14 new research projects to start
FOM allocates €5.9 million to highly promising physics research
The Projectruimte is one of the funding instruments that the FOM Foundation has to fund physics research. On 13 December 2011 the Executive Board decided to award funding to 1 proposal from the autumn funding round of the Projectruimte and on 16 April 2012 a further 13 proposals were awarded funding. In this round a total of 14 project proposals have therefore been awarded funding worth 5.9 million euros.
In this round new tenured members of staff and those with a tenure-track contract could also request preferential treatment. A maximum of 1.2 million euros was made available for that and two proposals were awarded funding via this route. The non-allocated part of this budget was added to the standardly available budget and was awarded through this.
The Projectruimte funds small-scale, fundamental research projects in physics that are innovative in nature and have a demonstrable scientific, industrial or societal urgency. A maximum of 400,000 euros in funding can be requested. Applications from areas at the boundaries of physics are also eligible for funding as long as the research makes a sufficient contribution to physics. If a significant investment component is present or in the case of a collaborative project, the amount awarded can increase to a maximum of 550,000 euros. The Projectruimte has two funding rounds per year. The deadline for the spring round is 27 April and the deadline for the next autumn round will be set on or near 1 November 2012. The full list of proposals awarded funding can be found on our website.
For further information about the Projectruimte please contact Erik Kreiter, +31 (0)30 600 12 56.