Category / Funding opportunities

Daiwa Foundation Tohoku Scholarships open now!

Funding opportunities

In response to the 11 March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in the north east of Japan the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, in partnership with the British Council in Japan, launched a £250,000 scholarship fund to support Japaneses students in the Tohoky region.  They are now accepting applications for the 2012 round of scholarships.

The aim of this initiative is to support post-secondary level students affected by the March 2011 disasters, in particular those areas most affected (Miyagi, Fukushima and Iwate prefectures), seeking to study for a period at an educational institution in the United Kingdom. Applications will also be considered from students from the Tohoku region who are currently studying in the UK but who require financial support to continue their studies.

Scholarship applications may be submitted for the following types of courses, beginning in 2012 or 2013:

  • Undergraduate and postgraduate degree courses (including foundation programmes) in all subject areas
  • PhD and post-doctoral research programmes
  • Vocational courses at universities and colleges of further education
  • English language courses (e.g. pre-sessional courses, English language summer schools)

The amount of funding available will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Sufficient funding will be awarded to cover fees, living expenses and travel expenses for an applicant’s intended course, in line with its level and duration. Therefore, applicants are required to explain their vision for the future and financial plans as part of the application process. Priority will be given to students who can demonstrate seriousness of purpose and financial need. Successful applicants must secure a place on a course of study at a UK institution in order to take up funding.

Application forms can be downloaded from the British Council’s Japan website (www.britishcouncil.or.jp), and should include a personal statement outlining the purpose of study and long-term goals. Completed application forms should be sent to: Daiwa Foundation Tohoku Scholarships section, British Council, 1-2 Kagurazaka, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0825

The application deadline is 15 June 2012 (applications postmarked up to this date will be accepted). Applicants who intend to study in the UK on courses of up to three months will be assessed on the basis of the application form alone; applicants who intend to study on courses of over three months will be asked to come to either London or Tokyo for an interview. The selection panel will assess applications and inform applicants who are selected for interview by early July. Interviews will take  place on 10 and 11 July 2012 in London, and on 18 and 19 July 2012 in Tokyo. All successful applicants (for courses of both up to and over three months) will be informed of the results in mid-August.

For further information visit the call website: http://www.dajf.org.uk/ and read the scheme notes: http://www.educationuk.org/userfiles/file/Daiwa%20Foundation%20Tohoku%20Scholarships%20publicity.pdf 

The closing date is 15 June 2012.

EPSRC/ESRC Invitation for Outlines: Consortia for Exploratory Research in Security

Funding opportunities, Research news

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

As part of their contribution to the RCUK Global Uncertainties Programme, EPSRC and ESRC are jointly inviting proposals for research consortia (PDF 79KB) to explore current and future cyber security challenges.

CEReS consortia are encouraged to work across or between established disciplines and to draw on expertise from multiple research organisations wherever necessary. They particularly welcome proposals with significant novel mathematics and/or social science content.

Initially, outline proposals will be assessed for their novelty and fit to the aims of the call. Successful outline applicants will be invited to submit full proposals later in 2012.

EPSRC and ESRC have made available up to £4M available to fund full proposals funded through the CEReS call. They expect to support a range of projects which is broad in terms of scale (likely to be between £500k and £1M for each consortium), duration (two to four years), mix of disciplines (with single discipline proposals being the exception rather than the norm) and subject matter (although all must focus on cyber security-related challenges in the broadest sense).  Activities funded through CEReS are limited to those currently allowed on EPSRC grants. As a result they will not be able to accept applications which request funding for PhD studentships, even if they are outside EPSRC’s remit.

CEReS is a call for exploratory research. Consortia should identify ambitious goals with far-reaching impacts on future research and, potentially at least, practice in cyber security. Projects which continue or extend current work in a straightforward or obvious way will not be supported. Collaboration between disciplines is strongly encouraged. Although it is not essential that all projects include cross- or intra-disciplinary working it is likely that the assessment process will select positively for consortia which adopt this approach.

Although it is being managed by EPSRC the CEReS call is also open to researchers eligible to apply for targeted funding from ESRC. There is no quota of applications or funding based on Research Council remits. It is possible for the same researcher(s) to be associated with more than one consortium application.

For further information visit the call website: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/calls/open/Pages/ceres.aspx and read the call documentation: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/Calls/2012/CEReSCall.pdf. Outline proposals should be prepared and submitted using the Research Councils’ Joint electronic Submission (JeS) System (https://je-s.rcuk.ac.uk/).

