XThe EU-supported project I.FAST announces the possibility to apply for a grant to finance a programme of exchange of knowledge, expertise, and working practices of new accelerator and magnet component technologies between an I.FAST European Accelerator Development Laboratory* (here called the I.FAST Laboratory) and a European Industrial Company (here called the Company).

The programme offers the opportunity for a Company to send an engineer or technician for one or several visits to one of the I.FAST Laboratories and for a I.FAST Laboratory to send a scientist, engineer or technician to a Company for one or several visits. A grant of up to 7000 € can be requested for financing such a technical exchange programme which should put emphasis on transfer between the two parties of knowledge, expertise, and working practices of design, fabrication and testing of new advanced technological components for frontline accelerator and magnet research and/or technology infrastructures.

The grant can be used to finance the following costs for the engineers and/or technicians during their visits:

  • Salary
  • Travel
  • Subsistence

The proposal shall be jointly submitted by the I.FAST Laboratory and the Company and describe on a maximum of two pages:

  1. The project and the technology with which the engineers and technicians shall work at the I.FAST Laboratory and/or at the Company;
  2. How this work will lead to sharing of knowledge of new component technology between the I.FAST Laboratory and the Company;
  3. A brief budget showing how the I.FAST Laboratory and at the Company intend to use the I.FAST grant and
  4. How the Company and the I.FAST Laboratory intend to make use of the expertise exchanged, for business and/or research purposes.

The filled application form should be submitted by email to:

Applications will be considered for approval and the proponents informed about the outcome within a month of submission of the application.

The I.FAST grant of an accepted application will be transferred by the I.FAST Coordinating institution (CERN) to the I.FAST Laboratory’s institution, which will either support the Company’s visitor or support the visit of its employee accordingly to the I.FAST Laboratory’s rules for travels and visits. If required, a Collaboration Agreement can be signed between the I.FAST Consortium or individual Laboratory and the Company.

The applications shall be judged by the I.FAST Knowledge Exchange Selection Committee based on the:

  1. Relevance of the interest of the Company and/or the I.FAST Laboratory to exchange expertise of the technology.
  2. Professional merits of the proposed scientists, engineers and/or technicians that will make the technical visits.
  3. Level of knowledge and experience of the I.FAST Laboratory and of the Company of the associated component technology.
  4. The quality and effectiveness of the exchange program being proposed.
  5. Consistency between the proposed exchange activity with the amount of salary, travel and subsistence support requested for the engineers and/or technicians and the proposed program of visits.
  6. The expected outcomes of the technology transfer of the exchange project.
  7. The proposed terms of the agreement on the exchange programme between the Laboratory and the Company.

At the conclusion of the exchange programme, the I.FAST Laboratory and the Company shall together submit a short report on the outcome of the exchange programme, in particular in terms of knowledge transfer, to the I.FAST Knowledge Exchange Selection Committee.