Article 1
About the Doctoral Grant Fund.
The Doctoral Grant Fund is an umbrella term for a collection of funds specifically intended to support PhD students at the University of Iceland. The board of the University of Iceland Research Fund manages awards from these funds, see Article 2 of this Regulation and Article 75 of the Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009.
The purpose of the Doctoral Grant Fund is to support promising students to pursue doctoral studies at the University, thereby strengthening UI as an international research university and as an attractive option for PhD students.
This Regulation shall be accessible on the University website and shall be specifically mentioned when calling for grant proposals, as well as when grants are awarded. Individual funds shall be named as contributors to the Doctoral Grant Fund.
Each year, following grant awards, the board of the University of Iceland Research Fund shall report to the boards of contributing funds and the University Council on grant winners over the past year, the total sum of all grants, and upcoming operations, see Article 75 of the Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009.
Article 2
Calls for proposals, application deadlines and application process.
Calls for proposals for grants from the Doctoral Grant Fund shall be published at the beginning of December each year for the upcoming academic year. The application deadline is generally 15 January for the upcoming academic year. The awarding of grants shall be completed by the beginning of May. The rector may determine a different application deadline, in which case the new deadline shall be advertised at least a month in advance.
Proposals shall be submitted electronically, using a specific form, to the Division of Science and Innovation. Path C applicants, see Article 4, shall simultaneously apply for admission to doctoral studies at the relevant UI school.
The University of Iceland Division of Science and Innovation shall oversee calls for proposals, reception and processing of proposals, and dissemination of information under the authority of the boards of the relevant funds.
Article 3
Applicants.
Those eligible to apply for a grant from the Fund are: students who meet the admission requirements for doctoral studies at the relevant faculty; tenured teaching or research staff at the University of Iceland, hired on the basis of a qualifications assessment and meeting the requirements for academic supervisors outlined in Standards and requirements for the quality of doctoral programmes at the University of Iceland.
Article 4
Proposals.
Proposals submitted to the Fund may be of three kinds:
- A student and a supervisor may submit a joint proposal after the study programme has begun.
- A supervisor, who is an academic staff member at UI and meets requirements see Article 3, may apply without a student. Should a supervisor without a student receive a conditional offer of a grant, the supervisor shall advertise for applications for the grant. The supervisor shall generally have six months to select a student. At the end of this period, the conditional offer shall become invalid. The board of the University of Iceland Research Fund shall evaluate whether the student selected by the supervisor meets the requirements set by this Regulation.
- A student may apply on the basis of an application for doctoral studies; such proposals are generally written in consultation with the prospective academic supervisor. The application for doctoral studies and the application for a grant from the Doctoral Grant Fund are submitted together.
Proposals submitted to the Fund must include:
- A description of the student's academic background and goals, the student's reasons for applying for doctoral studies at UI, and the proposed area of research (Path C).
- A statement on the research project, its goals and scientific value (Paths A, B and C).
- The CV and bibliography of the student (Paths A and C) and the supervisor (Paths A, B and C, if applicable).
- The student's study plan (Paths A and C), a short statement on available facilities (Paths A, B and C).
- Two reference letters (Path C).
- A statement from the supervisor confirming that the application is submitted jointly with the supervisor (Path A) or completed in consultation with the prospective supervisor (Path C).
- Proposals shall generally be in Icelandic, although they may be submitted in English.
Article 5
Evaluation of proposals.
A review panel in each school, appointed by the rector, shall conduct an academic evaluation of proposals submitted to the University of Iceland Doctoral Grant Fund and order them by priority, see Article 75 of the Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009. As part of the evaluation process, experts in the relevant field shall be asked to provide a professional opinion on all new proposals from eligible applicants. Academic evaluation of proposals shall be based on criteria set by the University Council Science Committee. Particular consideration shall be given to the scientific value of the proposed project and submitted research plan, whether it is likely that the project will strengthen research in the field, and how likely it is to yield results that will be published in a scientific journal that meets rigorous academic standards. Other criteria involve evaluating the applicant's scientific competences, available facilities and general aspects of the external framework of the proposed project, with consideration given to the following points:
- The scientific value of the proposed research project (Paths A, B and C),
- the student's performance in previous undergraduate and graduate studies (Paths A and C),
- the study plan (Paths A and C),
- the academic supervisor's research activity (Paths A, B and C, where applicable),
- whether satisfactory facilities are available at the faculty (Paths A, B and C),
- the presentation of the proposal (Paths A, B and C)
Article 6
Awards.
