Category / Funding opportunities

New Home Office SBRI Competition – Forensics

 

Funding of £250k is available for this Phase 1 competition from the Home Office’s Centre for Applied Science and Technology (CAST). CAST exists to protect the public using science and technology by providing high quality, impartial advice, innovative solutions and frontline support to the Home Office and its partners, including the Police.

Across the UK last year, more than 500,000 crime scenes were examined for the recovery of forensic related material, principally, fingerprints and biological material. The challenge facing CAST is how to achieve step-change improvements to forensic processes used in crime investigation in the UK in order to increase the amount of material identified, reduce the time taken to process evidence, manage contamination and lessen disruptive interventions.

 The call for proposals will therefore focus on proof of concepts for technologies and processes which aid the rapid location and recovery of forensic material at crime scenes. The key requirement is to have the capability to quickly screen scenes or articles for the presence of fingerprints or other biological material that can be used in evidence. This may be achieved by a single technology which can locate both fingerprints and biological material, or separate technologies that can be deployed by investigators at a scene.

The competition will open on Monday 1st September, 2014 and close at midday on Wednesday 9 October 2014.

A briefing event is planned for 10 September in London. To register go to Eventbrite.

About SBRI.

For further information about this competition please visit the website . 

 

 

 

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

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

The British Academy is inviting applications to their Mid-Career Fellowships. The Academy intends, through this scheme, both to support outstanding individual researchers with excellent research proposals, and to promote public understanding and engagement with humanities and social sciences. The aim of the scheme is to allow successful applicants to obtain time freed from normal teaching and administrative commitments. These Fellowships are covered under the Full Economic Costing (FEC) regime, but the Academy’s contribution to the salary of the Mid-Career Fellow will be capped at an upper limit of £80,000, awards can be held over a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 12 months, beginning in the autumn of 2015. The deadline will be in 09/2014 for awards to be taken up from 01/09/2015.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) invite proposals for collaborative projects between the UK and the Republic of Korea in the field of Fuel Cell Technologies. EPSRC and KETEP each have up to £2.5 million available to support projects under this call. Proposals are invited from leading UK researchers wishing to either develop relationships with leading researchers from eligible institutions in Korea or to deepen existing collaborations. If you intend to submit a proposal to this call, you must register your intent by email to energyteam@epsrc.ac.uk by 4pm, 17/09/2014.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Advanced Metrology is offering funding for Feasibility Studies in the field of mathematics for metrology. This Centre has been created to develop the next generation of manufacturing metrology technologies for total machining and advanced surfaces.  Its main aim is to deliver a step-change in the link between measurement (through the science of metrology) and production, primarily for the benefit of advanced manufacturing industries. The feasibility studies should examine a subject area in the scope, review activity in it, identify key challenges and research questions not currently being addressed and develop full proposals for funding by established routes. Awards are limited to £50,000 at 80% FEC and to a maximum duration of six months. The closing date for applications is 12:00, 22/09/2014.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) invites applications for its Supergen Solar Challenge.  The Research Councils UK Energy Programme is looking to support projects that help address key challenges in Solar Technology. The areas to be supported are in: Materials and Process Development; Building Integrated Photovoltaics; Efficiency of PV technology; and Characterisation and Stability. There is up to £5 million available to support projects submitted in response to this call. It is intended that three to five projects will be supported through this call. The deadline for proposals will be 4pm, 04/11/2014.

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) are pleased to invite proposals for their Civil Society Data Partnership projects under Phase 3 of the Big Data Network. The Civil Society Data Partnership projects will establish or build on relationships between academic researchers and civil society organisations to demonstrate the value of improved data infrastructure, enabling collection and analysis of data which is of interest to civil society organisations and through enabling the sector to better utilise its own data. Proposals are invited for a duration of up to 18 months, with the latest start date of 14 February 2015. The budget of each Civil Society Data Partnership project will be a maximum of £250,000 (100 per cent fEC). Theminimum funding level is £50,000 (100 per cent fEC) and it is expected that proposals for both small and large projects will be received. The call will open on 22/08/2014 and the deadline for applications is 4pm, 02/10/2014.

The Medical Research Council’s (MRC) Confidence in Concept scheme provides annual awards of £250k-£1.2m to institutions, to be used flexibly to support the earliest stages of multiple translational research projects. It is intended to accelerate the transition /from /discovery research to translational development projects by supporting preliminary work or feasibility studies to establish the viability of an approach. The closing date for applications is 4pm, 17/10/2014.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) invites applications to its Proximity to Discovery: Industry Engagement Fund.  The fund will support a small number of research organisations to use creative approaches to building relationships with industry partners and can be used for people and knowledge exchange at the very earliest stage of a collaboration and may not necessarily be aligned to a specific project objective. A total budget of £15 m is available to support CinC and Proximity to Discovery: Industry Engagement Fund. The closing date for applications is 4pm, 17/10/2014.

The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research in collaboration with the Technology Strategy Board are inviting applications for its CRACK IT challenges.  CRACK IT Challenges is a challenge-led funding competition from the NC3Rs which is designed to: fund collaborations between industry, academics and SMEs; minimise the use of animals in research; and support the development of marketable products and/or improved business processes. There are up to three Challenges this year with a total of seven Sponsors, with funding ranging from £100k to £1m and contracts from 1-3 years.  The competition is open from 15/09/2014 and the deadline for applications is 12 noon, 19/11/2014. Please note that in order to apply you must register with the SBRI for the competition by 12 noon, 12/11/2014.  

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) invites applications to its International Opportunities Fund. The scheme provides resources to NERC-supported researchers to allow them to forge long-term partnerships with overseas scientists that add value to current NERC-funded science. There are two grants available: 1) IOF Pump-Priming Grants – These aim to help researchers establish and develop new collaborative links with international partners. Proposals for IOF Pump Priming Grants may request funding of a maximum of £40k (at 80% FEC) for up to two years duration. 2) IOF Pump-Priming Plus Grants – These aim to support establishment of novel international collaborative links, as for the IOF Pump Priming grants, but allow for development of partnerships that require more resource. Proposals for IOF Pump Priming grants may request funding of a maximum of £320K (at 80% FEC) for up to three years duration. The closing date for proposals is 25/09/2014.

