Artificial Intelligence Journal:
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES for PROMOTING AI RESEARCH
Deadline for proposals: December 31, 2014
Background
The Artificial Intelligence Journal (AIJ) is one of the longest
established and most respected journals in AI, and since it was
founded in 1970, it has published many of the key papers in the
field. The operation of the Editorial Board is supported financially
through an arrangement with AIJ's publisher, Elsevier.
Through this arrangement, the AIJ editorial board is able to make
available substantial funds, (of the order of 230,000 Euros per annum),
to support the promotion
and dissemination of AI research. Most of these funds (190,000 Euros)
are made
available through a series of competitive open calls (the remaining part
of the budget is reserved for sponsorship of studentships for the annual
IJCAI conference). This document relates to the 11th call for funding,
with a deadline of December 31, 2014.
What are the goals of this funding?
In providing this funding, AIJ aims to:
-- promote & raise awareness of AI research & practice;
-- encourage the timely and widespread dissemination of AI research
results, techniques, and tools;
-- promote interaction and exchange of ideas between AI researchers,
practitioners, and students;
-- promote the exploitation of AI research results, techniques, and
tools.
We strongly encourage the submission of proposals for activities that
are fundamentally new, and likely to lead to the establishment of a
new research community or new direction for AI research.
Up to 20% of the budget available for this call will be reserved to fund
new activities.
What activities will AIJ consider funding?
Broadly speaking, any activity that achieves the goals described
above. For example:
-- student travel scholarships for a conference or workshop;
-- funds for an invited speaker to present at a conference or
workshop;
-- funds to support a web site to disseminate proceedings of an AI
related conference or workshop;
-- start up funds for a workshop in a promising new area of research;
-- funding to organise a summer school on some aspect of AI.
This list is absolutely not intended to be exhaustive, and we strongly
encourage you to consider innovative ways in which the goals set out
above can be achieved.
What activities does AIJ prefer not to fund?
-- We prefer not to fund individuals. By preference, requests will
come from organisations such as a foundation, charitable body, or the
organising committee of an event. AIJ does not exclude the possibility
of funding individuals, but this is likely to be exceptional. Note
that AIJ will not support individual requests for travel funds.
-- We prefer not to fund research projects. Research projects
involving staffing costs would probably not, in our view, be a cost
effective use of the funds.
-- We won't fund duplicate activities. For example, if there is
already an established, successful, and well-regarded conference in the
area of X, then in all likelihood we would not provide seed funds to
set up a duplicate, competitor conference.
-- We prefer not to fund activities where alternative sources of
funding are readily available.
-- Activities are funded on a not-for-private-profit basis. AIJ will
not fund activities that lead directly to profit for the organisation
or individuals involved. However, we recognise that with some events,
(e.g., large conferences) it is necessary to budget for a surplus; in
this case, proposals should describe what will happen to the
surplus.
If you are applying on behalf of a large
(> 80 participants), successful, and scientifically strong
conference, then please bear in mind that several such conferences
usually apply for funding for student travel grants and invited
speakers, and typically receive about 7000 Euros each.
Although, as always, there may be exceptions
to this, it may be helpful to use this amount as a guideline. Note
that we would be reluctant to spend more than 35K Euros on an
individual activity.
Proposals which request AIJ underwriting an activity (to
an agreed limit) in the event of a loss are encouraged.
Finally, we urge you to investigate whether it is possible to
``leverage'' AIJ funding, for example by obtaining matched funding
from elsewhere. In this case, the value of every Euro spent by AIJ is
effectively doubled, which makes for a compelling funding case.
How can I bid for funds?
A proposal should contain the following sections:
-- New or recurrent?
Label your activity as either new or recurrent. If it is new, explain
why it is needed
and what its potential impact on AI and society is.
-- What?
Describe exactly what activity funding is requested for. Please note
that AIJ funds specific activities. For example, "request funds to
support a conference on X" is not a specific request, while
"request travel funds to bring invited speaker X to conference Y" is a
specific request. Provide any contextual information that you think is
relevant.
-- How Much?
A (high level) budget, in Euros, which: clearly states the amount
requested; provides details of the use of requested funds; describes
how the requested amount fits into an overall budget for the
activity/event; and clearly states what will happen to funds in the
event of a surplus.
-- Why?
Brief justification for funding; note that priority will be given to
activities for which no alternative funds are available.
-- Who?
Describe who will benefit from the proposed activity.
-- When?
Dates of the proposed activity, and date by which funding would be
needed.
-- Where?
Location of the proposed activity.
-- Contact details.
Name, affiliation, contact details for the responsible party (postal
address, email, telephone number, fax), web address of event if
available.
Proposals should under no circumstances exceed more than two pages in
total. Proposals should be submitted in PDF via the Easychair web
review system at the following URL:
http://www.easychair.org/conferences/?conf=aij11
NB: PLEASE GIVE ALL COSTS IN EUROS
How will proposals be evaluated?
We have been usually issuing calls for proposals two times per year,
with
Dec.31, 2014} being the deadline for this call. Further calls will be
issued
later -- see the AIJ web site for details (http://aij.ijcai.org/~).
The AIJ sponsorship committee will assess proposals on the basis of:
-- scientific quality of proposed activities;
-- likely level of impact on the international AI community;
-- cost effectiveness/value for money.
All bidders will be informed by email of the outcome of their proposal
as soon as an outcome is known. If a proposal is approved for
funding, then please be aware it may take time to transfer funds: if
you are bidding for funds to support an event, then we suggest your
proposal should be submitted at least 6 months before the event takes
place.
Where a proposal is felt to have merit but is not fundable in its
submitted form, we may return to bidders to discuss possible
modifications; where this is felt to be necessary, we will try to do
this practicably and expeditiously. A summary of successful
proposals will be made publicly available on the AIJ website.
My proposal was rejected, can I appeal?
The decision of the AIJ sponsorship committee with respect to funding
decisions is final, and we will not enter into any correspondence with
respect to unsuccessful proposals.
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