ASSISTID PI Workshop23rd April 2015

Clonsilla, Dublinwww.assistid.eu

The ASSISTID programme 2014-2019

ASSISTID is an international Training and Career Development programme which will fund 40 postdoctoral researchers in the area of ‘Assistive Technologies for Intellectual Disabilities or Autism Spectrum Disorders’ to improve the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities or autism, their carers and families.

Research topics include:Assisted living, Behaviour Analysis, Social Science, Speech and Language Therapy, Rehabilitation & Counselling, Computer Science, Ethics and Policy, and Education. All projects must involve the assessment, application or development of Assistive Technologies.

The €9M ASSISTID programme is co-funded by the EU Marie Curie action and by the charity RESPECT.

ASSISTID is co-ordinated by the DOCTRID Research Institute and the management team of Prof. Brian Harvey, Dr. Sheeona Gorman, Ms Gretta FitzGerald & Ms. Alie Kwint.

DOCTRID RI is a distributed research network consisting of all universities on the island of Ireland together with partners in the UK and USA.

The ASSISTID programme 2014-2019

40 Fellows will be funded- 32 Incoming and 8 outgoing

Incoming mobility: Applicants not having resided or carried out their main activity (work , studies, etc) in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the deadline for submission of proposals.

Outgoing mobility: At the deadline for submission of proposals, applicants must be resident in ROI and must be either ROI nationals or long-term residents (3 yrs) in ROI. Applicants shall not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the deadline.

Call 1: 1st Sep-30th Nov 2014. 8 Fellowships offered. Expected start date July 2015

Rolling call (currently open) 1st Jan- 30th June 2015. Staggered start dates (approx. Aug and Oct 2015)

Call 2: 1st Jul-30th Sep 2015. Expected start date Feb 2016

Applications are made entirely through the ASSISTID website (www.assisted.eu)

1) A completed online application form2) Project proposal (max 10 pages)3) The Applicant’s CV (max 5 pages)4) A Letter of Motivation (max 2 pages)5) Optional: A Letter of Support from the scientist(s) in charge of the supervision of the fellows, countersigned by the Dean/Vice-president of Research of the Host Organisation. 6) Written approval letter of the DOCTRID Research Board for fellowships based in institutions outside the DOCTRID network.

Timeline of calls

Evaluation process

S&T Quality Training Researcher Implementation Impact Sub Criterion 1Research/technologicalquality, including anyinterdisciplinary andmultidisciplinary aspects of the proposal 

Sub Criterion 1Clarity and quality of the research training objectives for the researcher 

Sub Criterion 1Research experience  

Sub Criterion 1Feasibility and credibility of the project, including work plan 

Sub Criterion 1Impact of competencies acquired during thefellowship on the future career prospects ofthe researcher, in particular through exposure to transferable skills training and if relevant with exposure to the private sector

Sub Criterion 2Appropriateness of research methodology and approach 

Sub Criterion 2Relevance and quality of additional research training as well as of transferable skills offered

Sub Criterion 2Research results including patents, publications, teaching etc., taking into account the level of experience

Sub Criterion 2Quality of infrastructure /facilities and (inter)nationalcollaborations of host 

Sub Criterion 2Contribution to career development, or reestablishmentwhere relevant  

Sub Criterion 3Originality and innovative nature of the project, andrelationship to the 'state of the art' of research in the field

Sub Criterion 3Host expertise in training experienced researchers in thefield and capacity to provide quantitative and qualitative mentoring/tutoring

Sub Criterion 3Match between the fellow's profile and project 

Sub Criterion 3Practical arrangements for the implementation and management of the research project  

Sub Criterion 3Development of lasting cooperation and collaborations with other countries 

Sub Criterion 4Timeliness and relevance of the project 

  Sub Criterion 4Independent thinking and leadership qualities. Potential for reaching or reinforcing a position of professional maturity.

Sub Criterion 4Practical and administrativearrangements, and support for the hosting of the fellow

Sub Criterion 4Benefit of the project outcomes to people with intellectual disability

Sub Criterion 5Host research expertise in the field and quality of the group /scientist in charge

Sub Criterion 5Potential to acquire new knowledge

   

Evaluation Criteria

Marking scale

Scoring range Up to

0 Very poorCriterion is not addressed at all or unable to be evaluated. All information is missing or not relevant

0 – 0.9 1 Very poorInadequate content, confusing or condradictory information, poor presentation, criterion addressed in superficial manner.

1 – 1.9 2 PoorAcceptable ideas, but serious weaknesses in addressing the criteria. Poor justification of the research.

2 – 2.9 3 FairSome good points and some weaknesses. Criterion is addressed well but some improvements are required.

3 – 3.9 4 GoodCriterion is very well addressed, some improvements are possible.

4 – 4.9 5 Excellent Criterion is perfectly addressed with very minor weaknesses

27 ASSISTID proposals submitted 1 proposal ineligible due to mobility issues

ASSISTID Success Rate50% success rate at interview33% overall success rateAverage MC success rates 16-18%

26 proposals through to Remote Review stage

18 proposals reached 70% score minimum threshold 8 proposals did not reach the minimum threshold

18 candidates invited for interview

16 candidates attended interview (7 via GoToMeeting)

8 candidates offered ASSISTID Fellowship

ASSISTID Call 1 by numbers

Transparency of ASSISTID Review Process“Tell the organisers it was a pleasure to deal with such a transparent process with good feedback. All fellowship applications should run like yours”

What are we looking for?