The Royal Academy of Engineering is now inviting applications for The Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship. The fellowship allows the academic to concentrate on full-time research and be relieved of teaching and administrative responsibilities. The purpose of the Fellowships is to cover the salary costs of a replacement academic who will take over the awardee’s teaching and administration duties for up to one year. The deadline for applications is 4pm, 27/10/2014.

The Technology Strategy Board and Offshore Energy Research Association of Nova Scotia (OERA) are jointly investing approximately $1.4m CAD (£755k) in collaborative R&D projects to develop enhanced sensing technologies for tidal stream energy applications.  The aim of this competition is to develop technologies that lead to the acquisition of better data, improved data analysis and collection methods, helping to reduce risk, uncertainty and cost to the tidal stream energy industry. Proposals must be collaborative and business-led, including at least one business from Canada and one from the UK.  This is a two-stage competition that opens for applicants on 06/10/2014.  The deadline for expressions of interest is at 4pm Greenwich Mean Time on 28/11/2014.  

The Technology Strategy Board will shortly be inviting registrations and applications for its call on Forensics. The call for proposals is seeking to achieve a step-change in crime investigation in the UK, through the application of novel techniques for gathering forensic evidence. The call will open on 01/09/2014. Registration closes on 22/10/2014 and the deadline for applications is 29/10/2014.

The Technology Strategy Board and the Environment Agency will shortly be inviting registrations and applications for their call on Non-intrusive river flow measurement. This competition is focused on the Environment Agency’s need to measure river flows in challenging locations where existing standard instrumentation cannot be used. However, a solution that could also be deployed in less demanding/normal river conditions would be ideal. In order to enter this competition, registration is required. Registration closes on 15/10/2014 and applications are due in by 22/10/2014. The award is to be confirmed.

The Welcome Trust invites applications to its Arts Awards that support scientific engagement through the arts. The scheme aims to support imaginative and experimental arts projects that investigate biomedical science and all art forms are covered by the programme: dance, drama, performance arts, visual arts, music, film, craft, photography, creative writing or digital media. The Trust invites applications for projects which engage adult audiences and/or young people. Funding can be applied for at two levels: 1) Small to medium-sized projects (up to and including £30 000) – Funding can either be used to support the development of new project ideas, deliver small-scale productions or workshops, investigate and experiment with new methods of engagement through the arts, or develop new collaborative relationships between artists and scientists. 2) Large projects (above £30 000) – This funding can be used to fund full or part production costs for large-scale arts projects that aim to have significant impact on the public’s engagement with biomedical science. The closing date is 08/11/2014.

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.

British Academy – calls released!

The British Academy have confirmed that they are now inviting applications for the below schemes in 2014-2015. If you wish to apply for these schemes, please do ensure that you contact the Research & Knowledge Exchange Office (R&KEO) as soon as possible – BU’s internal deadlines have been added to the below information.

Please note: The British Academy have asked us to inform you that the latest time at which applications will be accepted from both applications and approvers via eGAP will now be 5pm on the relevant deadline date (rather than midnight, as was previously the case).

 Please see below the timetables for 2014-2014 funding schemes:

Postdoctoral Fellowships

  • Application forms, Outline Stage: available from  27 August 2014
  • BU internal deadline to RKEO – 2 October 2014
  • Applicant deadline, Outline Stage: 8 October 2014
  • Result of Outline Stage announced: 21 January 2015
  • BU internal deadline to RKEO – 19 February 2015
  • Application deadline, Second Stage: 25 February 2015
  • Final results confirmed: May 2015
  • Awards available for starting date: Not earlier than 1 September 2015 and not later than 1 January 2016

 Mid-Career Fellowships

  • Application forms, Outline Stage: available from  13 August 2014
  • BU internal deadline to RKEO – 11 September 2014
  • Applicant deadline, Outline Stage: 17 September 2014
  • Result of Outline Stage announced: 17 December 2014
  • BU internal deadline to RKEO – 15 January 2015
  • Application deadline, Second Stage: 21 January 2015
  • Final results confirmed: March 2015
  • Awards available for starting date: Not earlier than 1 September 2015 and not later than 1 January 2016

 BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants

2014-15 Round (Round 1)

  • Application forms: available from  3 September 2014
  • BU internal deadline to RKEO – 9 October 2014
  • Applicant deadline: 15 October 2014
  • Final Results confirmed: March 2015
  • Awards available for starting date: Not earlier than 1 April 2015 and not later than 31 August 2015

2015 Round (Round 2)

  • Application forms: available from  1 April 2015
  • BU internal deadline to RKEO – 30 April 2015
  • Applicant deadline: 6 May 2015
  • Final Results confirmed: July 2015
  • Awards available for starting date: Not earlier than 1 September 2015 and not later than 31 March 2016

Skills Acquisition Awards

  • Application forms: available from  3 September 2014
  • BU internal deadline to RKEO – 23 October 2014
  • Applicant deadline: 29 October 2014
  • Final Results confirmed: March 2015
  • Awards available for starting date: Not earlier than 1 September 2015 and not later than 1 April 2016

BA/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowships

  • Application forms: available from  15 October 2014
  • BU internal deadline to RKEO – 13 November 2014
  • Applicant deadline: 19 November 2014
  • Final Results confirmed: March 2015
  • Awards available for starting date: Not earlier than 1 September 2015 and not later than 1 January 2016

Neil Ker Memorial Fund Grants

  • Application forms: available from  22 October 2014
  • BU internal deadline to RKEO – 30 November 2014
  • Applicant deadline: 3 December 2014
  • Final Results confirmed: March 2015
  • Awards available for starting date: Not earlier than 1 April 2015 and not later than 31 December 2015

Stein-Arnold Exploration Fund Grants

  • Application forms: available from  22 October 2014
  • BU internal deadline to RKEO – 30 November 2014
  • Applicant deadline: 3 December 2014
  • Final Results confirmed: March 2015
  • Awards available for starting date: Not earlier than 1 April 2015 and not later than 31 December 2015

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.

Horizon 2020: 2015 Health Call Now Open!

