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IMéRA- Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies Fondation of Aix-Marseille University
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
Open 6 March 2013 to 6 May 2013
For residence schemes between 20 February 2014 and 17 July 2015
Applications can ONLY be submitted on IMéRA's website (
www.imera.fr).
Applications sent by e-mail or postal mail will NOT be considered.
Online applications for the next residence selection must be sent by 7 May 2013.
INSTITUT MEDITERRANEEN DE RECHERCHES AVANCEES 2 Place Le Verrier - 13004 MARSEILLE (France)
Tel: +33 (0)4 13 55 21 52/ Fax: +33 (0)4 13 55 21 51
E-mail:
contact@imera.fr/ Website: www.imera.fr
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A - IMéRA’S SCIENTIFIC FRAMEWORK
At one stage or another in your research work you will inevitably have been led to query the strength and interest of your project, not only in connection with the requirements (both justified and fertile) of your own disciplines, but—without making any concession with regard to such requirements—by presenting your research to the wider range of disciplines linked to your own.
The goal of IMERA is to offer you premises, an environment, a space for collegial interchange between disciplines that can help you make headway in opening up to other forms of knowledge and other issues, both in theory and practice. One success that can be ascribed to IMéRA is that in its short life, it has made it possible for representatives of various disciplines to meet and discuss cross-disciplinary themes whose treatment belongs to no specific discipline alone; IMéRA has also organized meetings giving pride of place to scientists who, working across several disciplines, are led to redefining their respective boundaries.
Research projects carried out at IMéRA focus on cross-fertilisation within social science, within science, between social science and formal/experimental/health science, and on relationships between art and science, exploring and enhancing the potential openings between such disciplines and the new objects that may be formed there.
In their applications, residency candidates or teams must therefore demonstrate their interest in multidisciplinary cross-fertilisation on the basis of their research or itineraries, by:
instancing interdisciplinary projects they have already taken part in or publications calling for such collaboration; or
proposing to start one such project (and defining it); or
describing the issues of and expected benefits from intersecting with pathways and intellectual resources of other disciplines in the framework of their own residency programmes.
In all cases, candidates drawing on multi-disciplinary resources of the various Aix-Marseille University laboratories will clearly enhance the credibility of their applications. IMéRA also enthusiastically welcomes projects bearing on Mediterranean territories or submitted by researchers from the Mediterranean rim.
As a matter of information—and, we hope, as an incentive!—previous IMERA residencies have focused on the various projects described below. This is intended to give you an idea of the types of cooperation that can be envisaged between disciplines and to offer guidelines to such projects:
debates on intrinsically cross-disciplinary concept themes: seminars on the notion of
“network,” “complex system dynamics” or comparative systems of production of evidence and reasoning in formal and/or experimental science and in social science; or
“hybrid research object”-oriented approaches such as “the boundary object” or research on objects requiring cross-evaluation and understanding of natural vs social dynamics, or experiments where scientific research and artistic research can be mutually cross- fertilising; or
initiatives connected with the notion of “knowledge circulation” (museology, awareness programmes relating to scientific progress and the political issues they raise) where cross contributions of disciplines are examined in a broader context.
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B – CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
1- SCHEDULE
Those wishing to take part in the next selection phase should register online not later than 6 May 2013.
In the course of July 2013 all candidates will be informed by e-mail of the decision regarding their application.
2- DETAILS OF RESIDENCE SCHEMES
Researchers can apply for either of the residence schemes offered (see full description in Part C):
- Accommodation for one person (5 or 10 months) at the following dates:
- 20 Feb 2014 to 18 July 2014 (5 months) - 15 Sep 2014 to 13 Feb 2015 (5 months) - 19 Feb 2015 to 17 July 2015 (5 months) - 15 Sep 2014 to 17 July 2015 (10 months) - Multidisciplinary team accommodation (2 to 4 weeks)
3- APPLICANTS
IMéRA residence schemes are open to researchers (scientists and artists) of all origins in terms of nationality and disciplines.
Scientists must hold a PhD to submit an application. This does not apply to artists.
IMéRA will consider applicants from the Mediterranean rims in a particularly favourable way.
