Lastest Major Funding Opportunities

The following opportunities have been announced. Please follow the links for more information:

EPSRC is inviting outline proposals for its call  Novel Manufacturing Instrumentation. This call provides an opportunity for the development of novel manufacturing instrumentation to improve existing processes and develop new capabilities. The principal outputs of research projects funded through this call will be bespoke equipment. The closing date for outlines is 15/05/14. 

EPSRC through the Research Councils UK Energy Programme Supergen Fuel Cells Challenge is looking to support projects that help address the key research challenges that underpin the deployment of Fuel Cell Technologies. These areas are: Degradation and Failure, Electrodes and Interfaces, Sensors and Diagnostics, and Fuel Flexibility. There is up to £5M available to support projects submitted in response to this call. Register by 16:00 on 23/05/14 with applications submitted by 16:00 on 03/07/14.

ESRC has announced the call for outline proposals for their 2014/15 Centres and Large Grants Competition. This competition is aimed at experienced researchers who require longer-term or extended support for research groups, inter-institutional research networks, project-linked programmes, medium-to-large surveys, other infrastructure or methodological developments, or any related larger-scale projects. They welcome applications of excellent quality in any area of social science. This year’s competition also has two specific strategic steers, on ‘The Future of Higher Education’ and on ‘Sustainable Prosperity’, which sit alongside the normal open element of the call. To facilitate the new interdisciplinary relationships and networks that may be required to address the ‘Sustainable Prosperity’ steer, it is strongly advised that potential applicants attend the information and consortium-building event being held in central London on 28 April 2014. The competition is for proposals ranging from £2 million to £10 million. Outline proposals are to be submitted via Je-S by 16.00 on 05/06/14. Invited full applications will be required in late September 2014.

The Energy Catalyst, to successfully address the energy ‘trilemma’ of low carbon, security of supply and affordability, has been established by the Technology Strategy Board, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Funding up to £25m is available for the first round, opening in May 2014. Awards are available for Early-stage award: Technical feasibility , Mid-stage award: Technology development and Late-stage award: Pre-commercial technology validation. The Energy Catalyst welcomes proposals from any sector and is seeking to fund the best concepts and innovative technologies from any UK business or research organisation. Please check the specific award category for deadlines.
 
The Technology Strategy Board and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) are investing up to £2.5m in feasibility studies to accelerate commercial applications in the novel material, graphene. It will include related carbon-based, two-dimensional nanotechnologies that have recently emerged from the science base. The competition, Reaslising the Graphine Revolution, will invest in projects that explore the realistic potential of graphene to yield new products that could disrupt markets. The funders expect them to stimulate development of a robust and competitive supply base to support the nascent graphene-using industry. Registration closes on 28/05/14 and the deadline for receipt of applications is noon on 04/06/14. A briefing for potential applicants will be held on 24/04/14.
 

The Technology Strategy Board and the Welsh Government are to invest up to £8m in single-company and collaborative R&D projects to support the UK’s burgeoning regenerative medicine and cell therapy industry. This competition, Advancing regenerative medicines and cell therapies, will focus on the preclinical testing, clinical development and manufacture of regenerative medicines and cell therapies, and the development of associated underpinning tools and technologies. A briefing event and webinar for potential applicants will be held in London on 10/06/14.  Applicants must register by 09/07/14 with the deadline for expressions of interest being noon on 16/07/14.  

The Wellcome Trust scheme, Science Learning+ , aims to make a transformational step to improve the knowledge base and practice of informal science experiences, to better understand, strengthen and coordinate their vital role in science engagement and learning. Phase 1: Planning Grants (2014) is now open. This supports Short-term Planning Grants of up to £70 000 to enable groups of people and organisations in the UK, the Republic of Ireland and/or the USA to meet with each other and develop ideas and strategies. The funder aims to support up to ten Planning Grants in phase 1 and it may be that applicants in receipt of separate grants coalesce to develop collaborations together for application to phase 2, with The Wellcome Trust possibly facilitating this process. The deadline for phase 1 is 10/07/14.

Please note that some funders specify a time for submission as well as a date. Please confirm this with your RKE Support Officer.

You can set up your own personalised alerts on ResearchProfessional. If you need help setting these up, just ask your School’s RKE Officer in RKE Operations or see the recent post on this topic, which includes forthcoming training dates up to November 2014.

If thinking of applying, why not add notification of your interest on ResearchProfessional’s record of the bid so that BU colleagues can see your intention to bid and contact you to collaborate.