Category / Funding opportunities

Institute of Global Health Innovation – Student Challenges Competition 2015

Funding opportunities, innovation, Knowledge Exchange, student research

Global

The vision at Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI) is to support the identification, development and widespread diffusion of healthcare innovation and in doing so to sustainably reduce global health inequalities across the globe.

The  Student Challenges Competition offers students  a key opportunity to showcase their research idea and to win prize money of up to £5,000 to develop this further. Runners-up prizes will also be awarded.

This year, it is also compulsory for all applications to be accompanied by a 2-3 minute promotional video illustrating the  project idea and how it works.

As part of the Audience Choice Award, £500 is up for grabs to shortlisted candidates for those who produce the best video.  The winners will be announced at the Dragon’s Den event with the rest of the prizes.

The competition is open to all UG & PG students based in the UK and can be on any aspect of global health innovation.

For more information click here.

AHRC Connected Communities Festival 2016

Funding opportunities

ahrcTaking 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 Connected Communities Research Festival will have a central theme of Community Futures and Utopias. The Festival is being undertaken in partnership with The Somerset House Trust as a part of Utopia 2016: a year of Imagination and Possibility – four seasons of events, exhibitions and new commissions celebrating the idea of Utopia to mark the 500th anniversary of Thomas More’s influential text. Utopia 2016 is a partnership between the Somerset House Trust and its neighbours King’s College London and the Courtauld Institute and Gallery.

The 2016 Festival will support high quality participatory arts research and research co-production activities across the UK on the theme of community futures and utopias and will provide an opportunity to explore creative ways to build upon, and widen and deepen community engagement with, research being undertaken by the Connected Communities Programme and with wider AHRC/RCUK–funded research.

Expressions of Interest (EOIs) are now invited to contribute to the Festival which will run from February 2016 through to June 2016, culminating in a major weekend-long Utopia Fair at Somerset House on 24th-26th June. This call for EOIs will support participatory arts research and research co-production activities through two main strands of the 2016 Festival:

  1. A Programme of Local Festival Activitieswhich bring together at a regional / local /community level researchers from the arts and humanities (and other disciplines where appropriate), research organisations, community groups, creative practitioners and other community partners. These local activities can take place at any time from February 2016 to late June 2016 and will be brought together as a UK-wide Festival programme of local activities
  2. Participation in the Utopia Fair, 24th-26th Junethrough the partnership with The Somerset House Trust as a part of Utopia 2016: a year of imagination and possibility. Building on local Festival activities EOIs are invited to include ideas for participatory arts research co-production projects which will produce creative, co-produced/ participatory, research outputs which can be showcased at a weekend Festival, The Utopia Fair, to be held in the Edmond J Safra Fountain Court at Somerset House in London which will take place on 24th – 26th June 2016. The Utopia Fair will bring together representatives of contemporary utopian movements, celebrating projects already flourishing in the margins and liminal spaces around the UK, and the importance of the spaces that artists create for dreaming. It will enable visitors to join in and taste utopia now, inspiring them to take a piece of utopia home with them and into their lives. 25 stands are available at the Utopia Fair to showcase creative community –co-produced outcomes from local Connected Communities Festival activities. As well as the stands, there are also opportunities to showcase other outputs, such as film screenings or performances, at the Utopia Fair

Proposals which additionally or alternatively propose to showcase creative co-produced outputs locally or at other relevant events regionally or nationally in 2016 will also be welcomed.

Closing Dates

Closing Date: 16/12/2016

How to make an application

Applications should be submitted through smartsurvey using the following link http://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/AHRCConnectedCommunitiesFestival2016/ at the latest by 12 noon on Wednesday 16th December 2015, and will need to go through the BU institution submission process.  Please contact your RKEO Funding Development Officer if you are interested in applying.

Full guidance detailing the awards available and requirements for submission of proposals can be found in the EOI call document.

Further Information

Further information on The Somerset House Trust Utopia 2016 season Utopia 2016: a Year of Imagination and Possibility can be found at utopia.somersethouse.org.uk or from the press release at www.somersethouse.org.uk/press-releases

Contacts

Please contact connectedcommunities@ahrc.ac.uk with any questions.

AHRC Leadership Fellows

Funding opportunities

ahrcThe AHRC’s Leadership Fellows scheme provides time for research leaders, or potential future research leaders, to undertake focused individual research alongside collaborative activities which have the potential to generate a transformative impact on their subject area and beyond. In addition to demonstrating support for high quality, world leading research and associated outputs, proposals must include collaborative activities to support the development of the Fellow’s capacity for research leadership in the arts and humanities.

