Structure of plan for utilisation of research results: Research Council of Finland Proof of Concept Funding

This structure for the research utilisation plan applies to the call for applications for Research Council of Finland Proof of Concept Funding.

Submit the plan as a PDF appendix in the Research Council of Finland’s online services on the tab ‘Research utilisation plan’. Read the call text carefully before you start writing the plan. Also, familiarise yourself with the review guidelines and review form.

• The maximum length of the plan is eight pages (incl. references).
• The maximum length of a consortium plan is nine pages (incl. references).
• The paper size is A4.
• The font is Calibri/Carlito 12 pt.
• The line spacing is 1.
• The margins are 20 mm.
• The text is left-aligned.
• Do not use paragraph indents.
• The font size in tables and images must be at least 10 pt.
• Use a single-column layout when writing the text.
• The list of references is included in the length of the research plan. The font size in the list is 10 pt.
• All references must be added directly into the text, for example as follows: (author(s), year) or [number]. You must not use footnotes.
• The maximum size of the PDF appendix is 50 MB.

The instructions and structure provided must be followed to ensure the equal treatment of applicants. Use the headings provided. The application cannot be submitted if the system detects an error in the headings, the page configuration or the structure.

When drafting the plan, please take into account that it will be reviewed by both Finnish and foreign experts with diverse scientific backgrounds and expertise. The plan should therefore be written in English. Please note that you should consider responsible science (research ethics, open science, nondiscrimination, sustainable development, etc.) as a cross-cutting issue when preparing the application.

• Write the plan for utilisation of research results on our template.
• You must not edit or delete the headings in the template. If necessary, you may add subheadings (level 3).
• See the How-to guides for the online services on our website for the technical instructions.

Title of project

Applicant (consortium abbreviation)

1 Central idea of the utilisation of research results

• Problem: Describe the problem to be addressed in the project and how the project will utilise the research results described in section ‘Research results utilised in the project’ to address it. (Please note that the plan should focus on describing the utilisation of the research, not on the research results as such.)
• Novelty: Describe the novelty of the idea in the national or international context (e.g. market analysis or similar ongoing or completed projects).
• Utilisation path: Describe the utilisation path of the research results and which part of that path the project will address. (See the instructions on how to describe the utilisation path.)
• Expected effects and impact: Describe the long-term economic or other societal impact the project anticipates and the short-term effects it will produce.

2 Implementation

• Activities: Describe the methods, channels and timing of activities for utilising research results (e.g. work packages, milestones).
• Collaborators and users: Describe the collaborative networks, the user networks and groups, and the stakeholders. Describe and justify the novelty value and innovativeness of the planned cooperation (e.g. participatory and co-creation methods).
• Monitoring: Describe how the expected short- and long-term effects and impact will be monitored (e.g. milestones, deliverables, indicators for monitoring progress). (See the instructions on how to describe the monitoring.)
• Risk assessment: Describe the critical points for success, probability of risks, means by which risks can be managed, and alternative implementation strategies.
• Responsible science: Describe the responsible science issues related to the project, such as ethical issues, methods and materials, research permits, intellectual property rights as well as promotion of equality and nondiscrimination and sustainable development.

3 Expertise and human resources

• Roles and competencies: Describe the responsibilities and key project-relevant competencies of project participants (incl. researchers, impact actors and external collaborators), as well as project management and division of labour.
• Schedule: Describe the schedule of the implementation (e.g. a Gantt chart).
• Resources: Describe the project costs, including staff salaries and services and costs related to, for instance, stakeholder engagement, market or patent surveys, experiments and pilots, or commercialisation preparations.
• Added value of consortium (applies to consortium applications only)

References

• List of all the sources used in the research utilisation plan.
• The list of references is included in the length of the plan.
• The font size in the list is 10 pt. All references must be added directly into the text, for example as follows: (author(s), year) or [number]. You must not use footnotes.