Category / Funding opportunities

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

moneyThe following funding opportunities have been announced. Please follow the links for more information.

Arts and Humanities Research Council

The AHRC and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) provide funds to foster co0peration between UK and research organisations in the State of São Paulo. Closing Date: Open

The Research Grants Schemes makes funds between £50k and £1M available for well-defined research projects.  Projects are limited to 60 months. Closing Date: Open

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Research funding is available through the FAPESP Pump-Priming Awards (FAPPA) scheme to enhance food security and bioenergy and industrial biotechnology research in the UK and Brazil.  Funding will typcially be for £35k over two years. Closing Date: Open

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

The EPSRC will contribute funding to Laser Based Production Innovation Projects related to Micro-machining, Laster Development & Engineering, Fusion Based Processes and Sensing & Process Control. The maximum award is for £50k for projects up to six months. Closing Date: 10/12/15

Medical Research Council

Department of International Development (DFID), the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Medical Research Centre and the Wellcome Trust (WT) jointly fund this third call to the Health Systems Research Initiative for “Providing Evidence to Strengthen Health Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)“.  The scheme has £15m in total funds availabile.  Closing Date: 28/1/26.

Nesta

The Longitude Prize is a prize fund of £10m with a challange to find a solution for the global problem of antibiotic resistence. Closing Date: 31/12/15

Royal Society

The Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship is available for scientists at the early stages of their career.  The scheme provides funding for up to five years and will cover a maximum £39389 per year and research expenses up to £13k for the first year and £11k thereafter.  Closing Date: 12/1/16

The International Scientific Seminars scheme provides funds for Royal Society Fellows to organise a small two-day scientific seminar at Chicheley Hall. Travel funds of up to £5k will be available. Closing Date: 16/2/16

Wellcome Trust

The Arts Awards provides support for the creation of new artwork for audiences within biomedical science.  Up to £40k is available for small projects and awards are also available over £40k for large projects which will have significant reach or impact.  Closing Date: 27/11/15

 

 

If you are interested in submitting to any of the above calls you must contact RKEO with adequate notice before the deadline.

Please note that some funding bodies specify a time for submission as well as a date. Please confirm this with your RKEO Funding Development Officer

You can set up your own personalised alerts on Research Professional. If you need help setting these up, just ask your School’s/Faculty’s Funding Development Officer in RKEO or view the recent blog post here.

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

Royal Society & EPSRC Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship

Royal SocietyThis scheme is for outstanding scientists in the UK at an early stage of their research career who require a flexible working pattern due to personal circumstances such as parenting or caring responsibilities or health issues.

Applying for this scheme

This scheme offers you the opportunity to:

  • hold appointments on a part-time basis or convert from full-time to part-time and back again to help match work and other commitments, such as parental or caring responsibilities etc.
  • claim back time spent deferring the fellowship and/or working part-time at the end of the fellowship.
  • claim limited funds for family support where these can be justified on scientific grounds, e.g. the cost of child care during a conference or collaborative visit abroad (those funds can be applied for during the Fellowship).

Am I eligible to apply?

The scheme covers all areas of the life and physical sciences, including engineering, but excluding clinical medicine.

You must be able to demonstrate a current need for flexible support due to personal circumstances at the time of application. This can include current parenting or caring responsibilities (such as raising children or looking after ageing or seriously ill family members), clinically diagnosed health issues or other personal circumstances that create a need for a flexible working pattern. Please contact the grants team if you would like clarification on whether you meet this eligibility requirement.

Applicants must take a leading role in the project.

You can apply for this scheme if you:

  • are at an early stage of your research career (have completed your PhD but have no more than 6 years of research experience post PhD by the closing date of the round)
  • do not hold a permanent post in a university or not-for-profit organisation in the European Economic Area (EEA) or in Switzerland
  • are a citizen of the EEA or are a Swiss citizen (or have a relevant connection to the EEA or Switzerland)

The European Economic Area (EEA) consists of the European Union (including the UK) plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

Before applying, please ensure that you meet all the eligibility requirements, which are explained in the scheme notes.

Flexibility

The Society’s fellowships are highly flexible and part-time working, sabbaticals and secondments can be accommodated. There is also provision for maternity, paternity, adoptive or extended sick leave.