The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.

The closing date is 14 June 2012.

Royal Society Research Professorship scheme now open!

Funding opportunities

The Royal Society’s Research Professorship scheme is now open for applications! This scheme is for world-class scientists who would benefit from a period of long-term support to allow them to focus on research and collaboration based at an institution in the UK. The scheme provides salary costs, a one-off start-up grant and research expenses. Appointments are usually made for 10 years.

The Professorships may be awarded in any field across the natural sciences. These prestigious posts provide long-term support for internationally recognised scientists of outstanding achievement and promise.

For further information visit the call website: http://royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/research-professorship/ and read the scheme notes: http://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/grants/schemes/Research-Professorship.pdf.

The RKE Operations team can help you with your application.

The closing date is 26 June 2012.

Research Development Fund – Small Grants Scheme Closes 31 May

BU research, Funding opportunities

The next round of the internal small grants scheme closes this month on 31st May.  The scheme provides up to £2000 per application for direct costs.

Examples of research activities covered by the RDF include:

  • Pilot projects
  • Pump-priming
  • Interview transcription
  • Fieldwork
  • Visiting major libraries, museums, other research institutions, etc.
  • Organisation of an academic conference at BU with external participants
  • Attendance at external networking events leading to collaborative research proposals
  • Meetings with external organisations to establish collaborations
  • Preparation of specialist material or data
  • Short-term Research Assistant support or replacement teaching
  • Research consumables and equipment (providing it is clear these would not normally be purchased by the School)

This list is not exhaustive; applications can be for other expenses providing it is clear how the funding will benefit research at BU.  This Scheme is only open to BU Academic Staff members (normally restricted to academics based in Schools).

If you would like to apply the application form and full details can be found here.  The applications must be emailed to the Research Development Unit (RDU@bournemouth.ac.uk) by 31st May 2012

Grounded Theory Masterclass 18-19 June 2012

BU research, Funding opportunities, PG research

The Centre for Qualitative Research at Bournemouth University is pleased to announce its next Masterclass in Grounded Theory.Date: 18-19 June 2012 

Venue:Bournemouth University, Executive Business Centre, 2nd FloorBook your place online now.This masterclass will focus on grounded theory – theory developed from data. We shall examine the origins of the approach and the way it has developed over time. Key writers such as Strauss, Glaser and Charmaz will be discussed and their specific approaches described with examples from grounded theory work.

Who should attend
The masterclass has been designed to suit postgraduate students, academics and professionals who are using or may wish to use grounded theory methodology and methods in their research. You can also achieve masters level credits through taking this masterclass – visit our masterclass event page for more details.

Masterclass facilitators
Prof. Immy Holloway is internationally recognised for her work in qualitative approaches to research and has authored many articles and books on the subject. She not only has a deep theoretical knowledge of grounded theory but also takes a very practical approach.
Dr. Liz Norton is a Senior Lecturer at BU and has a particular interest in Glaserian grounded theory. She has used grounded theory in practice in the completion of environment and health-related grounded theory studies.

Cost
The fee of £200.00 (£125 for postgraduate students, with further reductions for BU staff/students) for this Masterclass includes two full days with the course facilitators, all refreshments and all class materials. Accommodation and travel costs are not included.

To book your place please use our online booking form.

For more details please visit our masterclass event page.

Best wishes,

Caroline Ellis-Hill
Masterclass Co-ordinator and Senior Lecturer at BU

Virgin Media Shorts Competition Opens to Entries (UK)

Funding opportunities, Uncategorized

The Virgin Media Shorts, which is a short film competition that champions undiscovered talent, has announced that its 2012 competition is now open to entries.

The competition is open to filmmakers and gives them the chance to show their work in cinemas, on TV, online and on mobile (via the mobile internet).  Prizes include: 13 film makers win a chance to show their work on 214 cinema screens nationwide; one winner will receive £30,000 to make their next film; and a People’s Choice winner will receive £5,000 of film funding and BFI mentoring.  Films must be in English or subtitled in English and be of a duration of up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds. The deadline for entries is 12 noon on the 12th July 2012.

4th World Business Ethics Forum – 16-18 December 2012, Hong Kong

Funding opportunities, Research Ethics, Research news, Uncategorized

The 4th World Business Ethics Forum (WBEF) will be held from 16 to 18 December 2012 by the School of Business of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU).  BU have received an invitation to submit papers for presentation at the Conference.