Leadership Fellows awards are supported as a partnership with Research Organisations. Applicants should discuss any potential application with their Research Organisation at an early stage, as strong evidence of institutional support for the proposed Fellow’s career and leadership development is required as part of the application process.

Applications to the scheme will be welcomed for research in any subject area within the AHRC’s remit. Proposals may be for research at a range of stages of development, provided that substantial high quality research outputs are planned to emerge directly from the Fellowship. A range of activities, including knowledge exchange, can be included in proposals and the scheme incorporates elements of the former Fellowships in the Creative and Performing Arts and Knowledge Transfer Fellowships schemes.

The scheme provides opportunities for mid and senior career researchers who meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the Funding Guide. There is a separate route to support applications from early career researchers with outstanding future leadership potential.

The Leadership Fellows scheme provides funding for a period of between 6 and 18 months. Proposals with a full economic cost of between £50,000 and £250,000 may be submitted.

Further details about changes to the scheme’s aims, eligibility requirements and assessment criteria are detailed in the Leadership Fellows Funding Guide (PDF, 1.2MB).

Public Policy Highlight Notice in the AHRC Leadership Fellows Scheme

AHRC is launching a highlight notice in its Leadership Fellows scheme as part of a range of activities to support the contribution which arts and humanities research can make to public policy.

The aim of the highlight notice is to encourage applications to the Leadership Fellows scheme which propose innovative ways to exercise leadership through engaging policy makers in their research, and explore the potential for impact in policy development. This can be in connection with any area of public policy.

Public policy in this context is understood broadly to include government at local, regional or national levels, as well as in connection with international governance bodies. Equally it covers the policies adopted by major civil society and third-sector organisations, such as major charities or charity partnerships, professional associations, etc, which effectively have a role in setting policy in areas which impact public life.

While proposals are welcome in any area of public policy, AHRC has been working with the Chief Scientific Advisors in Whitehall and devolved administrations to identify policy areas where input from arts and humanities researchers are particularly welcome. These areas, along with contact details for the Departments involved, are available in this Highlight Notice document (PDF, 157KB).

Closing Dates

Closing Date: 30/09/2016

The Leadership Fellows scheme does not operate under fixed deadlines. You may submit a proposal at any point during the year.

This highlight notice runs in the Leadership Fellows scheme until 30 September 2016.

Please note that the assessment process for applications submitted to the scheme (Standard and Early Career routes) takes approximately 30 weeks and the earliest start date for a project should be no earlier than 9 months after submission to the AHRC.

On occasions, there might be a delay in obtaining the peer reviews for an application and this may result in the assessment process taking longer. In such circumstances, the AHRC will contact the applicant to inform them of any delay.

How to make an application

For both routes of the Fellowships scheme you must submit an application through the cross-council Joint Electronic Submission – (JE-S) System. If you need any assistance to use the system, please contact the JE-S helpdesk by telephoning 01793 444164 or on JesHelp@rcuk.ac.uk.

If you are thinking of applying then you must contact your RKEO Funding Development Officer in the first instance.

Further Information

The Leadership Fellows scheme has its own Funding Guide (PDF, 1.2MB). This guidance should be used for applicants who open their Jes Application form from 1st May 2014.

Leadership and Peer Review College: Members of the Strategic Reviewer Group of the AHRC’s Peer Review College met in February at two separate meetings. One of the areas they discussed was leadership in the context of the Fellowship Scheme and a PDF has been produced to summarise their comments (PDF, 121KB).

Impact Summary and Pathways to Impact: – Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 178KB)

RCUK Impact Requirements – Frequently Asked Questions

Examples of Impact from AHRC-funded projects (PDF, 296KB)

Support for Research Leadership

The AHRC has produced a film on Leadership in the Arts and Humanities which is available from the following page.

AHRC ‘Engaging with Government’ course

Funding opportunities

ahrcThe AHRC Engaging with Government programme is a three day course which will take place in March 2016 and is designed to provide an insight into the policy making process, and help participants develop the skills needed to pursue the policy implications of their research. It also aims to build links between policy makers and the most dynamic new research in the arts and humanities. AHRC are inviting eligible researchers to submit an application to attend the course.

The programme will:

  • Encourage you to see opportunities where your own research could make a valuable contribution in a public policy context;
  • Challenge you to think in more depth about the policy process, and the role of research within it;
  • Increase the influencing and communication skills that you need to achieve this.

Eligibility

The programme is for early career researchers (ECRs) and is open to ECRs working in any area of the AHRC’s subject domain. At the point of application, applicants must be either within eight years of the award of their doctorate or equivalent professional training, or within six years of their first academic appointment.