When applying, the Society will consider time spent outside the research environment when assessing eligibility. Additionally, where applicants have taken formal periods of maternity, paternity, and adoptive leave as the primary carer (either the mother, father, partner or adopter), or extended sick leave, the Society will allow an additional six months for each period of leave when assessing eligibility.

More information can be found in the Society’s policy on maternity, paternity, adoptive or extended sick leave.

What is the scheme’s value and tenure?

The scheme provides funding for 5 years. It covers:

  • The applicant’s salary costs up to a maximum of £39,389.64, estate costs and indirect costs for 5 years. Under the full economic costing model, 80% of these costs will be met by the Royal Society.
  • Research expenses (up to £13,000 for the first year and up to £11,000 annually thereafter)

Successful Dorothy Hodgkin Fellows and University Research Fellows who are about to start their first year are eligible to apply for a research grant of up to £150,000. A significant proportion of first year Dorothy Hodgkin Fellows and University Research Fellows will receive this additional start up grant.

Before applying, please read the scheme notes for full value and tenure information.

What is the application process?

Applications should be submitted through the Royal Society’s electronic grant application system (e-GAP).

Applications will initially be reviewed and then shortlisted by members of Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship Selection Panel. You will be notified if you have reached the short listing stage by March.

The shortlisted proposals will be reviewed by three independent referees suggested by the panel members and successful applicants will be shortlisted for an interview. You will be informed of the result of this stage in May and interviews will take place in June.

The final decision is made at a meeting of the Panel in June, and you will be notified of the result in July.

Please note that interviews for the fellowships will be held at the Royal Society. You are asked to keep the third week of June free. Only applicants that pass the other stages of assessment will be invited.

EPSRC logoAdditional awards are available for outstanding early career researchers who are working within EPSRC’s remit. 

Case studies

Dr John Apergis-Schoute

Dr Lynda Brown

Dr Patricia Sanchez Baracaldo

 

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

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

British Council

The british Council, via the Netwon Fund invite applications for grants to run international research workshops for UK and Brazilian researchers, as part of Researcher Links. These workshops will allow early career researchers  and a partner country to make international connections that could improve the quality of their research. Proposals should contribute to the development and social welfare of Brazil. Closing date: 4pm, 11/12/15

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, IE

The DFA invites applications for its reconciliation fund. The fund supports organisations involved in the reconciliation work between people on the island of Ireland and between Ireland and Britain. Support will focus on repairing issues which lead to division, conflict and barriers to a deeply reconciled and peaceful society; building a strong civil society that encompasses all communities, through the continued implementation of the agreements and promoting a rights-based society, political stability and respect for all. Award amount not specified. Closing date: 5pm, 11/03/16

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

EPSRC invites expressions of interest  for the near-term translation of regenerative medicine technologies for the treatment of civilian blast injuries fund. The fund aims to suport the academic community to propose approaches to accelerate the development of regenerative medicine technologies for the treatment of blast injuries, primarily in countries in which the civilian population is affected by landmines and other unexploded remnants of war. The total budget is worth £5million, which aims to fund one or two projects over a maximum period of five years. Expressions of interest due by 4pm, 27/11/15. Competition closing date: 24/03/16

EPSRC invites outline proposals for its call on intelligent technologies to support collaboratove care, which supports research that aims to develop reliable and intelligent technologies to support collaborative care in the community. Proposals should address the need for new technologies which can reliably and intelligently interpret multiple inputs from multiple sources and initiate actions as appropriate to support the self-management of chronic health conditions. A budget of £10million is available to fund between five and seven projects. Closing date for outline proposals: 05/01/16

European Commission

The EC invites tenders for media analysis services for the European Commission, which will provide high-quality expertise and support in undertaking in-depth media analysis on EU-related topics across different types of media. The evidence-based  analysis will contribute to the development and implementation of a long-term communication and media relations strategy. Contracts are worth €10million over four years. Closing date: 4pm, 04/12/15

The Directorate-General for the Environment invites tenders for evaluation studies that support the evaluation of the zoos directive. Studies will assist the European Commission in the evaluation of the zoos directive by compiling, assessing and synthesising evidence for evaluation. Studies will examine relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and cohrence as well as its EU added value. The contract is worth between €200k and €250k over 15 months. Closing date: 4pm, 08/12/15

The EC invites applications for its H2020 Clean Sky 2 call for core partners (third call). Funding supports proposals from partnerships in the form of innovation actions. The call supports a number of topics and you are advised to look at the funder’s call pages for more specific information. Award amount not specified. Closing date: 5pm Brussels time, 04/02/16

