Call for applications for Visiting Scholarships at Human Sciences and Technologies Advanced Research Institute at Stanford University, California (H-STAR)

1. Partnership agreement between the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation and H-STAR at Stanford University

With a view of boosting scientific collaboration between Denmark and California, the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation has entered into a partnership agreement with the interdisciplinary research centre Human Sciences & Technologies Advanced Research Institute (H-STAR) at Stanford University. H-STAR is a crossroad for people, expertise, projects and programs that connect Stanford resources in human sciences with research and innovation about information technology - an interdisciplinary research centre focusing on people and technology.

As part of the partnership agreement the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation invites PhD students and scientists employed by a Danish Univer-sity or a Danish public research institution to submit applications for visiting scholarships at H-STAR at Stanford University.

1.1 Application deadline

Applications must be submitted no later than:

Friday 30 January 2009 at 1 pm

2. Grant type

As part of the partnership agreement the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation has acquired two so-called “Visiting Slots” of a total duration of 24 months. The Agency thereby invites eligible candidates to submit applications for:

• Visiting scholarships of a duration of 3-6 months

The slotting fee paid by the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation is intended to cover the various administrative costs associated with the visit at H-STAR by a PhD student or recognised scientists employed at a Danish Uni-versity or a public research institution. Visiting Scholars from Denmark will ac-cordingly fund their own lodging and living expenses and assume responsibility for their own salaries, benefits, and health insurance.

In addition to the Visiting Scholarship, a Visiting Scholar has the possibility of receiving a prepaid travel grant of 10.000 DKK (c.f. the application form at the bottom of this page). The travel grant cover expenses related to travel in connection to the visit at H-STAR. It is underlined that the travel grant is prepaid.

Visiting Scholars will be given the position of a “Visiting Scholar” and issued a Visiting Scholar identity card. This is an official recognised position at Stanford that gives the visitor many of the benefits and privileges of regular Stanford faculty researchers, including full library access, access to the Stanford University data network (SUNET), eligibility for faculty discounts at the Stanford Bookstore, etc.

Visiting Scholars will be provided with a desk, either in an office (probably shared) or in one of the open working areas occupied by H-STAR. The desk will have a telephone and either Ethernet or wireless access (or both) to SUNET. Visitors are expected to bring their own laptop or desktop computer equipped with a wireless card.

Visiting Scholars are free to audit any Stanford course or participate in any Stanford seminar, free of charge, subject only to permission of the instructor. However, it must be underligned that it is the sole responsibility of the visitor to seek and establish networks and working relations.

3. Assessment criteria

The present call is open to PhD students and scientists employed by a Danish university or a Danish public research institution. During 2009-10, the partnership program particularly encourages applicants who wish to investigate issues connected with “The Real and the Virtual: virtual worlds in business, education, and social life.” This topic is currently arousing considerable interest at Stanford. It should be stressed, however, that this is just a preference theme, to be used only as a criterion to select between proposals of otherwise equal merit.

In the assessment of applications importance will be attached to:

• The scientific focus of the research project.
• The quality of the research project.
• The value added by collaborating with a Stanford University counterpart.
• Potential for future scientific collaboration.
• The applicant’s experience in international scientific collaboration.

4. Requirements and procedures for applications

Applications must be submitted in English and applicants must use the application form for the present call (bottom of this page) with the following appendices:

• CV of the applicant and the collaboration partner at Stanford University.
• Expression of interest from a Stanford (H-STAR) faculty member who will act as official host at Stanford.

Only incited appendices will be accepted.

Applicants can apply for Visiting Scholarships at H-STAR at Stanford in the pe-riod of 1April 2009 – 1 April 2010. Since the result of the processing of the ap-plications only can be expected in the beginning of March 2009, applicants wish-ing to visit Stanford from 1 April 2009 will have to make preparations for visa applications in advance.

The application must be co-signed by the head of department at the Danish uni-versity or research institution.

Each Visiting Scholar must have a Stanford faculty member who will act as offi-cial host at Stanford. In general, the host will be a Stanford researcher with whom the visitor wishes to collaborate. Although visitors may change their Stanford host at any time (subject to the agreement of all parties concerned) an initial host must be identified and appointed by H-STAR prior to the visitor’s arrival. This is normally done at the intended visitor’s suggestion. Executive Director for H-STAR, Keith Devlin, is able to assist Danish applicants on this matter.

It should be underlined that the purpose of the partnership program is research collaboration, not education or training for the Danish visitor. In particular, a Stanford faculty host is intended to be a research partner of the visitor, and is not expected to provide basic education or training in how to conduct research. A visitor’s degree of participation in the program is expected to be commensurate with that of H-STAR’s core researchers.

The applications will be reviewed by an appointed evaluation committee at H-STAR at Stanford University and granted by the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation.

Of the acquired 24 months, up to 12 months are reserved for PhD students while the remaining 12 months are reserved for recognised scientists. Depending on the quality of the applications received, the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation and the evaluation committee at H-STAR reserve the right to al-locate only parts of the Visiting Slots. With regards to an optimal use of the ac-quired 24 months, the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation and the evaluation committee at H-STAR furthermore reserve the right to grant Visiting Scholarships of shorter duration than initially applied for. This, however, will only be done in dialogue with the applicants in question.

Upon completion of the visit at H-STAR, the applicant is required to submit a debriefing report to the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation.

Since the travel grant is prepaid, the Visiting Scholar is furthermore obligated to document all expenses related to the travel of the visit by sending in the original appendices, hereunder the plane tickets. Unused funding must be returned to the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation.

5. Submission of applications

Applications must be submitted:

• On paper, as one unstapled original with original signature and
• Electronically, as one continuous pdf-file by e-mail

Applications should be sent to:

Forsknings- og Innovationsstyrelsen
Att.: Karen Agnethe Harild
Bredgade 40
1260 København K

E-mail:

Applications must reach the Agency (Forsknings- og Innovationsstyrelsen) no la-ter than the time and date specified on the cover of this call for applications.

Applications may be rejected without substantive consideration if the deadlines and requirements set out in this call for applications are not met or if the applica-tion form is not completed correctly.

No later than three weeks after receiving the application, the main applicant will receive an acknowledgement with a schedule for the processing of the applica-tion.

Further information

The Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation,
Karen Agnethe Harild, Head of Section, tel.: +45 3544 6222, e-mail:
 
Science and Technology attaché at Innovation Center Denmark in Silicon Valley,
Lars Beer Nielsen,

H-STAR at Stanford University,
Keith Devlin, Executive Director,

• Download the application form