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Research and Knowledge Exchange Development Framework : Pre-Award at BU

Funding opportunities, Training

research_strategyWe have previously posted about the Research and Knowledge Exchange (RKE) Development Framework. Here, we introduce another of the pathways: that focusing on the Pre-Award process when applying for funding. Please see the previous blog posts on the Development Framework for information on the separate  pathways.

The ‘Pre-Award at BU’ pathway will provide details about the information and tools that will aid BU academics applying for funding.  Sessions will include details about ‘Searching for research funding’, ‘Getting started on applying for research funding’, understanding ‘Pre-award finances’  and ‘Intellectual property at pre-award’.  Training will also be provided as part of this pathway for those conducting Quality and Financial approvals.  More events will be added to this pathway in 2017-18 and beyond, with a focus on emerging priorties for BU.

We’ll be populating the the OD website with more information and the booking link over the coming weeks. We’ll also be providing a timetable of all events as soon as possible. In the meantime, updates will be posted on the BU research blog and the Faculty blogs.

NERC/AHRC/ESRC GCRF Building Resilience call

Funding opportunities

NERCAs part of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), the UK research councils, led by NERC, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), are taking a leadership role in generating inter-disciplinary research and communities which can address the issue of ‘Building Resilience’.

AHRC_logo_anniversaryBuilding resilience rests on the ability to take a holistic approach which encompasses environmental knowledge, socio-economics, infrastructure, governance, and the history and culture of a community or region that is affected. It will require new inter-disciplinary research and recognition of the importance of engaging with local actors to understand what knowledge is required and how it can be implemented to design solutions that help all parts of society.

ESRC logoThe call is open to proposals addressing resilience to natural and man-made environmental hazards in a range of developing world contexts. The focus is on how to build resilience in relation to both sudden and slow-onset environmental hazards (eg land-degradation, deforestation, drought, hurricanes, climate change) taking into account the intersections and relationships with other contexts such as conflict and fragility, poverty and famine, urbanisation, economics and health / disease risks.

The call will fund foundation-building activities to stimulate the creation of inter-disciplinary international research communities; to enable broader, deeper and more effective collaborations with beneficiaries and user organisations at the forefront of the development agenda; test new innovative ideas and inter-disciplinary approaches for addressing the issue of developing resilience. All proposals are expected to take an inter-disciplinary approach, bringing together environmental science with social science and arts and humanities.

A total of £3.3 million of funding is available for this call. Awards are expected to vary in scale according to the nature of the activities proposed and not to exceed £200,000 (at 100 per cent full economic costs). The funders anticipate funding 15-20 projects ranging from 3-9 months. A small number of projects of 12 months duration can be funded. Successful projects will be expected to start no later than 1 November 2016.

The closing date for applications is 16.00 on 6 September 2016.

Networking-300x140Workshop

There will be a workshop on 19 July 2016 to provide more information on the call and facilitate the development of collaborations between academics from different disciplines and between academics, beneficiaries and users. To apply to attend please complete the online application form by 27 June 2016.

Further information

Further details about the call and workshop can be found on the NERC website.  If you are interested in applying to this call then please contact the RKEO Funding Development Team in the first instance.

Changes to MRC funding policy

Funding opportunities

logo_mrcMRC have written to us outlining a recent update to its funding policy to allow the inclusion of a one-page ‘methodology and experimental design’ annex to the case for support.

MRC have stated “The methodological rigour of all applications to the MRC is scrutinised closely during the peer-review process. However, we are increasingly aware that applicants often focus on presenting a compelling scientific rationale at the expense of providing sufficient methodological detail to persuade reviewers that the study will deliver robust and convincing findings. To help address this deficit, and in response to feedback from the community, we are making an important change to our application process; with immediate effect, the MRC is introducing an optional one page annex to the case for support within all research proposals. This will allow applicants to specifically detail the methodology and experimental design aspects of their proposals, and to include figures, tables and/or diagrams relevant to this, where appropriate. Full details can be found in the MRC Guidance for applicants (Sections 2.4.3 and 4.1.4).”

You are strongly encouraged to use the new guidance.  Applications for funding will be rejected outright if they do not provide sufficient detail to convince MRC Research Boards and Panels that the proposed experiments will be carried out appropriately; i.e. in the context of a robust study design; with the necessary statistical power to answer the research question; and with an analysis plan that is fit for purpose.

If you are interested in applying to the MRC then please contact the RKEO Funding Development Team in the first instance.