The EC invites applications for its  H2020 Competitive Low-Carbon Energy call. Funding supports proposals from partnerships in the form of innovation actions. The call supports a number of topics and you are advised to look at the funder’s call pages for more specific information. Each award will be in the region of €2million to €6million. Closing date: 5pm Brussels time, 16/02/16

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, EU

The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions invites tenders for the provision of a research study on game-changing technologies in European manufacturing. The aim will be to develop five studies, each focusing on a different technology, which will take the form of exploratory case studies. Funding is approximately €120k over 15 months. Closing date: 07/12/15

Innovate UK

Registrations are invited for the innovation fund for preventing terrorism. The aim is to fund projects that develop new methods and / or technologies, which will protect vulnerable people from being drawn into terrorism. New methods and / or technologies will have the potential for replication nationally. Proposals should be in the region of £100k or less. Registration closes 25/11/15.  Competition closing date: 12pm, 02/12/15

Natural England Environment Council

NERC invites applications for its follow-on fund pathfinder grants (up to £20K at 80%  fEC), which are designed to realise the commercial potential of NERC-funded research, using a combination of complementary technical and commercial engagement work programmes. The award is open to researchers with current or past NERC funding and proposals must build on the outputs of the previous NERC-funded research activity. Closing date: Not specified

NERC invites outline proposals for its Changing Arctic Ocean: implication for marine biology and biogeochemistry research programme. £8.4million is available to fund up to four research projects that address how the change in the physical environment (ice and ocean) will affect the large-scale ecosystem structure and biogeochemical functioning of the Arctic Ocean, the potential major impacts and provide projections for future ecostsem services. Closing date: 4pm, 08/12/15

Wellcome Trust

Wellcome Trust invites applications for its seed awards in Humanities and Scocial Science to develop a novel idea to a position where they could be competitive for a larger award from the Wellcome Trust or another funder. They can support research in any field of the humanities and social sciences that can enrich our understanding of human and animal health. Awards will typically range from £25-£50k. Closing date: 15/01/16

Wellcome trust invites applications for its engagement fellowships, which aim to support and develop upcoming stars in public engagement with science. Applicants should have a strong track record of engaging the public with ideas around biomedical science and/or medical humanities, who want to makea step change in their careers. Closing date: 12/02/16

Wellcome Trust invites applications for its capital awards for public engagement and medical history. The aim is to build or redevelop projects for public engagement with science. Awards will generally be upwards or £200k.  Closing date: 13/05/16

If you are interested in submitting to any of the above calls you must contact RKEO with adequate notice before the deadline.

Please note that some funding bodies specify a time for submission as well as a date. Please confirm this with your RKEO Funding Development Officer

You can set up your own personalised alerts on Research Professional. If you need help setting these up, just ask your School’s/Faculty’s Funding Development Officer in RKEO or view the recent blog post here.

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

Pre-Call Announcement for AHRC Connected Communities Research Festival 2016

ahrcThe AHRC has announced that a Connected Communities Research Festival will be held in 2016. A call for Expressions of Interest (EOIs) to participate in the Festival will be issued in early November 2015.

Taking inspiration from the 500th anniversary of the publication in 1516 in Latin of Thomas More’s Utopia, as well as a Connected Communities/ Care for the Future Symposium on ‘Utopias, Futures and Temporalities: Critical Considerations for Social Change’ held in May 2015, the 2016 Festival will have a central theme of Community Futures and Utopias.

As with the 2015 Festival, the call for EOIs will support high quality participatory arts research and research co-production activities across the UK. Local activities can take place at any time from February 2016 to late June 2016. In addition, AHRC will be inviting projects to propose ideas for producing creative, co-produced, research outputs from their local activities which can be showcased at a high profile public event in London in late June 2016.

The call for EOIs will be open to a wide range of interpretations of the theme of Community Futures and Utopias, including – for example – :

  • what ‘utopia in the 21st century’ means for diverse communities;
  • past visions of the future and the role of the past in community futures;
  • the future as a lens or safe space for exploring challenges facing communities;
  • community fears and aspirations for the future;
  • the role of the future in bringing together or dividing communities;
  • utopia as participatory/ creative method;

and many other creative research ideas.

