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Page Updated:
12-Feb-2007
Grant Mechanisms > ASI
Advanced Study Institutes (SPS ASI)
Notes for Applicants
Grants are offered to organize Advanced Study Institutes, which are high-level tutorial activities where a carefully defined subject is treated in depth by lecturers of international standing, and which include new advances in the subject not yet in university courses.
Purpose and Format
- An Advanced Study Institute (ASI) is a high-level teaching activity where a carefully defined subject is treated in depth by lecturers of international standing, and new advances in a subject, not taught elsewhere, are reported in tutorial form.
- Support is available for ASIs only in Priority Research Topics in the areas of Defence Against Terrorism or Countering Other Threats to Security and/or in a Partner-country priority. Please refer to "Topics Supported" for details.
- A NATO ASI is not intended to be an international conference or symposium, but rather a short course contributing to the dissemination of knowledge and the formation of international scientific contacts. The teaching in ASIs is aimed at scientists at the postdoctoral level with an appropriate scientific background who wish to learn of recent developments in their fields of science. ASIs have the specific role of contributing to the training, and the motivation, of young scientists in Partner countries.
- ASIs should have a minimum duration of 10 working days in order to give adequate time for the development of a topic and allow for sufficient interaction between the scientists. The presentation of contributed papers at ASIs is normally limited to a maximum of one half day. If the programme includes poster sessions these should normally take place in the evening.
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ASI Directors and Organizing Committee
- ASIs have two Co-Directors, one from a NATO country and one from an eligible Partner country of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) or a country of the Mediterranean Dialogue. In completing the application form and consulting the Notes for Applicants, scientists from Mediterranean Dialogue countries should follow the guidelines given for Partner countries. Both the NATO-country and the Partner- or Mediterranean Dialogue- country ASI Directors must be fully involved in the organization and in the choice of participants for the ASI.
- The Co-Directors are responsible for the preparation of the scientific programme, the selection of participants, the administration of the meeting and the publication. They should, inter alia, ensure the development of the lecture programme as a teaching activity, encourage the formation of smaller tutorial groups, support the participants' expression of their own work, normally through poster sessions, indicate relevant reference material, and ensure the delivery of final texts for publication. The ASI Directors should advertise the ASI by any suitable means, including the Internet. The Directors should be assisted by a small Organizing Committee, selected from among the ASI lecturers; these should be from at least three countries and, if appropriate, from different research sectors. A scientist from the locality of the ASI should be included in the Organizing Committee.
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Location
- An ASI should preferably be held in a Partner country.
- The characteristics of locations suitable for hosting NATO ASIs are listed in order of priority: appropriate lecture facilities including appropriate lecture rooms, audiovisual aids, photocopiers, computers etc.; facilities for informal meetings to allow free exchange of views among participants; possibility of having at least one daily meal together; conference rooms, accommodation, restaurant, etc. located on the same site; quiet location; accommodation in one building for all participants; easy access to local assistance for travel arrangements, banking, etc.; availability of half or full board.
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Participation
- The choice of lecturers and ASI students is the responsibility of the ASI Directors assisted by the Organizing Committee. ASI students should be chosen for their appropriate qualifications following their responses to advertisement. An ASI is aimed at the postdoctoral level scientist, but this should not exclude students who are about to obtain a PhD, and may also include other appropriately-qualified senior scientists.
- ASI students must be of sufficient calibre to contribute at a high level. Experience has shown that greatest benefit is obtained from ASIs with 12 to 15 lecturers and 60 to 80 ASI students. In special cases the number of lecturers can be increased slightly, but not more than 15 (including the Directors) can be covered from the NATO grant. Prospective lecturers should be contacted before preparation of the application. Applications with a low degree of lecturer commitment stand a reduced chance of being awarded. Applicants should, therefore, impress upon the potential lecturers the need for an indication of their real commitment.
- Both lecturers and ASI students should normally come from NATO or Partner or Mediterranean Dialogue countries, with a balanced participation from the different country groupings (NATO countries/Partner or Mediterranean Dialogue countries). To augment the available expertise, outstanding lecturers from other countries may be considered for participation but they should be included in the application. form, and their participation must have the prior approval of NATO.
- ASI students must come only from NATO countries or Partner countries (eligible and non-eligible) or Mediterranean Dialogue countries, with the limit for any one country of 25% of total number of students. Students from other countries are not permitted to attend. The objective is to have a balanced participation between students from eligible Partner or Mediterranean Dialogue countries on the one hand, and students from NATO countries on the other. There should in any case be a minimum of 25% from combined Partner and Mediterranean Dialogue countries.
- Students from Austria, Finland, Ireland, Sweden or Switzerland - known as 'non-eligible' Partner countries - may participate, within the limit of 25% from any one country, but their related costs cannot be paid from the NATO grant.
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Funding
- The NATO award is intended to cover direct organizational expenses, the travel and living expenses of a maximum of 15 lecturers, and to subsidise those ASI students from NATO countries, from eligible Partner countries and from Mediterranean Dialogue countries who are unable to obtain support from other sources. ASI lecturers from non-eligible Partner countries may be funded from the NATO grant. ASI students from non-eligible Partner countries cannot be funded from the NATO grant.
- The level of funding awarded to organize an ASI is determined by NATO on a case by case basis, taking into account the number of lecturers, and the size and location of the meeting. The NATO grant will be awarded in Euro. Payment of the grant, however, may be in any currency specified by the Directors. For administrative reasons payment is made to the NATO-country Co-Director, who should coordinate expenditure with the Partner Co-Director.
- The Directors should minimise costs through efficient organization and choice of location. To make optimal use of funds, the Directors should decide on the most appropriate allocation of funds to the various lines of the budget (see Section 8 of the Application Form) and the level of support to individual participants.
- Many organizers find that the NATO grant attracts wider support, and joint sponsorship and support are welcome, provided that the meeting conforms to the NATO format and is designated a "NATO Advanced Study Institute".
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Publication
- As a result of each ASI a book is to be produced by the ASI Directors or by an Editor appointed by the Directors in agreement with NATO. The book must be published in the NATO Science Series. It should be a textbook written by a team of authors, rather than straightforward proceedings, so that the benefits of the ASI can be extended to other scientists who did not have the opportunity to participate in the ASI. An additional grant of up to EUR 2,500 may be made available for the preparation of the camera-ready manuscript of the book upon application to NATO, once the manuscript has been accepted by the NATO Science Series publishers. Parallel electronic publishing arrangements are currently being negotiated with the NATO Science Series publishers.
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Review of Applications
- Selection of applications for Advanced Study Institutes is based on peer review, and applications are selected for support following the recommendations of an international Advisory Panel appointed by the NATO Science Committee. The Advisory Panels generally meet three times a year.
- The Advisory Panels will assess the scientific content of the ASI, the importance and topicality of the meeting, the research and teaching design of the programme to achieve its educational objective, the qualifications of the proposed participants and their commitment, the stated objective and the appropriateness of the format and level of commitment, and the potential value of the book to be published as an output of the ASI.
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Submission of Applications
- ASI Co-Directors should ensure that the file on any previous ASI directed by either of them is already closed before applying to direct another.
- Applications should be presented on the specific application forms provided, and signed by both Co-Directors. A Curriculum Vitae should not be supplied in any format other than that requested. Copies of letters of acceptance from proposed lecturers should not be included. Two hard copies of the application should be sent to
Science for Peace and Security Programme
Public Diplomacy Division
NATO
Boulevard Leopold III
B-1110 Brussels, Belgium
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