Category / Funding opportunities

NHS England – SBRI Healthcare Innovation Expo

Business Engagement, Funding opportunities, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer

SPARK 2014 is a brand new opportunity to see the latest innovations developed to meet NHS needs alongside a national conference that brings together the Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), industry partners and NHS leaders and clinicians.

The conference will be of interest to the following audience who are keen to know what the next innovations in healthcare are:

  • Clinicians
  • NHS Procurement and Research & Development Teams
  • NHS Senior Management Teams
  • Non NHS Providers of Health & Social Care
  • Local Enterprise Partnerships
  • Industry or companies who have a interest in the programme
  • Business Leaders
  • Academic Health Science Networks
  • Investors

The SBRI Healthcare programme  is an NHS England funded scheme to accelerate the development of new technologies for known health needs.  With over 100 companies in the SBRI Healthcare fold some of the key areas in which innovations are being developed are:

Cancer  : COPD : CVD : Diabetes : Dementia : End of Life : Hand hygiene  : Meds Adherence / Meds Optimisation : Mental Health : Long Term Conditions : Patient Safety : Patient Empowerment : Renal : Research Tools  : Telehealth / Telecare for People with Learning Disabilities.

Conference details: 10 December, QE II Conference Centre, London

Booking information including discounted rates for universities: click here

Proposed agenda: click here

 

User Experience (UX) Themed Call for KTPs

Funding opportunities, Knowledge Exchange, Knowledge Transfer, student research

 

The User Experience (or UX) KTP competition  has just opened .

The aim is to encourage new, enhanced forms of interaction between computing systems and the people who use them.   Proposals may address technologies that contribute to these new forms, such as sensing information about the user, or those that improve specific types of experience, such as mobile and wearable devices.

A launch event is being held in London on 14 November 2014. Registration is required.

 To find our more about this call and other KTP opportuntities please contact Rachel Clarke in R&KEO . Contact details are as follows: email: clarker@bournemouth.ac.uk or ring extension 61347.

European News – Evolving Work Programmes for 2016-17

Funding opportunities

The European Commission has announced intentions to bring in three major funding streams into Horizon 2020.  In relation to 2016 and 2017 work programmes, these will comprise: the Internet of Things, automated road transport and an approach to sustainable industrial production called “the circular economy”, according to the draft plan. Specific reference is given to social sciences and humanities, following a recommendation from the European Forum on Forward Looking Activities, or Effla, that non-technical solutions to problems should be given more emphasis. 

Further details can be found in Research Fortnight: https://www.researchprofessional.com/0/rr/news/europe/horizon-2020/2014/11/Horizon-2020-s-second-phase-takes-shape.html

British Council – Newton Institutional Links Opportunity

Funding opportunities

Newton Institutional Links are grants for the development of research and innovation collaborations between the UK and partner country institutions at the group, departmental or institutional level, as well as the commercial and not-for-profit sector. The countries included in this call are: Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Turkey and Vietnam. In addition to this general Newton Institutional Links call, which includes Chile, there is a UK-Chile FONDEF IDeA call (formerly called Chile-specific CONICYT call) with separate guidelines and a different closing date.

Grants will be £30,000 to £300,000 over two years (depending on the country) and will cover collaborations between the UK and partner country. Grants can cover costs which support research and innovation collaboration, including:

  • research-related costs
  • the exchange of researchers, students and industry staff (including SMEs and not-for-profit organisations)
  • the costs of organising meetings, seminars, training
  • other activities to establish and strengthen collaborative links.

Other activities can also be funded. For a full list of eligible and ineligible costs, please read the guidelines document on the website link given above.

Under this Institutional Links call the British Council can commit up to £6 million, depending on matched funding from partner organisations and institutions.

Key Dates:

Deadline for applications: 16.00 UK time on Thursday 20 November 2014. Applications with Chile and Turkey (general Newton Institutional Links) close 27 November 2014.

Deadline for applications for the UK-Chile FONDEF IDeA call: Tuesday 18 November 2014

Please contact RKEO if you wish to apply.

See the website for other Newton Fund opportunties.

 

Innovate UK widens the appeal of £5,000 vouchers

Funding opportunities

Are you working with business?

Innovation Vouchers are open to all kinds of small businesses from 10 November 2014.  Businesses  can claim up to £5,000 towards the cost of expert advice if they classify as a start-up, micro or  SME . The funding encourages SMEs and start-ups to seek out fresh knowledge that can help their business to grow and develop. This could include advice on an innovative idea, learning more about using design within the  business or how to make the most of intellectual property.