As well as providing opportunities to build on Connected Communities research, the Festival will provide an opportunity to link to other AHRC and Research Council-funded inter-disciplinary research, including under all other AHRC themes (such as Care for the Future and Translating Cultures) and priority areas (such as design, heritage, languages, etc.).

Expressions of interest will be encouraged to describe:

  • How they will build upon past research and work with local communities to co-produce new research insights on the theme of community futures and utopias, and the role of participatory and collaborative research methods in these processes
  • How the proposed festival activities will help to broaden and deepen community research engagement and partnerships – in particular, how projects will reflect and engage with diverse minority community groups and cultures
  • For those proposals involving more extended participatory arts approaches to research co-production, how they might use the opportunity of a high profile national showcase in London for community projects on utopias, and/or other similar event, to engage wider publics with the outcomes of their local activities.

Funding Available

AHRC anticipate that EOIs will be invited for two types of funding:

  • up to £5,000 to support a wide range of participatory/ co-produced research activities with diverse communities around the UK between February and late June 2016 on the theme of Community Futures and Utopias
  • up to £15,000 to support more ambitious local participatory / creative arts co-produced / collaborative research projects producing high quality creative / artistic outputs and the showcasing of these outputs at a two day high profile national public event on Community Utopias in London over a weekend in late June 2016.

Expected Timetable for the Call

AHRC expect to issue the full call for Expressions of Interest in early November. The planned outline timetable for the call is below:

Mid October Festival theme announced
w/c 2 November AHRC issues call for expressions of interest to participate in the Festival
w/c 7 December Closing date for EOIs (via SmartSurvey)
By end of January 2016 Notification of Outcomes of EOIs
February- June 2016 Festival events take place around the UK
24 -26 June (tbc) Showcase of creative outputs from selected local projects at weekend public event in London
Tbc Cross-theme Utopia 500 academic conference

This Festival will form part of a wider series of Connected Communities and collaborative activities on the theme of community futures and utopias, including a conference on ‘Utopia in the 21st Century’. Further details of these other events will be announced in early 2016.

If you intend to submit an expression of interest you will need to have your plan costed by the Funding Development Team and so please contact them in the first instance.

£100k funding available for climate services through Catapult-hosted ‘sandpit’

sandcastleThe Satellite Applications Catapult (an independent innovation and technology company created by Innovate UK) is hosting a two-day ‘sandpit’ event for industry, academia and end-users to develop proof-of-concept climate services projects, as part of a £100k initiative funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

The collaborative event will bring together a variety of disciplines and organisations, with the objective of developing climate services demonstrator projects which use climate information and other data to address real-world challenges faced by government and industry. These projects will primarily focus on infrastructure, food and agriculture, water, natural resources, and risk management, with projects evaluated and selected during the course of the two-day event.

Satellite Applications Catapult CEO, Stuart Martin, said: “In recent times, we have witnessed much greater usage of climate change information into business decision-making and government policy and regulation. This is only likely to accelerate in the future – particularly following the Conference of Parties (COP-21) climate negotiations this winter, which will drive requirements for new solutions.

“By engaging in this sandpit activity, we hope to provide an environment in which to join up the currently fragmented value chains from research to application. Subject to their development, we hope the feasibility projects will lead to full-scale projects which may be funded by businesses, government or through mechanisms such as the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme,” he added.

Each project will be led by a research organisation (subject to NERC eligibility guidelines) with a team comprising organisations such as satellite data providers, environmental or software companies, together with an end-user. Funding need not be spread evenly across participants but can only be used to fund eligible organisations. All projects must be completed before 31 March 2016.

Prospective participants must submit their expression of interest form by Friday 13 November 2015.

This is a great opportunity to form a network with industry and academics from other universities and could potentially result in a large funding pot.

Research Professional – all you need to know

Research-Professional-logoEvery BU academic has a Research Professional account which delivers weekly emails detailing funding opportunities in their broad subject area. To really make the most of your Research Professional account, you should tailor it further by establishing additional alerts based on your specific area of expertise. The Funding Development Team Officers can assist you with this, if required.

Research Professional have created several guides to help introduce users to ResearchProfessional. These can be downloaded here.

Quick Start Guide: Explains to users their first steps with the website, from creating an account to searching for content and setting up email alerts, all in the space of a single page.

User Guide: More detailed information covering all the key aspects of using ResearchProfessional.

