The IRD is launching a new call for proposals for the creation of joint international laboratories (LMI).
LMIs are one of the main tools deployed by the IRD in its mission to support the strengthening, empowerment and international influence of higher education and research systems in developing countries.
LMI projects are co-constructed and co-directed by teams from one or more research and higher education institutions in developing countries, and one or more research units affiliated to the IRD, around a targeted scientific theme and, as a general rule, a common platform (premises, analytical platforms, training systems, equipment, observation systems, computing resources). The aim of an LMI project is to eventually become (or become part of) a sustainable operational research structure under the responsibility of the partner country.
Without ruling out the possibility that this LMI project could involve several sites, where appropriate, it must not generate an excessive dispersion of resources and objectives, which would make it more like a research network that the IRD's scientific departments can now support via the Groupements de Recherche au Sud (GDRI-Sud) scheme.
The LMI's partner institutions are keen to build up a critical mass of complementary skills committed to converging scientific objectives. Each partner must be able to boast of human, material and financial resources that have been mobilised over the long term, and whose pooling offers clear added value in relation to these committed resources.
Taking a differentiated approach to the specific organisation and needs of higher education and research in the partner countries, LMI's medium-term objective should be to build and gain national and international recognition for a benchmark research and training centre in the areas concerned, or to provide support for a benchmark centre project already supported by the partner country and involving the broader support of other French or international partners.
After a two-year incubation phase enabling the partners to test the trajectory of the project and its added value in terms of the LMI's medium-term objectives, and depending on the conclusions of the mid-term interview with the management of the scientific department to which the project is attached, the project will be supported for a further three years for its consolidation phase.
The LMI has its own scientific monitoring committee, made up of representatives from the participating laboratories and external figures chosen jointly. This committee makes proposals concerning the LMI's scientific orientations and choices, as well as the coherence between these and its research, training and development activities.
The LMI is the subject of an agreement between research and higher education institutions, which mobilise a critical mass of human and financial resources over the long term to achieve the project's overall objective.
Researchers from French research units who contribute to the LMI remain fully members of their affiliated unit and under the scientific and administrative responsibility of the director of this unit. Similarly, researchers from the partner country remain fully attached to their universities, research centres and laboratories.
Call target
Proposals linked to nationally or internationally accredited environmental and/or population observation systems (SNO and IR/TGIR in particular) will be particularly welcome, provided that such systems exist in the field concerned.
These themes are not exclusive of any other proposal that takes a position in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals, which set the framework for international dialogue up to 2030, possibly from a critical scientific position.
The IRD laboratories involved in the project must ensure that it is consistent with the priorities of the IRD's Strategic Orientation Plan and Contract of Objectives and Performance (COP), in particular with the various Interdisciplinary and Partnership Structuring Programmes (IPSP) launched within this framework. Similarly, the researchers and teacher-researchers involved in the partner country will have to ensure that the project is consistent with the developments and priorities set for higher education and research (ESR) in their country.
Selection process and timetable
The selection and consolidation of new LMI projects will take place in seven stages:
15th March 2020. Deadline for submitting a letter of intent
At this stage, the scientific departments examine the overall coherence of the projects, in relation to the existing research and capacity-building system (LMI, JEAI, other regional projects), the Institute's strategic priorities, and those of the partner country when they are expressed. This stage will make it possible to carry out an analysis of emerging initiatives (themes, geographical areas, etc.) and to shortlist the projects that appear to be the most mature and best positioned in relation to the call's target. The project's added value in terms of scientific output, its structuring effect on research and/or higher education in the country concerned, and the anticipated level of commitment from the partner institutions will be the central criteria for this first selection stage.
17 April 2020. IRD management pre-selects letters of intent
21st June 2020. Deadline for submitting a full application to the scientific departments of the partner institutions.
End of October 2020. Hearing of the project leaders and the scientific directors of the partner institutions by a joint committee made up of members of the relevant sectoral scientific committee(s) and the Scientific Advisory Board (the "joint committee").
December 2020. Final decision to create the company with effect from 1 January 2021.
2021-2023. Incubation phase lasting two and a half years with annual budgetary support from the IRD of up to forty thousand euros, concluding with discussions between the co-sponsors and the scientific directors of the partner institutions, the aim of these discussions being to decide whether it would be appropriate to enter the consolidation phase.
After 2023. A two-and-a-half-year consolidation phase, if positive recommendations are made following the incubation phase, after analysis of the project's specific features, the degree of ownership by the partners in the South and the ability to bring together over time the critical mass of researchers and resources needed to develop a sustainable research and/or training platform, which could eventually evolve into a benchmark research and training centre. If necessary, and based on the recommendations of each partner's governing body, an extension of this consolidation phase for a further five years (2 years + 3 years) may be considered.
Conditions of eligibility
For the French part, the LMI co-sponsor and the core of the staff involved must be attached to a joint research unit (UMR) under IRD supervision or to a unit associated with the Institute.
Project supported by one or more UMRs or UAs, which commit(s) human resources to ensure the long-term viability of the project.
Agreement in principle by the partner institutions to participate in the project and co-finance it.
Particular attention will be paid to projects that are in line with the priorities of RSEs in the least developed countries and the most disadvantaged regions of other developing countries.
Terms and conditions of IRD financial support
After final selection, each project will receive a maximum of forty thousand euros a year in financial support from 2021 onwards.
Submission of applications
The letters of intent and complete dossiers are drawn up jointly by the North and South LMI project leaders and then sent, after approval by the directors of the partner research units, in electronic format in pdf version to the IRD's President and Director General, at the following e-mail address lmi@ird.frand the IRD scientific department(s) concerned:
disco@ird.fr
ecobio@ird.fr
oceans@ird.fr
sante@ird.fr
soc@ird.fr