{"id":757510,"date":"2021-07-08T05:49:17","date_gmt":"2021-07-08T12:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/?post_type=msr-academic-program&#038;p=757510"},"modified":"2023-10-09T09:42:24","modified_gmt":"2023-10-09T16:42:24","slug":"swiss-joint-research-center-rfp","status":"publish","type":"msr-academic-program","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/academic-program\/swiss-joint-research-center-rfp\/","title":{"rendered":"Swiss Joint Research Center RFP"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what-it-is\">What it is<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Funding for collaborative research between Microsoft and ETH Zurich and EPFL as part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/collaboration\/swiss-joint-research-center\/\">Swiss Joint Research Center<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"contact-us\">Contact us<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Direct any questions not answered here to <a href=\"mailto:swissjrc@microsoft.com\">swissjrc@microsoft.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"note-the-submission-deadline-has-now-closed\"><em>Note, the submission deadline has now closed<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"microsoft-funding\">Microsoft funding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Microsoft will provide funding for up to ten projects. Funding is expected to cover PhD student salaries including overheads for two years and therefore form a part of a PhD position. One PhD student will be funded for each selected project. Travel support and equipment should, in the most part, be made available to the researchers by the applying organization. Besides, requests for travel support and equipment as well as Microsoft Azure Cloud resources will be reviewed on a case by case basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"eligibility\">Eligibility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To be eligible for this RFP, your institution and proposal must meet the following requirements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Institution must be ETH Zurich or EPFL.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Proposals will be accepted from any ETH Zurich or EPFL department or institute.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The proposed research must be led and performed primarily by ETH Zurich or EPFL faculty but should include one or more names of active and committed collaborators from Microsoft.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The proposed research must align with this RFP\u2019s research goals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The proposed research can be cross-disciplinary and several researchers from the same institution can submit a single, joint proposal if that contributes to address the proposed research goals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Proposals that are incomplete or submitted past the submission deadline will be excluded from the selection process.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Submitted proposals must adhere to the proposal requirements and follow the submissions process as described in the \u201cProposal requirements and submission\u201d tab.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"selection-process-and-criteria\">Selection process and criteria<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>All proposals received by the submission deadline and in compliance with the eligibility criteria will be evaluated by the Swiss JRC Steering Committee and subject matter experts chosen by Microsoft. Drawing from evaluations by the Steering Committee and subject matter experts, the Steering Committee will decide which proposals will be selected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Note: Microsoft will not provide individual feedback on proposals that are not funded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Addresses an important research area aligned with specified research goals that if answered, has the potential to have a significant impact on that domain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strategic alignment with Microsoft, i.e. relevance to the Microsoft collaborator\u2019s research.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Potential for wide dissemination and use of knowledge, including specific plans for scholarly publications, public presentations, and white papers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ability to complete the project based upon adequate available resources, reasonable timelines, and the identified contributors\u2019 qualifications.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Qualifications of the research team, including previous history of work in the area, successful completion of previous projects, research or teaching awards, and scholarly publications.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Diversity is highly valued and research teams should strive to reflect a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and talent reflected in the research teams.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Evidence of university support contributed in-kind to directly support and supplement the research efforts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Possible additional information as requested by the Steering Committee, which might be requested via a conference call.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"conditions\">Conditions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As a condition of accepting an award, principal investigators agree that Microsoft may use their name and likeness to publicize their proposal abstracts or summaries in connection with the promotion of the research awards in all media now known or later developed.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>External Principal Investigators and funded PhD students are encouraged to acknowledge receipt of this award on their University home page.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Researchers will be willing to engage with Microsoft about their project and experience, and provide updates via regular calls or visits (e.g. quarterly).&nbsp; Moreover, researchers will keep a project one slider up to date.