As we draw to the close of an unprecedented 2020, the SYNTHESYS+ Management Team hope you are keeping well and safe. This news post gives an update on our Transnational Access activities and plans for 2021.
This update covers a huge amount of logistical planning, so please find the contents below:
Call 1 and 2 visits yet to take place:
Call 1 and 2 visits that were awarded funding will still be honoured. Many TAF organisations are either in lockdown again, or have limited access to collections.
Across all TAFs, Call 1 and 2 visits will ideally take place before the end of July wherever possible, with priority to be given to Call 1 visits. We are aiming to deliver all Call 1 and 2 visits (including Reserve visits, where available) by the end of September 2021 at the latest. Your relevant TAF Admin(s) and Host(s) will contact you confirming when might be a good time to Host your visit next year.
Ongoing COVID impact(s) to travel plans:
All TAFs are aiming to only host visits when there is a high level of reassurance that COVID-19 will not impact travel plans. For example, if existing rules require a visitor to quarantine before or after travel, a visit will be postponed until the situation stabilises and that is no longer a requirement.
However, we understand that not everything can be planned for and there still might be surprises. For example, COVID-19 domestic or international policies might change when you are halfway through a visit. In these situations, TAF Admins will of course support you and travel/accomodation plans will be resolved on a case-by-case basis.
Transnational Access Call 3:
We intend to launch Call 3 of Transnational Access on 1st March 2021, with a 5-week window for applications to be prepared and submitted before a deadline of 2nd April 2021. We are really excited to host Call 3 through the European Loans and Visits System (ELViS). As ever, we will publicise the Call well ahead of the Call launch and we are really excited to see ambitious and excellent research project bids. If you have any questions about our Transnational Access programme, access our FAQs here.
Call 2 Reserve applicants:
If you were offered a Reserve place in Call 2, we had originally hoped to be in touch in February 2021. However, your TAF Administrator will now contact you by the 1st November 2021 to confirm if you can be Hosted. We appreciate that this is a very long time to wait to find out if your Reserve visit can be funded, and will be in touch as soon as we can if reserve funding is made available before then. If you do not hear from us by the 1st November 2021, then unfortunately your application could not be funded and we encourage you to reapply to the final Call 4, in early 2022.
You may still wish to re-apply with your Call 2 application in Call 3, which is due to launch in March 2021. If your application is awarded in Call 3, your Call 2 application will be removed from the Call 2 Reserve list. If your Call 3 application is rejected from Call 3, your application will still remain on the Reserve list of Call 2.
You may also wish to apply with an entirely new project in Call 3, whilst your Call 2 application remains on the Call 2 Reserve list. You will still be eligible, and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the team on synthesys@nhm.ac.uk
