Yes. Nevertheless, in case the submitted project is approved for funding it can only start after the ongoing project of the PI or co-PI responsibility is concluded with success. Furthermore, according to the Regulation of Grants, a new project may only be supported in case the ongoing project is concluded before October 2025.

The BIAL Foundation assesses and supports scientific research projects. These projects may be developed for the purpose of a master or PhD, as long as they comply with the provisions of the Regulation of Grants. However, the Foundation does not consider tuition fees as eligible expenses and will only take into consideration the specific timeline of the research project.

No. You must have a Host Entity that supports the development of the project within its facilities. In case the project is approved for funding, the Host Entity will be a party and sign the Research Funding Agreement and receive the funding.

No. Grant payments will be made by bank transfer solely and exclusively to the Host Entity's bank account.

Yes. It is not required that the PI has an employment relationship with the Host Entity, provided that the latter accepts that that the Research Project is developed under the terms of the Application and commits itself to ensure the development of the project, in case it is approved for funding (attachment 3 of the application form), in accordance with the provisions of the Regulation.

In the editable fields, you can only insert text. Nevertheless, if you find necessary to add figures, images or graphs, for the Scientific Board appraisal, you can upload them in the section “ATTACHMENTS REQUIRED TO SUBMIT APPLICATION – 7. Other attached documents (optional)”. Each file cannot exceed 5MB. You should draw the attention of the Scientific Board to the attached files in the section “Research Plan and Methods”.

You must specify the number of publications and actions you expect to achieve with this research project during its duration. Be positive, but also realistic in terms of your expectations. If the proposal is approved for funding, you have to ensure that the team is able of carrying out the project as described in the proposal and achieve in full the expected outputs.

The funding can be used to support:
a) Human resources - Remuneration of the team members (including the PI), of office staff and of external staff hired for the project. The remuneration can cover taxes, compulsory social security contributions, voluntary social insurance and insurance against accidents at work. Meal, holiday, Christmas or any other similar subsidies, payments or allowances are not considered eligible.
b) Missions (max. 10% of the total requested funding) - Expenses resulting from project-related participation in conferences, travel for fieldwork, meetings and visits. E.g.: travel expenses, registration fees, daily allowances and accommodation.
c) Consultants - Consultancy expenses for project support. Experts that may collaborate on the project and receive financial support for travel, accommodation and meals, as well as remuneration for consultancy work done on support of the project.
d) Acquisition of goods and services - EExpenses related to acquisition of goods or services for the project properly documented by Invoice/Receipt and compensation to research subjects for participation in studies. It also covers consumables, as well as payments for the use of eligible neuroimaging devices.
e) Other costs - Expenses not covered by the preceding categories, such as publication fees, organization of workshops, conferences, etc.
f) Equipment (max. 50% of the total requested funding) - Expenses related to the acquisition/renting of software, instruments and equipment, provided they are directly and unequivocally used by the project and remain confined to the project during its execution period. Hardware (such as desktop, laptop, tablet, monitor, printer, scanner, mobile phone, etc.) is not accepted.

No. All the expected expenses must be incurred during the project duration.

No. Overheads/indirect costs and payments for the use of spaces or equipment of the Host Entity or the Research Centre where the project will be conducted are not eligible and will not be accepted, with the exception of payments for the use of neuroimaging devices – CT, MEG, MRI, PET, SPECT and fNIRS.

No.

No. In principle, the total amount should be smoothly and equitably divided during the project duration. At least 3 instalments should be considered and the final payment (made after approval of the final report and other requirements are met) must be no less than 10% of the total amount.

The BIAL Foundation reserves the right to adjust the total requested funding according to the reviewing process.

No. It is not specified the information needed; however, the CV should be in English and have 4 pages maximum. A CV including all the information you find relevant for the Scientific Board appraisal must be uploaded for each team member.

No. However, the declaration should clearly convey the commitment of the Host Entity to support the development of the project within their facilities by providing the technical and logistical support required to perform the research project in case it succeeds to be awarded. This declaration must mention the title of the project and be signed by the Dean/Head/Director of the University/Institution (Host Entity) or by the Director of the Department/Laboratory/Research centre of the Host Entity. When the PI or co-PI is simultaneously the Director of the Department/Laboratory/Research centre the declaration, whenever possible, should be signed by another representative of the Host Entity.

Yes. Whenever the Research Project involves the use of animal and/or human subjects it is required proof of its submission to the competent ethics committee(s) when applying to the BIAL Foundation. You can upload: a letter from the ethics committee acknowledging receipt of submission for review; an automatic email received; a print screen of the platform; or other document, depending on the system used by the Committee. Afterwards, in case the Research Project is approved for funding, proof of the ethics approval must be uploaded before the BIAL Foundation issues the Research Funding Agreement.

You must upload the original document. However, in case the document is not in English, Portuguese, Spanish, French or Italian it must be accompanied by a translation into English and a declaration on honour signed by the PI certifying that the translation into English corresponds to the original. The same procedure shall be followed for the positive opinion issued by the Ethics Committee(s) in case the Research Project is approved for funding.
However, despite the acceptance of documents in the aforementioned languages, the Foundation may request, if necessary, additional information or translation of documents.

Yes.

No. The BIAL Foundation cannot accept applications unless they are submitted via the Bial Foundation Grants Management System (BF-GMS) by the requested deadline - 31st of August 2024, 23:59 (GMT+1). Applications are not accepted in any other format or sent by another mechanism. We recommend that you submit your project proposal well in advance of the deadline.

All applicants will receive an e-mail letting them know the decision within four months after the deadline for submission of applications.

No. The BIAL Foundation works hard to ensure that all proposals are thoroughly considered and that everyone is treated equally and fairly. Thus, we will not consider appeals against the decision to not fund a proposal.