2nd call for proposals to the Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis grants for projects and fieldwork
Territorio Mudéjar has announced the second edition of the Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis grants for projects and fieldwork aimed at directly supporting the work of researchers and developers of projects that are to be carried out in the member towns, based on a responsible, sustainable use of cultural and natural heritage resources.
Territorio Mudéjar was established as an association of city councils – thirty-two at this time – whose objective is to consolidate a unified, collaborative management network for the use of historical and artistic resources linked to important Mudejar heritage; such resources are deemed a driving force in the development of the towns and an identifying feature for upholding the communities existing in our region. Our activity program for the coming years was designed in accordance with the strategic lines set out in the “2019-2022 Work Plan by the Council of the European Union”, which are aligned with the goals of Agenda 2030, and it is based on the guiding principle that “the cultural identity of the territories shall contribute to sustainable social and economic development, differentiating markets and, in turn, enabling them to be integrated into a diversified economy that can ensure their future success”.
The projects undertaken in 2019 have strengthened one of our most important lines of work based on the development of activities that help attract and retain talent, as well as activities aimed at building networks of highly qualified professionals linked to the use of historical, artistic and cultural resources, thus contributing to regional development in the medium and long term.
They are dedicated to professor Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis, a firm advocate of managing Aragon’s heritage and territory, in terms of individual action and as an innovative field of work with a bright future. His work exemplified in a perfectly coherent manner how it is possible to combine highly relevant scientific research with a commitment to the land and its people, not only fostering knowledge, preservation and dissemination of historical and artistic heritage but also modernizing working methods and proposing innovative projects in which natural, cultural and heritage resources play a key role in communities’ futures.
Rules for participation
1/ Aim and scope of application
The aim of this call for proposals is to award FIVE grants to researchers and professionals in the field of cultural and natural heritage management so that they can carry out highly innovative research work or a project in this region within one of the fields of activity or areas of work specified below.
The proposals may span from the preliminary phases to development or pilot testing phases to project trials already underway.
The proposals must include a justified physical fieldwork stay in one or more of the towns in Territorio Mudéjar as an essential element in their execution. The projects submitted must demonstrate that they have a direct impact on at least three Territorio Mudéjar member towns and provide evidence of the influence of this impact on the region as a whole.
Objectives:
- To raise awareness about the rural setting through its Mudejar identity by creating innovative perspectives whose ultimate aim is to have a positive impact on the towns.
- To encourage projects with a strong regional impact carried out by experiencing life in the towns.
- To help create and implement professional networking through a shared perspective about the potential that heritage, cultural and natural resources have for supporting other sectors by means of cross-disciplinary and collaborative work.
- To create mechanisms for social participation in the field of heritage resource management from a regional perspective.
Specific objectives:
- To drive the knowledge about heritage resources in order to foster the implementation of projects, to better protect and to encourage preservation of the Mudejar heritage in the towns.
- To raise awareness about UNESCO World Heritage and the benefits it offers the region as an international brand.
- To support, in particular, projects related to the paragraphs above that deal with two or more Territorio Mudéjar towns.
- To support projects that function as a framework for action in a large number of sites or in relation to numerous assets, or that propose solutions and formulas that enhance the sustainability and management capabilities of Mudejar heritage in general.
- To support projects that help foster the social function of cultural heritage.
The areas addressed in this call for proposals are as follows:
AREA 1. New perspectives on Mudejar art:
– Updating data and knowledge about all aspects of Mudejar heritage: Monumental, urban, ethnographic, linguistic, agricultural, water-related and geographic issues, materials, processes, etc.
– Technical languages applied to the Mudejar: planimetric measurements, photogrammetry and 3D Mudejar.
– Geolocation, cartography and maps.
– Any topic that contributes to the expansion of the scientific base about Mudejar art.
AREA 2. Territorio Mudéjar-Cultural Landscape (definition of cultural landscape)
– Heritage resources and the actions of individuals
– Natural and social contexts
– Interactions between landscape and monuments
AREA 3. Management of cultural heritage:
– New models for usage beyond the traditional concept of “tourism or recreational use”
– Studies on physical, economic and intellectual accessibility
– Models for the future of preservation or intervention.
AREA 4. Communication and dissemination of Mudejar heritage
– Mudejar heritage and the media
– New media discourses
– Interpretation and means of accessing knowledge about Mudejar heritage
AREA 5. Mudejar heritage and its role in society as a key element for regional development
– Emotional ties as a key element in caring for, protecting and managing heritage.
– Population contexts: The value of inter-generational experience
– Society’s participation in the spotlighting, exchange and collective construction of knowledge and new ways of learning.
Grants will be awarded in accordance with a competition system following the assessment criteria set out in the call for proposals and pursuant to article 22.1 of General Subsidies Act 38/2003, of November 17.