The first round of applications for Innovation Vouchers under the new rules opens on 10 November.

Business challenge

Innovation Vouchers had been available only to those working in specific technology areas. Now a business can apply if  they  just meet these simple tests:

• you need specialist help to meet a business challenge

• it’s the first time you have worked with the university (a great first rung on the ladder before a KTP  perhaps?)

For more information, visit Innovation Vouchers .

 

Funding opportunity: solving urban challenges with data

Funding opportunities

 Up to £7.5million is to be made availabe to support research into “Solving urban challenges with data”. Funding is being provided by Innovate UK, ESRC and NERC. Funding will be offered for projects which aim to create solutions and services that offer specific commercial benefits or limit risks and increase the resilience, quality of life or economic performance of urban areas by integrating environmental, social and economic data with data from other sources. The focus is on better defining and solving problems through finding innovative ways to combine data sources.

Briefing events will be held regarding this call, as follows:

  • Glasgow – 27 November
  • Harwell – 4 December
  • Birmingham – 8 December
  • Cardiff – 11 December
  • Manchester – 16 December
  • London – 6 January

Further information and booking for events can be found at https://connect.innovateuk.org/web/solving-urban-challenges-with-data/overview

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

Funding opportunities

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

British Archaeological Association, GB. The Reginald Taylor and Lord Fletcher essay prize recognises the best essay submitted on any subject of art-historical, archaeological or antiquarian interest within the period from the Roman era to 1830. The prize comprises £500 and a bronze medal. Closing date: 01/11/2015

Harvard University, US. The Center for International Development at Harvard University invites applications for its fellowships in sustainability science. These aim to facilitate the design, implementation and evaluation of effective interventions that promote sustainable development. Fellowships are worth up to US$55,000 over a maximum of one year depending on the experience of the candidate. The competition is open to advanced doctoral and post-doctoral students and to mid-career professionals engaged in research or practice to facilitate the design, implementation and evaluation of effective interventions that promote sustainable development. Closing date: 02/02/15

Palestine Exploration Fund, GB. The Palestine Exploration Fund invites applications for travel and research and enable scholars to conduct research into the archaeology and history, topography, geology, natural sciences, and manners, customs and culture of biblical Palestine and the Levant. A total of £4,000 is available, of which up to three awards of £500 each are set aside for student travel to the Levant. Closing date: 31/01/15

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

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

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

 

Research Professional – all you need to know

Funding opportunities

Every 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.

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 fourth Tuesday of each month.  You can register here for your preferred date:

25 November 2014

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.

ESRC Transformative Research Call: internal competition

Funding opportunities

The ESRC expects universities to exercise demand management for the ESRC Transformative Research Call and therefore a special panel has been convened.Therefore, colleagues wishing to submit an application to this call should adhere to the following time scale:

You can find further information here: ESRC Transformative Research Call

The aim of this call is to provide a stimulus for genuinely transformative research ideas at the frontiers of the social sciences, enabling research which challenges current thinking to be supported and developed. Transformative research is an involving pioneering theoretical and methodological innovation. The expectation is that the transformative research call will encourage novel developments of social science enquiry, and support research activity that entails an element of risk.

If you have a queries please contact  Alexandra Pekalski

New SBRI Competition Inclusive Technology Prize

Funding opportunities

Are you working with start-ups, micro and or SMEs? Please encourage them to consider if they have any concepts or technology that could be applied to this challenge.

Designers, makers and entrepreneurs are being challenged to apply for the chance to gain a contract worth £50k and to develop the next generation of products, services and technologies that will make a real difference to the 1 in 6 of us living with limiting long term illness or disability in the UK.

The UK’s innovation foundation, Nesta, is working with the Office for Disability Issues, Innovate UK, Business Innovation and Skills and Irwin Mitchell to champion the issue of assistive technology through the Inclusive Technology Prize. The challenge will encourage innovation through co-creation with disabled people, meeting needs as defined by the users themselves and challenging people to use lived experiences of disability to develop life changing technology. 

 The competition is using the SBRI competition process, (Small Business Research Initiative) which offers opportunities for businesses, especially early-stage and SMEs to develop and demonstrate technology to public sector funded challenges.

 Interested organisations and individuals should visit www.inclusivetechprize.org to apply. The deadline for applications is 16 January 2015. 

