PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM
The purpose of this program is to encourage scientists with PhD degrees and who are at the beginning of their scientific careers by supplying project funds for their studies. The other goals of the program are helping young scientists, who are going to be the academic leaders of the 21st century, maintain their careers as researchers and lecturers in the best possible way, improving the national scientific level and increasing the role of science in national development.
PROJECT PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS
A. Principal Investigator:
- Should have got her/his PhD degree in the last seven years,
- Should be working in an institution that is different than where s/he got her/his PhD degree,
- Cannot apply to the Career Program, if s/he has been funded by Career Program before.
B. Researchers and Advisors:
- University personnel should have a PhD degree.
- Those working in a public institution or a private corporation should have an undergraduate degree.
- Except advisors, the principal investigator and researchers should reside and work in Turkey.
- A researcher should have a contribution of at least 10% of the project workload.
- An advisor is allowed if the project requires special expertise on a specific subject. The number of advisors in a project is limited to the number of specific subjects in the project. The role of advisor in the project should be explained in detail in the project proposal.
- A person with the academic title "Professor" cannot be a researcher.
C. Scholarships:
- Scholarships can be given to graduate students of universities and institutions in Turkey. Individuals with a PhD degree and who do not have any other source of income can get a postgraduate scholarship. To get a postgraduate scholarship, the applicant should not be older than 40 years and have got his/her PhD degree in the last five years.
- TÜBİTAK BİDEB funded students can be scholarship students in one 3501 project as long as they do not receive any stipends from the project fund. It is not possible to be a scholarship student simultaneously in two different projects from any program funded by TÜBİTAK.
WHO CANNOT BE A PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
University rectors and vice rectors, deans, head of academy/institute, surgeons general, general secretaries, general managers, state department heads and members of the executive committee/advisory board of TÜBİTAK groups cannot be the principal investigator in any project if they are working in those positions as of the application date. However, they can be researchers in at most two projects.
OTHER POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED
- Principal investigator, researchers and advisors* should be registered in the TÜBİTAK Researcher Information System (ARBİS) database and their information should be up-to-date.
- The principal investigator and researchers should reside in Turkey (non-Turkish citizens can be researchers/researchers in projects as long as they work at an institution in Turkey).
- The application form may be completed in Turkish or English.
- All the required titles should be written on the application form.
- The application form should be signed by the principal investigator, researcher(s), advisor(s) and the institution authorities (usually rector or vice rector).
- As the institution authority, in universities and university institutions, the president or vice president should sign the application form. In other foundations, the general manager or vice general manager should sign the application form.
- A pro-forma invoice for any machine/equipment and service proposed to be purchased using project funds should be included in the application.
- A person cannot send more than one project proposal as a principal investigator in the same term.
- The principal investigator and researcher(s) should not exceed the maximum project limits that are explained in the next section.
- If the project personnel has a principal investigator/researcher/advisor who is not a Turkish citizen, an official approval form to allow project payments to this person should be included in the application.
- If some of the project members are missing in the revised project proposal, “form of renunciation” should be filled and attached to the proposal for each ex-member.
NUMBER LIMITS TO BE INVOLVED IN PROJECTS
A. A full time researcher with no administrative duty:
He/she may be involved as a principal investigator in at most two TÜBİTAK funded (**) projects, as a principal investigator in at most one TÜBİTAK funded project and researcher in at most two different TÜBİTAK funded projects or as a researcher in at most four different TÜBİTAK funded projects (***).
B. Administrative officers that can be principal investigator (vice deans, research institute principals, central managers, vice principals in institutes or academies, and department heads) and researchers that are not full time:
He/she may be the principal investigator in at most one TÜBİTAK funded (**) project or researchers in at most two different TÜBİTAK funded projects (***).
PROJECT DURATION
At most 36 months.
PROJECT BUDGET (As of 2014)
- The budget limit for research projects is 225,000 TL (scholarship payments are included, payments to the principal investigators, researchers and institution are excluded).
- Proposals for machine/equipment purchases should be balanced with the total budget.
- Projects that involve building infrastructure are not funded. All should be R&D projects.
- Total scholarship should be under 3,000 TL/month.
APPLICATION DEADLINES
Twice a year (in the first week of march and september each year)
HOW TO APPLY
Project applications are to be submitted electronically via http://ardeb-pbs.tubitak.gov.tr.
DOCUMENTS TO BE SENT IN HARD COPY FORM
After the electronic application process, for the documents listed below, the required signatures should be completed, and the documents should arrive at the given address before the deadline via postal service or cargo (documents that arrive after the deadline will not be processed):
- Electronic application print out,
- If required, committee of ethics approval form ****,
- Possession of rights declaration form,
- For non-Turkish citizens involved in the project as a principal investigator, researcher or advisor, official payment approval form,
- Support letters (if applicable),
- Official permits (if required)
- Proof of eligibiliy to Career Program documents (PhD diploma copy and official letter from the institution stating the applicant’s work terms)
The applications that do not contain all the above documents or that are not prepared in the required format are not considered for scientific evaluation and are returned to the applicant.
USEFUL DOCUMENTS FOR PROJECT PROPOSAL DEVELOPMENT
APPLICATION EVALUATION PERIOD
The evaluation period for the projects is approximately four months after the submission deadline. During this period, before the project proposals are evaluated scientifically, they are evaluated by the Academic Research Funding Directorate with respect to the required criteria and format. The proposals that satisfy the required criteria are forwarded to research groups to be evaluated in research panels. The project proposals that are going to be funded are announced on TÜBİTAK’s website.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Academic Research Funding Directorate
Tunus Cad. No:80
06100 Kavaklıdere ANKARA
* Advisers who are not residing in Turkey are not required to be registered with ARBİS.
** (1002) Short-Term R&D projects and international projects are excluded from the limit requirements.
*** The projects for which final reports are not approved and submitted proposals are included in the limits.
**** It should be signed by majority of the members of the committee of ethics.