| Question |
Answer |
| How are funds allocated in consortia partnerships? |
JISC allocated funds directly to the lead institution which is responsible and accountable for allocating appropriate funds to its partner(s). |
| Where can I find information on potential partners? |
Visit the Data Management Programme blog |
| What is the expectation for matched funding from the institution? |
There is no expectation for an exact proportion; however it is important that the institution contribute to the project. Potential bidders should consider institutional contribution as a factor of the value for money criterion. |
| What is the requirements analysis? |
Projects should perform analysis of data management requirements and a benchmarking exercise to provide comparative information for later evaluation work. The JISC Data Audit Framework is relevant here and projects should consider the appropriateness of this approach as a means of assesing and appraising data and data management resources. Whatever method is found most effective, projects will be required to demonstrate precisely how they evaluate data management requirements. Further information. |
| What if my proposal outputs and requirements analysis differ? |
JISC aims to be flexible; however, proposals should be user-driven with an idea of key areas. It is understood that this project is a pathway to discovery and different outputs and requirements can be expected to emerge as the project plan develops. This is acceptable provided that communication is clear with the Programme Manager and and that the final outcome(s) match(es) the programme objectives. It is up to the lead institution or consortia as to how prescriptive the proposal is. |
| The call refers to recently funded JISC projects. Should proposals avoid previously funded research areas? |
No. The call is not prescriptive about specific research areas and overlap is permissible. |
| Can lead institutions collaborate with international partners? |
Yes. Partnerships can be made with charities, businesses or any institution provided that a letter of support accompanies the bid and proposed work is relevant. |
| The JISC Research Data Programme intends to release interoperability and data publications calls in Autumn 2009 following the current call. Can proposals be submitted to all calls? Is overlap in areas of scope permissible? |
Overlap is permitted. Projects may collaborate with succesful bids for the current call and potential bids for future calls. Bidders are welcome to bid for all calls.
The interoperability and data publications call under the JISC Research Data Programme is envisaged to begin in January 2009 and end by 31 March 2011. More information will be published on the JISC website shortly. |
| Are the recently funded Research Council projects linked to this call? |
No. The Research Councils recently identified potential projects in a separate bid and will be published on the website in due course. |
| What types of support does the Digital Curation Centre (DCC) provide? |
The DCC will provide general support for this strand of activities and for the programme more broadly. This will be done by contributions to programme events as well as the current channels of information, and through its principal role as a broker for expertise and advice in the management and curation of data. Projects are encouraged to engage directly with the DCC and its programme of information exchange - for example, by contributing to the Research Data Management Forum. The DCC and JISC will be hosting a Digital Curation 101 Lite Workshop for potential bidders.
A dedicated DCC Help Desk page and email address have been set up to handle queries and support requests related to the call. (http://www.dcc.ac.uk/helpdesk/ and dataman-help@dcc.ac.uk and +44 (0)131 651 1239). |
| How can I sign up for the Digital Curation 101 Lite workshop? |
Registration will be made available on the DCC website and a jisc-announce message will be published shortly. This is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 15 July 2009 in Leeds. There is capacity for only 25 attendees. If demand exceeds capacity, a second course may be held. There are no prerequisites required. Further courses will be held late 2009. |
| Are there eligibility criteria for the Digital Curation 101 Lite workshop? |
No. This event is open to all potential bidders. |
| Will there be a web-based version of the Digital Curation 2010 Lite workshop? |
Yes. This is anticipated to become available late 2009. |
| Is there a standard vocabulary for the Digital Curation 101 Lite workshop? |
The DCC consulted the community in developing vocabulary for the lifecycle of projects. As language is evolving, this can be anticipated as an issue. Further information on this can be found at http://www.dcc.ac.uk/docs/publications/DCCLifecycle.pdf |
| What is the difference between the DCC and the UKRDS? |
The UKRDS is still only a feasibility study potentially leading towards a bid to HEFCE for funds for long-term service. The DCC is already established. |
| How does the JISC Research Data Programme relate to UKRDS? |
The JISC Research Data Management Programme is designed to contribute to research data infrastructure which will be able to build upon this work. The UKRDS is planning to build on the earlier Pathfinder pilot projects and feed into longer-term development. JISC is working closely with the UKRDS on this. |
| Transferring knowledge to researchers is a problematic issue. How will this be addressed? |
This can be addressed as part of the proposal. All projects will be published online and workshops are to be held to help promote and disseminate information to the community. |
| Will research area disciplines be considered as part of the evaluation criteria? |
Evaluations are based on the following:
- Appropriateness and Fit to Programme Objectives and Overall Value to JISC Community (25%)
- Quality of Proposal and Robustness of Workplan (25%)
- Engagement with the Community (20%)
- Value for Money (15%)
- Previous experience of the project team (15%)
In the event that bids are evaluated as being of equal quality, the balance between disciplines might be considered in the decision-making by the evaluation panel, but it is not a formal evaluation criterion.
|
| Should bids be structured strictly with the evaluation criteria? |
This is not essential but is extremely helpful for markers to locate and assess the content of the bid quickly. Information should be clear and relevant and bidders should ensure that all areas are addressed. |
| What extent of technical expertise should be included in the bid? |
Some detail is appropriate but not all is relevant. |
| What is included in the 12 page limit? |
The cover page, budget sheet and body of proposal make up the 12 pages. The FOI request form, letter(s) of support and any other appendices should be submitted as separate documents. If the total size of the files exceed 10MB, they may be submitted in a zip file. All documents must be submitted electronically in PDF form to RESEARCHDATA@jisc.ac.uk containing the name of the lead institution in the subject line of the email. |
| Can conditions be proposed for successful projects? |
Yes. If any conditions are proposed, the Programme Manager will discuss these with the lead institution and if accepted, a grant letter will be issued. |