 

£2.5m funding available – SBRI Healthcare Autumn 2014

Funding opportunities

SBRI Healthcare Autumn 2014

The National Health Service England and the NHS Academic Health Science Networks have opened multiple new SBRI competitions with a total of £2.5m funding available in Phase 1 to develop technologies and innovative solutions that can provide better health outcomes in the areas of:

  • Innovation in child & adolescent mental health
  • Improving care of diabetic foot ulcer
  • Medical imaging
  • Improving efficiency & experience of outpatient services
  • Brain injury healthcare

Phase 1 is intended to show the technical feasibility of the proposed concept. Development contracts will be awarded for a maximum of 6 months and £100,000 (inc VAT) per project.  Projects that have completed Phase 1 successfully will be eligible for Phase 2 later in the year. Phase 2 contracts are intended to develop and evaluate prototypes or demonstration units from the more promising technologies in Phase 1.

More information including briefs for the challenges can be found on the website.

Application process

For further details, including the application process click here. The deadline for applications is 9 December 2014

 

 

 

Making connections to improve your EU bidding

Funding opportunities

You can add an extra edge to your EU funding applications by understanding the background to the call or by being part of a network – sometimes it is not just what you know but also who you know….

The European Documentation Centre (Cardiff EDC) provides information on their website so that you can find the policies that may impact upon your research. Linking your research bid to the funder’s policies is always a good idea! You can also sign up to email alerts so that you receive documentation tailored to your information needs direct to your inbox. 

There are a number of email discussion lists on Linked In, including many for Horizon 2020. Some are for finding collaborative partners but also provide general information, an indication of trends and the opportunity for your to network with colleagues in the same field. Lists include Horizon 2020, Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Group, Horizon 2020 Society & Culture – Societal Challenges, Horizon 2020 Information and Communication Technologies – Industrial Leadership and Horizon 2020 Marie-Curie – Excellent Science. Why not make use of these groups?

You may find others in your field making use of the internet and you can join them. For example, a Linked In post took me to a site Health (IT) Space, where I found links relevant to the use of ICT in Health Care. Although you have to use discernment when signing up to any service, it is an example of what fellow researchers are doing. Join them? Emulate them in your field?

You can sign up to relevant email lists on JISCmail. Once such list is EUROtalk but there are many others aimed at the research community in the UK. Please make sure that you check the instructions for signing up (and unsubscribing) carefully.

There are, of course, more formal ways to enhance your presence within the EU. Make use of briefing and training events and consider signing up to be an EU Expert. Participating in this scheme will give you an insight into how the EU funding works, facilitate networking and allow you to make a positive contribution to the funding process.

Last, but not least, is the European Commission website, where you can find out about policies, calls, tenders and priorities. You can follow the EU via Linked In, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.

These are just a few of the connections that you can make. Yes, part of bidding is about conveying your research to the funder, but it is also about knowing the funder, their context and how your research fits with their aims and objectives.

To find out more about how the Funding Development Team can help you with your bidding, please get in touch! Keep watching the Research Blog for further help.

 

 

Tomorrow is deadline day for Fusion Investment Fund applications

Funding opportunities, Fusion

If you would like to apply to either strand of the Fusion Investment Fund, please make sure you submit your application by the deadline which is 12pm tomorrow!

No exception will be made to this deadline.

For all the strand policy documents, Fund FAQs and information about applying, please visit the FIF intranet pages.

 

Please direct all initial enquiries to the Fusion Investment Fund Co-ordinator, Sue Townrow, at Fusion Fund.

The Fusion Investment Fund is managed by Samantha Leahy-Harland.

Communicate 2014, will you grasp this opportunity?

Funding opportunities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This November 4th and 5th, get down to At-Bristol, located in Bristol city which will play host to this year’s eagerly anticipated Communicate 2014. Communicate is the UK’s leading conference for environmental communicators, bringing together over 150 delegates each year to debate and share the latest challenges and emerging best practice for engaging people with the natural world.

 Communicate can boast of bringing together over 80 organisations, including NGO’s, local and national government, media, academia, visitor attractions and green businesses, providing participants with an excellent opportunity to engage with practitioners. This is an opportunity that cannot be missed as these organisations represent Communicate annually and since 2003, more than 800 delegates from over 300 organisations have attended the conference. The conference is highly stimulating and thought provoking and it is a great opportunity to meet people involved across a wide variety of sectors.

 There is funding available for NERC funded PhD students and early career researchers thanks to the support from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Bursaries will be awarded through a competitive application process. Applications for the second round of bursaries must be received by 9am on Monday 20th October. Click here to start your application. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity.

 Click here to see the latest line-up of some of Britain’s most effective speakers that will be there to make this experience one you will never forget.