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The review process is internal, and no review feedback will be given to submitters.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Microsoft encourages researchers to publish their work in scholarly venues such as journals and conferences. Researchers must provide Microsoft a copy of any work prior to publication.&nbsp;So long as accurate, such publications are not subject to Microsoft\u2019s approval except that, at Microsoft\u2019s request, researcher will delete any Microsoft Confidential Information identified or delay publication to enable Microsoft to file for appropriate intellectual property (IP) protection for any project IP disclosed in such work.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Funded researchers must seek approval of their institution\u2019s review board for any work that involves human subjects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>At the completion of the project, the funded researchers will be required to submit to Microsoft a report describing project learnings.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Project teams attending, after mutual agreement of dates and times, Swiss Joint Research Center workshops or other events.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Collaborative Research Proposal Requirements<\/strong><br>The deadline for proposal submissions is September 27, 2021. The results will be announced on November 1, 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Microsoft shall have no obligation to maintain the confidentiality of any submitted proposals. Therefore, proposals should not contain information that is confidential, proprietary, restricted, or sensitive. Proposals will be evaluated by the Swiss JRC Steering Committee and subject-matter experts chosen from Microsoft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Submission<\/strong><br>Once the proposal document is ready for submission and before the submission deadline, the main Microsoft collaborator must submit the proposal (in Word or PDF format) via an online form. There the Microsoft collaborator has the opportunity to submit a supporting statement for this application<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Length<\/strong><br>The proposal should not be more than six pages in length of 11-point font. Any documentation beyond that length will not be included as part of the proposal review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The six-page limit includes the cover page but the proposal can start on the cover page if additional space is needed. Scholarly references\/bibliography can be submitted in addition to the six pages and will not count toward the six-page limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Cover page<\/strong><br>The proposal should have a cover page that provides the following information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Biographical information and contact information of ETH Zurich or EPFL faculty and their MS research collaborators.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Project proposal abstract \u2013 should contain the following:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A nontechnical description of the project that states the problem to be studied and explains the project\u2019s broader significance and importance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A technical description of the project that states the goals and scope of the research, and the methods and approaches to be used.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Proposal body<br><\/strong>The proposal body should include the following information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Project description: Include what set of questions based on the identified research areas of interest above, will be addressed and how they will be addressed. Describe how answering these questions will help advance the state-of-the-art in the field.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Approach: Describe the methodological and theoretical approach that the researchers will use.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Resources: Proposals should specify if and how Microsoft technologies will be used, namely (1) APIs, (2) Data sets, etc. if applicable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Expected results: Briefly describe what new knowledge is likely to be generated as a result of this research, why these results would be significant, and how this could benefit information workers of tomorrow.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Related research: Briefly summarize related research, including references where appropriate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Researcher roles: List the researchers involved in the project, both academic and Microsoft, and describe their roles, explaining how their skills and knowledge enable them to address the proposed research.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use of funds: We have an agreed budget level with both institutions that covers PhD salaries including overheads for one PhD student for the two years and therefore form part of a PhD. There is no need to spell out any budget details in the proposal unless it deviates from the standard arrangement.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Microsoft Azure resources: In addition to the agreed budget level, Microsoft will consider requests for Azure resources (i.e. Azure credits) necessary to conduct research. Value of Azure credits will not be considered a part of the budget request. Azure requests should be included in the budget table. Applicants are encouraged to work with their Microsoft collaborator on estimating required Azure resources by consulting https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/pricing\/calculator\/.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Time schedule and milestones: Proposals should include a time schedule and milestones (24 months) that begin in January 2022 and ends in December 2023. Hiring delays will be considered.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Other support: Include other in-kind contributions to this project (cash, goods, and services) by your university or other sources, if any, but do not include the use of university\/organization facilities that are otherwise provided on an ongoing basis. Describe other grants or funded research that may be leveraged to add value to this research effort. Applicants are expected to make clear whether there are resources in place to undertake the planned research.