The European Commission has launched the 2015 call for projects under the Horizon 2020 Health, demographic change and wellbeing challenge. The Health work programme is available here: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/wp/2014_2015/main/h2020-wp1415-health_en.pdf 

The 2015 Health call is made of 4 different sub-calls, depending on the submission procedure (single stage or two stage), the final deadline for the submission and the funding scheme (research and innovation actions, and coordination and support actions). Specific information for each call can be found below:

1) Personalising Health and Care – Single Stage 

Budget: (€ Mn): 104.50

Deadline: 21st April 2015

Topics (PHC):  21, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30

2) Personalising Health and Care – Single Stage RTD

Budget (€ Mn): 88.00

Deadline: 24th February 2015

Topics (PHC): 9, 15, 33

3) Personalising Health and Care – Two Stage

Budget (€ Mn): 306.00

Deadline (stage 1): 14th October 2014

Deadline (stage 2): 21st April 2015

Topics (PHC): 2, 3, 4, 11, 14, 16, 18, 22, 24

4) Health Co-ordination Activities 

Budget (€ Mn): 40.00

Deadline: 15th April 2014

Topics (HCO): 3, 6, 11, 12, 13, 17

 

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

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

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) have announced that their Collaborative Doctoral Partnerships scheme will be reopening next year. The AHRC is seeking applications from non-HEI Organisations or consortia to become Collaborative Doctoral Partners with the AHRC to support and provide high-quality doctoral training. It is recommended that you check the funding pages in spring 2015. 

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council’s (BBSRC) have launched their Images with Impact – BBSRC anniversary image competition. The competition is seeking the best images that showcase UK bioscience and its importance in everyday life. The competition forms part of a series of engaging activities throughout 2014 to highlight the impact of BBSRC’s research base, world-leading bioscience, and its important contribution to the UK economy over 20 years. With this competition we want you to capture the exciting developments happening in bioscience today with images from the Great British public, its students and its researchers. There are fantastic prizes up for grabs, with a total prize fund of over £2,400. The deadline for submissions is 06/10/2014. 

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council’s (BBSRC) Modular Training Partnerships scheme funds the development of industrially-relevant short training courses at Masters level. Training should be developed in close collaboration with industry, and evidence of industrial demand is a key requirement for funding. Modular Training Partnerships provide pump-prime funding for the development of individual training modules, and preparation and marketing of course materials, and course launch. The deadline for applications is 15/10/2014.

The Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) are pleased to announce that a Sustainable Aquaculture Call for Proposals will be published in September for collaborative proposals to support aquaculture related research, where aquaculture is the farming or cultivation of organisms such as fin-fish, molluscs and crustaceans. BBSRC and NERC have each committed £2·5m to this Call for Proposals. Additional co-funding from other partners, including the Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute (AFBI) and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), is anticipated and will be available to cover the costs of their researchers on proposals. Applications for the scheme will be open from September 2014 and are expected to close early November 2014. 

Following on from the RCUK Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Exploratory Workshop ‘Transformational Approaches to Improving Hearing Aid Technology’, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) are highlighting this future call. It will aim to encourage Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS) researchers to develop disruptive technologies for use in hearing aid devices. The estimated opening date is 16/09/2014 and estimated closing date is 27/11/2014. 

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) are offering a three month secondment opportunity to the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology; open to EPSRC funded PhD students. The deadline for applications is 03/10/2014 and the start date for successful applicants is from March 2015.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) in the UK and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in India in collaboration with Department of International Development (DFID) are pleased to announce a joint call to fund Global Health Research which will bring together researchers from the UK, India and Low Income Countries. The MRC aim to fund work which addresses health needs of the most disadvantaged populations globally.  The scope of the call is research proposals that address major health needs of women and children in low resource settings, with a focus on issues relating to one or combinations of the following topics: Maternal, new born and child health (including women’s and girl’s sexual health); Nutrition and Infectious diseases (e.g. malaria). Applications must be submitted by 16:00 on the 21/10/2014. 

The Royal Society’s Professorship for Public Engagement in Science award is for a well-established scientist with exceptional scientific communication skills and media experience to support the Society’s public engagement work. The appointment will be for five years in the first instance with the opportunity to renew the professorship for a further five years. The maximum amount of time that the Society expects the successful candidate to commit to the Professorship is 50%. Therefore, the Society will provide a contribution to the salary of the successful candidate on a pro-rata basis depending on the time committed to the Society. This scheme is now open to applications, and will close on 16/09/2014.

The Royal Society’s Industrial Fellowship scheme is for academic scientists who want to work on a collaborative project with industry and for scientists in industry who want to work on a collaborative project with an academic organisation. It aims to enhance knowledge transfer in science and technology between those in industry and those in academia in the UK. The scheme provides a basic salary for the researcher and a contribution towards research costs. Closing date: 30/09/14.

The Welcome Trust’s Career Re-entry Fellowships scheme is for postdoctoral scientists who have recently decided to recommence a scientific research career after a continuous break of at least two years. It gives such scientists the opportunity to return to high-quality research, with the potential to undertake refresher or further training. The fellowship is particularly suitable for applicants wishing to return to research after a break for family commitments. Applications for this scheme are considered twice a year, details of the next round are as follows: Preliminary application deadline, 06/10/2014 (5pm); Invited full application deadline, 08/12/2014 (5pm); Shortlisted candidate interviews, 13-15/04/2014. 

The Welcome Trust’s Research Training Fellowships scheme is for medical, dental, veterinary or clinical psychology graduates who have little or no research training, but who wish to develop a long-term career in academic medicine. Applications are encouraged from individuals who wish to undertake substantial training through high-quality research in an appropriate unit or clinical research facility, towards a PhD or MD qualification. Applications are considered three times a year; the next closing date is 01/12/2014. 

The Welcome Trust’s Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowships scheme provides a unique opportunity for the most promising newly qualified postdoctoral researchers to make an early start in developing their independent research careers, working in the best laboratories in the UK and overseas. Candidates will be expected to identify an important biomedical research question and to develop and deliver a personal programme to achieve their research aims. The fellowship is for four years full-time and may be taken up on a part-time employment basis with the tenure of award lengthened accordingly. The fellowship provides an award of £250 000. Applications for this scheme are considered twice a year, details of the next round are as follows: Preliminary application deadline, 06/10/2014 (5pm); Invited full application deadline, 08/12/2014 (5pm); Shortlisted candidate interviews, 13-15/04/2014. 

The Wellcome Trust invites submissions for their Welcome Image Awards. If you are a research scientist, photographer or illustrator, your images could reach a global audience. The winning images will go on display at science centres and public galleries across the UK. The deadline for submissions is 30/09/2014.

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.