Administrator Guide: A detailed description of the administrator functionality.

In addition to the above, there are a set of 2-3 minute videos online, designed to take a user through all the key features of ResearchProfessional. To access the videos, please use the following link: http://www.youtube.com/researchprofessional

Research Professional are running a series of online training broadcasts aimed at introducing users to the basics of creating and configuring their accounts on ResearchProfessional. They are holding monthly sessions, covering everything you need to get started with ResearchProfessional. The broadcast sessions will run for no more than 60 minutes, with the opportunity to ask questions via text chat. Each session will cover:

  • Self registration and logging in
  • Building searches
  • Setting personalised alerts
  • Saving and bookmarking items
  • Subscribing to news alerts
  • Configuring your personal profile

Each session will run between 10.00am and 11.00am (UK) on the fuorth Tuesday of each month. You can register here for your preferred date:

24th November 2015

26th January 2016

23rd February 2016

22nd March 2016

26th April 2016

24th May 2016

28th June 2016

These are free and comprehensive training sessions and so this is a good opportunity to get to grips with how Research Professional can work for you.

Last Reminder for the 03/11/15 Research Professional visit – Book in now!

Research-Professional-logoThere is still time for you to attend our Research Professional visit taking place on the 3rd Nov and get expert help with setting up your personal account and searches!

Every BU academic has a Research Professional account which delivers weekly emails detailing funding opportunities in their broad subject area. Jordan Graham from Research Professional is visiting BU on the 3rd of November 2015 to demonstrate to academics and staff how to make the most of their Research Professional account.

This will include:

  • Building searches
  • Setting personalised alerts
  • Saving and bookmarking items
  • Subscribing to news alerts
  • Configuring your personal profile

Location and the session timings are:

Talbot campus P424

10.15 – 11.15 – Research Professional presentation

11.15 – 11.45 – RKEO interactive session setting up searches

Lansdowne campus S103

13.30 – 14.30 – Research Professional presentation

14.30 – 15.00 – RKEO interactive session setting up searches

After the presentation, the RKEO Funding Development Team will be on hand for an interactive session where they will help you set up your Research Professional account, searches and offer advice from a BU perspective.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about funding opportunities and to meet the Funding Development Team, particularly if you are new to BU.

Please reserve your place now at a BU Campus to suit through Organisational Development

 

Research Funders’ Guide is even better!

Imap of science previously posted about the new Research Funders’ Guide available on the Research Blog under the Research Toolkit.  This introduced the major funder pages, which include a wealth of information about their research strategies, what they fund, impact reports, funder guides and success rates.

These pages have now been expanded to include:

Don’t forget, we also have the Research Lifecycle on the blog where you can see how RKEO can support you with your research plans.

 

EU funding call now open!

EU heart

EU funding opportunity – are you working with SMEs?
Open call to SMEs and new entrants for industrial experiments Digital Agenda for Europe.  The call is now open (28 October 2015) and the closing date is 3 December 2015.  This call aims to initiate new business and innovation opportunities between SMEs and new entrants, major cyber physical system-platform providers, and competence centres. The maximum European Commission contribution for industrial experiments per applicant is €150,000. The funding rate is 70 per cent. The maximum duration of industrial experiment is 18 months.
For more information: https://www.eurocps.org/innovators-projects/open-calls/

UKRO – latest news

If ever there was a time to make use of BU’s subscription to UKRO, that time is now.

UKRO logoWith the new Work Programmes being released, UKRO have pulled out all the stops to ensure that their subscribers have the latest information. To access subscriber content, please register as a BU member of staff. You will then have access to all the latest EU news and can sign up for email updates direct to your inbox.

As this blog is open to external users who may not be UKRO subscribers, there is only a limited amount that can be placed on this blog.

Highlights include:

  • UKRO has provided a number of introductory articles to the new Horizon 2020 Work Programmes – please register to access these. The Work Programmes themselves are available via the Participant Portal
  • Consolidator Grants: Information and Proposal Writing – 3 November 2015, University of Sheffield and – 6 November 2015, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine*
  • MSCA European Researchers’ Night 2016-2017 call Info Day – Brussels on 10 November 2015*
  • The European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA), together with the European Commission, is organising the first workshop on eHealth systems security –  Brussels on 30 October 2015.
  • European Commission is organising an Information and Stakeholders’ Day on Smart Wearables workshop – Brussels on 11 December 2015
  • As part of the Societal Challenge 2 Info week, the EIP AGRI is running a workshop on the multi-actor approach under Horizon 2020 on 24 November 2015 in Brussels
  • The Erasmus+ Guide has been released by the European Commission
  • The United States Government and the European Commission –  Fulbright-Schuman Innovation Grants, under the auspices of the Fulbright-Schuman program, have been announced,

*If a link has not not been given to an event page, you will need to register with UKRO to access the booking form / further information.

