The ANR Tour, reinforcing links with scientific communities
ANR set off to meet scientific stakeholders and the managers of institutions in mainland France and the French overseas territories for the fourth year in a row. This was an opportunity for the Agency to present its 2020 Work Programme, the Generic Call for Proposals (AAPG), its range of funding instruments and its new simplification measures.
national events in 27 cities in mainland France and overseas
participants
Taking place between 2 September and 4 October, the 2020 ANR Tour focused primarily on the Generic Call for Proposals (AAPG) and the simplification of administrative procedures. This fourth Tour involved the organisation of 31 national events with the support of regional CNRS delegations, research organisations, universities and schools. The half-day work sessions enabled the Agency’s experts and the scientists in attendance to answer project coordinators’ questions about the project submission and selection processes.
31 events and 3,000 participants
A chance for genuine exchange with the funding instruments’ potential beneficiaries, the ANR Tour attracted over 3,000 attendees this year. After a first stop in Saint-Denis on the island of Réunion, which was hosting the event for the first time, events followed in 26 other cities in mainland and overseas France. Before culminating in Pointe-à-Pitre, the ANR Tour stopped in Rouen at the offices of the Normandy Regional Council, with which the Agency has launched a partnership involving many local research stakeholders.
The series of events was supplemented by nine webinars organised by ANR’s scientific departments to present the scientific themes of the Work Programme across all disciplines and explain the diverse range of calls for proposals to as many French researchers as possible.
Towards continuous simplification
The simplification changes presented during the events include a new form for requesting changes to a project. This simplified form means that all requests from project coordinators and research institutions can be processed quickly. In 2020, a digital platform for tracking funded projects will complete the provision. It will enable project coordinators and their managers to track the project once it has been funded. Developed in consultation with research institutions, the tool will also include an interactive module that will allow general questions about calls to be answered quickly.
Building on its simplification programme, ANR introduced its new funding decision in 2019, replacing bilateral agreements and thus accelerating the funding of projects coordinated by academic research organisations and institutions.
Simplifying the administrative processes for all calls for proposals
Complementing the ANR Tour, the Agency organised a series of meetings throughout the year to present its financial regulations (the RF) and their updates to the administrative and financial staff of research institutions. This initiative was delivered jointly with CNRS administrative teams to higher education institutions with the help of contacts in the Cap ANR network. Updating the financial and legal rules governing the Generic Call for Proposals, this “RF Tour 2020” also covered the simplification of administrative formalities for all the Agency’s calls for proposals.