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

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

The AHRC, working with the ESRC and other RCUK partners, is seeking to appoint a Leadership fellow for a three year period to provide intellectual leadership and strategic advice on the development of the new Conflict Theme within the Partnership for Conflict, Crime and Security Research (RCUK Global Uncertainties Programme). The Fellowship must start between 01/01/15 and 01/04/15. The deadline for applications is 16:00 on 30/09/14

The AHRC are inviting participants to attend a two day workshop  – Mixed Reality Game Design – part of the AHRC-funded Performance and Games Network, and will explore the collaborative space between performing arts and game design. The event is suitable for practitioners and researchers working in performing arts, game developers/designers, and researchers from other disciplines interested in this theme. Funding is available for travel and accommodation. The event takes place on 27th – 28th October 2014. Applications for assistance should be made as soon as possible.

Are you a scientist, technologist, engineer or mathematician who has had a career break of 2 or more years for family, caring or health reasons and wishes to return to research? If so the Daphne Jackson Trust may be able to help with a Fellowship. There are sponsored fellowships with closing dates given on the website or, if you have a host institution in mind, you can apply at any time.

The EPSRC in collaboration with the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), supported by Department for Transport (DfT) invite research proposals working towards the following joint research call is to establish a number of cross-disciplinary consortia to conduct research into novel applications for materials to reduce whole life asset costs. It is anticipated that three to four proposals (in the region of £500,000 – 800,000) will be funded. Closing date – 09/10/14 at 16:00.

Funded by the EPSRC and co-ordinated by the University of Sheffield AMRC, High Value Manufacturing Catapult fellowships aim to strengthen relations between academics and manufacturers, and accelerate the transition of research from the laboratory to industry. The fellowships will enable academic staff to spend six-month research visits, spread over one to four years, in one or more of the HVM Catapult centres. The projects must be aligned to work previously funded by EPSRC. Applications should be received by the funder by noon on 29/08/14.

The EPSRC invites Expressions of Interest (EoI) from UK universities to join a consortium to establish an internationally-recognised Institute to lead in research, education and knowledge transfer in the data sciences: The Alan Turing Institute. Those considering an application to this call must register, by 20/08/14, to attend an open meeting on 24/09/14. The closing date for application is 30/10/14.

The EPSRC Resource Allocation for Archer call (Summer 2014) is now open. Top-ups for existing holders are also available. Both calls close on 15/09/14 at 16:00.

EPSRC Programme Grants are a flexible mechanism to provide funding to world-leading research groups to address significant major research challenges. Applicants must discuss their suitability for Programme Grant funding with an identified EPSRC contact before submitting an Outline application. There are panels throughout each academic year.

The EPSRC-funded Programme Grant “Silicon Photonics for Future Systems (SPFS)” includes an innovation fund to enable the inclusion of additional partners to bring additional value to the programme. Initial engagement will be via short research projects that support the aims of the programme. Therefore, proposals from UK‐based academic researchers are invited for projects valued up to £100k to support the research areas of the Programme Grant. Closing date 05/09/14.

Announced on the ESRC website, the Open Research Area in Europe (ORA) partners are pleased to announce that they expect the fourth joint call for proposals to open this autumn. Four countries participating in the fourth ORA call: UK, Germany, the Netherlands and France. Proposals will be accepted for research projects in any area of the social sciences involving researchers from any combination of two or more of the participating countries (excluding bilateral applications from French-German teams). In this call the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) will be collaborating with ORA as an associate partner and applicants to the ORA Joint Call may seek partnerships with Japanese researchers.

The ESRC is inviting Expressions of Interest for the post of Co-ordinator for ESRC’s new Urban Transformations portfolio. The appointment is for 12-18 months in duration, with the successful applicant offering a minimum of 50 to 60 per cent time allocation (FTE) over this period. The EoI should be submitted by 16:00 on 08/09/14 and the successful applicant should take up this post by 01/12/14.

The Joint POSTESRC postgraduate fellowship scheme provides an opportunity for ESRC-funded postgraduate students to be seconded to the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) to assist in producing independent, balanced and accessible analysis of public policy issues for Parliamentarians. The start date of the fellowship will be between January and October 2015, to be agreed between the applicant, POST, the applicant’s supervisor and university. Applications should be received by the funder on 03/10/14.

The ESRC are looking to appoint an individual or team to review in detail the opportunities, issues, design considerations and short and long term cost implications of establishing a web-based probability panel  in the UK. A web-based probability panel offers transformative potential for social science research and should reduce data collection costs over time. The ESRC are seeking detailed advice and guidance to inform our decision-making and would expect the appointed individual or team to consult widely with the user community to establish the potential demand, options and design considerations for a UK web-based probability panel. Closing date 16:00 on 11/09/14.

The Leverhulme Trust is offering  Up to £125,000 over up to three years to allow a UK-based researcher to build a new collaborative research project with overseas institutions, to develop international networks. These collaborations enable a Principal Investigator based in the UK to lead a research project where its successful completion is dependent on the participation of relevant overseas institutions. First-stage outline applications can be submitted at any time.

The MRC and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in the Government of India  invite proposals to the UK-India Joint Centre Partnerships call via the Newton Fund.  This initiative seeks to build upon substantial pre-existing collaborations between high quality research teams based in the UK and India. Applications must relate to one of the following – Cancer biology, Translational regenerative medicine in neuroscience or Antimicrobial resistance especially resistance to antibiotics. Closing date 29/09/14 at 16:00.

The MRC Integrative toxicology training partnership (ITTP) PhD studentship scheme is an initiative with the aim of improving and boosting capacity in the toxicological sciences by sponsoring PhD studentships. Details for applications by potential supervisors for the next round of studentships to start Autumn 2015 has a deadline of 30/11/14 and there must be a representative at an Interactive meeting on 22/09/14.

NERC invites proposals to the new research programme Valuing Natural Capital in Low Carbon Energy Pathways (VNC), which will form a challenge for phase 3 of the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC). Proposals should also include links to the new NERC Valuing Nature programme. The overarching aim of this research programme is to understand the implications for natural capital and the provision of ecosystem services of a range of future energy scenarios, including scenarios that are compatible with the UK’s energy policy goals of maintaining energy security, keeping energy affordable and cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% by 2050. The closing date for this call is 16:00 on 18/09/14.