2/ Applicants
Individuals and groups of individuals that have not formed a legal entity and that meet all the requirements set forth in this call for proposals may submit proposals.
Applicants (or groups of applicants) may be in the initial or intermediate stages of their research period or professional career, and must provide proof of:
- Higher education credentials related to the subject matters addressed in the call for proposals
- A Master’s degree in cultural heritage management (or a similar degree) or provide documented proof of having completed at least two years of research or professional activity, whether paid or not.
No legal entities of any kind may participate, including companies, associations, partnerships or groups formed under any other type of legal association.
When a project is submitted by two or more people, the formula shall be referred to as a “team”, and each member of the team must be accredited individually.
If the project submitted is part of a research program linked to a university, public research institution or private (non-profit) entity, this must be indicated in the project description.
Acceptance of the project and development of the fieldwork is compatible with other professional activities as long as the way in which this will be reconciled is specified and accounted for in the project description.
Projects submitted may receive funding from other sources as long as they are supplementary and specified in the description.
The total income must never exceed the expenses for carrying out the project.
3/ Requirements
- Candidates must hold a Bachelor’s Degree, Graduate Diploma or Architecture Degree, or equivalent.
- And a Master’s Degree specialized in heritage and/or in other related areas, or provide proof of at least two years of research experience and/or professional work in a field related to the proposal (whether paid work or not).
- They must prove that they are up to date on the payment of all their tax and social security obligations, and have met their subsidy reimbursement obligations.
- They must not fall under any of the categories set forth in art. 13 of the General Subsidies Act.
4/ Submission deadline
The deadline for submitting applications shall be MONDAY, June 29, 2020.
Proposals sent by email before 11:59 pm – mainland Spanish time – shall be accepted.
If an application contains mistakes that can be corrected, the entity receiving the proposals shall notify the applicant, who shall have a period of no longer than three days after receiving the notice to correct the mistakes; this shall be mandatory for the application to be considered in the assessment process.
5/ Características y condiciones
Period: The projects and fieldwork must be carried out by December 24, 2020. The final project report must be handed in by December 28, 2020 at the latest.
Length of grant: The proposals must be carried out over a period of at least THREE months and no more than SIX months.
Grant amount: The projects shall be allocated a sum of up to € 6,000.00, which must be accounted for in the project report, based on the expenses indicated in the following section.
Expenses chargeable to the grant: The budget must identify expensed items related directly to the project needs such as fees for work performance, materials, travel, living expenses, accommodations and others, which may include any relevant taxes that might arise.
If the project receives funding from other sources, the candidates must specify: Entity, length, financed activities (aim and content), and the part of the project to which the funding is allocated.
Compatibility: Performance of the fieldwork is compatible with other employment, professional or research activities, provided the entity receiving the proposals is properly notified. The project description must indicate the degree of compatibility and the working methods used so as to avoid overlaps or any breaches of the conditions set forth in this call for proposals.
Number of calls for proposals: Beneficiaries may not receive grants under more than two consecutive calls for proposals. Therefore, resident researchers who were beneficiaries in the last two calls for proposals are not eligible to apply in this call for proposals, and will be disqualified if they do so.
Other:
Beneficiaries shall be included in the entity’s third-party liability insurance policy.
The beneficiaries shall not establish any kind of employment relationship with the entity.
All grant amounts are subject to the withholdings and taxes stipulated in the legislation in force, and shall be deducted from the relevant grant amount.
6/ Applications
Applications must be sent in digital format to the following Asociación Territorio Mudéjar email address: info@territoriomudejar.es
- Application-Basic identification details of the applicant and the project
- Copy of ID card.
- Summary of the professional career of the applicant(s) (maximum 2,000 characters).
- Summary of the project/proposal (max. 2,000 characters)
- Abridged academic and professional resume (max. 5 pages)
- Five projects carried out that the applicant deems relevant as the basis for the proposal (Summary of each project containing max. 2,000 characters)
- Description of the proposed project (max. 5 pages) containing: Title, background and current status of the topic, hypothesis, methodology, work plan and schedule, description of the project’s specific objectives, towns to be directly and indirectly affected by the proposal, town or towns proposed for the fieldwork stay and expected length of stay, detailed budget for the research, stating the amount requested.
- Optionally, a letter of recommendation from a relevant individual within the proposed field of work may be provided.
- Where teams are involved, both the application and the award resolution must expressly state the performance commitments undertaken by each member of the team and the grant amount to be applied to each member, all of whom shall be considered beneficiaries equally. One member of the team must be appointed to act as its representative or agent, and this person must be sufficiently authorized to fulfill the group’s obligations as a beneficiary. The team must agree not to disband until the statutory period set forth in articles 39 and 65 of Act 38/2003, of November 17, has elapsed.
