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

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

With the goal of boosting scientific collaboration between Denmark and California, DASTI 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 on information technology - an interdisciplinary research centre focusing on people and technology.

As a part of the partnership agreement, DASTI invites advanced PhD students and scientists employed by a Danish University 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:
Wednesday October 5th 2011 at 1 pm UTC+1 (Copenhagen).

2. Grant type

As part of the partnership agreement DASTI has acquired three so-called “Visiting Slots” of a total duration of 28 months. The Agency thereby invites eligible candidates to submit applications for:
Visiting scholarships with a duration of 3-6 months

The slotting fee paid by DASTI is intended to cover the various administrative costs associated with the visit at H-STAR by a PhD student or recognized scientist employed at a Danish University or a public research institution. Visiting Scholars from Denmark will accordingly fund their own lodging and livings 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). The travel grant cover expenses related to travel in connection to the visit at H-STAR. It is emphasized that the travel grant must be prepaid.

Visiting Scholars will be given the position of a “Visiting Scholar” and issued a Visiting Scholar identity card. This is an official recognized 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 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 stressed that it is the sole responsibility of the visitor to seek and establish human networks and working relations.

3. Assessment criteria

The present call is open to advanced PhD students and scientists employed by a Danish university or a Danish public research institution.

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 applicants experience in conducting research. (Beginning PhD students are unlikely to meet this criterion and should delay applying until a later year.)
• 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 a Curriculum Vitae of the applicant.

Applicants can apply for Visiting Scholarships at H-STAR at Stanford in the period of January 2011-December 2011.

Previous visiting scholars have often visited for 3-4 months and the feedback has been that the best time to visit Stanford University is during the busy academic year, i.e. either from February 1st-June 1st or from September 1st to January 1st.

Since the result of the processing of the applications only can be expected in the beginning of December 2010, applicants wishing to visit Stanford from January 2011 will have to make preparations for visa applications in advance.

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

Each Visiting Scholar will be assigned a Stanford faculty member who will act as official host at Stanford. Visitors who wish to work with a particular faculty member should include the name of that potential host in their application, and H-STAR will take that into account in assigning faculty hosts. The Stanford faculty host can be changed during the visit if this should be of benefit to the visitor. H-STAR will handle all details in the assignment of hosts. Applicants should please not approach potential faculty hosts directly unless they have an existing research relationship with them.

It should be stressed 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.

The applications will be reviewed by an appointed evaluation committee at H-STAR at Stanford University and granted by DASTI.
Of the acquired 28 months, up to 14 months are reserved for PhD students while the remaining months will be allocated to recognized scientists. Depending on the quality of the applications received, DASTI and the evaluation committee at H-STAR reserve the right to allocate only parts of the Visiting Slots. With regards to an optimal use of the acquired 28 months, DASTI 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 DASTI.

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 DASTI.

5. Submission of applications

• Applications must be submitted using the electronic application form

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

• additionally – please complete the form “Additional information to the electronic application form – Visiting Scholarships at H-STAR” – a link can be found at the bottom of the page of the electronic application form – use the folder “Templates for appendices” and then choose “English” and then the folder “Other” and finally the folder “H-STAR and CITRIS - Forms for additional information about the applicant”
• Please also upload a CV of the applicant

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 application 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 application.

Further information

The Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation (DASTI),
Are Straume, Head of Section, tel.: +45 7231 8243, e-mail:
 
Research and Technology attaché at Innovation Center Denmark, Silicon Valley,
Lars Beer Nielsen, +1 650 353 8879,
H-STAR at Stanford University,
Keith Devlin, Executive Director,