Externally funded Fellowships – all you need to know and more

Funding opportunities

fellowshipsWhat a Fellowship can offer

Fellowship Schemes are generally designed to develop scientific leadership among the most promising scientists, by giving fellows x years’ support. Early career fellowships enable sufficient time for the fellow to develop their research plans and to gain international recognition. Many funders offer fellowship networking and training activities, working with host institutions, to support the development of future leaders in the funders remit. Established career fellows need a strong vision for the research proposed and the team delivering it. Most funders will provide greater support as the expectation is that ‘world-leading’ individuals will deliver high quality research. All fellowships are there to develop the next generation of researchers.

Dependent on the stage of career, most fellows will gain greater leadership and communication skills; act as ambassador and advocate for their research field; develop a research team around them, which should lead to greater research income; and build a reputation that will attract other top academics to join BU.

Applying for a Fellowship

The majority of fellowships awarded by external funders will provide the fellow with funding to concentrate on research, which can mean significantly reducing the fellows teaching load from 50% up to 100% of their time. Therefore, it is vital that any potential BU applicants discuss their plans with their Head of Department, Deputy Dean for Research and Professional Practice or Dean of Faculty before starting the BU application process. Applicants will need to provide their Faculty with details on how an awarded fellowship will affect their current workload, if any time will be spent away from the university, and whether any additional staff will need to be employed as part of the fellowship, including replacement teaching for the applicant.

Any applications that are given the initial go ahead by the Faculty will still need to go through the normal submission process at BU. Therefore, applicants will need to discuss with their RKEO Funding Development Officer their intention to bid for a fellowship as soon as they have agreement to apply from the Faculty.

What to apply for

There are many different fellowship opportunities available for all stages of an academic career.  A comprehensive list of these can be found here, which is also on the ‘Research Funders’ Guide’ under ‘Research Toolkit’ in the main menu bar.

If you wish to discuss with RKEO your research plans and/or the benefits of a fellowship then please contact your RKEO Research Facilitator in the first instance.

 

Latest Funding Opportunities

Funding opportunities

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

Economic and Social Research Council

The Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP), part of the ESRC, has announced an Innovation Fund to encourage innovative ideas on climate policy from practitioner and researcher communities.  Applications may address climate change mitigation or adaption within any stage of the policy process.  Up to £50k is available and the CCCEP is looking to make five awards.  Closing Date 30/6/16

Innovate UK

Innovate UK has announced round 4 early stage (technical feasibility), mid stage (technology development) and  late stage (pre-commercial technology validation) Energy Catalyst awards.  The aim is to develop and prove techologies that will help to solve elements of issues related to low carbon, security of supply and affordability.  The deadline for registration is noon 8/6/16; expressions of interest must be submitted by noon 15/6/16.

Natural Environment Research Council

As part of the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) Regional Opportunities Fund (ROF), applications are invited for up to £50k to help ESPA projects enhance the impact of their research. Closing Date 13/5/16

CASE studentships (Collaborative awards in science and engineering) have been announced. These studentships can be conducted in collaboration with non-academic partners. Closing Date 7/7/16

Wellcome Trust

The Wellcome Trust has made available Research Awards for Health Professionals who wish to transition to a period of research in any area of human or animal health.  The scheme can also be used to enrol onto a PhD for those who have little or no social science experience. Awards will not normally exceed £250k.  Individuals holding permanent academic posts are not eligible for these fellowships. Preliminary application Closing Dates 6/7/16

There are also Research Fellowships lasting up to three years for humanities and social science scholars not in an established post who wish to undertake research in human and animal health.  The fellowships provide research and salary expenses.  Preliminary application Closing Date 6/7/16

University Awards are available to recruit and support humanities and social science research staff working in any area of human and animal health for up to five years.  Preliminary application Closing Date 6/7/16

Investigator Awards in the Humanities and Social Science are available to exceptional researchers exploring any aspect of human and animal health.  Awards are for up to five years with ranged funds available for £100k-£200k per annum.  Preliminary application Closing Date 8/7/16

Development Awards (Broadcast, Games and Film) awards up to £10k for one year support the development of TV, radio games or film projects that engage with biomedical science and its impact on our lives. Closing Date Open

If you are interested in submitting to any of the above calls you must contact RKEO with adequate notice before the deadline.

Please note that some funding bodies specify a time for submission as well as a date. Please confirm this with your RKEO Funding Development Officer

You can set up your own personalised alerts on Research Professional. If you need help setting these up, just ask your School’s/Faculty’s Funding Development Officer in RKEO or view the recent blog post here.

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

Standard calls for funding opportunities

Funding opportunities, Guidance

map of scienceAbout six months ago, RKEO created a page on the Research blog of standard calls from the major external funders’.  The closing dates have recently been updated and the page can be found on the Research Toolkit under the Research Funders’ Guide here.

