MOLAB Welcome Desk 
MOLAB CALL FOR PROPOSALS CURRENTLY OPEN
DEADLINE: 15 September 2011
CHARISMA is calling for applications from researcher teams working in Europe or in Associated Countries to utilise a set of portable instrumentations (MOLAB Transnational Access Service) capable of exclusive performances for in-situ measurements on unmovable or low-mobility objects without any sampling or any contact with their surface.
MOLAB scientific staff will accompany the portable instruments, helping the User and giving tutorials on the use of the instrumentation.
The MOLAB unique collection of portable and innovative instrumentations, as well as the related know-how, is offered by three participating organization (providers):
- UNIPG, Universita’ di Perugia, Centro SMAArt Perugia IT having access to X-ray fluorescence, fiber-optic mid- and near-FT-IR reflectance spectroscopy, fiber optic VIS reflectance spectroscopy, UV-VIS absorption and fluorescence emission spectroscopy, single-photon fluorescence decay-time spectrometry (picoseconds timescale), Raman spectroscopy (micro- and macro), NMR depth profiling, and others.
- CNRS-LC2RMF Centre de Recherche et des Restauration des Musées de France, Paris, FR having access to an integrated system for X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction in the same area.
- CNR-INO, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto Nazionale di Ottica, Firenze, IT having access to an high resolution -16 or 32 bands- multispectral imaging scanner in the VIS range and an high resolution 14 bands multispectral imaging scanner in the IR range, from 800 to 2265 nm.
HOW TO APPLY
To be granted the MOLAB access, an application by the Group Leader is required, describing the scientific background of proposed project, the planned measurements, the objectives and the expected results, highlighting their European impact, as well as the justification of the need of the portable equipment.
Please note that a User Group is a research team composed by one or more researchers requesting access to the MOLAB set of instruments for the same project. A Group Leader leads each User Group.
Concerning the EC general rules of Users Eligibility and Duties see the ACCESS AREA for further information.
Considering the specificity of MOLAB field campaign, the proposal feasibility, the local requirements, the technical details of the mobile laboratory stay, as well the selected possible dates, can be discussed preliminarly to the presentation of the proposal by the user Group Leader with the Welcome Desk.
To better finalize the proposal, the submission procedure could encompass:
– an abstract of the planned work (optional) preliminarily sent by e-mail to the
MOLAB Welcome Desk – Università
degli Studi di Perugia, Dipartimento di Chimica, Centro SMAArt Via
Elce di Sotto, 8 06123 Perugia, Italy
contact: Dr. Costanza Miliani
Phone: +39 075 585 5639
e-mail: [email protected]
– a proposal using the downloadable MOLAB APPLICATION FORM (word doc.), to be sent,
- by email in .pdf format (Costanza Miliani, e-mail: [email protected]) and
- by regular mail – signed by the Group Leader – to CHARISMA Coordinator: Prof. B. G. Brunetti Università degli Studi di Perugia, Dipartimento di Chimica, Centro SMAArt Via Elce di Sotto,8 06123 Perugia, Italy
The duration of the proposed project is expected to be from 3 to 8 days on the average and under all circumstances will never exceed one months.
FUNDING & INSURANCE
MOLAB access is free of charge,
providing, to selected User groups all the portable
instrumentations and know-how essential for the project. The
following costs are included:
– instruments transportation and travel insurance;
– MOLAB staff’s travels and on-site logistic, technologic and
scientific support.
However appointed Users should make their own local personnel and the artwork object insurance arrangements for the period for the measurements. The Users should also provide any local help in order to exploit the MOLAB equipment in the best conditions and security.
EVALUATION PROCESS AND CRITERIA
After the proposals are submitted, the MOLAB Welcome Desk will verify the formal compliance with the EU regulations, undertaking a prioritizing of the applications based on available expertise, specific needed instrument, ongoing potential collaboration projects, available time etc. The proposal will also be pre-examined by the access provider concerned for its agreement considering the necessity/feasibility for the use of the facility.
All applications will thereafter be transferred to the MOLAB Peer Review Panel that will make a final selection of Users/groups proposals, evaluating the scientific content of the project and ranking the proposals according to the MOLAB-PRP specific selection criteria.
The final decision will be reported to the MOLAB Welcome Desk who will notify the applicant and the access provider(s) of the Peer Review Panel conclusion. The access provider(s) will make a final decision concerning the extent of the access (instruments, days, period etc.) considering the User requests.
The selection is thus primarily based on the scientific quality; the originality of the scientific proposal, as well as the level of expertise (to conduct the proposed experiment, to analyse the final data and results, etc.) in the User groups. The applications should aim to increase the scientific output (qualitatively and quantitatively), optimize the use of local expertise of ongoing research activities and facilities, and foster lasting international science cooperation.
Priority will be given
– to projects with a large European impact or artwork
uniqueness, promoting new methodology, technology transfer
and science advancement,
– to project that have a woman Group Leader and/or where the
majority of the group members are women,
– to Users/groups have not previously used the MOLAB
instrumentations,
– to Users/groups working in countries where no such research
instrumentations exist,
– to experiments that pursue unique goals considering the level of
the artwork object, the period, the materials etc.
