Second Call for Proposals Hydralab IV

This Second Call for Proposals for free access to major experimental facilities follows the very successful First Call which was issued last year. Research teams with a majority of team members from the European Union and Associated States (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Faroe Islands, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia, Iceland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey) are invited to submit proposals for access, free of charge, to major and unique facilities at Marintek, Norway and University of Hull, UK. These are experimental facilities in the field of hydraulics, geophysical hydrodynamics and environmental fluid dynamics. The theme of Hydralab is ‘More than water’ and there are 4 elements within this theme:

1. Water & Sediment
2. Water & Structures
3. Water & Environmental Elements (with focus on ecology and biology)
4. Water & Ice (with focus on interaction with structures)

The access available in this second call contributes to the first three themes. Access is funded by the 7th EC framework programme through the Integrating Activity HYDRALAB IV. There are two experimental installations involved in this second call, which are listed below. More information on the facilities is available here.

The programme provides user groups access free of charge to the facilities for their research project and covers travel and subsistence costs. The programme is intended for short access periods, not exceeding 3 months. State-of-the-art measuring instruments, data-acquisition and processing systems will be at their disposal, as well as modern support facilities, such as library, computers, processing and printing. Furthermore, the visiting researchers are offered a scientific intellectual environment, with assistance and guidance from experts at the host institute. Previous background in laboratory techniques is not a prerequisite as technical support and training are provided.

User groups are only eligible when the team leader and the majority of researchers are conducting their research in the EU or Associated States, but outside the host country of the facility. Details on the eligibility conditions, selection procedure, and rules of access can be found here.

You are invited to submit a completed proposal form and research proposal to the facility provider(s) at the addresses given below, preferably by e-mail.

The research proposal must not exceed 4 pages (incl. text, references and figures) and must contain the following sections:

• Scientific context of the study (incl. reference to the state-of-the-art and relevant measurements carried out in the past)
• Scientific objectives
• Theoretical framework and methodology
• Proposed analysis of the results
• Publication plan
• Justification for access
• The role of each team member

A 1-page description of model set-up (if relevant), additional technical details and specifications to aid the facility providers in assessing the project feasibility may be added. CVs for each researcher (not exceeding 1 page per researcher) should also be attached as a separate appendix. Please note that proposals exceeding the above page limits cannot be considered by the User Selection Panel.

The deadline for proposals is:  February 17, 2012.

It is highly recommended to send a draft proposal to the infrastructure manager, as early as possible but at least 2 weeks before the deadline. By doing so, the facility manager can advise users with respect to technical constraints, feasibility or eligibility conditions and provide additional information aimed at improving your final proposal.

Overview available facilities within proposal for Hydralab IV (2011-2014)

Short name & Provider	Location	Theme	Some main unique features
Multi-Directional Wave Basins
Ocean Basin MARINTEK	Trondheim, Norway	2 & 3	Very large basin of up to 10 m deep, with wind, waves up to 0.9 m high and steady current to test fixed and floating structures.
Environmental Hydraulics Facilities
Total Environment Simulator University of Hull	Hull, United Kingdom	1, 2 & 3	Current (1m3/s), waves (0.3m) and rainfall in fresh or saline water for sediment transport in rivers, estuaries or coasts. PIV & LDA. Supports plants and animal experimentation.

Proposals are reviewed by a User Selection Panel of which the outcome is expected to be known by April 2012. The primary criterion for selection is the scientific merit.  Secondary criteria, among others, are used to encourage the participation of first-time users, active female participation, trans-national research teams and interaction with the host institute.

For more information please contact:

• University of Hull: Stuart McLelland, Department of Geography, Cottingham Road, Hull HU6 7RX, United Kingdom, Tel: +44 1482 465007, Fax: +44 1482 466340, E-mail: S.J.McLelland@hull.ac.uk 


• Marintek: Ivar Nygaard, Otto Nielsens vei 10, 4125 Valentinlyst N-7450, Tel.: +47 73 59 59 61, Fax: +4773510034, E-mail:  Ivar.Nygaard@marintek.sintef.no