NERC and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), with the Technology Strategy Board, are running an SBRI competition with funding of £1.45m to develop new technology solutions for coordinating a suite of marine autonomous systems (MAS) enabling tracking of dynamic features. Recognising their common interests, and the potential for dual-use technology to enable tracking and sampling of dynamic features in the marine environment, the NERC and Dstl, together with the Technology Strategy Board, are seeking innovative solutions from industry. A briefing session will be held for all applicants to provide the opportunity to discuss the requirements of the brief with NOC. It is planned that this will take place on 02/09/14, with registration by 22/08/14 required. The competition will run in two phases with the closing date for phase 1 being 31/10/14. Phase 2 will be advised based on the outcomes from phase 1.
 
NERC, through its Strategic Environmental Science Capital Call, will invest in strategic capital priorities to provide a well-found research and innovation environment that will support existing and future world-class environmental science. Eligible Research Organisations are invited to submit proposals for capital assets (for science, innovation, estates, I.T, facilities), with a minimum value of £100,000 per proposal, but not exceeding a combined total value of £500,000. Proposals should demonstrate how the capital asset would support world class environmental science, aligned with NERC’s remit and strategic priorities, and have potential to stimulate innovation and economic impact. The deadline for submission of proposals is 13:00 on 22/08/14.

The Royal Society’s University Research Fellowships scheme is for outstanding scientists in the UK who are in the early stages of their research career and have the potential to become leaders in their field. The scheme covers all areas of the life and physical sciences, including engineering, but excluding clinical medicine and any researcher addressing a direct biomedical research question. Closing date 11/09/14.

Round 9 of the Technology Strategy Board’s Innovation Vouchers is now open! This scheme is designed to help businesses gain the knowledge they need to innovate and grow. They are open to SME businesses looking to obtain expert advice from a knowledge supplier they haven’t worked with before (such as BU or a School / Faculty within BU). Up to £5,000 is available and the deadline for this call is 22/10/14.

The Technology Strategy Board is to invest up to £3.5m in collaborative R&D projects to stimulate new ways of reducing energy consumption in computer systems. They are looking to encourage innovative approaches in hardware and/or software across all computer systems, including the internet of things (IoT) – and embedded systems. The aim of this competition is to accelerate the development of emerging technologies and to strengthen the focus of UK industry on the issue of energy consumption in computer systems. The funder is seeking proposals that show companies working together – particularly large with small – to scale up innovations in this area. Proposals must be collaborative and business-led. A briefing event for potential applicants will be held in London on 3 September 2014. The briefing will also be made available live as a webinar, which will be recorded for viewing subsequently. Consortium-building workshops will also be arranged.  This is a two-stage competition that opens for applicants on 01/09/14. The deadline for expressions of interest is at noon on 15/10/14.  The second stage deadline for invited applications is at noon on 04/12/14

The Department for Transport and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, working in partnership with the Technology Strategy Board, are to invest up to £10m in collaborative R&D projects to research further how driverless cars can be integrated into everyday life in the UK.   This call aims to establish the UK as the global hub for the R&D and integration of driverless vehicles and associated technologies into society and to attract future investment by identifying up to three urban test locations for further research, with projects expected to range in size from total eligible costs of £5m to £10m. All projects must be collaborative and business-led. Applicants must register by noon, 24/09/14 with submission by noon, 01/10/14.

Via the Technology Strategy Board, CRACK IT Challenges is a milestone-driven funding competition from The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs). There are up to four Challenges this year with a total of seven Sponsors, with funding ranging from £100k to £1m and contracts from 1-3 years. The Challenges will be announced on Wednesday, 6 August. Further information is also available on the CRACK IT website.

The Technology Strategy Board is investing up to £6m in an SBRI competition to develop innovative solutions that can help cities plan more successfully for the future. This SBRI competition aims to encourage new ways of achieving better integration of infrastructure and services across a city, by improving understanding of how elements of these systems interact with each other. Up to £6m is available to encourage companies to develop prototypes and to demonstrate how they would link up different city models. Solutions should enable users to interact with multiple models to tackle different city problems. Contracts will be awarded to single suppliers, who may sub-contract to other partners. This competition is open to all organisations that can demonstrate a route to market for their solution. The deadline for registration is noon on 07/01/15 and the deadline for applications is noon on 14/01/15.

The Wellcome Trust’s Strategic Awards in Biomedical Science provide flexible forms of support to excellent research groups with outstanding track records in their field. In particular, Strategic Awards support research to address the challenges outlined in the Wellcome Trust’s Strategic Plan for 2010-2020. Proposals which involve interdisciplinary research collaborations of basic scientists and/or clinicians (medical and veterinary) and/or non-biologists (e.g. mathematicians, physicists, chemists, engineers, social scientists) are particularly encouraged. Applications can be submitted on a rolling basis.

The Wellcome Trust and  National Institutes of Health PhD Studentships scheme provides opportunities for the most promising postgraduate students in Biomedical Sciences to undertake international, collaborative four-year PhD training based in both the UK/Republic of Ireland and USA at the National Institutes of Health campus. The deadline for applications is 03/11/14.

The Wellcome Trust’s People Awards and Society Awards are two related schemes supporting projects that encourage the public to explore biomedical science, its impact on society and culture, its historical roots or the ethical questions that it raises. The schemes are open to a wide range of people, including: mediators, facilitators and practitioners of science communication; science centre/museum staff; artists; educators; film makers; theatre producers; games developers; public participation practitioners; health professionals; and academics in bioscience, social science, bioethics and medical history and humanities. There are deadlines thourghout the year with the next three being:  15/08/14 (17.00),  14/11/14 (17.00) and  20/02/15 (17.00).

The Sir Henry Dale Fellowship brings together the Royal Society and the Wellcome Trust, two of the world’s most prestigious and influential scientific organisations, in their shared commitment to supporting the future leaders of biomedical research. The scheme is for outstanding postdoctoral scientists wishing to build their own UK-based independent research career addressing an important biomedical question. The scheme seeks to support individuals who would have previously applied for a ‘biomedical’ Royal Society University Research Fellowship or a Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellowship hosted by a UK academic organisation. The preliminary deadline is 21/11/14.

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

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:

26 August 2014

23 September 2014

28 October 2014

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.

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

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

BBSRC seeks early career researchers from academia or industry who have demonstrated high potential, and who wish to establish an independent academic career focused on the translation of fundamental bioscience research. The Translational Fellowships  call will support the translation of basic plant science into crop science research. The application deadline is 05/11/14 at 4pm, with interviews in April-May 2015.