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, proposals must indicate which of the listed research areas will be investigated as part of the proposed research to be eligible for consideration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>This RFP is related to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/collaboration\/swiss-joint-research-center\/\">Swiss Joint Research Center<\/a>, a long-term collaborative research engagement between Microsoft Research and ETH Zurich and EPFL and therefore only faculty from those institutions can apply. For opportunities for other institutions, please check our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/academic-programs\/\">Academic Programs page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, the proposal should include one or more names of active and committed collaborators from Microsoft who should be committed to contributing to the project materially. Microsoft collaborators need to submit a statement of support at the time of submission and may be asked to provide additional information during the review process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>We have an agreed budget level with both institutions that covers PhD salaries including overheads for one PhD student for the two years and therefore form part of a PhD. There is no need to spell out any budget details in the proposal unless it deviates from the standard arrangement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Different options exist for resulting \/ foreground IP. To find out more please contact <a href=\"mailto:swissjrc@microsoft.com\">swissjrc@microsoft.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>The Microsoft collaborator submits a statement of support at the time of submission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>In this case, please send the proposal including the list of academic and Microsoft collaborators to <a href=\"mailto:swissjrc@microsoft.com\">swissjrc@microsoft.com<\/a>. The Microsoft collaborator will then be asked to provide a statement of support separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, we\u2019ll confirm successful submission and highlight problems, if any, and assign an application number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>No, you won\u2019t be able to edit your submission. If you want to update the proposal (Word or PDF document), the Microsoft collaborator supporting statement, or any other field in the submission form,&nbsp; please send the new version indicating your application number to swissjrc@microsoft.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Please send an email to <a href=\"mailto:swissjrc@microsoft.com\">swissjrc@microsoft.com<\/a> and we\u2019ll answer your question as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"featured_media":665967,"template":"","meta":{"msr-url-field":"","msr-podcast-episode":"","msrModifiedDate":"","msrModifiedDateEnabled":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"msr-opportunity-type":[],"msr-region":[239178,256048],"msr-locale":[268875],"msr-program-audience":[],"msr-impact-theme":[],"class_list":["post-757510","msr-academic-program","type-msr-academic-program","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","msr-region-europe","msr-region-global","msr-locale-en_us"],"msr_description":"","msr_social_media":[],"related-researchers":[],"tab-content":[{"id":0,"name":"About","content":"[card title=\" Note, the submission deadline has now closed\" ][\/card]\r\n<div>\r\n\r\nSince its inception in 2008, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/collaboration\/swiss-joint-research-center\/\">Swiss Joint Research Center, Swiss JRC<\/a>, has supported dozens of collaborative research projects between Microsoft (particularly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/\">Microsoft Research<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/lab\/mixed-reality-ai-zurich\/\">Mixed Reality &amp; AI Zurich<\/a>) and ETH Zurich and EPFL, pushing the boundaries of core computer science and cross-disciplinary areas of research. Currently, there are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/collaboration\/swiss-joint-research-center\/#!projects\">13 ongoing Swiss JRC collaborations.<\/a>\r\n\r\nThe goal of this request for proposals (RFP) is to identify the next round of collaborative research projects that help advance the science, leveraging the synergies between academic and industrial research in high impact areas of research. In line with JRC\u2019s goal of fostering collaborative research, each project must include a named Microsoft researcher who must be committed to contributing to the project materially.\r\n\r\nWe expect to select up to ten proposals, providing funding for one researcher (usually at PhD level for the duration of two years, starting January 2022 and ending December 2023). More information is given below.\r\n<h2>Research goals<\/h2>\r\nJoint proposals are invited from ETH Zurich and EPFL faculty and their Microsoft research collaborators and should relate to the following areas of interest:\r\n<h3>Computer Vision<\/h3>\r\nMapping and understanding the environment, recognizing and tracking relevant objects, and assisting the user in performing the task at hand and enabling new forms of communication.\r\n\r\nWe invite proposals related to:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Visual odometry, SLAM, image features and camera pose estimation, multi-view stereo;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Human-robot interaction with Mixed Reality, multimodal robot mapping;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Human modelling, tracking, and action recognition;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Deep generative modelling and deep learning architectures;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Neural rendering and computer graphics;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Mixed Reality for healthcare<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nRelated Research: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/lab\/mixed-reality-ai-zurich\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MR&amp;AI Zurich<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/lab\/mixed-reality-ai-lab-cambridge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MR&amp;AI Cambridge<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/research-area\/computer-vision\/?facet%5Btax%5D%5Bmsr-research-area%5D%5B0%5D=13562&amp;sort_by=most-recent\">Computer Vision at Microsoft<\/a>\r\n<h3>Health<\/h3>\r\nHuman-centered solutions can transform care pathways and improve health outcomes.