BU Research Blog

From Tuesday, 25 July 2017 a New Investigator Award scheme will replace the EPSRC’s First Grant initiative. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is introducing the new scheme following a recent review of First Grants, with input from advisory teams and universities.

The New Investigator Award scheme will remove some of the current restrictions and will help improve the quality and ambition of research proposals submitted, recognising that different projects and new investigators have different needs. EPSRC will continue to draw on input from advisory teams and universities to monitor and evaluate progress of the scheme.

The New Investigator Award scheme will:

• Remove the financial value and the duration caps
• Encourage a greater degree of university support to aid career development
• Remove time based eligibility criteria, ensuring support for researchers who are new to leading research applications
• Encourage panels to recommend invited resubmission and give feedback to support this more often than they would for standard grant applications

Information for current First Grant applicants:

• EPSRC anticipates that all applicants eligible for the First Grant scheme will also be eligible for a New Investigator Award
• The First Grants system will close at 16:00 (BST) on Monday 24 July 2017
• Applications after this date should be made through the New Investigator Award scheme
• First Grant applications that have not been submitted via the Je-S system after 16:00 (BST) on Monday 24 July 2017 will no longer be available

Current First Grant applicants should liaise with RKEO to ensure a copy of the application information is captured. This can then be used in New Investigator Award applications.

• New Investigator Awards – Frequently Asked Questions