In addition, applicants must be employed in a full- or part-time postdoctoral or equivalent position, which may be either fixed term or permanent, and which lists academic research as one of its main responsibilities. Applicants must be in post at the time of application, and the position must extend beyond the delivery of the ‘Engaging with Government’ course in March 2016. Further, the position must be held at a research organisation which is eligible to apply to the AHRC.

The course will be held at the Institute for Government Offices in central London on 8, 9, and 10 March and applicants will need to commit to attending all three days in full. The costs of the course, accommodation, travel, and subsistence will be paid for according to AHRC’s standard terms and conditions.

  • Closing date: 5pm on Friday 27 November 2015
  • Notification of Outcomes: w/c 11 January 2016
  • Course information sent to participants: mid-February 2016
  • Course: 8, 9, and 10 March 2016

Closing Dates

Closing Date: 27/11/2015

How to make an application

Please apply via Smartsurvey.

Further Information

Engaging with Government – Call for Applications (PDF, 128KB)

Engaging with Government Case Studies (PDF, 101KB)

Contacts

If you have any queries about the programme or the application process, please contact publicpolicy@ahrc.ac.uk

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

Funding opportunities

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

Cross-platform production in digital mediastruct funds

Innovate UK is investing  £4 million in collaborative R&D projects that stimulate innovation in the UK’s creative industries.

This call is aimed at projects that address convergence in digital media technologies. It covers film, television, online video, animation and video games, and includes pre- production, production and post- production processes, particularly for visual effects technologies.

Projects must be collaborative and led by a business. Small businesses could receive up to 70% of their eligible project costs, medium- sized businesses 60% and large businesses 50%.

Projects are expected to range in size from total costs of £300,000 to £750,000, although projects outside this range might be considered.

This is a two-stage competition that opens for applicants on 9 November 2015. The deadline for expressions of interest is at noon on 6 January 2016.

Call closes @ 23 Dec 2015, 12:00

 

Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship

Royal Society and Leverhulme are inviting applications for Senior Fellows.

The award lasts between one term and one academic year. The applicant’s employing institution will be reimbursed for the full salary cost of a teaching replacement (up to the equivalent of the minimum point on the lectureship scale as paid by the host university). Research expenses up to a maximum of £2,500 are available to cover the costs of consumables, equipment, travel and communicating science.

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

 Call closes @ 11 January 2016

Wellcome Trust PhD programmes for Clinicians

The Trust announced that it would be refreshing its personal support schemes for clinical academics via delivering their PhD training to clinicians exclusively through PhD programmes managed by institutions.

The competition represents a unique opportunity for institutions to be innovative, create and collaborative, and to consider how best to foster the cultural change that will support the next generation of clinical academics, from undergraduate through to senior levels.

important dates for this call:

Preliminary application deadline @25 January 2016,

Assessment of preliminary applications @ 8 March 2016

Full application deadline @ 29 April 2016

Assessment of full applications @ 20 July 2016

 

Wellcome Trust Investigator Awards

The Trust has combined its New Investigator and Senior Investigator Award schemes to create a single type of Investigator Award, providing all who hold established posts in eligible organisations with the same opportunity to obtain funding. Awards are worth a maximum of £3 million for up to seven years.

Next full application closing date@ 26 February 2016

Shortlisting of candidates by Expert Review Group @ April 2016

Shortlisted candidate interviews by Interview Panel @ 5-7 July 2016

 

Innovate UK, China–UK research and innovation bridges competition

Innovate UK, the Research Councils UK (RCUK) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) for the People’s Republic of China are to invest up to £16 million in collaborative research and development projects that propose new commercial solutions to critical challenges impacting the socio-economic growth and development of China in relation to energy, healthcare, urbanisation and agri-food.

Closing Date@  23 Mar 2016, 12:00

 

 

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 Academy of Engineering – Visit to the Funder

Funding opportunities

RAEng logo

On 2 November 2015, I attended a ‘Study Tour’ at the Royal Academy of Engineering, organised by ARMA (Association of Research Managers & Administrators).

During the Study Tour, I was welcomed into the funder’s stronghold, met the Programme Managers and spoke with the Head of Research & University Programmes. All mysteries regarding their Programmes/grants, call rules and peer review processes were slowly revealed.

The Programmes that were detailed on the day were:

  1. Ingenious – Public Engagement Awards Scheme;
  2. Research & University Programmes:
  • Research Chairs / Senior Research Fellowships – the funder’s flagship programme;
  • Newton Research Collaboration Programme – travel/network grant;
  • Research Fellowships
  • Distinguishing Visiting Fellowships – funding for overseas Fellow to visit UK institution;
  • Industrial Secondments;
  • Visiting Professors;
  • Engineering Leadership Advanced Awards;
  1. The Enterprise Hub – connecting HEIs, investors, Hub members and the corporate sector:
  • Launchpad Competition;
  • RAEng-ERA Foundation Award;
  • Enterprise Fellowships;
  • Pathways to Growth;
  • Growth Phase Silver Medal & MacRobert Award.

