AXA Postdoctoral Fellowship
Descriptions
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Eligibility
AXA Research Fund
The AXA Research Fund’s mission is to support outstanding researchers and it is committed to improving peoples’ lives through innovative research in areas of Climate & Environment, Health, and Socioeconomics.
AXA Fellowships aim at supporting promising early-career researchers, defined as no more than five years past the completion of their PhD,* on a topic aligned with AXA’s priorities and societal challenges. The support of the AXA Research Fund should be transformative for the researcher and the advancement of their field. To apply for a grant, researchers must not have a permanent (tenured or tenure-track) position.
Institution Eligibility
The project calls are global. However, the AXA Research Fund partners with academic institutions only; thus, NGOs, governmental bodies, foundations, independent research centers, cultural institutions (such as museums), and hospitals are not eligible.
Each institution can present at most ONE CANDIDATE (for the entire institution, not one per department, faculty, or laboratory).
In case of several Expressions of Interest submitted from a single institution, all applications would be disqualified.
Institutions hosting an AXA Chair cannot request an extra Post-Doctoral fellowship for a researcher working on the AXA Chairholder's team.
No change of host institution will be possible after submission of the application
Researcher
Candidates should be of the highest caliber and have demonstrated outstanding research achievements, as evidenced by the usual indicators for assessing academic excellence such as research outputs (e.g., publications, citations), research activities (e.g., organizing networks, being involved in communities) and research impact (e.g., policy reports, specific recognition through awards, etc.).
AXA Fellowships aim at supporting promising early-career researchers who have been holding a PhD no longer than five years.** Candidates must be awarded their PhD before they submit their Expression of Interest. Candidates must have already defended their PhD certification before applying.
Research Program
The research program should demonstrate its scientific originality and innovative nature and have the potential to contribute to a step change in the considered field. It is the applicant’s responsibility to demonstrate the relevance of the proposed research topic to the AXA Research Fund.
Engagement and Obligations
Researchers are required to be proactive in engaging science with society when supported by the AXA Research Fund and use an open-data framework when applicable. Our researchers commit to sharing their project and communicating their research to a broad audience, supported by the AXA Research Fund. In addition, funded researchers agree to provide both an annual and a final project report, as well as committing to sharing their research through speaking engagements in collaboration with the AXA Research Fund. Annual and final financial reports will be requested as well.
*There is a flexibility of 6 months regarding PhD date (i.e., PhD max 5 full years + 6 months), at the Expression of Interest date (i.e., May
15, 2023) i.e., PhD defended after November 15, 2017
**There is a flexibility for maternity/paternity leave: 6 months per child. (For example, a candidate who has three children can consider 18 months).
Summary
The AXA Research Fund
The AXA Research Fund is seeking to support post-doctoral research geared towards building a more sustainable and inclusive route to Net-Zero by 2050 based on renewable energies.
We shall support innovative and transdisciplinary research projects, at local, regional, or global scale, which will notably focus on:
- Environmental challenges
- Sustainable vision of facilities notably to achieve climate neutrality, reduce pollution and restore biodiversity.
- Transformative approaches to waste management and development of circular economy around renewable energy facilities.
- Ways to build a resilient and sustainable supply chain around renewable energy including the impact of metals and minerals used in facilities with new ways to reduce negative impacts of mining on the planet and people.
- Socio-economic challenges
- Innovative solutions to provide access to renewable energy for all - emerging countries, lower income communities and indigenous populations.
- Long term vision of facilities to minimize impact on local livelihoods and populations.
- Sustainable and ethical policies notably regarding trading of energy for instance.
- The impact of Net-Zero policies in local, national, and international economies and society at large
NB: This call excludes projects focusing on development of engineering/material to harness or stock energy, except if it may help to answer one of the above challenges.
AXA Support for Dissemination and Career Development
The AXA Research Fund will provide support through proposed training sessions related to science communication, media, finance, and management. Furthermore, attention will be given to the opportunity for the grant to deliver a significant step-change in the career of the grantee.
Diversity
Diversity will be an important criterion in the selection process, as applied to the research topic, gender and geography.
Budget and Grant Allocation
An AXA Fellowship is awarded for a maximum amount of 140,000€ in total, to be spent over two years. It is the applicant’s responsibility to submit a carefully calibrated budget, appropriate for the ambition of the research program and justified in a detailed and coherent manner. The budget will help cover:
- Annual salary of the researcher (based on institution internal policy)
- Equipment/resources (databases, survey costs, consumables, etc.), academic activities (conferences, workshops, fieldwork, etc.)
- Outreach activities (beyond academic audiences).
Any other type of costs not listed above should be justified in the application template. No overhead costs are eligible. No additional budget will be granted. Budget reallocation during an ongoing project must be strongly justified.
Host institutions will be expected to participate in the AXA Fellowship’s general funding with studentships, PhD support and material resources related to the research program. There is no minimum requirement on the institution’s contribution. However, a larger contribution naturally makes the proposal more attractive. The institution’s participation should be detailed in the budget section of the application form. Grants should not substitute for the host institution’s responsibilities vis-à-vis its researchers. As a result, the grant cannot be used to procure basic laboratory equipment.
The AXA Research Fund will formalize its support through a sponsorship agreement to be signed with the host institution.
Timeline & Application process
The AXA Research Fund’s evaluation process has been designed to assess scientific excellence. The evaluations are monitored to ensure transparency, fairness and impartiality in the treatment of proposals.