Projects in the area of Intellectual Disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intellectual Disability with Dementia

Project must involve Assistive Technology: -development of new technology, -application or modification of existing technology-assessment of the adoption/policy/ethics/provision of AT

RESPECT encourages:- proposals focused on moderate-severe/profound ID- Proposals enhancing the QoL, Social interaction, Education and Employment.- Proposals addressing challenges of Community living- involvement of the DoC or other ID Services , ASD Schools etc..either through secondment or including service users in study design/AT applications

Junior and senior researchers are accepted equally:-Reviewers advised to take candidate’s experience into consideration and the value of the training appropriate to their stage of career development.

Letter of Support from PI is now required in the application.

Specific Issues – RelevanceGuide notes to Evaluators

• Objective of ASSISTID fellowships: “to equip researchers with the skills to assume leadership roles within the Services that provide for the education, social inclusion and employment of people with autism or ID. This will ensure societal relevance of the research project and the translation of knowledge to improve care for people with autism and ID”.

• Project outcomes must include Assistive Technologies either in their development and application, assessment and relevance, or adoption that enhance the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities, ASD, or dementia with ID.

Specific Issues – Career Development/Training

• Objective of ASSISTID fellowships: “the individual research project must allow the fellow to enhance and diversify their scientific skills and to further develop their scientific careers”

• Development of scientific skills (deepening of skills, widening the skill set, acquiring research experience in industry or in the services)

• Development of transferable skills (leadership skills, presentation skills, IPR knowledge etc)

• Improved career perspectives after ASSISTID fellowship

What makes a successful project?Scientific Excellence- Relevence to ID/ASD, well developed methodology‘The envisaged output is impressive and will have a substantial impact in the field’‘a good command of existing research and issues and proposes an appropriate and innovative plan to develop new techniques for measurement and intervention’

Training/Implementation- Clear measurables, implementation plan stated‘methodology is well described in sufficient detail’‘Research training objectives are described in a very clear and detailed way’‘The work plan is ambitious but feasible. It is well thought through. It is clear she prepared it with care’‘The training objectives are concrete’The project plan is excellent: carefully designed, ambitious, broad in scope but sharp in focus’‘Realistic implementation plan’

Researcher-Both junior and senior have equal opportunities‘Applicant is well suited to the project and has requisite background to carry out project goals’‘highly motivated and displays a clear sense of understanding of the topic and the needs of people with ID’

Impact- Aim of project clearly stated with specific measurable outcomes and relevance to ID/ASD‘Clear impact for consumers’‘The scholarship will greatly contribute to the career development of the applicant’‘During the planned two years the applicant will get relevant and transferable skills.‘Assuming the pilot/development work pans out, I think this has a high probability of significant impact for researchers in the area and maybe down the road for clinicians’

Unsuccessful proposals(Did not reach threshold after Remote Review)

Most common criticism was lack of information on methodology and objective. A strong topic/researcher will not compensate for unclear and undetailed methodology/aims!

‘There are no training objectives explicitly stated’

‘Hard to tell if each phase of the work plan is of sufficient or excessive length due to lack of methodology details’

‘There is a lack of information about the details of the methodology..what functions will be assessed and how,what techniques will be used..how progress will be monitored’

‘The implementation lacks details, such as a time frame, a more refined idea about the involvement of end users and their families. It is not clear how they will impact on the design and how they will be selected/recruited’

‘Research questions and methods vague. Justification for why people with autism need this intervention not clearly made’

‘Potentially useful intervention, but not clear how efficacy will be demonstrated which reduces estimated impact’

‘I would rather like to see more details on how the applicant sees the difficulties in developing a user interface/intelligence system for autistic patients’

‘The stated research goals lack technical details, which makes it difficult for an expert in the field to evaluate if the project has merits and sufficient research opportunities’

‘Training objectives not specific enough. High quality host.’

Unsuccessful after interview

Some strong projects, and motivated candidates but ASSISTID was not the most appropriate programme (eg lack of AT, panel found on close questioning that the research was not very relevant to ID or ASD)

A lack of understanding about challenges in ID/ASD research, lack of mentor in this area

Not enough focus on, or planned engagement with, people with ID or ASD.

Lack of detail on analysis, research methods . No empirical or evidence-based studies.

ResubmissionCandidates with strong proposal but lacking detail in the behavioural psychology aspects, involvement and relevance to people with ID-ASD-Dementia advised to revise and resubmit with suitable co-PI/mentor and empirical studies.

Candidates welcome to resubmit basing their revised proposal on reviewers comments and interview panel feedback.

Next stepsPrinciple Investigators* Provide a current overview of your research area and attractive projects for potential candidates to view on the ASSISTID Website www.assistid.eu * Actively source and encourage applications from promising candidates in your area* Write a Strong Letter of Support for inclusion by the Applicant.* Engage with the Applicant in drafting the Proposal* Review proposal-ensure clear methodology/aims/outcomes and relevance to People with ID/ASD/Dementia+ID* Impact of proposal addressing the evaluation criteria.

DOCTRID TeamEnsure assisted website is up to date, clear and attractive for potential candidates?

FAQs Updates

Available for support throughout the processProvide information to help PI’s disseminate projectsContact ASSISTID Programmes Manager: Sheeona Gorman sgorman@respect.ie +353 (0)1 685 6004

How can we help you?The DOCTRID Team

Brian HarveySheeona Gorman

Alie KwintGretta FitzgeraldBreda Hawkshaw

Alejandro Sotomayor

www.assistid.eu