The selection of the ten research projects marks the completion of the evaluation of applications from the fund's popular call for proposals this spring. The ‘Transfer of Knowledge Fund' was highly anticipated by the Estonian research community, providing a much needed source for financial support for research within the field of "basic sciences" in Estonia.
According to the Estonian Science Foundation, the quality of the submitted projects was "over average", with several very good projects having to be turned down due to oversubscription. Of the over 50 applications received, 32 projects met all the submission criteria, and ten projects will now receive grants between €28,800 and €57,500. The projects were selected according to scientific value, and the approved projects cover a wide range of research areas, from improving satellite remote sensing products for large lakes to developing ethical frameworks for recording genetic information in databases.
In order to be considered for a grant, the applicants were asked to indicate existing or planned scientific cooperation with one or several research teams from Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway. From the ten approved projects, eight involve a Norwegian partner, while the two remaining projects have Icelandic partners. Grants were available for projects within the following priority sectors:
- Protection of the environment;
- Sustainable development;
- Conservation of European cultural heritage;
- Human resource development;
- Health and childcare;
- Implementation of Schengen Acquis; and
- Regional policy and cross-border activities.
More than 40 percent of the submitted research projects came under the sectors for health care and environment.
You can read more about the fund on the Estonian Science Foundation's website, or by running a search for EE0015 in the project database.