ATC Drug Discovery & Screening – Call for proposals – Trainees

BACKGROUND

Motivated by a strong will to offer Institut Pasteur Paris’s (IPP) campus a robust, rich and auspicious technological environment, the Scientific Direction identified 4 Technology-Targeted Actions (ATC), launched in 2021.

Among them, the Drug Discovery & Screening ATC (ATC – DDS) aims to foster multidisciplinary and translational collaborative seed projects between IPP research laboratories and Core Facilities of the ATC to federate all IPP’s workforces around Drug Discovery & Screening.

AIM

Through the Trainees Call 2021, the Drug Discovery & Screening ATC – supported by the SPAIS*- aims to foster collaborative research projects between scientists related to the ATC on IPP. The call proposes funding in the form of scholarships for research teams wishing to host a Trainee for the development of an innovative assay for Drug Discovery & Screening.

* SPAIS: means Department for Scientific Programming and Incentive Actions

WHO CAN APPLY?

Applications are open to research entities based on the campus of Institut Pasteur Paris (IPP) and planning to host a Trainee to carry out research projects on Drug Discovery & Screening.

• The host research entity must be on the campus and involved or willing to develop research projects related to Drug Discovery & Screening.
• The host research entity can only present one application.
• The scientific proposal must be related to Drug Discovery & Screening.
• The trainee must be a student enrolled in a Higher Education Institution (BTS, DUT, University L3 and above, Engineer school, Medical school, Chemistry school, Faculty of Pharmaceutical sciences..).
• Candidates of any nationality are eligible to apply.
• The research proposal must be achievable within 3 months.
• Successful fellows should start their work in the host IP entity before September 30^th, 2021.

It is highly recommended that researchers from two different entities, a research laboratory and an ATC-DDS Core facility, are implicated in a collaborative project. Applications of students working in two different laboratories are encouraged.

INELIGIBILITY

This call does not consider spontaneous applications. Before applying, the candidate must ensure he/she is accepted by a host research entity of IPP.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

The Trainees Call 2021 will be evaluated by an IPP internal scientific committee, which will review proposals based on the following criteria:

• Scientific quality of the proposal and its relevance to the Drug Discovery & Screening field
• Quality of the candidate’s CV and its match with the scientific proposal
• Feasibility / risk balance
• Originality and creativity

FUNDING AND DURATION

The amount of the grant is up to €6000 per candidate for a maximum 3-months stay, covering the student’s stipend and the expenses inherent to the student’s work. Only small equipment (< 1.5 K€ HT total) and consumables are allowed. Salaries are not eligible on this call. All awarded funds must be spent before December 15th, 2021.

Duration: up to 3 months

APPLICATION PROCESS

Candidates’ application files should include the Application Form duly completed. This application consists of the following components:

1. Applicant and IPP Host research Laboratory information
2. Summary of the project proposal and its significance to drug discovery (0.5 page max.)
3. Scientific Project (1-2 pages max.)
4. Highlighting how the proposal comes within the scope of the ATC -Drug Discovery & Screening and potentiality of the seed project in developing into collaborative projects in the future (1 page max)
5. Motivation letter of the Trainee for this proposed research project (1 page max.)
6. Updated CV of the student also indicating if applicable the host laboratory’s publications related to project

Completed application form should be submitted in .pdf format and named as follow: Applicant’s SURNAME Name_ Lab Head’s SURNAME.pdf (example: SMITH John_Lab CARTER).

Applications should be sent before Friday September 10^th, 2021 (6 pm) to spais.coordination@pasteur.fr, specifying the subject as “Drug Discovery & Screening Call 2021- Trainees “. We will acknowledge the receipt of all the applications.

TIMELINE

Application open date: July 23^rd, 2021

Application closing: September 10th, 2021 at 6 pm

Announcement of decision: mid-September 2021

Funding starting date: funding should start before September 30^th, 2021

Budget funding deadline: December 15^th, 2021

 COMMUNICATION AND DIFFUSION

The successful candidate will have to:

• present a short talk during a dedicated Drug Discovery & Screening Fellow’s Meeting to be held at IP Paris, which should be organized between mid-December, 2021 and end of January, 2022.
• mention on all documents pertaining to his funded internship (any type of communication, report, slides, summary, etc..) the logo of the Institut Pasteur, and acknowledgments to ATC Drug Discovery & Screening – Institut Pasteur for financial support

CONTACT

For any question about this call, please contact spais.coordination@pasteur.fr; specifying the subject as “Drug Discovery & Screening Call 2021- Trainees “