FAQs

Will I become a full partner of the project?
Beneficiaries may join the project either as Partners or as Third Parties to existing GN3plus consortium members depending on their legal status vis-à-vis EC rules.

When will I hear if my proposal is successful?
The consensus evaluation report will be sent to all proposers in mid-July. For more information on timelines please check the Guide for Applicants.

How do you select the proposals?
Please see section 5 of the Guide for Applicants.

How do I submit a proposal?
All details related to submitting a proposal for evaluation can be found in the Guide for Applicants.

Can more than one institution jointly hand in a proposal (consortium proposal)?
Yes. Note however that the funding limit is set for each topic, not per partner and that due to the project size it is expected that any consortium will be small.

If I submit a consortium proposal which includes both industry and academic partners, what percentage of funding needs to be contributed by the each partner?
Please consult Section 3 ‘Funding for Participation’ in the Guide for Applicants for details and subsequently visit ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/financialguide_en.pdf

Are there geographical restrictions on applications?
Yes some geographical restrictions apply. These follow the FP7 funding guidelines. Please consult section 3 of the Guide for Applicants.

How much funding can I apply for?
A suggested budget for projects in each topic has been set. Indicative total EC funding of up to 3.3M€ to be spend on Open Calls has been allocated.

I can’t get the forms to upload, what should I do?
If you experience any technical issues during the submission process please contact opencalls@geant.net

I have contributed to previous GÉANT projects. Can I still apply?
Yes, those who have already carried out work as part of any previous GÉANT projects can participate in this Call.

Is 100% funding for my proposal possible?
No. Funding is on a cost-shared basis. Please consult Section 3 ‘Funding for Participation’ in the Guide for Applicants for details and subsequently visit ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/financialguide_en.pdf

What is the intended duration of the projects? Do all projects have the same intended duration?
It is expected that projects selected for funding will take place between October 2013 and March 2015. This can be discussed in more detail before work starts.

Am I allowed to use the Open Call budget to buy equipment? For example test equipment such as protocol analysers or new transmission equipment for testing.
Yes, where appropriate. However proposers will need to demonstrate that the equipment will be used by the planned project, and that any equipment which has a useful life of more than one year, is stand-alone, distinct and moveable.

You should provide details of the equipment to be bought or consumed on the project. A ‘depreciation’ value should be calculated by taking the purchase cost (or net present value at the start of the project, if the equipment is already owned) less its expected residual value at the end of the project. This value is then multiplied by the percentage that the project will be utilising the equipment. This final value represents the eligible cost to the project.

Do I get to keep the intellectual property from my contribution to the work?
Please consult the Consortium Agreement on the How to submit a proposal webpage for information about how Intellectual Property Rights will be dealt with.

Where can I find more information about GÉANT?
Please visit www.geant.net

Theme1 (Topic1): How can researchers access information from the optical Supervision Channel? Is it possible to set up equipment with GSM antenna in the ILAs?
The answer depends on what equipment the proposer wishes to manage with the optical supervisory channel.

If the proposer wishes to use the Optical Supervisory Channel (OSC) to manage the Alcatel-Lucent In Line Amplifiers (ILAs) then this will require that the proposer request that DANTE retain the 1626LM terminal equipment in the PoPs at the ends of the line. The ILAs can then be managed over the OSC using the craft terminal software (as stated in section 3.2 and 3.3 of Technical Annex A).
If the proposer wishes to use the OSC to manage their own equipment in the amplifier huts, then it may be possible to use the OSC channel as a clear channel for this purpose. Currently the 1626LM equipment does not support this function. However, according to the 1626LM manual a USIB board was under development which would allow the 2Mbps client channel to be dropped to the client. (1626 LM REL.2.0 Technical Handbook, ref. pp. 194, 3AL 94936 AA AA Ed.04,). This card was not purchased by DANTE, but it is possible that this card is available from Alcatel-Lucent on request to them. Proposers are advised to consult with Alcatel-Lucent for the availability, cost and lead time of this solution before considering it.
Another option for remote management of equipment on site is to request DANTE’s fibre provider to supply out-of-band access to the ILA sites (for example GSM or ADSL based access). The OOB access to the amplifier huts will depend on the services offered by the dark fibre provider, if you are interested in this option please email opencalls@geant.net with an indication of which route is of interest and we will seek quotations from our provider for OOB access to amplifier huts.