The day’s presentations are attached here.

Besides for the highlights on the above Programmes, there are also key points about peer review/evaluation processes for different Programmes, common mistakes by applicants and the funder’s online grants application system.

An important message was that because the funder is a ‘small’ organisation compared with the Research Councils and other major charities, awareness of its funding activities is relatively low. The funder noted that across the range of its Programmes, it received comparatively low numbers of applications and hence, success rates for applicants could be quite high. For those Programmes where it received a larger proportion of applications, the funder observed that they received applications from the same HEIs every year and it was keen to receive applications from a broader cross-section of the HE sector.

In short, that encouragement together with the fact that the funder holds a broad and loose definition of ‘engineering’ means that all relevant academics in BU should seriously consider applying!

Their website is found at: http://www.raeng.org.uk/.

If you are interested in submitting to any of the calls by this funder, you must contact your  RKEO Funding Development Officer with adequate notice before the deadline. We look forward to hearing from you!

If you have any problems accessing the funder’s presentation slides, please email me at browna@bournemouth.ac.uk.

Nuffield Foundation – Research and Innovation Grants (UK)

Funding opportunities

NuffieldThe Nuffield Foundation have seven grant programmes that support research and innovation.  The call is now open for outline proposals with a closing date of 11th January 2016.  The programme areas are as follows:

Children and Families: funds projects to help ensure that social policy and the institutions governing family life in the UK are best adapted to meet the needs of children and families.

Early Years Education and Childcare: funds projects in our priority areas of educational attainment and child development outcomes, tackling social disadvantage, parental and family contexts, wider societal impacts, and public policy mechanisms.

Economic Advantage and Disadvantage: funds projects on the distribution of all aspects of individual and household economic well-being, their causes and consequences.

Education: funds projects in our priority areas of primary education, secondary education transitions, science and mathematics.

Finances of Ageing: funds projects related to all aspects of finance, economics, and transfers related to individual and population ageing.

Law in Society: funds projects designed to promote access to, and improve understanding of, the civil and family justice systems.

Open Door: for projects that improve social well-being, and meet Trustees’ wider interests, but that lie outside the programme areas above.

Grants are mainly for research (usually carried out in universities or independent research institutes) but are also made for practical developments or innovation (often in voluntary sector organisations).

As an independent Foundation, they are well placed to deal with sensitive issues, to challenge fashions and tacit assumptions. They support people with creative ideas to identify change or interventions which will have a practical impact for researchers, policy makers and practitioners.

They do not fund the ongoing costs of existing work or services, or research that simply advances knowledge. See a full list of what they do not fund.

Information on how to apply can be found here.  You must read the Guide for Applicants if you are considering applying and you must contact your RKEO Funding Development Officer in the first instance.

 

BioStars – Business Plan Competition

Funding opportunities, innovation, student research

map of science

BioStars, a biotech business plan competition aimed at enabling the bio-entrepreneurs of tomorrow to turn their scientific ideas into commercial products!

BioStars is open to postgraduates, MBA, professionals, with a scientific background and an eye for business, who can participate as individuals or in teams. Participants can apply with already a project in mind (Open stream section) or can collaborate with our partners on outlined high impact projects (Structured stream section). After the Kick-off meeting on the 14th of November, there will be two workshops with senior mentors (among our partners: Astra Zeneca, OBN, Stevenage BioScience Catalyst, Imperial Innovations, ISIS Innovation, CrowdCube, to mention some).

The final prize for the winners are 30,000£+ funding, facilitated lab & office spaces, 4D mentoring, waiving CrowdCube legal and administrative fees, as well as free admission to the BioTrinity 2016 conference.

More details about the programme can be found at: http://www.oxfordbiotech.org/biostars-about/

Key dates:
14th November 2015 – Kick-start workshop (Said Business School, Oxford-Eventbrite tickets)
29th November 2015 – Application deadline
7th December 2015 – Notification of Finalists
12th December 2015 – Mentoring Workshop I
16th January 2016 – Mentoring Workshop II
19th March 2016: Grand Finale

The applications are open until the 29th of November!

For any question don’t hesitate to get in touch with Vinton Cheng (OB Biostars Project Manager) -vinton.cheng@oxfordbiotech.org!

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

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

Funding opportunities

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

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

Funding opportunities

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.