salary increase (accounting for inflation/..). At the bottom right you will see the total personnel costs applied for from WWTF.
  
• If you want to include a pay raise of the VRG candidate, you have to add another row to depict the pay raise.

For the VRG candidate: please ask your future host institution what your actual salary will be beforehand!

Note: Please be aware that the wage for “Studentische Mitarbeiter*in” (i.e. Diploma student etc.) is calculated by FWF with 20 hours and a “Doktorand*in” (i.e. PhD student) with 30 hours per week.

Planning of non-personnel costs

Please provide a concise description of costs per cost category/institution as well as the funding applied for. Click “add another row” to include another cost factor. Please be as specific as possible (e.g., list devices etc.)! You can use the same categories multiple times. The sums will be automatically calculated and provided in the table “Cost overview” and “Budget per region”. 

Furthermore, please fill in the text boxes:

• Please shortly describe the envisioned group: How will the group be set up? Which positions/qualifications are needed and when, to conduct the research?
• Briefly describe the equipment and consumables needed to successfully perform the group’s research. Describe the availability and accessibility of the infrastructure and equipment. What will be funded by WWTF, what will be provided by the host institution?
• Please indicate by clicking the check box that you are aware of the host institution’s overhead policy (max. 20%).
• Please describe the monetary and in-kind contributions in detail. Please be aware that the monetary and in-kind contributions are the contributions from the host institution only and must exceed the minimum requirements stated in the Call Specifications. 

Uploads

Affirmations

The VRG candidate and proponent confirm their participation in the project via the "affirmation" tick-box in the section "my role". The confirmation date will be displayed in this section.

Authorization/Signatures

Submission of the proposal requires the signatures of the authorized person(s) at the future host institution of the VRG candidate (“Authorization”). Please consult your institutional research services regarding the person mandated to sign the proposals and allow sufficient time to obtain their signature.  The Funding Portal automatically suggests a name, you can change and edit this name in the online form. This information will be included in the PDF to be signed.

1. Download the PDF using the link “You can generate the signature sheet here”.
2. Signatures may be provided in various formats: Add a scanned or physical signature, and upload the form; or
   Insert an electronic signature (e.g., A-Trust, Handysignatur) and upload the form. Please note that electronically signed PDFs cannot be merged into a single document.
   

Doctoral Degree confirmation

Upload the VRG candidates doctoral degree certificate. This should include information on the date you obtained your doctoral degree on.

VRG27 / Proposal submission

Once all symbols are green, the proposal can be submitted. The submit button is in the last chapter at the bottom. 

• Please check your proposal again for accuracy of the information provided before submitting it. You can download the proposal PDF anytime.
• After the indicated deadline, submission is not possible anymore. Hence, unsubmitted proposals will be excluded from the following evaluation process. 
• You can access your submitted proposal on the page “My Proposals and Roles”. 

Please note that only the VRG candidate can submit the proposal.

No changes are possible after the project has been submitted.