If you have any queries concerning EU funding opportunities, please contact Emily Cieciura, RKEO Research Facilitator: EU and International for further assistance.

 

Undergraduate Research Assistantship Programme – staff application deadline this Sunday.

The current round of applications for the Undergraduate Research Assistantship (URA) programme is closing on Sunday 25th October.

To apply for funding to recruit a URA, please email your application to urap@bournemouth.ac.uk

If you have any questions about the scheme, please contact Rachel Clarke, KE Adviser (KTP) on 01202 961347 or email clarker@bournemouth.ac.uk 

Reminder for the 03/11/15 Research Professional visit – Book in now!

Research-Professional-logoAttend our Research Professional visit taking place on the 3rd Nov and get expert help with setting up your personal account and searches!

Every BU academic has a Research Professional account which delivers weekly emails detailing funding opportunities in their broad subject area. Jordan Graham from Research Professional is visiting BU on the 3rd of November 2015 to demonstrate to academics and staff how to make the most of their Research Professional account.

This will include:

  • Building searches
  • Setting personalised alerts
  • Saving and bookmarking items
  • Subscribing to news alerts
  • Configuring your personal profile

Location and the session timings are:

Talbot campus P424

10.15 – 11.15 – Research Professional presentation

11.15 – 11.45 – RKEO interactive session setting up searches

Lansdowne campus S103

13.30 – 14.30 – Research Professional presentation

14.30 – 15.00 – RKEO interactive session setting up searches

After the presentation, the RKEO Funding Development Team will be on hand for an interactive session where they will help you set up your Research Professional account, searches and offer advice from a BU perspective.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about funding opportunities and to meet the Funding Development Team, particularly if you are new to BU.

Please reserve your place now at a BU Campus to suit through Organisational Development.

New *Research Professional Help Videos Available

Research Professional have recently launched updated help videos. The new videos cover all the core aspects of  *Research Professional, and provide the perfect introduction to the site for new users. Each is around three minutes long. Research-Professional-logo

You can find the videos on their YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/researchprofessional.

The end user videos are collected here.  – for academics and researchers

The administrator videos are collected here. – for RKEO

If you have any queries about Research Professional or want an account then please contact the RKEO Funding Development Team.

 

Early-career researcher competition to produce Global Food Security report on sustainable nutrition

The BBSRC supported Global Food Security (GFS) Programme is inviting expressions of interest from post-doctoral researchers to take part in a Policy Lab on sustainable nutrition. If you are interested in taking an interdisciplinary and systems approach to a policy-relevant issue, and would relish the opportunity to produce an evidence-based report that will be widely read by policy, industry and the public, then this is for you.BBSRC

The Policy Lab is an interactive workshop that will focus on novel interdisciplinary ideas in the area of sustainable nutrition. The successful idea will be developed into a report for the GFS Programme. Researchers working in any relevant discipline from across the food value chain are welcome to apply (including natural, biological, engineering and social sciences). This could be from areas as diverse as agriculture, the agri-ecosystem, sustainable food production, food choice and nutrition.

The successful team will receive the £5,000 GFS Policy Lab Award and have their report published through GFS channels, reaching a large number of stakeholders.

Key benefits for post-doctoral researchers include working in an interdisciplinary team and expanding their academic horizons, experience of a competitive funding process, a high impact publication, and new contacts with researchers in other disciplines working on similar challenges.

The Policy Lab will take place in London on 20-22 January 2016.

In order to be eligible, post-doctoral researchers must be on a Research Council funded grant or fellowship, where the contract extends beyond 29 July 2016. In addition, participants must have a maximum of seven years of post-doctoral or academic experience after completing their PhD.