The theme for this 4th WBEF is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability.  HKBU welcome research papers related to this broad theme.  Suggested topics include:

Dimensions and theories of CSR; CSR and risk management; CSR and business ethics; CSR and strategic management; CSR and corporate sustainability; CSR and corporate governance; CSR reporting and capital market; Corporate sustainability management; Legal issues of CSR; CSR in Asia; CSR in China; CSR education; CSR case studies; CSR in western perspectives; and other related issues.

They anticipate that over 150 scholars and professionals across the world will attend the Conference.  Selected papers from the Conference will be published in a special issue of Journal of Business Ethics.

The deadline for paper submission is 30th June 2012.  Please submit the full paper and enquiries to the Conference Secretariat at wbef@hkbu.edu.hk.  Email submissions in Word format are strongly preferred.  Submission of full paper for review indicates that it or a similar version has not been previously published or is not simultaneously under review elsewhere.  Each submission should include FULL contact details, including the author(s)’ brief bio, institution affiliation, mailing address, telephone and fax number, e-mail address, topic area (up to three topics selected from the above).  Full paper should not be more than 40 pages in double-line spacing (all inclusive) and must follow the style guidelines of the Journal of Business Ethics (JBE).

For more details of the Conference, please visit the web site at http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~wbef.  The Conference Committee will select full papers on a competitive basis, and author(s) will be notified by September 2012.

RBS EnterprisingU competition open to students and graduates

Funding opportunities

The RBS EnterprisingU competition has launched, with £40,000 worth of prizes!

The competition, created by Find Invest Grow and sponsored by RBS Group and LinkedIn, offers a unique online platform for students to “road-test” their business ideas, while building the framework for a professional business plan at the same time.

It is open to students and graduates of the past 5 years:  they don’t have to be economics grads with business experience – anyone can enter. The platform enables students to explore the viability of their business idea, by asking the right questions and building the appropriate framework.

Investors will be reviewing and judging entrants to decide on the 20 semi-finalists who will be selected to attend the training workshops.  The 10 finalists will be pitching their business ideas to a room full of investors,  with the chance of winning prizes of £25,000, £10,000, and £5,000.

The competition is now open, at: http://www.rbsenterprisingu.com

Encourage your students / recent graduates to apply!

The deadline for completed entrants is midnight on the 15th June 2012.

The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Titular Fellowships – 2012

Funding opportunities, Research news

The call for applications for the ACU Titular Fellowships is now open.

The ACU Titular Fellowships provide opportunities for staff from member universities and employees working in industry, commerce or public service in a Commonwealth country to spend periods of time in other member universities or relevant institutions outside their own country. Preference will be given to workers in the following priority subject areas: agriculture, forestry and food sciences, biotechnology, development strategies, earth and marine sciences, engineering, health and related social sciences, information technology, management for change, professional education and training, social and cultural development and university development and management.

A summary of the awards is as follows:

Swansea University Fulton Fellowship

Tenable at Swansea University. Awarded for any of the priority subjects listed above.

Country of Tenure: United Kingdom

 

The Worshipful Company of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales Fellowship

At least one Fellowship open either to professionally qualified accountants or to established members of university faculties or related fields. Tenable at a Commonwealth university which either provides courses approved by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, or provides courses in, or closely allied to, business education. Section A of the nomination form may be completed either by the head of the candidate’s firm/company, or by the Executive Head of the proposed host university.

Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country

 

Wighton Titular Fellowship in Engineering

Open to full-time staff, academic or technical, of engineering departments in any of the developing country universities in membership of the ACU. Intended especially for the enhancement of laboratory teaching capacity.

Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country

 

The University of Manitoba Fellowship

Tenable at the University of Manitoba. Awarded for any of the priority subject areas listed above.

Country of Tenure: Canada

 

The George Weston Limited, Canada, Fellowship

Awarded in agriculture, forestry, and food science/ food technology.

Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country

 

The University of Oxford Fellowship

Tenable at the University of Oxford. Awarded in any of the priority subject areas listed above.

Country of Tenure: United Kingdom

 

The Jacky McAleer Memorial Fellowship

In memory of Jacky McAleer, a former member of staff of the ACU, and in recognition of her long and outstanding service to the ACU. Awarded in the field of information technology, with priority given to the computerisation of record systems or computer-assisted learning.

Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country

 

The Gordon and Jean Southam Fellowship

Open to nominees of any of the Canadian universities in membership of the ACU. Awarded for any of the priority subject areas listed above.

Country of Tenure: Any Commonwealth country other than home country

 

Applications will be considered ONLY if the applicant is approved by the Executive Head (Vice-Chancellor, President or Rector) of a university in ACU membership. The ACU will also consider applications approved by the chief executive officer of a Commonwealth inter-university organisation. Fellowships will be tenable for up to a maximum of six months.

The closing date for applications is 1st June 2012

For further information and details of how to apply, please visit the webpage at http://www.acu.ac.uk/member_services/fellowships_mobility/acu_titular_fellowships or email acuawards@acu.ac.uk

If you are interested in applying then you should discuss your interest with Matthew Bennett, Tim McIntyre-Bhatty or John Vinney in the first instance.

BBSRC – Raising awareness of commercialisation in postgraduate and postdoctoral scientists

Funding opportunities, PG research, Uncategorized

 Closing Date for Applications: 25th May 2012

 This is  an exciting opportunity available to postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers* within the plant, microbial and environmental science disciplines, or those with an interest in these fields.

 Building on last year’s success, Syngenta, the world’s largest agribusiness company, are again hosting a Plant, Microbial and Environmental sciences workshop, at their world-class Jealott’s Hill research facility as part of the wider Biotechnology YES programme.

 We are particularly keen to attract teams from the plant, microbial and environmental sciences to this high profile workshop that will provide a unique opportunity for the participants to spend time at a world-class research facility, with the chance to have a look around and meet world-leading scientists. The workshop will have an emphasis on challenges such as:

  •  food security and production in a sustainable environment and using lower levels of inputs such as water, phosphorus and nitrogen;
  •  the effects of climate change on food production;
  •  the effects of global biodiversity collapse on ecosystem services;
  •  the production of liquid fuels without impacting on the environment, more effective strategies to control organisms such as crop pests, pathogenic bacteria and disease;
  •  making technology and marketing concepts to integrate crop protection with seeds more attractive to growers.

YES is an innovative competition aimed at raising awareness of the commercialisation of bioscience research. It is co-organised by the Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the University of Nottingham Institute for Enterprise & Innovation (UNIEI). As part of the wider national YES programme, we are also currently encouraging applications from teams of bioscientists who wish to enter the 2012 Biotechnology YES and Environment YES competitions.

Entrants form imaginary companies and bid for funding to commercialise their ideas. Through 3-day workshops taking place across the UK this autumn, participants receive training from entrepreneurs, patent lawyers and industry representatives in the business skills necessary to recognise, protect and harness the commercial potential of scientific research outputs.

The culmination of the competition is the preparation and presentation, by each team, of a hypothetical business plan for a new start-up company.  The competition is therefore fully in line with the government’s objective of encouraging economic and social impact and the competition is endorsed by a number of bio-based industries through their sponsorship.  In addition, the winning team of the national Biotechnology YES competition will receive a prize of £1000 and an invitation to the Rice Business Plan Competition in the United States.

Since its launch seventeen years ago, Biotechnology YES has provided entrepreneurial business training for over 3000 researchers from across the UK. In 2010, an independent review of the scheme highlighted that many former participants found YES to be influential in developing their careers, with several starting their own companies and many more becoming business professionals within the bioscience sector. (Review of Biotechnology YES).

 The closing date for entries into this year’s competition is 25 May 2012.

 More information may be found at the website: www.biotechnologyYES.co.uk or those interested in participating may wish to contact Tracey Hassall-Jones (tracey@biotechnologyyes.co.uk). 

 

AHRC seeks applications in Environmental Change and Sustainability

Funding opportunities

Applications for up to £1.5m (full economic cost) are invited under a highlight notice in AHRC’s standard and early career research grants routes. The highlight notice addresses the ‘Environmental Change and Sustainability’ area within the Care for the Future theme and is open until 30th October 2012.

Aims and Scope of the Highlight Notice

The aim of the highlight notice is to encourage collaborative arts and humanities-led research which explores the potential of a temporally inflected lens to provide new insights on the challenges of environmental change and sustainability.

