BU Research Blog

BU is introducing a new Research Council Development scheme which is a coordinated, targeted set of activities designed to inspire and equip BU researchers to achieve greater success with Research Council funding.

The aim is to:

• Increase awareness of the Research Councils opportunities

• Equip researchers with the confidence and skills to apply for the Research Councils funding in line with their career stage

• Fast-track the development of a portfolio of proposals by facilitating proposal writing, setting next steps and allocating support

Due to the wide range of opportunities offered by Research Councils, the RCDS will feature a range of activities which may be generic in scope or targeted to a cohort as follows.

• E cohort – early career researchers and those new to Research Councils (learning aims: first grants, fellowships, general mind-set and approach)
• M cohort – mid-career researchers and those with some Research Councils experience (learning aims: project leadership and moving up to larger grants/collaborations)
• P cohort – professorial level and those with significant Research Council experience (learning aims: high value, strategic and longer-larger funding)

As the RCDS is being piloted, this first cohort will have access to the ‘gold standard’ of a mix of development activities:

• As a group and within targeted cohorts: training, workshops, structured proposal writing sessions and opportunities to build peer-to-peer support.

• 1:1 support for scoping/identifying funding streams and planning/starting proposals.

• Hands-on work to develop proposals through the scheme, including bid surgeries.

We will evaluate what’s been offered after the first pilot and tailor the requirement for future cohorts. The criteria for membership, expectations of membership, and the training and development timetable for the pilot of the RCDS can be found in the scheme document. Those wanting to participate in this great opportunity will need to submit an expression of interest to: researchdev@bournemouth.ac.uk stating:

• Why they are applying to the RCDS

• What (if any) Research Council Bidding experience they have to date

• Which targeted cohort they consider themselves to be in: E, M or P

• Do they have a funding proposal in development? If so, to provide details of the proposal (this is not essential to be a member)

Please submit your expression of interest by 9^th February 2018. RKEO will then send a membership agreement form to potential members, where they will agree to attend the training sessions and submit proposals to the research councils. At this stage, potential members will need to seek approval from their line manager and Faculty DDRPP.

Please read through the Scheme document and if any clarification is required then contact Jo Garrad, Funding Development Manager, RKEO. This pilot is a fantastic opportunity to accelerate your research council funding track record.