The deadline for applications is 1 December 2015. For more information about the Policy Lab and details on how to apply see: www.foodsecurity.ac.uk/programme/activities/policy-lab-early-career-researchers-sustainable-nutrition.html

Wellcome Trust aims to increase spend to £5 billion over next 5 years

strategy - SMThe Wellcome Trust aims to invest £5 billion over the next five years to improve health, as it launches a new strategic framework focussed on advancing the best ideas in science and research, seizing opportunities as they arise and taking advantage of our independence to drive reform.

This marks another step forward for Wellcome, the world’s second highest spending charitable foundation, which has invested £6 billion over the last ten years and £11 billion since it began in 1936.

Wellcome’s new framework consists of three complementary approaches across science, research and engagement with society:

  • Advancing Ideas. Wellcome will continue to respond to great ideas and inspired thinking that address the fundamental health challenges of our time. Last year we unveiled our new funding framework to enhance our ability to support excellent research in the UK and worldwide.
  • Seizing opportunities. Wellcome brings ideas together to make a big difference, providing intensive support that creates real change. We identify times when our concerted intervention can accelerate progress towards better health.
  • Driving reform. Wellcome changes ways of working so more ideas can flourish, leading by example and campaigning for wider reform. Our record in areas like open access to research results, public engagement, and research careers has earned us the credibility to challenge ways of working, and to propose better alternatives.

The success of Wellcome’s £18 billion investments portfolio, which funds all of their work and is managed by an in-house team, has already given them the independence and resources to support such transformative work as the sequencing and understanding of the human genome, research that established front-line drugs for malaria, and Wellcome Collection, their free venue that explores medicine, life and the arts.

“The Wellcome Trust has a long-standing record in science and research of which we are very proud,” says Dr Jeremy Farrar, Director of the Wellcome Trust. “We are able to build on that legacy with an increased commitment to supporting people and teams with great ideas in basic science and applied research, social science and the humanities, which will remain at the core of our work. But we can now also bring additional focus to some of the biggest health challenges of our time. We responded swiftly to Ebola but there are other serious issues where we believe that we can help bring about change for the better.”

Their priorities will evolve as new challenges arise, drawing on insights from a rich history of achievement and a network of experts from different disciplines around the world. Their initial priorities include:

  • Drug-resistant infection. Growing resistance to antibiotics and other drugs threatens many of the benefits of modern medicine. Wellcome will explore how best to use and protect the treatments we have, and to encourage the development of new ones.
  • Vaccination. Too many lives are still lost to diseases that could be prevented by vaccines, mostly in low and middle-income countries. Wellcome will investigate how best to stimulate research, technology development and policy to address this critical unmet need.
  • Our Planet, Our Health. Human health is intimately linked to the environment in which we live. Wellcome will build understanding of how global food systems and urbanisation connect to health, improving the evidence base for public policy.
  • Science education. An appreciation of science, for the future scientist or the informed citizen, begins with learning in school and beyond. Wellcome will help give young people an engaging, relevant and inspiring science education.

Wellcome’s new Chair, Eliza Manningham-Buller, says: “It is an exciting time to be assuming the chair of the Trust. The organisation has a great record of achievement, working with others to improve human health. We now have the means to develop even higher ambitions. The long-term funding of discovery science will remain at the core of what we do but we are also determined to act quickly when we see other opportunities to make a real difference to health.”

View the full details of the Wellcome Trust’s Strategic Framework.wellcometrust_logo

02/11/15 Reminder for our next- European IPR Helpdesk Webinar

European IPR webinarsThe European IPR Helpdesk is running a number of webinars over the next few months and RKEO are promoting those relevant to EU Horizon 2020 activities. Coming up we are holding the following webinar events:

02/11/15 IP Management in H2020 – with a special focus on MSCA Casterbridge – Talbot Campus

02/12/15 Impact and Innovation in H2020 – a Guide for Proposers The Octagon – Talbot Campus

16/12/15 Maximising the impact of H2020 projects B325 – Bournemouth House – Lansdowne Campus

Please arrive at 9:15am for a prompt 9:30 start with the webinar duration being one hour (45 minutes presentation with 15 minutes for questions). We have the room booked for a longer time so that we can have a post-webinar discussion afterwards, if appropriate. Please only register on the European IPR Helpdesk link if you will be joining the webinar(s) from your own desk rather than joining us. You can also check the European IPR Helpdesk Calendar for all their events.

If you would like to attend any of these, please email Dianne Goodman stating which webinars you will attend. If they prove very popular, we may need to change the room, so pre-booking is essential.