BBSRC, in collaboration with Defra, will be announcing a call to support fundamental bioscience that will address key gaps in the knowledge of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) biology. BBSRC envisage that this programme will facilitate the growth of the bTB basic bioscience research community and promote cross-disciplinary working. If your research, involves this topic, please watch out for further news on this topic.

ESRC and Technology Strategy Board have announced a call for applications for members of a new initiative to deepen and expand their portfolio of partnership activities. The Innovation Caucus will trial a new approach to liaison and knowledge exchange between these two communities, by supporting social science based thought leaders to engage with TSB technologists and strategic planning. The Innovation Caucus will promote engagement between TSB and social science communities, demonstrating the value of social science knowledge for innovation and establishing a substantive pathway of knowledge exchange and opportunity for impact within and through the TSB. Importantly, these will be senior appointments and the opportunity is open to both academics and non-academics; a social science background and strong record of delivering successful knowledge exchange and impact is essential. Closing date for Knowledge Broker applications is by 4pm on 25/08/14. For the Thought Leader call, the closing date is 4pm on 23/10/14

Announced by the EPSRC and working in close partnership with the Technology Strategy Board, the Connected Digital Economy Catapult and with support from Microsoft Research, the Research Councils UK Digital Economy (DE) Theme is seeking to promote the realisation of impact and enhanced exploitation of the outcomes arising from its investments in the research base. This Next Stage Digital Economy call is designed to consolidate, harness and build upon existing DE knowledge and skills arising from DE Theme-funded and related funded awards to help accelerate the research outcomes and outputs to the next stage and create more real impact (be it economic, societal or cultural). If you are interested in applying,  join a Twitter chat on Thursday 17 July from 15:00 to 16:00 (BST). Portfolio Managers from the AHRC, ESRC and EPSRC will be present to answer your questions about the Next Stage call. Applicants must submit an ‘entry ticket’, with invited applications to be submitted by 16:00 on 09/10/14.

 As part of the cross-council initiative in Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), the EPSRC is highlighting this future call, Bridging the Gaps between the Engineering and Physical Sciences and Antimicrobial Resistance, which will aim to engage engineering and physical sciences (EPS) researchers with the AMR challenge and to develop networks within their institutions focussed on the four multidisciplinary themes in the cross-council AMR initiative. These networks will support people to build capacity and understanding which could lead to future research proposals. It is likely to have a closing date in November 2014.

The Technology Strategy Board, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and the Defence, Science  and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), are investing up to £5m in the exploration and acceleration of commercial opportunities in quantum technologies. They are primarily seeking to fund feasibility studies into early-stage evaluation of quantum technologies and components, but also collaborative R&D projects to accelerate the commercialisation of those quantum technologies and components that are nearer to market. The competition opens for both types of project application on 08/09/14.  The deadline for applications is noon on 22/10/14. A briefing event for potential applicants will be held in London on 11/09/14; applicants should look on _connect for more details.   

The Technology Strategy Board is to invest up to £1m in innovative research and development projects, with a focus on the cluster of manufacturing process businesses via the North East Launch Pad scheme, grouped around the Wilton Centre, Seal Sands and Billingham. A briefing event will be held in The Wynyard Rooms, Billingham on 09/09/14. This call closes on 15/10/14.

The Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Fellowship Programme for India – Intermediate Fellowships for Researchers in India supports excellent scientists who wish to undertake high-quality research and to establish themselves as independent researchers in an academic institution in India. A preliminary application is to be submitted by 14/08/14 and the invited full application in December 2014.

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 and development funding announced for SMEs

Smart competition flyer

Research and development funding announced for SMEs

Smart is a grant scheme which offers funding to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to engage in R&D projects in the strategically important areas of science, engineering and technology, from which successful new products, processes and services could emerge. The next round opens on 17 July (and closes) 25 September with funding available from £25k to £250K.

Three types of grant are available:

  • Proof of market
  • Proof of concept
  • Development of prototype

For more information on this grant click here:

If you wish to consider developing an application for the grant – help is available. Please contact Jayne Codling   – Knowledge Exchange Officer, R&KEO for further information.

Games developer funding guide published

Ever wondered what funding opportunities are available and how to find out more about the funding process?

TIGA, the network for developers and digital publishers, in partnership with Google has launched a new in-depth report that details and assesses the funding sources currently available in the UK for games companies.

The report is split into two parts, a survey of nearly 40 independent UK developers on their experiences with and use of third party sources of funding, and an in-depth source-by-source funding guide.

This guide is free to download and includes case studies and interviews on what funders look for.

BU Learning and Teaching Fellowship Awards

Just to remind you the deadline for applications for the new BU Learning and Teaching Fellowship awards is Monday 21st July.

These fellowships are an opportunity to recognise staff achievements by rewarding excellence, providing support to colleagues interested in becoming National Teaching Fellows as well as acknowledging individuals who are providing an exceptional and innovative student experience,  underpinned by research and professional practice.

For more information about the Fellowships or to apply for these awards, please head to Centre for Excellence in Learning website.

Creative England Teams up with Playstation on Accelerator Programme

 

As part of its ongoing support for the games industry in England, Creative England’s  GamesLab Campus programme will invest a total of £250,000 into five Games companies (£50,000 each) to support the development of new and innovative entertainment experiences on PlayStation®3, PlayStation®4 and PlayStation®Vita.

This package of investment will be complemented by a bespoke programme of business support and other technical and fringe benefits including the provision of PS3, PS4 & PS Vita Dev Kits1.

This announcement was made earlier this week at the Develop Conference 2014 , For more information, including how to apply, will be available shortly on our Games section Follow GamesLab on Twitter at @CEGameslab.

Cancer Research UK Programme Foundation Award

Cancer Research UK recently launched a new Research Strategy, a key component of which is to develop the cancer research leaders of tomorrow. To help deliver this goal they are launching a new funding scheme, the Programme Foundation Award, which provides support for exceptional mid-career researchers to become world-leaders in their field. The Award provides multi-year funding for ambitious individuals with an excellent track record to develop their independent research group. The introduction of this award demonstrates CRUK’s continued commitment to supporting researchers at all stages of their careers.

Applications are now invited for the first round of funding. The first deadline for outline applications is 2 September 2014, with funding decisions made in April 2015. Subsequent applications will be considered twice a year by the Science Committee, with outline application deadlines in February and August each year.