Have a look to see what calls are coming up in the research councils, the EC, NIHR, British Academy, Royal Society, Leverhulme Trust, Wellcome Trust, and Innovate UK.  If you’re unfamiliar with some of these funders’ then you can find their strategic and delivery plans, what they fund, success rate data, impact guidance, call deadlines and much more in the Research Funders’ Guide.

Finally, don’t forget to look at the Research Lifecycle to see how RKEO can support you with your research activities.

Call for expressions of interest to join the EPSRC Associate Peer Review College

Funding opportunities 



As part of its Peer Review College refresh programme taking place in summer  2016, EPSRC invites expressions of interest from candidates who wish to join its Associate Peer Review College.


The Peer Review College is vital for ensuring that EPSRC supports the highest-quality research. This call is open to anyone who fulfils the initial selection criteria set out in this document. Final selection of candidates from the pool of expressions of interest will be on the basis of individual knowledge, need for expertise in particular research areas and the structure of the new EPSRC Delivery Plan (published in spring 2016).


EPSRC is looking to increase access to expertise in cross and multi-disciplinary areas. However, all applications will be assessed on individual merit. Final decisions on those invited will be made centrally within EPSRC. The closing date for expressions of interest is 4pm, 10th May 2016

								
 

								 

							
 

							

							


								

									

								


								

									
BRAD 2016 starts in April – don’t miss out – get yourself booked in!

									
 

								
 

								

									
The BU Researcher/Academic Development (BRAD) events programme will run 4th of April – 11th of April 2016.BRAD


With less than one month to go until our BRAD events programme begins – there is still time to book yourself into one or more of our exciting events through Organisational Development under the following themes.


Introduction and Basics






BRAD wordle


								
 

								 

							
 

							

							


								

									

								


								

									
NERC Valuing Nature programme: Understanding ecosystem stocks and tipping points

									
Funding opportunities 

								
 

								

									
nerc-logo-50thNERC is inviting proposals to contribute to addressing the goals of the Valuing Nature programme through a broader understanding of the tipping points of ecosystem services.


This NERC supported call is for UK focused research proposals to further understand:


    

  • the links between ecosystem stocks, ecosystem service flows and benefits that are delivered as a result, to enable identification of critical levels of ecosystem stocks that avoid abrupt and damaging change in the delivery of benefits (tipping points); and
    • 

  • how the values (including those broader than economics) of ecosystem services and the benefits they deliver change as tipping points are reached and exceeded.
    • 



A funding pot of up to £1·1m (80%FEC) is available from NERC, which is expected to support three proposals of up to 30 months duration, and up to £370K (80% FEC).


Applicants should refer to the full Announcement of Opportunity for further details.


Announcement of Opportunity (PDF, 247KB)


Call closes: 16:00 BST 6 May 2016


Contacts: For further information about this Announcement of Opportunity, please contact:


Rachel Leader   01793 411595   


General Valuing Nature Programme Coordination Team enquiries should be directed to: 


If you are interested in applying to this call then please contact your RKEO Funding Development Officer in the first instance.

								
 

								 

							
 

							

							


								

									

								


								

									
Sustainable Agriculture Research & Innovation Club (SARIC) sandpit – invitation

									
Funding opportunities 

								
 

								

									
saric242x1508-9 March 2016 (Tuesday – Wednesday)

Park Inn, Nottingham


The Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and NERC invite you to participate in a two-day interactive strategic workshop (sandpit) with the ultimate aim of funding up to six multidisciplinary research translation projects within the remit of the Sustainable Agriculture Research Club (SARIC).


    

  • Applicants must register their interest to participate and will receive a formal invitation confirming attendance.
    • 

  • This is a SARIC event and therefore all proposal ideas developed during the sandpit must fall within the remit of SARIC and its two key challenges.
    • 

  • Specific business issues in need of addressing will be posed by SARIC industry members ahead of the sandpit.
    • 

  • Participants will be expected to present a project idea as part of a multidisciplinary team to an expert panel on the final day of the sandpit.
    • 

  • Sandpit participants will have the opportunity to submit a full research translation proposal through Je-S in early May 2016.
    • 

  • For those invited to attend, reasonable costs for travel and accommodation will be met.
    • 



For more information, please see the document below.


Sandpit call for participants (PDF, 185KB)


Registration


Please complete the online registration form to attend the meeting. Registration for this event will close on 26 February 2016.


Contacts


For further details please contact:


Anne Priest

01793 411723

annpri@nerc.ac.uk


Jodie Mitchell

01793 418004

jodark@nerc.ac.uk

								
 

								 

							
 

							

							


								

									

								


								

									
CEL funding for final year co-creation projects

									
Centre for Excellence in Learning, Funding opportunities 

								
 

								

									












The Centre for Excellence in Learning (CEL) is offering funding for ten student-led projects, co-created with academics.