For the purposes of the highlight notice, ‘environmental change’ is defined broadly and includes climate change, environmental hazards, agriculture and food security, water, landscape and natural resources. The issues may be at any environmental scale and be focused geographically anywhere in the globe. ‘Sustainability’ is also defined broadly but with particular reference to inter-generational relationships, and the broader ways in which the past, the present and the future inter-relate, in respect to issues of environmental change. There is no limit to how far back in time (or how far forward in the future) the temporal horizon may reach, but proposals must demonstrate a significant temporal dimension which extends beyond contemporary or near contemporary themes.

More information on the call can be found on the AHRC website and in the call document.

Call for proposals – Places and Local Labour Markets

Funding opportunities, Research news, Uncategorized

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has issued a call for proposals for a research project which aims to explore the relationship between living in particular places, poverty outcomes and ethnicity by gaining a more in-depth understanding of why it is the case that:

  • Some areas produce better outcomes for ethnic minority groups in general; 
  • Some areas produce poor outcomes for ethnic minority groups in general;
  • Some ethnic minority groups (and groups within them) have different outcomes in different places.

The research will unpick variations in the structure of opportunities within local labour markets, examine the role of local social networks and take a range of other factors into account, including: how local services are organised, the changing economic context, the migration history of different groups, local political structures and issues around housing and mobility.

There is up to £100,000 available for the project, which will last for 8 months.  The proposed start date is May 2012. 

 The submission deadline is 11 April 2012.

Planning on submitting a proposal?  Then you need to contact beth.hurrell@jrf.org.uk by 15 March 2012

Looking for more information?

Do you have a smart idea for using technology at BU?

Funding opportunities

If you’re looking for rapid project funding, pitch your idea on a new JISC website and receive feedback from your peers.

The JISC Elevator is a new beta platform for people to pitch ideas for projects up to £10,000 using video and short descriptions.

Once an idea has been submitted to the site, people working and studying in UK higher and further education will be able to vote if they like the idea.

When an idea receives the target number of votes then JISC will decide whether or not to fund the idea.

Andrew McGregor, who is managing the JISC Elevator, said: “JISC’s remit is to fund cutting edge innovation – so we hope that by creating a different platform for bidding we’ll be able to capture the brainwaves of many more people in colleges and universities, perhaps people who haven’t previously bid for JISC funds.  The voting mechanisms on the Elevator will also allow us to respond directly to what’s important for people in further and higher education.”

The JISC Elevator is open to all kinds of ideas, with suggestions including:

  • Innovate with e-books
  • Start a student led project
  • Open a can of worms – propose a technical project that starts a big conversation in your institution
  • Use gaming principles to improve research or teaching processes
  • Apply work previously funded by JISC to your own situation
  • Create online services to help students make decisions about university
  • Develop cloud solutions to account for and monitor cloud security

For details on what kinds of idea JISC are looking for please see the submission criteria.

Successful projects will be notified in April and expected to complete by the end of July 2012.

Visit the JISC Elevator

Find out about our other funding opportunities

Give your feedback on the JISC Elevator

 

Revised Knowledge Transfer Partnerships Award Criteria

BU research, Funding opportunities

KTP diagramThe Technology Strategy Board has made some revisions to the criteria a project has to meet in order to receive a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) grant. This has caused some confusion. In order to obtain clarification, Neil Grice, the local Adviser visited the University last week for a meeting with School representatives.

Listed below are the current key award criteria:

  • Project is for the development of a company capability, not a product.
  • On completion, the company is left with a legacy, e.g. a new capability or process.
  • Innovative – leading edge knowledge is transferred to the company. Can’t be done by employing consultants, needs research.
  • Impact – the project makes a significant difference to the company which would not have happened without the KTP. University also receives significant results.
  • Challenge – Stretching for University and company.
  • Fits in with company strategy.
  • Company is financially sound.
  • Science and technology focussed. Difficult to obtain awards for social care, marketing and business development projects.
  • Awards are most likely to be granted for projects with small/medium sized organisations.

 

If you require any further information on KTPs in general please contact Peter Delgado, Commercialisation and KTP Officer, e-mail – pdelgado@bournemouth.ac.uk

Vice-Chancellor Doctoral (Fee Waive) Scholarship

Funding opportunities, PG research, Uncategorized

We are delighted to announce the launch of the 2012 Vice-Chancellor Doctoral (Fee Waive Scholarships) which will offer support to up to 60 outstanding postgraduate research students.  The Scholarships will provide a full fee waive for up to 36 months in the case of full-time students and exceptionally 48 months in the case of part-time students.  Stipends (to cover living expenses) are not included in the scholarships and these must be provided by the student themselves or by a sponsor. 