\r\n\r\nWe invite proposals related to:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Biomedical technologies including medical imaging and machine learning;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Life sciences including immunomics;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Health application areas including technologies for accessibility and mental health.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nRelated Research: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/theme\/health-intelligence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Microsoft Research Cambridge - Health Intelligence<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/research-area\/medical-health-genomics\/?facet%5Btax%5D%5Bmsr-research-area%5D%5B0%5D=13553&amp;sort_by=most-recent\">Health at Microsoft<\/a>\r\n<h3>Confidential Computing<\/h3>\r\nSecurity and privacy are significant concerns for enterprises and consumers using public cloud platforms. Novel technologies that guarantee strong security and privacy properties to cloud users are required.\r\n\r\nWe invite proposals related to:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Secure hardware design;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Operating system and software security;<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Privacy-preserving machine learning.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nRelated Research: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/theme\/confidential-computing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Microsoft Research Cambridge - Confidential Computing<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/group\/security-and-cryptography\/\">Security and Cryptography at Microsoft<\/a>\r\n<h2>Timeline<\/h2>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>July 12, 2021<\/strong>: RFP published<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>September 27, 2021<\/strong>: Proposals due<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>November 1, 2021<\/strong>: Selection announced<\/li>\r\n \t<li><strong>January 1, 2022<\/strong>: Projects start<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[accordion]\r\n[panel header=\"Funding\"]\r\n<h2>Microsoft funding<\/h2>\r\nMicrosoft will provide funding for up to ten projects. Funding is expected to cover PhD student salaries including overheads for two years and therefore form a part of a PhD position. One PhD student will be funded for each selected project. Travel support and equipment should, in the most part, be made available to the researchers by the applying organization. Besides, requests for travel support and equipment as well as Microsoft Azure Cloud resources will be reviewed on a case by case basis.\r\n\r\n[\/panel][panel header=\"Eligibility\"]\r\n<h2>Eligibility<\/h2>\r\nTo be eligible for this RFP, your institution and proposal must meet the following requirements:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Institution must be ETH Zurich or EPFL.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Proposals will be accepted from any ETH Zurich or EPFL department or institute.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The proposed research must be led and performed primarily by ETH Zurich or EPFL faculty but should include one or more names of active and committed collaborators from Microsoft.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The proposed research must align with this RFP's research goals.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The proposed research can be cross-disciplinary and several researchers from the same institution can submit a single, joint proposal if that contributes to address the proposed research goals.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Proposals that are incomplete or submitted past the submission deadline will be excluded from the selection process.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Submitted proposals must adhere to the proposal requirements and follow the submissions process as described in the \"Proposal requirements and submission\" tab.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[\/panel][panel header=\"Selection process &amp; criteria\"]\r\n<h2>Selection process and criteria<\/h2>\r\nAll proposals received by the submission deadline and in compliance with the eligibility criteria will be evaluated by the Swiss JRC Steering Committee and subject matter experts chosen by Microsoft. Drawing from evaluations by the Steering Committee and subject matter experts, the Steering Committee will decide which proposals will be selected.\r\n\r\nNote: Microsoft will not provide individual feedback on proposals that are not funded.\r\n\r\nAll proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Addresses an important research area aligned with specified research goals that if answered, has the potential to have a significant impact on that domain.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Strategic alignment with Microsoft, i.e. relevance to the Microsoft collaborator's research.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Potential for wide dissemination and use of knowledge, including specific plans for scholarly publications, public presentations, and white papers.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Ability to complete the project based upon adequate available resources, reasonable timelines, and the identified contributors\u2019 qualifications.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Qualifications of the research team, including previous history of work in the area, successful completion of previous projects, research or teaching awards, and scholarly publications.