Taking part in a co-created project gives you the opportunity to develop news skills and confidence, learn how to apply knowledge, inform career decisions and increase your employability.


This is open to final year undergraduates and if you are interested you will need to identify a topic of relevance and an academic you would like to work with on a project that will be delivered in semester two of 2015/16. You will also need to write a brief project plan with intended outcomes (eg: publication, presentation, product). There will be £500 available per successful project.


Criteria


    

  • The project brings together a student and academic to work collaboratively
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  • The project is delivered within 4 months
    • 

  • The project will lead to specific outputs e.g. publication, presentation, product
    • 

  • A short report on the outputs will be submitted to the programme leader on completion of the project.
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Timescales


    

  • 23 November 2015 – Co-creation call for student led projects
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  • 26 November 2015 – Co-creation workshop for students; PG30a 15.00-16.00
    • 

  • 2 December 2015 – Co-creation workshop for students; Lansdowne 12.00-13.00 R301
    • 

  • 31 December 2015 – Co-creation project bids due in
    • 

  • 6 January 2016 – Co-creation panel to meet; feedback to students within one week
    • 

  • 31 July 2016 – Brief reports from each project to be submitted
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For more information and to apply please read the bidding form.














								
 

								 

							
 

							

							


								

									

								


								

									
EURAXESS – November Newsletter

									
conferences, Funding opportunities, international 

								
 

								

									
As notified in the November EURAXESS Newsletter, there are a number of research workshops open for registration under Researcher Links and the Newton Fund. The workshops give researchers the opportunity to form new international connections and Early Career Researchers may apply for grants in order to participate.

Some of the opportunities are:



Further opportunities are listed on the British Council website.


Why not sign up for the EURAXESS Newsletter so that these and further opportunities are delivered direct to your own inbox?Euraxess


Euraxess UK is a British Council hub, which aids researchers in their career development, supporting mobility and acting as a support mechanism for researchers moving abroad or moving to the UK. Their services include:



 

								
 

								 

							
 

							

							 

							

							


								

									

								


								

									
AHRC Connected Communities Festival 2016

									
Funding opportunities 

								
 

								

									
ahrcTaking inspiration from the 500th anniversary of the publication in 1516 in Latin of Thomas More’s Utopia, as well as a Connected Communities/ Care for the Future Symposium on ‘Utopias, Futures and Temporalities: Critical Considerations for Social Change’ held in May 2015, the 2016 Connected Communities Research Festival will have a central theme of Community Futures and Utopias. The Festival is being undertaken in partnership with The Somerset House Trust as a part of Utopia 2016: a year of Imagination and Possibility – four seasons of events, exhibitions and new commissions celebrating the idea of Utopia to mark the 500th anniversary of Thomas More’s influential text. Utopia 2016 is a partnership between the Somerset House Trust and its neighbours King’s College London and the Courtauld Institute and Gallery.


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


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


    

  1. A Programme of Local Festival Activitieswhich bring together at a regional / local /community level researchers from the arts and humanities (and other disciplines where appropriate), research organisations, community groups, creative practitioners and other community partners. These local activities can take place at any time from February 2016 to late June 2016 and will be brought together as a UK-wide Festival programme of local activities
    2. 

  2. Participation in the Utopia Fair, 24th-26th Junethrough the partnership with The Somerset House Trust as a part of Utopia 2016: a year of imagination and possibility. Building on local Festival activities EOIs are invited to include ideas for participatory arts research co-production projects which will produce creative, co-produced/ participatory, research outputs which can be showcased at a weekend Festival, The Utopia Fair, to be held in the Edmond J Safra Fountain Court at Somerset House in London which will take place on 24th – 26th June 2016. The Utopia Fair will bring together representatives of contemporary utopian movements, celebrating projects already flourishing in the margins and liminal spaces around the UK, and the importance of the spaces that artists create for dreaming. It will enable visitors to join in and taste utopia now, inspiring them to take a piece of utopia home with them and into their lives. 25 stands are available at the Utopia Fair to showcase creative community –co-produced outcomes from local Connected Communities Festival activities. As well as the stands, there are also opportunities to showcase other outputs, such as film screenings or performances, at the Utopia Fair
    3. 



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


Closing Dates


Closing Date: 16/12/2016


How to make an application


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


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


Further Information


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


Contacts


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

								
 

								 

							
 

							

							


								

									

								


								

									
AHRC Leadership Fellows

									
Funding opportunities 

								
 

								

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


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


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


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


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


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


Public Policy Highlight Notice in the AHRC Leadership Fellows Scheme


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


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


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


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


Closing Dates


Closing Date: 30/09/2016


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


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


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


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


How to make an application


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


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


Further Information


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


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


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


RCUK Impact Requirements – Frequently Asked Questions


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


Support for Research Leadership


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