The board of the University of Iceland Research Fund handles awards from the Doctoral Grant Fund, under the authority of the contributing funds who determine their total annual contributions. Grants are awarded for up to a three-year period.
Article 7
Processing by the school and faculty in accordance with Path C.
Path C proposals and supporting documents shall be reviewed by the relevant school office and formally eligible proposals evaluated by a school/faculty standing committee, in accordance with applicable rules. Supporting documents will be assessed and decisions taken as to which applicants may be offered study facilities, regardless of whether they receive a grant from the Doctoral Grant Fund. The school's conclusions shall be sent to the board of the UI Research Fund by 15 February.
Article 8
The role of the board and review panels of the University of Iceland Research Fund regarding evaluation of Path C proposals.
Following processing by the school, study applications accepted by the school also requesting a grant from the UI Doctoral Grant Fund, in accordance with Path C, shall be sent to the board of the UI Research Fund. The board shall forward proposals to the appropriate review panel for academic evaluation and prioritisation. Review panels shall propose grant awards on the basis of statements from referees and other supporting documents, as well as ranking applications in order of priority, see Article 5. The review panel must complete this work by 15 April.
Article 9
Decisions regarding admissions to doctoral studies, grant awards, notification of applicants and confirmation by students, see Path C.
On the basis of prioritisation by the review panels, the board of the University of Iceland Research Fund shall determine which applicants shall receive a grant. The decisions of the Research Fund board are final at the administrative level. At the end of April / beginning of May, the schools are informed of the decisions taken by the UI Research Fund board.
The school office shall inform applicants at the beginning of May of the decision regarding their admission to doctoral studies and the grant from the UI Research Fund where applicable, i.e. which incoming PhD students will receive a grant from the Doctoral Grant Fund alongside admission to the programme, which applicants have been accepted onto a PhD programme without a grant, and which applicants have been rejected. Rejections must be supported by a reasoned argument.
Applicants who have been accepted onto a PhD programme with or without a grant must contact the school office within two weeks to confirm that they accept the offer of a place on the programme and a grant where applicable.
Enrolment in a programme and payment of the registration fee each year shall be in accordance with Articles 48 and 49 of the Regulation for the University of Iceland no. 569/2009.
Article 10
Responsibilities of grant winners.
The grant winner must be in full-time doctoral studies whilst receiving support from the Fund and must not be in any other employment during the grant period; the winner must be in full-time studies in accordance with Article 53 of the Regulation for the University of Iceland and the rules for student progression at the faculty in question. The faculty may assign teaching or research duties to the grant winner or agree that the grant winner shall undertake such tasks for other parties, on the condition that this work does not exceed 20% FTE. The grant winner shall be paid separately for such work.
Article 11
Sum of grants and arrangements for payment.
The University Council Science Committee, having consulted with the board of the University of Iceland Research Fund, shall determine the size of grants awarded each year. The grant shall be used solely to support the student, who is the grant winner. The grant shall be paid in equal instalments on the first day of each month during the grant period. The Division of Science and Innovation shall enter into a contract with the grant winner concerning monthly payments in accordance with the study plan. This contract shall be reviewed annually in accordance with the progression of study, see Article 12.
Article 12
Progression of doctoral studies.
The academic supervisor and the doctoral student shall submit a joint annual progress report (by 15 January) to the Division of Science and Innovation, in which they explain the current status of the doctoral studies and project. The supervisor and student are responsible for submitting the progress report. A satisfactory progress report is a prerequisite for grant payments.
No later than two months after the doctoral defence, the supervisor and recent doctoral graduate shall submit a copy of the doctoral thesis to the Division of Science and Innovation. The final monthly payment of the grant is made when the Division of Science and Innovation receive the doctoral thesis.
Article 13
Recognition and announcement of projects.
The academic supervisor and doctoral student shall mention the UI Doctoral Grant Fund and, as applicable, the specific contributing fund, in any written works connected to the grant awarded.
Once the board of the Research Fund has completed awards from the UI Doctoral Grant Fund each year, the list of projects awarded grants shall be publicly announced. Individual scholarship funds shall be named as contributors to the Doctoral Grant Fund.
Article 14
Entry into force.
This Regulation is established by the University Council and enters into force immediately.
University of Iceland, 11 November 2019.
Jón Atli Benediktsson.
Þórður Kristinsson.
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Section B - Published: 27 November 2019