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Diversity is highly valued and research teams should strive to reflect a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and talent reflected in the research teams.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Evidence of university support contributed in-kind to directly support and supplement the research efforts.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Possible additional information as requested by the Steering Committee, which might be requested via a conference call.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[\/panel][panel header=\"Conditions\"]\r\n<h2>Conditions<\/h2>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>As a condition of accepting an award, principal investigators agree that Microsoft may use their name and likeness to publicize their proposal abstracts or summaries in connection with the promotion of the research awards in all media now known or later developed.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>External Principal Investigators and funded PhD students are encouraged to acknowledge receipt of this award on their University home page.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Researchers will be willing to engage with Microsoft about their project and experience, and provide updates via regular calls or visits (e.g. quarterly).\u00a0 Moreover, researchers will keep a project one slider up to date.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The review process is internal, and no review feedback will be given to submitters.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Microsoft encourages researchers to publish their work in scholarly venues such as journals and conferences. Researchers must provide Microsoft a copy of any work prior to publication.\u00a0So long as accurate, such publications are not subject to Microsoft\u2019s approval except that, at Microsoft\u2019s request, researcher will delete any Microsoft Confidential Information identified or delay publication to enable Microsoft to file for appropriate intellectual property (IP) protection for any project IP disclosed in such work.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Funded researchers must seek approval of their institution\u2019s review board for any work that involves human subjects.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>At the completion of the project, the funded researchers will be required to submit to Microsoft a report describing project learnings.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Project teams attending, after mutual agreement of dates and times, Swiss Joint Research Center workshops or other events.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n[\/panel]\r\n[\/accordion]\r\n\r\n<\/div>"},{"id":1,"name":"Proposal requirements and submission","content":"<strong>Collaborative Research Proposal Requirements<\/strong>\r\nThe deadline for proposal submissions is September 27, 2021. The results will be announced on November 1, 2021.\r\n\r\nMicrosoft shall have no obligation to maintain the confidentiality of any submitted proposals. Therefore, proposals should not contain information that is confidential, proprietary, restricted, or sensitive. Proposals will be evaluated by the Swiss JRC Steering Committee and subject-matter experts chosen from Microsoft.\r\n\r\n<strong>Submission<\/strong>\r\nOnce the proposal document is ready for submission and before the submission deadline, the main Microsoft collaborator must submit the proposal (in Word or PDF format) via an online form. There the Microsoft collaborator has the opportunity to submit a supporting statement for this application\r\n\r\n<strong>Length<\/strong>\r\nThe proposal should not be more than six pages in length of 11-point font. Any documentation beyond that length will not be included as part of the proposal review.\r\n\r\nThe six-page limit includes the cover page but the proposal can start on the cover page if additional space is needed. Scholarly references\/bibliography can be submitted in addition to the six pages and will not count toward the six-page limit.\r\n\r\n<strong>Cover page<\/strong>\r\nThe proposal should have a cover page that provides the following information:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Biographical information and contact information of ETH Zurich or EPFL faculty and their MS research collaborators.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Project proposal abstract \u2013 should contain the following:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>A nontechnical description of the project that states the problem to be studied and explains the project\u2019s broader significance and importance.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>A technical description of the project that states the goals and scope of the research, and the methods and approaches to be used.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<strong>Proposal body\r\n<\/strong>The proposal body should include the following information:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Project description: Include what set of questions based on the identified research areas of interest above, will be addressed and how they will be addressed. Describe how answering these questions will help advance the state-of-the-art in the field.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Approach: Describe the methodological and theoretical approach that the researchers will use.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Resources: Proposals should specify if and how Microsoft technologies will be used, namely (1) APIs, (2) Data sets, etc. if applicable.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Expected results: Briefly describe what new knowledge is likely to be generated as a result of this research, why these results would be significant, and how this could benefit information workers of tomorrow.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Related research: Briefly summarize related research, including references where appropriate.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Researcher roles: List the researchers involved in the project, both academic and Microsoft, and describe their roles, explaining how their skills and knowledge enable them to address the proposed research.