More information is provided in the attached CRUK_programmefoundationAward flyer and full details are available on the website www.cancerresearchuk.org\funding-for-researchers\our-funding-schemes\programme-foundation-awards. All potential applicants should contact the CRUK office to discuss their eligibility and CRUK are happy to discuss potential applications from those who are unsure if they meet the eligibility criteria.

If you have any questions about this scheme, please contact Catherine.cowell@cancer.org.uk, or phone her on 020 3469 6126.

If you are interested in applying to this scheme then please contact the RKEO team.

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

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

As part of their contribution to the Partnership for Conflict, Crime and Security Research (RCUK GU programme), and working with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the National Crime Agency (NCA), EPSRC and ESRC are jointly requesting proposals for a Research Centre which will over the next five years inform understanding of, and responses to, criminal activities and behaviour in the cloud. The Centre’s research must be strongly multi- and interdisciplinary, to advance the state of knowledge in a range of fields with relevance to crime in the cloud. Preliminary applications are due on 15/09/14 with full applications due 12/01/15.

The BBSRC Tools and Resources Development Fund (TRDF) aims to pump prime the next generation of tools, technologies and resources that will be required by bioscience researchers in scientific areas within their remit. It is anticipated that successful grants will not exceed £150k (£187k FEC)  and a fast-track, light touch peer review process will operate to enable researchers to respond rapidly to emerging challenges and opportunities. TRDF1 relates to novel technology development and will close at 16:00 on 03/09/14. TRDF2 relates to supporting novel bioinformatics and computational approaches and will closing at 16:00 on 17/09/14

EPSRC are seeking Expressions of Interest for participation in the JSPS Core-to-Core scheme in the area of spintronics and advanced materials. Up to £2 million is available to support multi-partner five year collaborations involving joint research projects, seminars, and researcher exchanges. Collaborations supported must be between Japan, the UK and at least one other partner country. Interested applicants are required to submit a two-page expression of interest by 16:00 on 18/07/14.

As part of their contribution to the Partnership for Conflict, Crime and Security Research (RCUK GU programme), and working with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the National Crime Agency (NCA), EPSRC and ESRC are jointly requesting proposals for a Research Centre which will over the next five years inform understanding of, and responses to, criminal activities and behaviour in the cloud. The Centre’s research must be strongly multi- and interdisciplinary, to advance the state of knowledge in a range of fields with relevance to crime in the cloud. Closing date 16/09/14 at 16:00.

On behalf of partners across the UK Government, EPSRC is inviting applications from UK Universities who would like to be recognised as Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACEs-CSR.) This is the third and final call in the initial phase of this scheme. Successful universities will be recognised as ACEs-CSR for a period of two years and will be awarded an EPSRC grant in support of their activities over this period. Closing date 12/12/14 at 16:00.

The properties and behaviour of materials in an irradiated environment as critical for the safe operation of a nuclear power station, the safe decommissioning of nuclear power stations and the safe short and long term storage of irradiated materials and spent nuclear fuel. This EPSRC call seeks proposals for research into new advanced materials for application in radioactive environments. Closing date 16:00 on 21/08/14.

The UK Department for International Development, the Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust have announced the launch of the fifth call for proposals to the Joint Global Health Trials scheme to fund global health trials. The purpose of this scheme is to provide funding for the best proposals to generate new knowledge about interventions that will contribute to the improvement of health in low and middle income countries. The deadline for submission of outline applications is 16:00 on 25/09/14. 

The next Call for the MRC Integrative toxicology training partnership (ITTP) Studentships (starting October 2015) will be announced soon. Through partnerships between academia, industry and government agency sectors the ITTP Studentship initiative seeks to build expertise in toxicology and related disciplines that underpin the safe and effective development of drugs, chemicals and consumer products, and the improved assessment of risks to health resulting from environmental exposures. ITTP is funded as part of MRC’s investment in the Toxicology Unit.

To mark its 50th anniversary, NERC is pleased to announce its inaugural Impact Awards. The awards will recognise and reward NERC-funded researchers, as individuals or teams, whose work has had substantial impact on the economy and society. The awards will culminate in a prize-giving ceremony in London on 27 January 2015, showcasing the researchers, their work and the impact of the science that NERC funds. There will be four award categories: Economic Impact Award; Societal Impact Award; International Impact Award and Early Career Impact Award. The closing date for applications is 16:00 on 10/09/14.

The British public has spoken, and ‘Antibiotics’ has won the vote to become the focus of the Longitude Prize 2014, developed and run by NESTA. Register now to keep up to date with forthcoming news on this award.

Have you written or have a favourite book regarding health and medicine in literature with scheduled publication dates between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2014? The Wellcome Book Prize, supported by The Wellcome Trust, celebrates this with an award of £30,000 each year to the winning author, and aims to stimulate interest and debate about medical science through books and reading. The Prize crosses genres: fiction and nonfiction are both eligible, so its shortlists can include biography, crime, historical fiction, current affairs, sci-fi and more. Its judging panels include scientists, writers, journalists and public figures, and past chairs have included Andrew Motion, Jo Brand and Clive Anderson. The Prize shortlists six books every February, and the winner is announced in April. The deadline for entry is 05/09/14.

The Health Innovation Challenge Fund is a parallel funding partnership between the Wellcome Trust and the Department of Health to stimulate the creation of innovative healthcare products, technologies and interventions and to facilitate their development for the benefit of patients in the NHS and beyond. The current funding round requires proposals for: innovative developments in instrumentation, implants and devices, software, materials, mechatronics and robotics; innovative diagnostics; trauma and critical care medicine, leading to solutions that will tangibly improve the care and long-term outcomes of patients who experience acute illness or who have sustained severe injury or trauma; informatics to assist clinical decision making; repurposing of technologies and medicines and biological therapeutics. Preliminary applications  are due on 15/09/14 with invited applications due on 12/01/15.

The Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellowships provide support for outstanding medical, dental, veterinary and clinical psychology graduates to continue research interests at postdoctoral level and develop towards independence. Preliminary application deadline: 27/10/14 at 17:00 with the Ffll application deadline: 09/01/15 at 17:00. Shortlisted candidate interviews will take place in May and June 2015.

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.

UKRO Annual Conference 2014 – a newcomer’s view

UK Research OfficeAs my new role within RKEO will concentrate on supporting academics with EU and international applications, I was very pleased to attend the recent UKRO Annual Conference.