The AXA Research Fund partners with independent external providers to carry out the peer review process in accordance with criteria defined by the AXA Research Fund, the results of which are submitted to the Scientific Board for final selection. Please note that:
• The complete application must be submitted in English, on time, and online. It must respect the template structure and the page limit.
• The research topic must fall within the scope of the eligible topic focus.
• The candidate must submit a free-standing independent research project involving full-time work for the duration of the fellowship (with the possible exception of up to 20% time dedicated to teaching).
- April 17, 2023 - May 5, 2023 (4pm Paris Time): Registration (Only if your institution is not already registered on the AXA Research Fund’s online platform.)
- April 17, 2023 - May 15, 2023 (4pm Paris Time): Expression of interest (On the AXA RF platform)
- June 1, 2023 - June 29, 2023 (4pm Paris Time): Research proposal submission (On the ESF platform, our partner organization (online link to be provided on due time)
- September 29, 2023 - October 3, 2023 (12pm Paris Time): Rebuttal (On the ESF platform)
- December 2023: Results announcement by email to candidates
Projects selected for funding are expected to start between January 2024 and September 2024.
Application process
Step 1 – Registering
To apply for the AXA Fellowship grants, academic institutions must be registered on our platform: https://institution.axa-research.org/. You can check if your institution is already registered in the database via the above link. If your institution is already on our database, you can skip the registration and your institution’s operational contact can log in directly using the login details they defined.
Institutions should appoint a single point of contact (“Operational Contact”) who will handle relations with the AXA Research Fund and be responsible for candidate’s application.
Step 2 – Expression of Interest ON OUR ONLINE APPLICATION PLATFORM
Only host institutions can apply, applications cannot be directly submitted by individual researchers.
To submit an online Expression of Interest, host institutions need to follow the steps below:
1. Log onto our online application platform: https://institution.axa-research.org/
2. Go to the “Application” tab and click the “Post-doc” link to go to the “Expression of Interest” page
3. Click “New” and fill in the online Expression of Interest form. Attach a short CV (3 pages maximum)
4. Click “Submit”
At the stage of Expression of Interest, you will be requested to provide the following information:
• About the candidate
- Name
- Birth date
- PhD defense date
- Current university the candidate is affiliated with
- Short CV (3 pages maximum)
• About the research program
- Project’s description: 3000 characters including spaces
You will receive an email confirming that your Expression of Interest has been submitted. If you don’t receive the email, please check your spam folder, and, if needed, contact fellowships@axa.com .
You will be able to edit your Expression of Interest as long as you have not clicked on “Submit”. Once submitted, your Expression of Interest can no longer be edited. The Expression of Interest will be reviewed by the AXA Research Fund. You will be informed of the decision pertaining to your Expression of Interest by email.
Expressions of Interest received after the deadline, by email, or incomplete will not be considered.
Step 3 – Full Application
Academic institutions will be given access to the dedicated ESF platform to nominate their candidates by entering their name & email address online. Nominated candidates will be invited to submit their research proposals and will be provided with the necessary information to access the application form. Eligibility criteria of the application call will be screened by our partner organization.
Candidates will have 4 weeks to submit their proposals through the ESF platform. Please note that if the host institution doesn’t nominate the candidate on the ESF platform, the candidate won’t have access to the platform.
Applications received after the deadline, by email, or incomplete will not be considered.
Step 4 – Scientific Assessment
The evaluation of the scientific quality of research proposals is carried out in a fully independent manner by our partner peer-review organization.
Each application is reviewed by two relevant experts who will assess the candidate’s excellence and the research program’s scientific quality.
Step 5 – Rebuttal
Candidates will have the opportunity to respond online to peer review experts’ comments before their applications are reviewed by the AXA Research Fund. The main purpose of the rebuttal is to provide applicants with the possibility to comment on any potential misinterpretations or misunderstandings that may have been made by the experts while initially assessing their proposals.
Step 6 – Selection & Results Publication
The Scientific Board of the AXA Research Fund selects to fund applications based on strength of the scientific case, peer review assessments, the potential of the project, candidate profile and of the institution and overall impact. The AXA Research Fund informs the candidates of the decisions by email. Results will also be made available on the AXA Research Fund’s website https://www.axa-research.org/en .
The Scientific Board’s decision is final and cannot be appealed. It can neither be disputed nor subject to explanations or justifications, no feedbacks will be provided.
Participation in the call for applications implies acceptance of the above-mentioned rules.
Overhead
No overhead costs are eligible.
Deadlines
Application deadlines
Program application deadline
Approvals
NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.
Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.
Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.
Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:
- Principal Investigator
- Department Head
- Faculty ADR/Dean
- Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)
Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.
Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.
Additional Information
Ethics
The AXA Research Fund places extremely high importance on the ethics of the work it supports. Programs are required to comply fully with all relevant ethical review processes and for this compliance to be evidenced. Cases of scientific misconduct (such as fabrication, falsification, plagiarism or inappropriate behavior towards staff or other parties) will be considered as breaches of the AXA ethical principles* and will be excluded from funding.
Intellectual Property
The researcher and the host institution remain fully independent to conduct the research project. AXA will not claim any right to the ownership or use of the results.
*AXA Group Compliance and Ethics Code, 2019: Compliance and Ethics Code | AXA
Contact Details
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