Theme1 (Topic1): The GEANT Open Call will end in March 2015. Is there a possibility of being able to use the fibres after that time?
DANTE’s leases for the dark fibre used in the GÉANT dark fibre testbed come to an end in 2015. Proposers should not assume that the fibre will be available after the end of the GN3plus project.

Theme1 (Topic1): Should we budget for access fees when dedicated equipment has to be set up into the ILAs or a PoP?
The fees charged for escorted access will vary between dark fibre providers. As a guideline we suggest that the proposers budget 500 Euros per visit of each amplifier site. Details of hut access arrangements will be negotiated between DANTE, the successful proposer(s) and DANTE’s dark fibre provider.

Theme1 (Topic1): Can I assume that the fibre attenuation information provided in Technical annex A fully describes all of the attenuation between optical amplifiers?
Technical annex A only describes the fibre characteristics of the trunk fibre provided by the DF provider i.e the data shows the fibre characterization results provided to DANTE by our fibre providers at the time of commissioning of the fibre in 2006/7. The end-point for fibre characterisation is the hand-over optical distribution frame. Proposers should be aware that additional attenuation will be present in both the distribution frame connectors as well as fixed attenuators connected at the output of the Alcatel-Lucent amplifiers.
There are two different experimental usage scenarios for the dark fibre:

Scenario 1: Experiments that make use of existing optical amplifiers.
Scenario 2: Experiments that remove existing optical amplifiers and replace these with proposers own equipment.

In scenario 1 the proposer may wish to know further details of the optical engineering of the extant line such as:

Amplifier characteristics.
Total attenuation between amplifiers (including Alcatel attenuators).
Characteristics of the dispersion compensation fibre modules.

If such information is desired proposers should email opencalls@geant.net and request this information.

In scenario 2 the proposer should make use of the dark fibre characterization information as provided in the technical annex. However please be aware that additional attenuation associated with distribution frames will be present. Approximately 1 dB margin should be allowed for ODF and fibre pigtail on each span ILA-ILA span. Larger attenuation may be present at co-lo sites due the presence of more than one ODF.

Will it be seen as beneficial for proposals to show multiples of manpower beyond what will be funded by the GN3plus?
Projects will be scored against three key criteria including “Quality and efficiency of the implementation and the management”. The proposer must demonstrate they have the operational capacity to carry out the work for the duration of the project.

If I understand correctly, the reimbursement rate is 75% for research/university class organizations.
Yes, this is correct.

If I understand correctly, the assumption is that the majority of all work will fall into RTD activity. Is there any guidance on the split between costs?
Note 2 in Section B.0.2. in the Guide for Applicants states: “It is expected that the majority of costs will fall into the RTD section given the topic and nature of the Open Call. Note that any scientific co-ordination work associated with the proposal is to be classified as RTD”. Costs are split into the categories RTD, Other and Management and it is up to each proposer to decide how the costs will be apportioned. All costs will be consistent with the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

Is it fair to assume that there is no expectation for significant outreach in the proposals?
The detailed call text provides clear guidance on a per Topic basis and covers Objectives, Expected impact, Outputs and Budget.

Is there need of any formal agreement of cooperation between partners in OC?
Proposers will need to decide whether their cooperation for the purposes of working with the GN3plus consortium requires a formal agreement.

Is there an option to do minor changes during OC duration according to findings done during the project?
If minor changes during the project are required these can be negotiated between the new beneficiary, the Joint Research Activity leader and the Open Calls co-ordinator. Please note we expect that projects will primarily run as agreed during the negotiation phase i.e. the project is sufficiently well planned for it to progress on time and within budget.

If OC aims to obtain networking hardware that will be in future used solely within GEANT network, but requires additional funds for it. Is it possible to ask additional funds from other GN3+ activities? How detailed purchase plan must be included in OC? Is there a form for it?
It is expected that any and all resources required for the project to go ahead should be mentioned in Part B of the project proposal in Section B.0.1, B.O.2, B.2.2 - this includes any equipment which needs to be purchased in order for the project to proceed. Note that the purchase plan should be detailed enough for an evaluator to determine whether the proposal meets the key criteria. It is not possible to ask for additional funds from other GN3plus consortium activities since this budget is already fully committed.

