12 December 2024

The sector plan funding is a dedicated budget, provided by the government (Ministerie van OCW), that can only be used for improving the University's infrastructure to conduct research and foster innovation. The COIn grant is made possible by the Faculty of Humanities through the use of this budget.

Who can apply?

You can apply for the COIn Grant if you are academic staff, with research time, within the Faculty of Humanities. PhD students and post doc candidates within the Faculty of Humanities can apply for a grant when supported by their supervisor.

What can I apply for?

The COIn grant is meant for research infrastructure. This can consist of, for example, software licenses, applications, electronics or lab equipment. You cannot hire researchers or research assistants.

All proposals are welcome, but the Committee encourages open-source software, contributions to the existing labs within the Faculty of Humanities, and proposals that address at least one of the following topics (in line with the research agenda of the faculty):

• Human-centred AI
• The construction of heritage
• Languages and cultures of the world

How much can be applied for?

The minimum grant amount is € 5.000.
The maximum grant amount is € 30.000.

Infrastructure requests for less than € 5.000 can be sent directly to IFZ via researchsupport@hum.leidenuniv.nl.

The total amount available for grants is € 50.000.

What is the deadline for applications?

The application deadline is 1 March 2025.

How can I apply?

Proposals are submitted using the application form. Make sure that the template has been followed and that all sections are completed. We will treat your proposal confidentially.

Who will evaluate the proposals?

The COIn committee will review all the applications.

What are the expected outcomes?

Funded projects are expected to deliver:

2025:

• A blog post for the University's website introducing the research infrastructure. This may include an invitation to other researchers, detailing how they can access and utilize it.

2026:

• A second blog post for the University's website describing the use of the research infrastructure, accompanied by an invitation to other researchers on how to access and use it.
• A presentation on the implementation and application of the research infrastructure, highlighting its use in (pilot) research projects.
• A one-page report on the research infrastructure, including feedback on how to increase its use and impact (including how to involve more researchers, also those with less experience).
• An overview of all project expenses.

Can I also apply for projects that are educational in nature?

No, the COIn grant is for research only.

Evaluation

Applicants will be informed about the outcome of the evaluation within 6 weeks from the final date of submission.

Other conditions

• Infrastructure remains the property of the Faculty of Humanities and should be shared where and when possible, with other researchers in the faculty.
• Grants should be spent within the calendar year in which they are awarded.
• We encourage applicants to reflect on sustainable and inclusive access to the requested research infrastructure. The COIn committee is not responsible for repairing or replacing the requested infrastructure.

Indicative timeline for evaluation:

15 December:

• Publication of the call for proposals, among others in the institute newsletters and the web pages of the labs.

1 February:

• Reminder of the call for proposals, among others in the institute newsletters and the web pages of the labs.

1 March:

• Deadline for submissions.
• Admissibility and eligibility check.
• Allocation of proposals to evaluators.
• Two experts assess the proposals individually.

1 April:

• Meeting with the COIn committee, in which all experts discuss comments and scores for each proposal to agree on a common evaluation.
• Afterwards, check inconsistencies across the evaluations and rank proposals.

15 April:

• The committee reviews the results and puts together the final ranking list.
• The results will be shared with the applicants.