December 2017 1 / 7

“Plus 3” Perspectives Programme for Independent Junior Research Group Leaders Programme Objectives The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation has set up the Perspectives Programme for independent junior research group leaders with the objective of giving these group leaders involved in medical, biological and chemical basic research an opportunity to raise their research profiles and become eligible for professorial appointments. The programme is also intended to help stimulate basic medical research in Germany. Extent of Funding You can apply for funds for your independent research group up to € 200,000 to € 300,000 annually for up to three years, in order to continue your research programme. This covers your own position and personnel expenses, comprising, for example, one postdoc and/or two graduate students, a laboratory technician, consumables, equipment and travelling expenses. Conditions of Application You have earned your doctorate with distinction and no more than 12 years ago, have published outstanding papers during your academic career to date and should possess substantial international experience. Your research is basic research in medicine, biology or chemistry; the foundation, however, does not award grants to purely botanical and zoological projects.

You have been leading your first independent research group at an academic research institution in Germany for at least two and no longer than five years, and were selected for that position in a competitive process (such as the DFG’s Emmy Noether Programme). The programme from which you are receiving funds, however, runs only for a term of no more than six years and does not provide renewal or a tenure-track option. The performance of your group to date has already received a positive evaluation by the institution or organization providing you with funds. Your publication record already shows your scientific independence (i. e. you have published at least two last-author papers). However, you need one to three years more in order to raise your research profile and become eligible for professorial appointments. The university/research institution should make a reasonable financial

December 2017 2 / 7

contribution to the budget of your research group and the proposal should be accompanied by written confirmation to this effect.

An additional requirement for proposals is a binding commitment by your university to grant you a permanent position, although in exceptional cases with special justification the requirement for a binding commitment to a permanent position may be dispensed with. If you move or accept an appointment at another university during the funding period, you will need to obtain its binding commitment to grant you a permanent position as well as substantial funding following the end of the “Plus 3” grant.

Formal Requirements for the “Plus 3” Application Your application must include the following documents (detailed information see Appendix): 1. Academic CV including awards, fellowships and research grants previously

received 2. List of publications (numbered and including full list of authors, full paper title,

journal title, volume and issue details, page range of article). Please list all your publications and use distinct marks for first- and last-authorships. Please use separate sections for (i) original articles (published or accepted/in press), (ii) reviews, and (iii) manuscripts submitted or in revision. Do not include posters or oral presentations at scientific conferences.

3. Diplomas 1. Project proposal for up to three years (see Appendix) 2. Binding commitment by the university/institution regarding your permanent

position 3. Binding commitment by the university/institution regarding the amount of its own

annual financial contribution and the staff positions that it will fund 4. Employer’s statement of the kind expected by the DFG for Emmy Noether

Programme group leaders assuring your independence 5. One copy each of all papers currently in print or submitted for publication, as well

as of your five most important published papers 6. Data consent (page 7) Selection Procedure The decision on whether to grant funds is made by the Executive Committee of the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation on the basis of recommendations made by the foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board and external peer-reviews. You can recommend up to three potential reviewers and may also name (giving reasons) scientists to whom your proposal should not be presented for assessment. Questions about the Programme?

Please contact Dr. Sabine Löwer tel: +49 (0) 6131 27 50 8-12 | e-mail: secretariat@bistiftung.de

December 2017 3 / 7

The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation

The Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation is a charitable foundation. It was established in 1977 by Hubertus Liebrecht (1931-1991), a member of the shareholder family of the company Boehringer Ingelheim. The foundation aims to support excellent scientific work in medicine, biology, chemistry and pharmacy.

With its “Plus 3” Perspectives Programme and the Exploration Grants, the foundation supports outstanding junior group leaders. It also provides funds of 100 million euros over ten years for the scientific running of the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) and 50 million euros for the development of the life sciences at the University of Mainz. The foundation endows the internationally renowned Heinrich Wieland Prize and the Boehringer Ingelheim Prize for outstanding research in clinical and theoretical medicine at the University of Mainz.

Executive Committee of the Foundation Scientific Advisory Board Christoph Boehringer (Chairman) Entrepreneur, Ingelheim

Prof. Dr. Dr. Andreas Barner (Chairman) C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG, Ingelheim

Prof. Dr. Dr. Andreas Barner C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG, Ingelheim

Prof. Dr. Dieter Häussinger, Clinic of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectiology, Düsseldorf

Prof. Dr. Michael P. Manns Medical School of Hannover, Dept. of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover

Prof. Dr. Wieland Huttner Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden

Otto Boehringer (Honorary Chairman) Mainz

Prof. Dr. Herbert Waldmann Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund

Managing Director

Dr. Claudia Walther, Schusterstrasse 46-48, 55116 Mainz, Germany, Tel. +49 (0) 6131 27508-12, Fax +49 (0) 6131 27508-11, secretariat@bistiftung.de www.boehringer-ingelheim-stiftung.de

December 2017 4 / 7

Appendix Project Proposal General Remarks

• The proposal – written in English – should consist of no more than 20 pages (11 or 12-point font) and should be comprehensible without reading the cited or appended literature.

