We hope everyone has had good rest before start of the new academic year.
As promised, after return of all RDS Research Facilitators, we resume funding briefing sessions to be held as usual – every Wednesday at 12pm except during half term dates.
For this academic year, we have made some changes both regarding format and content of these sessions.
Firstly, we will be sending weekly email with newest funding opportunities in advance, so academics may join and ask specific questions regarding those new opportunities they are interested in.
Secondly, briefings this academic year will be organised as drop-in sessions, so you are welcome to join the session at any time between 12 and 12:30pm.
To allow more flexibility, spotlight sessions are not planned in advance. For example, as soon as important funding call is announced, one of the facilitators will present more details. The first spotlight presentation will be related to Horizon Europe on 1 November 2023. Until then, stay tuned and follow the news related to Horizon Europe association on Research Blog.
Please save the following link in your records for joining briefing sessions until 25 October: click here to join the meeting (after 25 October new link will be provided).
Just as a reminder, our Research Facilitators are funder focussed and these are their expertise areas:
Kate Percival – Life Sciences (NIHR: National Institute for Health and Care Research, Medical Research Council (MRC – UKRI), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC – UKRI), and Wellcome Trust)
Eva Papadopoulou – Social Sciences and Humanities (Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC – UKRI), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC – UKRI), The British Academy, The Leverhulme Trust, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) central funding)
Zarak Afzal – Innovation and Infrastructure (Innovate UK, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC – UKRI), The Royal Society, Research England (UKRI), Major infrastructure funds)
Ainar – EU & international (European Union – Horizon Europe (including European Research Council and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions), National Institutes of Health (NIH – US), other international funding opportunities)
If you are not sure whom you would like to contact with your specific question, forward your enquiry to Funding Development Team mailbox and we will sort it out.
And once again, here is the link to drop-in sessions.
On behalf of the whole pre-award team, let me wish you good and exciting academic year!
What are Funding Development Briefings?

The last funding RDS Funding Development Briefings for the academic year will be on Wednesday, the 27th of July at 12 noon. These will restart again with a new programme in September.











BU academic publishes in online newspaper in Nepal
Final day of the ESRC Festival of Social Science
Using Art to enhance Research
Register now to attend the 17th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference – Wednesday 3 December 2025
Portrait Concert featuring BU academic at L’Espace du Son Festival 2025, Brussels
ECR Funding Open Call: Research Culture & Community Grant – Application Deadline Friday 12 December
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 Call
ERC Advanced Grant 2025 Webinar
Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Published
Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme pre-Published
Update on UKRO services
European research project exploring use of ‘virtual twins’ to better manage metabolic associated fatty liver disease