7/ Selection process and criteria
The project selection process shall be based on the assessments conducted by the Scientific Committee and the entity’s management team, which shall prepare a ranking in line with the following criteria:
- The applicants’ previous curricular background, training and performance: 15%. The focus of the curricular background shall be assessed in relation to the area of work for the project chosen by the applicant.
- Project quality and innovative nature of the proposal: 35%. An assessment shall be made as to whether the project is properly formulated and presented in an accurate and detailed manner. The framework of objectives/actions/resources/budget must be correctly established. The schedule must be realistic. The project must contemplate its own assessment and future feasibility.
- Area of impact / no. of towns entailed: 35%. The way in which the project affects the territory shall be assessed. This may be a direct impact in the present or future, but in all cases this is a mandatory requirement. Projects that foresee a realistic impact but are not based on trends or the media shall be assessed in a highly positive light.
- Complementary activities that involve the local population: 15%. An assessment shall be made as to whether any of the activities involve the public in project performance. This involvement need not necessarily be through a cultural activity. The inclusion of activities that have an unconventional cultural impact shall be assessed.
8/ Assessment and resolution
The grant resolution shall be announced on or after Wednesday, July 1, 2020.
The call for proposals may be declared fully or partially null and void, and the committees’ decisions shall be final.
When the resolution of the call for proposals has been issued, the list of beneficiaries and members of the assessment committee shall be published on the Asociación Territorio Mudéjar website www.territoriomudejar.es.
Under no circumstances shall personalized information about the applications received or the decisions of the assessment committee be provided.
9/ Formalization, justification and payment of the grants
Formalization: Prior to the project starting date, based on each schedule but no later than August 1, 2020, the beneficiaries must sign an acceptance agreement, which shall be compulsory for receipt of the grant. Once the acceptance document has been signed, they must begin the project on the date indicated in the schedule.
Payment: The grant shall be paid in three installments: 40% at the start, after signing the acceptance agreement; 40% halfway through the project, and the remaining 20% upon submission of the final report on the project. These conditions shall apply in general to all the beneficiaries unless the project description, as an exception, provides justification for the need to receive payment on a different timeline.
Justification and presentation of results:
The beneficiaries must provide proof that they have met the requirements and conditions established in this call for proposals by submitting: An intermediate report halfway through the fieldwork stay so that the project progress can be assessed. A final project report in digital format describing the objectives, aims accomplished, and outcomes, as well as a financial report accounting for the cost of the activities performed.
Financial control:
The intermediate report must include a review of the estimated budget that either confirms its validity or introduces the necessary adjustments, whenever they are justified.
The final report must include a financial report detailed as follows:
- A list of expenses incurred, indicating the payment recipient, amount, date issued and payment. Since the project contains an estimated budget, the list of expenses shall be classified according to the budget items in the subsidized project or activity. Any budget deviations that may have arisen in the course of the project must be accounted for.
- Proof of payment: Invoices, receipts or supporting documents and proof of payment. If payment was made in cash, this must be indicated on the expenditure document, correctly specifying the item.
- The payment of fees shall be documented in a sworn statement and detailed in the report in accordance with the results attained, specifying the hours of work assigned to the actions performed.
- Mileage expenses shall be documented in a sworn statement and a breakdown shall be included in the report in accordance with the results attained, specifying the journeys made and assigned to specific actions.
Breach:
The grants shall be canceled and the amounts received must be refunded if the conditions established in this call for proposals are not met and, in general, in any of the cases set forth in article 37 of the General Subsidies Act.
10/ Dissemination of project results
Asociación Territorio Mudéjar may ask the grant beneficiaries to collaborate in project dissemination activities. In this regard, the beneficiary shall furnish Asociación Territorio Mudéjar with all the information and documentation requested and shall assign the latter any appropriate rights for the dissemination of the results, at no cost.
The beneficiaries must mention the source of the grant on any materials or results issued by including the phrase “Project funded by Territorio Mudéjar under the 2020 Gonzalo M. Borrás Gualis fieldwork grant program” and adding the entity’s logo whenever possible.
Asociación Territorio Mudéjar shall, in turn, always identify the authors of the projects.
11/ Acceptance of the rules for participation
By participating in this call for proposals, applicants agree to the rules herein and the resolution to be issued, which shall be final, and they also waive their right to file any kind of complaint.
As an exception, for duly justified reasons, Asociación Territorio Mudéjar reserves the right to interpret and amend the wording of the rules for participation in order to clarify or specify the contents thereof, as long as this does not represent a substantial or arbitrary alteration of such contents.
Applicants may contact Asociación Territorio Mudéjar with any queries they may have by sending an email to info@territoriomudejar.es