£1 million call for research proposals – affordable space capability

Funding opportunities

 

 

 

 

 

Affordable Space Capability

MOD’s Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) are launching  this competition  to fund exploratory studies and demonstrations to develop concepts and technologies required for delivering a UK space-based military capability. A smaller number of successful projects will be taken forward for further development.

Areas of particular interest include:

  • technologies providing wide-area surveillance combined with ways of detecting small objects of interest
  • technologies providing very frequent or persistent coverage to observe short-lived events
  • methods for detecting concealed objects
  • technologies to provide secure communications using hand-held terminals from hard-to-reach locations
  • secure use of existing commercial space infrastructures

The MOD are also interested in reducing build and operating costs. Cost reduction should be achieved without reducing reliability or assurance of systems. Proposals are particularly welcome which investigate the use of:

  • novel platform technologies, including on-orbit propulsion and power systems, but excluding launch
  • novel payload technologies, including deployable structures

This competition will be briefed at the CDE Innovation Network event on Tuesday 18 November 2014 – registration will open around 6 weeks before the event.

Further details are available via the website.

 

 

 

Horizon 2020 – Innovate UK Webinars

Funding opportunities

The Knowledge Transfer Network invite you to H2020
Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) – in addition to the private investment that this money will attract. It promises more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market. The Knowledge Transfer Network in partnership with Innovate UK, is hosting a series of support workshops and events to assist business in accessing, partnering for, and understanding the opportunities presented by Horizon 2020. 
Webinars Announced…
15th Oct; H2020 Webinar: Energy Efficient Buildings Calls (EeB) 2015
 
21st Oct; H2020 Webinar: 2015 Calls for Proposals for Low Carbon Energy projects including renewable electricity, renewable heat, smart grids and energy storage
22nd Oct; H2020 Webinar: 2015 Calls for Proposals for Energy Efficiency projects
 23rd Oct; H2020 Webinar: 2015 Calls for Proposals for Smart Cities and Communities projects
 
20th-21st Nov, London; Pilot Live event: H2020 International Proposal Exercise on Built Environment Calls (EeB and EE)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Past Events 
European Funding for the Materials & Nanotechnology, Chemistry & Manufacturing Communities – Presentations available here.
Sustainable Value Chains – European funding for innovation in sustainable use and supply of resources – Presentations available here.
Get in Touch 
claire.claessen@ktn-uk.org

 
Support for a wide variety of business applying to H2020
The Knowledge Transfer Network events will provide support to a wide spectrum of businesses through a combination of information, networking, pitching, drop in surgeries & consortia building events.
Dates have been announced for a series of webinars covering Energy Efficient Buildings, Low Carbon Energy, Energy Efficiency and Smart Cities  & Communities. Details can be found below.Get involved

Which EU Internet of Things Large Scale Pilots? Consultation and Invitation for Commitment: This is your chance to influence what goes into the work programme – and show some willing, if you are so inclined. Participate here.
15th October; H2020 Webinar: Energy Efficient Buildings Calls (EeB) 2015
The webinar  will present the current Horizon 2020 Call for Proposals for Energy Efficient Buildings projects. The current Call for Proposals has a budget of 72M€ and includes topics on design tools for refurbishment of buildings, buildings design for new highly energy performing buildings and integrated approaches to retrofitting of residential buildings.
More >>
 21st October; H2020 Webinar: 2015 Calls for Proposals for Low Carbon Energy projects including renewable electricity, renewable heat, smart grids and energy storage
This webinar will highlight the forthcoming opportunities in Horizon 2020 Energy within the Low Carbon Energy Call topics. 
More >>
     
22nd October; H2020 Webinar: 2015 Calls for Proposals for Energy Efficiency projects
This webinar will highlight the forthcoming opportunities in Horizon 2020 Energy within the Energy Efficiency Call topics. 
More >>
     
23rd October; H2020 Webinar: 2015 Calls for Proposals for Smart Cities and Communities projects    
 
This webinar will highlight the forthcoming opportunities in Horizon 2020 Energy within the Smart Cities and Communities Call topics. 
 
More >>
     
20th-21st November, London; H2020 International Proposal Exercise on Built Environment Calls (EeB and EE)
 
The aim of this event is to facilitate the creation of potential consortia and smart proposals for 2015 around the EeB calls (Industrial Leadership) and the EE (societal challenge). The event is open only to 60 delegates with a max of 40 from UK and max of 20 from Europe. Please note that your registration is subject to approval by the Knowledge Transfer Network.
 

More >>
     

For even more information, please go to the KTN website and register on _connect, Innovate UK’s information portal, to receive personal updates relevant to you.