• Please submit a paper copy of your proposal (DIN-A4 not stapled or bound) • A pdf-file should be submitted on CD ROM and to facilitate the reviewers’ work

the individual files have to be labelled according to the chapters in this document. • It will also assist the reviewers if you adhere to the following order: 1. General Information

1.1. Applicant Surname, first name, academic title Official position; if on a fixed-term contract, please state its duration Institution and department/ faculty (full name) Work address Phone number for contact E-mail address for contact Date of birth Nationality

1.2. Funding

Please state who has been funding your research group since its start and to what extent

1.3. Estimated total duration Since when have you been leading your first independent research group? How long is your current funding expected to run for?

2. Information about the Project

2.1. Title of project 2.2. Subject and area of research

Which subject (e.g. molecular biology, immunology) and Which area of research (e.g. DNA repair) does your project focus on?

2.3. Proposed beginning and duration of funding

2.4. Summary Please summarise the hypotheses and the main objectives of your project in generally accessible language and in not more than 2600 characters.

2.5. State of research Please describe the current state of knowledge concisely and exclusively in relation to your own research, mentioning the most significant work by other scientists. Make clear how your own work fits into this context, and to which

December 2017 5 / 7

of the open questions in the field you are making a new contribution, what importance, in your view, it will have for the field.

2.6. Own preliminary studies / Progress report Please describe your previous work and preliminary studies in this field, citing your own papers and other literature. This progress report should make clear the initial questions and the change in the state of knowledge brought about by your own work and that of other scientists since you began leading your group.

2.7. Objectives Brief description of your programme of research for the funding period, as well as its research objective(s).

2.8. Research design and methods Detailed information about the plan of work during the funding period (research design).

2.9. Cooperation agreements Please list the scientists (other than those named in sections 3.2 and 4.1.) with whom you are cooperating or mutually coordinating your work, or have agreed to do so, as well as the projects or project components concerned in each case.

2.10. Compliance Every project and study must comply with the applicable laws and conventions in their latest form.

3. Funds Requested

3.1. Total funds requested Please state the total amount of the funds requested.

3.2. Breakdown of costs 3.2.1. Personnel expenses

Please specify the number and type of positions for which you are requesting funds, as well as their respective proposed periods of employment in the project.

3.2.2. Consumables Please state the amount of funds you expect to need annually for consumables and provide justification of any substantial deviations from the DFG’s standard rates.

3.2.3. Other resources Please specify the purpose and amount of any additional funds that you need.

4. Other information 4.1. Composition of the research group

Please list (name, academic title and official position, including fellowship holders) the members of your research group who, other than those named

December 2017 6 / 7

under section 3.2., are to participate in the planned project, stating which institution or third-party donor will provide funds in each case.

4.2. Ongoing funding for non-personnel expenditure Please state the funds for non-personnel expenditure that are available annually from the institutions’ budget or from a third party (please list separately) for research work.

4.3. Funds committed Please state the resources and amounts (including personnel and non-personnel resources) that your university/institution, or a third-party has committed to you in writing for the period covered by your proposal to the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation, and append a copy of this written commitment to your proposal.

4.4. Conflicts of interest due to commercial activities Please inform us of any conflicts of interest e. g. if you are the owner of a commercial enterprise or own a stake in one. In each case, explain how your research project relates to the company’s production.

4.5. Declarations Please sign the attached declarations and obligations on page 7.

Please list any other bodies to which you have likewise submitted a funding application for the present project, stating the amount concerned. If no such proposals exist, the following declaration must be made and signed individually:

“A grant application for this project has not been submitted elsewhere. If I should make such an application, I will immediately notify the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation.”

4.6. Signature Please also sign the following: “I hereby confirm that all the information given in this application is true and accurate.”

Last updated: August 2017

Data protection information This information explains which data we store on our servers when processing your application/ grant and how these data are secured and used.

Personal application data

In the course of using this service, only those data shall be queried which are required for processing and deciding on your application/ processing the grant, as well as for evaluating selection processes and funding programmes of the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation (BIS). The data are forwarded to peer reviewers and committee members as part of the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation evaluation and decision processes.These persons are also obligated to handle the data and documents confidentially. The data are also stored and processed for these purposes in the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation business office. You can approve the usage of your data by the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation electronically. Your application cannot be processed unless you grant your consent. Upon request, the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation will inform you which of your personal data have been stored.

Declarations and obligations

I agree that

1. the data required by Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation (BIS) for processing and deciding on the application and processing of the grant shall be electronically and in paper form stored and processed by BIS and also forwarded to peer reviewers and foundation committees as part of the evaluation and decision-making process;

2. BIS processes and stores my personal data and data given in the application(s) for internal and scientific evaluations to monitor the quality of its selection processes and of its funding programmes and their effects. In case external cooperating partners, e. g. scientists, might be involved in such evaluations, it will be ensured that they also comply with all legal requirements;

3. information about successful applications, including the name of the applicant, the instutions involved and their locations, the amount of funding, the field of activity, general title and a general summary of the research project can be published on the BIS websites and printed materials of BIS;

I am aware that I can revoke the agreement regarding point number 2 in written form with future effect. I obligate myself to notify Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation immediately about significant changes to

the data given in the application; to comply with all laws relevant to the project and other project-related regulations

and in particular, to obtain any required approvals in due time; to use the approved financing solely in the interest of efficiently pursuing the project

as described in the application; to comply with the rules of good scientific practice according to the DFG’s “Proposals for

Safeguarding Good Scientific Practice” (http://www.dfg.de/en/research_funding/principles_dfg_funding/good_scientific_practice/)

------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Printed name Place, date, signature