This Scholarship programme will open on 1 March 2012 and will roll until 30 June 2012.  There are up to 60 scholarships available, which are nominally split evenly between the 6 Academic Schools.  However, individual schools may take up more or less than their allocated 10 scholarships as available.  There is no requirement for a School to accept candidates.

The focus of the Vice-Chancellor Doctoral (Fee Waive) Scholarships is on the outstanding nature of the candidate who must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • All candidates must demonstrate truly outstanding qualities and be motivated to complete a PhD in 3 years full-time or 4 years part-time.
  • All candidates must satisfy the University’s minimum doctoral entry criteria for studentships of an honors degree at First Class (1) and/or an appropriate Masters degree or equivalent .
  • An IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 minimum is essential for candidates for whom English is not their first language.

In addition to satisfying basic entry criteria, BU will look closely at the qualities, skills and background of each candidate and what they can bring to their chosen research project in order to ensure successful and timely completion.  It is important to consider that in most cases the interpretation of ‘truly outstanding’ is likely to be those candidates with a First Class (Hons) degrees and/or a distinction at Masters, with clear documented evidence of drive, commitment and relevant skills.

Only the most outstanding candidates will be supported.  Full details and criteria are set out in the BU VC Scholarship 2012 – Policy document. Staff and potential candidates are asked to check the eligibility criteria carefully before applying. 

The scholarships will be awarded, via the process set out below, to candidates who meet the eligibility criteria, have the support of their supervisory teams, are accepted by the relevant Academic School and must be approved by the School’s Dean and UET.  The process will be managed by the Graduate School.  The Vice-Chancellor Doctoral Scholarships applications (on the appropriate application form downloaded from the Graduate School website from Thursday 1 March 2012) should be submitted to Dr Fiona Knight (Graduate School Academic Manager) no later than 30 June 2012 who will circulate to each School for approval.

JISC offer advice on making your grant application stand out

Funding opportunities

JISC funds a wide range of infrastructure, services, innovative projects and studies.  As competition grows for funds, JISC have offered some advice on successful bidding that can help you make a strong application that stands out from the crowd.  Their advice is worth considering for all grant applications.

Sarah Porter, Director of Innovation at JISC, said:  “We want to attract bids from a wide range of universities and colleges, those that know JISC well and others that might be bidding for the first time or need additional help with their application. We know bidding for funds is a time-consuming process and we are therefore aiming to give organisations the best possible chance of being successful in their applications.”

JISC advice for successful bidding includes:

 

  • Describe how your proposed project meets the criteria set out in the call

 

  • Demonstrate how your idea  is aligned with the objectives of your college or institution, including what buy-in you have from senior management

 

  • Carry out an initial assessment of the risks of undertaking the project – and then mention this in your bid

 

  • Include an initial project plan and show how the project will be managed

 

  • Think ahead – include information about dissemination, embedding and evaluation mechanisms

 

  • Show that your project is sustainable once the funding has ceased – not just financially but also in terms of the skills sets of the people involved, and any data/software preservation

 

  • Go green – show that you have considered the environmental impact of your project, eg. server power and data storage space you need

 

  • Consider the wider benefits of the project  for UK education and research to show that your project is good value for money.  You might think about generating workshops, briefing papers or web pages to help disseminate the findings of your project more widely

 

  • Don’t let your bid fail on the easy stuff: make sure you stick to the page limit and get your bid in on time

 

More information on specifically what JISC are looking for and the funding available can be found on their website.

 

SMART Awards – University as Sub-contractor

Funding opportunities

Pre start-ups, start-ups, and small and medium-sized businesses, from all sectors, may apply to the Technology Strategy Board  for three types of grant :

– Proof of market grant

– Proof of concept grant

– Development of prototype grant

While universities may not apply directly, they may act as a sub-contractor to an applicant. Consequently this is a further source of  funding for business/university collaborations.

The purpose of these awards is to assist businesses engage in research & development projects in the strategically important areas of science, engineering and technology, from which successful new products, processes and services can emerge. 

 The maximum grants vary between £25k and £250K. The Government will fund up to 60% of the project costs.

 For an overview of the SMART programme click here:

For more detail click here: