The Incubator Lab fosters novel data
science developments for ESS in dedicated focused projects. The objective of
this task is to steer the exploration of
new, potentially relevant building blocks to be included in NFDI4Earth and
related NFDIs. Examples are tools for
automatic metadata extraction and annotation, semantic mapping and
harmonization, machine learning, data fusion, visualization, and interaction.
The Incubator Lab also serves as a forum where novel requirements can be
formulated and trends presented in terms of a user consultation process. In
this way, scouting for new trends and
opportunities is achieved. The forum will materialize in annual meetings of
NFDI4Earth-Experiment, where both achievements will be presented (e.g. from Lab
projects but also from Pilots) and demands will be formulated (e.g. from the
participants) which will trigger new ideas and potential projects. The results
of the projects as well as the consultation process will be continuously
monitored, evaluated and updated, resulting in a living document that describes
current and future trends and records their implementation. The measure lead
must oversee and monitor that compliance rules concerning the software and
infrastructural developments are fulfilled while at the same time innovative blue sky developments should
also be encouraged.
The objective of the Incubator Lab is to foster the exploration of new,
potentially relevant building blocks to be included in the NFDI4Earth and
related NFDIs. The Incubator Lab invites proposals on novel cutting-edge tools,
latest innovations, and high-risk blue-sky ideas. Incubator Projects are supposed
to be small, concise, and have a clear focus. The funding duration of each
project is therefore limited to 3-6 months for one researcher (DFG personnel
rate). In total, in this call up to 8 projects can be funded.
Eventually, all the
funded projects will contribute to a repository of advanced tools to improve
the use and usability of NFDI4Earth data, advancing the state-of-the-art and to
better meet (current and future) user needs.
Submissions should focus on tools and methods, and can
relate to all aspects of the NFDI4Earth, including, but not limited to:
●
automatic
metadata extraction and annotations,
●
machine
learning, data interpretation, data fusion,
●
visualization
and interaction,
●
…
Expected outputs should be, for example
●
reproducibility
software,
●
easy to
install and well documented with example data (preferably in GitLab),
●
easy to apply,
including small tutorials or examples, e.g., as a Jupyter-notebook,
●
…
Any researcher can apply, who is affiliated or
hosted by a German research institution. In the latter case, a letter of
confirmation from the host is required along with the proposal submission. (If you do not have a host, please feel free to contact
the NFDI4Earth Coordination Office.)
Incubator Projects must be described concisely; the
proposal must not exceed 3 pages. Submissions should follow the template: Template Incubator
Proposals for Incubator Projects will be evaluated in an
open review process. Both the proposals and the anonymous reviews will be made
accessible. By submitting a proposal, you as PI agree to an open-access
evaluation of the proposal.
The proposal will be assessed in three categories –
each category will be scored from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) and a total grade
will be derived using the weighting indicated below:
●
Quality and
Innovation (weight 40%)
-
Is the idea
convincing?
- Does it solve
an interesting / relevant problem?
-
Is it new (in
the field)?
-
Is the
ambition adequate?
●
Feasibility (weight
40%)
-
Does the
researcher have the required expertise?
-
Is the
research plan feasible?
-
Does it use or
extend existing technologies? Or is it a novel innovation?
●
Potential for
transferability (weight 20%)
- Ability to
process similar data from different time periods / locations / institutions
We want to be maximally inclusive and invite new
partners to the NFDI4Earth. Therefore, given equal quality of proposals, in
selection process
●
proposals from
new partners are preferred,
●
shorter
projects are preferred.
Note: If the submitted incubator project proposal
is successful, the applicant and host (if applicable) agrees that
●
the PIs parent
institution will be named as Participant (with the PI as representative) of the
NFDI4Earth,
●
a letter of
commitment (LoC) will be provided if the institution of the PI is not yet a
Participant in NFDI4Earth (due to DFG regulations the letter has to be signed
by your institution),
●
the so called
‘funds transfer and cooperation agreement’ must be signed as Participant
(Institution) for funding.
Also note: The submission is subject to a review
process and does not guarantee any funding!
What should be included in the LoC?
●
Running an
NFDI4Earth Incubator Project requires you to become a Participant in
NFDI4Earth. If your institution is not yet a Participant in NFDI4Earth, we
would ask you to send a Letter of Commitment. The template for the partner’s
LoC is available on request.
For what kind of resources can we apply?
●
You may only
apply for staff costs, 3 to 6 months full-time equivalent (FTE).
I have a great idea, but I am not affiliated to a
research organization. Can I still participate?
●
Yes, good ideas are welcome! Please find a host
either from the list of participants, or from a German research organization.
Your host has to confirm the willingness. If you do not find a host, please
contact us.
From whom can I request further information or
answers to further questions?
●
Feel free to
send an email to