Having provided dedicated support to Knowledge Transfer Partnerships for nearly three years, I have grown used to the friendliness and knowledge of my professional colleagues in the UK KTP world. I need not have worried as I found the EU funding community just as welcoming and knowledgeable. With Horizon 2020 ahead, most of the conference focused on initial findings, preparing for future bids and highlighting updated practice and opportunities since FP7.

 Christina Miller (Director, UKRO) opened the conference then Tim Willis (Head, International Relations, BBSRC) led a session reviewing the start of H2020 and where the UK should be going.

David Wilson (BIS), outlined the role of the Technology Strategy Board and how H2020 links to the UK’s agenda for growth and innovation. Within H2020, innovation is ‘mainstreamed’ as are the social sciences and humanities. The difficulty SMEs have in engaging with EU funds was acknowledged but it was stressed that H2020 provides the framework for trust and tools to manage IP etc. We were left with a call to arms to help SMEs navigate this complex funding stream and to actively encourage such collaboration, with government support. Keith Sequeira (Member of Cabinet – Commissioner Geoghegan-Quinn) focused on how H2020 is integrated, simplified and challenge based, with the removal of disciplinary boundaries. The scheme also provides a stronger mechanism to ensure outcomes showing impact. Shearer West (Head of Humanities Division, University of Oxford) considered the implications of the mainstreaming of arts and humanities. Their role in supporting global challenges by providing context and perspective was shown as vital to the process of embedding innovation within policy development, ethics and economic growth. The example of the humanities in the H2020 Climate action Advisory Group, one of many EU expert groups, was explored.

Following this session there followed a lively debate from the floor, where the importance of EU funding to the UK and the engagement by UK HEIs were both evident.

The next session, presented by Dirk Beernaert (Adviser to the DG Connect), considered the routes available via H2020, in preparation for the digital revolution. Dirk gave an excellent overview of the funding topology and key themes – smart objects / platforms, human-centric and cyber security. The session ended with a question – will HEIs define or just participate? We were encouraged to be pro-active in influencing the funding roadmap.

I then attended a useful breakout session on IPR given by Lea Montesse of the European IPR Help desk. This outlined the processes to be undertaken in managing IP within the life of an EU project, from inception through to eventual exploitation.  The key message here was to make more use of this service. My second breakout session was presented by Mathias Reddmann (Policy and Project Officer DG Connect) considered the focus area of Smart Cities and Communities. Unlike many other streams, the UK is not in the top three funding recipients here. The session outlined the European Innovation Partnership, which is not a funding instrument but a mechanism for collaboration. The application is a ‘light touch’ Invitation to Commitment for HEIs and SMEs.

The first day ended with a celebratory meal as this conference coincided with 30 years of UKRO. This was preceded by a reception hosted by the University of Bristol.

The second day dawned with a consideration of the annotated Model Grant Agreement, which included detailed discussion of costing, budgets, third parties vs. subcontractors, staff costs, payments, reporting and audits. Given some detailed questioning by some HEIs, David Mejuto Gayoso (Legal Officer, DG RTD), made a strong defence regarding some controversial issues in the changes from FP7 to H2020.

Alejandro Martin-Hobdey (Head of Unit, ERC) gave a fascinating and statistically-rich presentation of how the EU countries are responding to EU funding and the challenges and opportunities that this presents to the European Research Council. For BU, the Standard Grant appeared an attractive route into this funding. In terms of priories for ERA, these are gender, wider EU participation, international participation (with S. Korea and NSF mentioned), interdisciplinary proposals and clear impact evaluation. In questioning, Alejandro reported that 50% of grants are made to c. 50 institutions s with the UK dominated by the Russell Group members. During the Q and A, the potential of using companies and leverage and embedding the scheme within PDP for academics was aired.

Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, in terms of building successful partnerships with the non-academic sector, was explored by Kamila Partyka (Policy Officer, DG EAC). A key message from this session was that, in the EU, 45% of Post-Doc researchers work in the private sector, so EU funding needs to be used to prepare the best candidates to work in industry, not just in academia. The structure of these actions within H2020 was described, with particular reference to Innovative Training Networks (ITN). I noted that on the slide giving the top 20 participating HEIs in the UK that no post ’92 HEIs were listed… 

Alan Cross (Head of Unit, DG RTD) then gave a revelatory review of the H2020 evaluation processes. This including scoring, key points for assessment (challenge based, impact, close to market and cross disciplinary), the role of the assessors who use the principles of independence, impartiality, objectivity, accuracy and consistency, eligibility, operational capacity, panel review processes and ensuring quality in terms of the panel.

The conference ended with Professor Jackie Hunt CBE (BBSRC) and David Golding (Head of EU and International Strategy, TSB) inspiring us all to go back and make better use of IP to promote business and academic research within innovation partnerships. The Innovative Medicines Initiative was used as a key example, along with BBSRC Research Industry Clubs, ELIXIR, ERA-NETS, EPI and KIC. The value of the TSB in supporting innovation was enthusiastically presented with the Enterprise Europe Network noted. Using other agencies, such as LEPs, trade associations and professional bodies was encouraged, as was the TSB’s desire to build real relationships, not just being a funder for x months.

 By the end of the very full two days, my head was buzzing with potential opportunities for BU. Over the coming months, as Paul Lynch and I move to our new role in facilitating EU and International bidding at BU, we hope to inspire you with our enthusiasm for the over 400 schemes within the EU funding arena.

New CEMP Bulletin

Here’s the new CEMP research bulletin, the last of this academic year.CEMP bulletin July August 2014

As always, if you are interested in working with us to respond to any of the funding calls here, or if you have an idea for a project that CEMP could help with, please contact Julian, Richard or one of the CEMP Fellows (Milena Bobeva, Anna Feigenbaum, Richard Wallis, Neal White, Ashley Woodfall).

 

RCUK Statement of Expectations for Research Fellowships and Future Research Leaders

Research Councils UK (RCUK) has published its Statement of Expectations for Research Fellowships and Future Research Leaders, which sets out common principles for the support of all Research Council-funded fellowships and future research leaders.

The Research Councils want to ensure that the individuals funded as fellows or future research leaders are equipped and supported to be adaptable and flexible in an increasingly complex global research environment.

The document details what is expected of research organisations, including providing fellows with a named mentor, and the individual researchers, including a commitment to playing an active role in the wider research area through peer review. It also sets out what is expected of the research councils.

If you are interested in applying for an RCUK fellowship then please contact the RKEO team in the first instance.