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Use of funds: We have an agreed budget level with both institutions that covers PhD salaries including overheads for one PhD student for the two years and therefore form part of a PhD. There is no need to spell out any budget details in the proposal unless it deviates from the standard arrangement.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Microsoft Azure resources: In addition to the agreed budget level, Microsoft will consider requests for Azure resources (i.e. Azure credits) necessary to conduct research. Value of Azure credits will not be considered a part of the budget request. Azure requests should be included in the budget table. Applicants are encouraged to work with their Microsoft collaborator on estimating required Azure resources by consulting https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/pricing\/calculator\/.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Time schedule and milestones: Proposals should include a time schedule and milestones (24 months) that begin in January 2022 and ends in December 2023. Hiring delays will be considered.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Other support: Include other in-kind contributions to this project (cash, goods, and services) by your university or other sources, if any, but do not include the use of university\/organization facilities that are otherwise provided on an ongoing basis. Describe other grants or funded research that may be leveraged to add value to this research effort. Applicants are expected to make clear whether there are resources in place to undertake the planned research.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>"},{"id":2,"name":"FAQ","content":"[accordion]\r\n[panel header=\"Are proposals required to choose one of the research areas described in the RFP?\"]\r\nYes, proposals must indicate which of the listed research areas will be investigated as part of the proposed research to be eligible for consideration.[\/panel]\r\n\r\n[panel header=\"Why are only ETH Zurich and EPFL faculty eligible to submit proposals?\"]\r\nThis RFP is related to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/collaboration\/swiss-joint-research-center\/\">Swiss Joint Research Center<\/a>, a long-term collaborative research engagement between Microsoft Research and ETH Zurich and EPFL and therefore only faculty from those institutions can apply. For opportunities for other institutions, please check our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/academic-programs\/\">Academic Programs page<\/a>.[\/panel]\r\n\r\n[panel header=\"Is it a requirement to have a Microsoft researcher named on the proposal?\"]\r\nYes, the proposal should include one or more names of active and committed collaborators from Microsoft who should be committed to contributing to the project materially. Microsoft collaborators need to submit a statement of support at the time of submission and may be asked to provide additional information during the review process.[\/panel]\r\n\r\n[panel header=\"What is the funding for?\"]\r\nWe have an agreed budget level with both institutions that covers PhD salaries including overheads for one PhD student for the two years and therefore form part of a PhD. There is no need to spell out any budget details in the proposal unless it deviates from the standard arrangement.[\/panel]\r\n\r\n[panel header=\"What are the\u00a0 Intellectual Property (IP) terms?\"]\r\nDifferent options exist for resulting \/ foreground IP. To find out more please contact <a href=\"mailto:swissjrc@microsoft.com\">swissjrc@microsoft.com<\/a>.[\/panel]\r\n\r\n[panel header=\"Why do you require the Microsoft collaborator to submit the proposal not the academic?\"]\r\nThe Microsoft collaborator submits a statement of support at the time of submission.[\/panel]\r\n\r\n[panel header=\"Regarding submission, what if the Microsoft collaborator is not available to submit the proposal by the deadline?\"]\r\nIn this case, please send the proposal including the list of academic and Microsoft collaborators to <a href=\"mailto:swissjrc@microsoft.com\">swissjrc@microsoft.com<\/a>. The Microsoft collaborator will then be asked to provide a statement of support separately.[\/panel]\r\n\r\n[panel header=\"Will I get a confirmation after submitting my proposal?\"]\r\nYes, we'll confirm successful submission and highlight problems, if any, and assign an application number.[\/panel]\r\n\r\n[panel header=\"Will I be able to edit my submission once submitted?\"]\r\nNo, you won't be able to edit your submission. If you want to update the proposal (Word or PDF document), the Microsoft collaborator supporting statement, or any other field in the submission form,\u00a0 please send the new version indicating your application number to swissjrc@microsoft.com[\/panel]\r\n\r\n[panel header=\"What if I have a question that has not been addressed on the RFP page and in the FAQ section?\"]\r\nPlease send an email to <a href=\"mailto:swissjrc@microsoft.com\">swissjrc@microsoft.com<\/a> and we'll answer your question as soon as possible.[\/panel]\r\n\r\n[\/accordion]"}],"msr_impact_theme":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-academic-program\/757510"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-academic-program"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/msr-academic-program"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-academic-program\/757510\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":974268,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-academic-program\/757510\/revisions\/974268"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/665967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=757510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"msr-opportunity-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-opportunity-type?post=757510"},{"taxonomy":"msr-region","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-region?post=757510"},{"taxonomy":"msr-locale","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-locale?post=757510"},{"taxonomy":"msr-program-audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-program-audience?post=757510"},{"taxonomy":"msr-impact-theme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/msr-impact-theme?post=757510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}