CALL FOR GRANTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CANTABRIA FOR RESEARCH PROJECTS ALONG THE STRATEGIC LINES OF THE SANTANDER FINANCIAL INSTITUTE (SANFI)

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1 CALL FOR GRANTS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CANTABRIA FOR RESEARCH PROJECTS ALONG THE STRATEGIC LINES OF THE SANTANDER FINANCIAL INSTITUTE (SANFI) The Santander Financial Institute (SANFI) is the institution that was created in December of 2012 by the University of Cantabria, the Banco Santander (Santander Bank) and the University of Cantabria Foundation for Education and Research in the Financial Sector (UCEIF) whose mission/vision is to be an international centre of reference for the generation, dissemination and transfer of knowledge about the financial sector in all its aspects while identifying developing, promoting and supporting talent and innovation in that area of knowledge. This call from the University of Cantabria looks to promote research with an international impact along the strategic lines of SANFI, to facilitate interactions between internationally prestigious research groups and research groups from the University of Cantabria that carry out their research activities in those areas, as well as to contribute to the academic formation of new researchers. 1. OBJECTIVES AND AREAS OF INTEREST 1.1. The University of Cantabria is issuing an international call for Research Grants with the purpose of carrying out Research Projects that are aimed to further advance knowledge in Banking and Finance, within the strategic areas of interest of SANFI This is a call for 3 Research Grants for research and knowledge transfer projects in the three strategic areas of SANFI: a) Global Markets b) Banking processes c) Banking and Financial History 2. APPLICANTS 2.1. Those who will be able to opt for the Grants, being denominated hereafter as Head Researchers, will be those Doctors of internationally recognised prestige who are carrying out teaching and/or research activities in foreign higher education or research centered universities or institutions, which are officially recognised in their countries as such The Head Researcher must accredit ample experience and leadership capabilities in projects with a global impact at the highest levels within the areas mentioned The Head Researcher must lead a research team that is to carry out the project. Within said team, it will be necessary to integrate a full-time professor from the 1

2 University of Cantabria with a doctorate degree or a researcher under contract with the University of Cantabria that has possessed a doctorate degree for at least 6 six years, who will act as the Coordinating Researcher of the team The rest of the team will be made up of researching professors and support staff who have a formally established permanent or temporary position with the University of Cantabria, while external researchers in this situation are also acceptable It is not possible to present more than one application per Head Researcher nor is it possible to pertain to more than one of the research teams opting for a Grant. 3. LENGTH AND AMOUNT 3.1. The length of each project will be for two years The maximum amount of financing for each one of the three Grants will be 200,000 euros. These resources will come from the provisions Banco Santander (Santander Bank) provides according to the established agreement with the University of Cantabria to support research in SANFI. This call falls within the objectives and activities of Cantabria International Campus (Cantabria Campus Internacional). 4. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GRANTS. ELIGIBLE EXPENSES 4.1. The project will be carried out mainly at the University of Cantabria (UC). In terms of the day-to-day management of the project at the UC, the Coordinating Researcher will act as Project Manager Some of the project s activities may be carried out where the Head Researcher or the members of the team work, while these activities must always be under the direction and authorised by the Head Researcher, while also staying in line with the management rules of the University of Cantabria The Head Researcher must be physically present for a total of at least ten weeks at the University of Cantabria while the project is in course. This time is meant to be used to supervise the activities of the project, and these stays may be divided in such a way that no stay will be inferior to 2 weeks. The first of these partial stays must take place during the first three months from when the project officially begins The project must contemplate stays for the team members from the University of Cantabria at the centre where the Head Researcher is from The Coordinating Researcher must make the infrastructures available for the research group in order to carry out the project The Head Researcher may receive a maximum gross monetary retribution of 2,500 /week for compensation for his activities at the University of Cantabria, which must appear in the budget to be presented. This monetary retribution will be independent of what is agreed upon in terms of travel, living arrangements during the stay and living expenses (diet). 2