To what extent can we combine work from a EC-supported program and a research project proposal for the GEANT Open call?
Proposers from existing EC supported programmes may apply. However, the “new” proposal must be able to demonstrate that it is either unrelated or complementary to the original programme. The proposer must demonstrate clearly separated work packages, objectives – and costs must be demonstrated to be actual, incurred during the project and used solely to achieve project objectives. The proposer must be able to clearly separate costs between both projects i.e. so there is no ‘double financing’ of a project i.e. submitting the same item of expenditure i.e. a specific cost to different sources separately (either EU, national, or regional) in order to obtain financial support from all of them. Thus, the Financial Regulation (Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002) states at Article 111 that in no circumstance shall the same costs be financed twice by the EU budget. For more information on combining funding options please see: http://cordis.europa.eu/eu-funding-guide/combine-options_en.html

Can we have more information about the eligible costs?
To be considered eligible, costs must be:
- actual
- incurred by the beneficiary
- incurred during the duration of the project
For more information please see FP7 Financial Guide ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/financialguide_en.pdf

For instance, how much is the person-month rate?
It is expected that the person-month rate will be calculated based on: the usual accounting and management principles/practices of the organisation and consistent with principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. For more information please see the FP7 Financial Guide ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/financialguide_en.pdf

What can be counted as “equipment”? What are the rules for valuing equipment which will only be used during the lifetime of the project ?
Proposers will need to demonstrate that the equipment will be used by the planned project, and that any equipment which has a useful life of more than one year, is stand-alone, distinct and moveable. You should provide details of the equipment to be bought or consumed on the project. A ‘depreciation’ value should be calculated by taking the purchase cost (or net present value at the start of the project, if the equipment is already owned) less its expected residual value at the end of the project. This value is then multiplied by the percentage that the project will be utilising the equipment. This final value represents the eligible cost to the project.

In a proposed project with budget of euro 100K - how is the reimbursement of work effort/expenses? Is this following the 75% model as I know from GN3?
Reimbursement will be in line with the usual EC rules. ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/financialguide_en.pdf (Article II.16 of ECGA). In line with the nature of the GEANT Competitive Open Call it is expected that the majority of costs will relate to RTD activity. We would also like to remind participants that a FP7 Helpdesk web service has been set-up to answer all questions related to FP7-related issues. This helpdesk is available at the following address: http://ec.europa.eu/research/enquiries

Is this is the first call in a series. Is there any information on timeline, amount etc. for future calls?
Any future calls will be notified via the FP7 Participant Portal and the GEANT website. At this present time this is the only Open Call running.

Do partners need to be part of the GEANT Consortium?
No

When you talk about "global impact" do you expect the "global" approach is already in the partnership, as much as possible, at least?
The detailed call text clarifies the expected impact for each topic. Proposals will be judged on the criteria “Potential Impact through the development, dissemination and use of results”.

You mentioned Astronomy usage of GEANT. Can we have some details/reference please?
GEANT is already being used to support Astronomy projects. A case study of the work undertaken in this area is available at http://www.geant.net/Users/Space/Pages/EXPReS.aspx

How can I obtain details about the technical background necessary to collaborate in specific theme/topic?
Additional technical information is available for each Topic in Theme 1. There are three Technical Annexes available.

Annex A – Long Haul Dark Fibre Tested Facility (Topic 1 and 4)
Annex B – Open flow Testbed Facility (Topic 2)
Annex C - Bandwidth on Demand (Topic 3)

Will this presentation provided to the attendees or posted on the website?
A copy of the presentation and audio recording of the GEANT Open Call Information Day held on 19th April is available at http://www.geant.net/opencalls/Information_Day/Pages/default.aspx

What do you mean with "legal entity"? Any (private) company?
Proposers must be legal entities but not necessarily a private company. For example:
"Public body" means any legal entity established as such by national law, and international organisations;
A legal entity is qualified as "non-profit" when considered as such by national or international law;
"research organisation" means a legal entity established as a non-profit organisation which carries out research or technological development as one of its main objectives;
"SMEs" mean micro, small and medium-sized enterprises within the meaning of
Recommendation 2003/361/EC in the version of 6 May 2003.

The FP7 Helpdesk web service has been set-up to answer all questions related to FP7-related issues. This helpdesk is available at the following address: http://ec.europa.eu/research/enquiries

Note that all of the activities to be carried out by beneficiaries of this Call will be categorised as "Research and Technological Development" (RTD) activities and therefore funded at 50% or 75% depending on the type of beneficiary"
And in the FAQs sections: "It is expected that the majority of costs will fall into the RTD section given the topic and nature of the Open Call. Note that any scientific co-ordination work associated with the proposal is to be classified as RTD". Costs are split into the categories RTD, Other and Management and it is up to each proposer to decide how the costs will be apportioned. All costs will be consistent with the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness."
As stated in the Guide for applicants - Internal consortium management is considered under 'Management'. If the co-ordination element has a scientific basis then it should be classified as RTD.