4- SELECTION PROCESS AND CRITERIA
Application assessment criteria are the following:
Scientific or artistic value of the project and expected results
Innovative nature: are issues and research themes new?
Necessity to connect with other research fields to develop the project
The possibility of interacting with laboratories and research teams of the University of Aix- Marseille and its area
5- RESIDENT'S CHARTER
IMéRA's expectations from residents are set out in the Resident Charter contained in Annex 1 of this Call for Applications The Charter can also be viewed on IMéRA's website.
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C – ACCOMMODATION SCHEMES ON OFFER
1- ACCOMMODATION FOR ONE PERSON (5 or 10 months)
This scheme is for scientists (PhD holders) and artists or writers who can choose to stay at IMéRA either 5 or 10 months.
At IMéRA, artists are invited to carry out research in relation to a planned piece of work. However, applications for actually producing pieces of work cannot be selected, as IMéRA is a centre for research and exchanges between disciplines, not a location for artistic production.
2- MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM ACCOMMODATION (2 to 4 weeks)
This scheme is for multidisciplinary teams of researchers (scientists and/or artists).
IMéRA is especially interested in applications by teams including junior researchers.
Only international and multidisciplinary teams of 3 to 6 persons working on an innovative project will qualify for application.
D – IMéRA'S OFFER
Accommodation for one person
IMéRA will pay for travel expenses and provide free accommodation.
IMéRA will pay a fixed allowance or a salary depending on resident's status.
IMéRA will organise a seminar with each resident on a theme related to their projects.
Several speakers may be invited (IMéRA will pay for guests' expenses).
Team accommodation
IMéRA will pay for each team member's travel expenses and provide free accommodation.
IMéRA will pay each team member a fixed allowance.
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E – ONLINE APPLICATION
Applications can ONLY be submitted on IMéRA's website. Applications sent by e-mail or postal mail will NOT be considered.
Each applicant must set up a user account to access their application form (by clicking the button
“application for 2014-2015” on the home page). They can then use their login and password to fill out their application form, which can be registered and altered until the call deadline, i.e. 6 May 2013. On 7 May 2013, forms will be automatically registered by IMéRA and considered final.
To complete the application form online applicants must fill out all mandatory boxes and upload:
a CV including a list of publications, exhibitions or creations ;
the research or creation project (5 pages max.) ;
one or two letters of reference where deemed appropriate.
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RESIDENT'S CHARTER
(One-person or team accommodation)
1- Residence obligations
Each guest researcher is subject to residence obligations so as to carry out their work for the entire duration of the stay.
These obligations do not preclude occasional absences.
Absences not longer than a week and not exceeding 10% of the total residence length in aggregate should simply be reported to the executive director. Longer absences will have to be agreed by IMéRA's management. All absences must be notified in advance.
Over and above these obligations, guest researchers are entirely free to determine their working hours.
2- Contribution to IMéRA's acivities
Residents undertake to contribute to cross-disciplinary meetings and debates organized by IMéRA during their stay.
In relation with the Collège Doctoral and the laboratories, the resident can propose a seminar for Phd students.
3- Weekly meal
To facilitate exchanges between guest researchers, communal meals are organised by IMéRA management. Guest researcher agrees, for the duration of his stay, to take one meal each week (Thursday lunch, allowing for exceptions) with the other researchers. Non-attendance at weekly meals should remain exceptional and be notified to the management.
4- Research reports
- Resident agrees to provide feedback on the content of their research to the IMéRA science community.
- They will present their work at a public feedback workshop and provide a summary of their paper.
- They will organise a research seminar with IMéRA's support.
- They will provide a written report on their activities before the end of their stay.
- At different moments during the residence, they will grant short interviews (to be video recorded) on their work's progress.
- They agree to take part in scientific and cultural community support work aimed at the general public.
5- Dissemination
Guest researcher grants IMéRA authorisation to publish their portrait and CV, videos of interviews and a volume presenting the work carried out.
While all results obtained or produced during the period at IMéRA remain the guest researcher’s full personal property, they agree to acknowledge the support provided by IMéRA in any publication or other public distribution of the aforementioned results.
Resident shall provide copies of publications or pictures of pieces of work produced in connection with their residence for IMéRA's archives.