3 4.7. The following expenses will be eligible: - Contracted personnel o Post-doctoral and/or technical staff, over a minimum period of 1 year. o Doctoral students in training, over a period of two years. The contract of these personnel may be extended for 1 additional year in order to complete their doctoral thesis, if and only if the Coordinating Researcher declares additional funds exist aside from the ones established in this call. - Material that is accounted for (Inventory) that corresponds to the infrastructures necessary to carry out the project, which will remain in the possession of the University of Cantabria once the project is finished. - Other necessary material. - Travel and Expenses (diet) o Corresponding to stays of the team members o Corresponding to the attendance of congresses, courses and other types of reunions related the thematic area of the project. - Expenses related to the publication of the results of the project. - Organisational expenses from the scientific reunions in the University of Cantabria meant for project coordination and for the presentation of the project s results. - Other expenses that are necessary in order to carry out the project. 5. PRESENTATION OF APPLICATIONS. DOCUMENTATION TO PRESENT AND DEADLINES 5.1. The projects must be presented together as a whole by the Head Researcher and the Coordinating Researcher by filling out the printable application available at Along with the application, the following documents need to be presented. - Copy of the passport of the Head Researcher. - National identification number (DNI) and/or passport of the Coordinating Researcher and of the rest of the members of the research team. - A Summary of the project that must show its fundamental characteristics, including its objectives, uses, methodology, work-plan, timeframe, reference bibliography and planning related to the stays (of the researchers) to be carried out (max. 5,000 words). - Curriculum Vitae (Résumé) of the Head Researcher, Coordinating Researcher and of the rest of the research team. - Detailed budget that is broken down into stages and is adequately justified. - Written report on the project s relevance in relation to the strategic lines of SANFI and the project s educational capabilities The documentation previously mentioned must be sent by certified mail or a messenger service to: Fundación UCEIF - Convocatoria Proyectos de Investigación, Paseo Menéndez Pelayo, 94-96, Santander (Cantabria- España). It may also be sent electronically by sending in PDF format to convocatorias@fundacion-uceif.org. 3

4 5.4. The deadline for presenting application will be 45 calendar days from the date on which the call is published on the Official Bulletin of Cantabria If the application does not include all the requirements in this call, the interested parties may provide within 10 days what is missing or include the mandatory documents; and if this cannot be achieved, the application will be deemed unfit for consideration. 6. RESOLUTION AND CONCESSION OF THE GRANTS 6.1. The application will be evaluated by an Evaluation Committee, selected by the Rector (President) of the University of Cantabria, which will be headed by the Vice Rector of Research and Knowledge Transfer, and will be made up of the Director of SANFI and other academic and professional experts whose work is related to the thematic areas of the projects corresponding to the 3 Grants in this call The Evaluation Committee will take into consideration the following criteria: - Scientific quality and coherence of the project. - The pertinence of the project in relation to the strategic lines of SANFI. - Curriculum vitae (Résumé) of the Head Researcher, Coordinating Researcher and of the rest of the research team. - Adequacy of the presented budget for the objectives and the planning of the project The Committee will finalise its evaluation and will make its resolution public on the web page of the University of Cantabria within a maximum timeframe of 3 months from the end of the deadline to present applications The resolution of the call will include the projects selected and the corresponding budgets that have been approved for each one, which will include the corresponding indirect expenses. 50% of the budget assigned will be made available at the moment when the project is initiated This call and the administrative acts that are derived from it may be recalled within the terms and in the manner established by the Law of Judicial Rules of Public Administrations and Common Administrative Procedure (la Ley de Régimen Jurídico de las Administraciones Públicas y del Procedimiento Administrativo Común). 7. RESEARCHERS OBLIGATIONS 7.1. The Head Researcher and Coordinating Researcher jointly agree to carry out and finalise the research project presented within the terms set forth in the Summary and within the established deadlines Any modification made in the development of the project must be communicated to the University of Cantabria and adequately justified. 4

5 7.3. In the case of non-compliance by the researchers with their obligations, in Monitoring Committee s judgment (established in the following section), the monetary amounts of the Grant must be returned. 8. MONITORISATION OF THE PROJECT 8.1. A Monitoring Committee will be selected by the Rector (President) of the UC, which will be made up by the Vice Rector of Research and Knowledge Transfer and the Director of SANFI, among others, and which will evaluate the development of the selected projects In all publications, communications and other activities carried out in the dissemination of the project and its results, specific mention must be made about the Cantabria International Campus, as well as mentioning SANFI and Banco Santander (Santander Bank) The Coordinating Researcher must present, with the Head Researcher s approval, a mid-term Summary of the project 12 months after its beginning that must include the results achieved, the objectives met, the dissemination carried out about the results and objectives met, the details on the expenses incurred and the planned activities to be carried out during the rest of the project. The approval of this Summary by the Monitoring Committee will lead to making the rest of the 50% of the budget assigned available The Coordinating Researcher must present, with the Head Researcher s approval, the final Summary of the project in which the aspects laid out in the previous paragraph must be included, as well as the final conclusions obtained, the liquidation of the project s total budget and an accredited copy of the publications produced, as well as any other source that has been used in the dissemination of the results The monetary amounts that are not spent in the development of the project will be reverted to the University of Cantabria s general surplus account. 9. RESEARCH RESULTS The Rules on Research Results of the University of Cantabria (el Reglamento de Resultados de Investigación de la Universidad de Cantabria) will be applied in all their effects. By presenting the application, the Head Researcher is declaring their acceptance of what is established in said Rules as applying to the presented project. 10. ACCEPTANCE OF THE REQUIREMENTS The presentation of the application implies the full acceptance of the requirements of this call. Any discrepancy in relation to the interpretation of the requirements will be resolved by the University of Cantabria and, if necessary, by the Evaluation Committee. 5