We are currently a third party in GN3+. So I assume that the application does not need to be linked to the "consortium partner" that we work with in "GN3+" right now. Is this assumption correct?
Yes this is correct.

May we be a third party and a consortium partner at the same time?
No - this is unlikely to happen.

Do you know if obtaining a partner is mandatory in order to win a project?
P4 of the Guide for Applicants states “Proposals may be submitted by a single organisation or by small consortiums. Large consortiums are not expected to submit proposals to GN3plus Open Calls.” P42 of the Guide for applicants onwards outlines the 3 key criteria for scoring proposals – one of these will be ‘Quality and efficiency of the implementation and the management’ – proposers will need to demonstrate that they have the operational capacity to carry out the work.

Topic 5: Can proposals in Topic 5 also leverage the network footprint (in the same way as in Theme 1)?
The detailed call text from p16 onwards which describes Topic 5 ‘Clean-Slate design for Future Network Architecture’ makes clear that proposers will demonstrate their findings and results via lab trials, preferably using GEANT and NREN test facilities.

Is this type of experiment in scope?
We are unable to comment directly on whether proposed experiments are in scope ahead of the evaluation process.

Topic 2: Is Geant interested in applications showcase using OpenFlow or is the primary interest of the open-call related to the lower level function within infrastructure?
Topic 2 is about use of the facility and not lower level functions

Topic 2: Does the platform support Floodlight?
The platform provides a built-in OpenFlow controller or the capability for users to install and operate their own controller on one of their allocated VMs. Floodlight could fall into the second option.

Topic 2: Access to Infrastructure: Will we have remote access to the testbed (e.g. via OpenVpn) for openvswitch configuration?
Annex B describes the Openflow Testbed in detail. Remote access for OpenvSwitch configuration is via the OCF environment.

Topic 2: Can you provide details of end sites near OpenFlow nodes?
We cannot provide details of GEANT end sites ahead of proposal submission. However we do want to encourage real-life use cases wherever possible. For successful proposers further information may be available during the negotiation phase in order to facilitate this type of use case.

A small budget will be needed for our partner. Is it ok for small partners to join as subcontract as full partnership status creates too much overhead?
It is up to proposers how to structure the administrative element of their bid. P42 of the Guide for applicants onwards outlines the 3 key criteria for scoring proposals – one of these will be ‘Quality and efficiency of the implementation and the management’ – proposers will need to demonstrate that they have the operational capacity to carry out the work.

Our proposal will be supported by associated partners but they will not be a "consortium member". Does the proposal have to include a "Non Exclusion Declaration" from these associated partners or just from the consortium members.
All partners in the project are expected to adhere to the Non Exclusion Declaration

"Note that all of the activities to be carried out by beneficiaries of this Call will be categorised as "Research and Technological Development" (RTD) activities and therefore funded at 50% or 75% depending on the type of beneficiary" And in the FAQs sections: "It is expected that the majority of costs will fall into the RTD section given the topic and nature of the Open Call. Note that any scientific co-ordination work associated with the proposal is to be classified as RTD". Costs are split into the categories RTD, Other and Management and it is up to each proposer to decide how the costs will be apportioned. All costs will be consistent with the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness."

As stated in the Guide for applicants - Internal consortium management is considered under 'Management'. If the co-ordination element has a scientific basis then it should be classified as RTD.

May we be a third party and a consortium partner at the same time?
No - this is unlikely to happen.

Is there any BoD PoP in Italy
Milan is on the list of GÉANT PoPs and Annex C has been updated

The address for BoD service in Milan is:
MIX s.r.l.
Via Caldera 21 D/3
Milan 20153
Italy

We have a question with regard to the budgeting/funding of the each proposal. For example, within the Open Calls detailed text, one of the Topics states that the total budget is between €100k and €150k. Is this purely the level of funding available from the EC? i.e. can the project budget exceed this amount, with the extra coming from ourselves? Is there an upper boundary on the overall budget or not, as long as the balance is contributed by ourselves?

The budget that we have set for each of the topics is the expected TOTAL budget – the EC contribution will be either 75% or 50% of this total. The EC have agreed the scope and size of each of the topics.

European Commission Communications Networks, Content and Technology

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