Tagged / funding

Due Diligence: International Research Collaborations & Partnerships – Best practice guidance

Funding opportunities, Guidance, international

The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) has provided guidance on due diligence regarding the legitimacy of international research collaborators and partners.

We recommend that academics wishing to apply for research funding with collaborators and partners, particularly those out of the UK, should peruse this guidance.

Typical calls requiring such collaborations include funding opportunities that involve the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), the Newton Fund and many others.

When you have fully considered this guidance when developing your networks and have identified a call, please contact your pre-award team for submission support. The more partners are involved in a bid, the more work will be required in co-ordinating the research writing and budgets. In parallel, we will need more time to support you with due diligence checks, costing and internal approvals, so please give yourself a minimum of 3 months before the deadline to work on such bids. The earlier you contact us, the more time we will have to work with you.

UKRI Future Leader Fellowships Round 6 – Internal Process Launched

Funding opportunities

Deadline for expression of interest: 12pm on 28th August 2020.

The UKRI Future Leader Fellowships will grow the strong supply of talented individuals needed to ensure a vibrant environment for research and innovation in the UK. The scheme is open to researchers and innovators from across business, universities, and other organisations and from around the world.

Investment of up to £1.5 million over four years, with the ability to extend to up to seven years, will enable the next generation to benefit from outstanding support to develop their careers, and to work on difficult and novel challenges.

​For Round 6 of the programme (anticipated deadline January 2021), we are running an internal process at BU to ensure we support and encourage submissions from the highest standard of candidates. The focus is to ensure candidates are eligible and have a high chance of success, providing them with comprehensive advice and support, to develop a high quality programme of research and proposal for submission. Applications are welcome from internal academics (both as prospective fellows and/or mentors of prospective fellows) and external academics to be hosted by BU.

Prospective applicants should complete an Expression of Interest (I:\RDS\Public\FLF R6 Aug 2020) and send to Research Development by 12pm on 28th August. A panel of all DDRPPs will review each EoI and selected applicants will be notified by end of day Tuesday 8th September.

Selected applicants will then be supported to progress with their application, and receive internal and external support as required.

A briefing on this call will be held on Tuesday 21st July at 10am, including an overview of the scheme and a Q&A session. Please contact Research Development to be booked onto this briefing. For those who cannot attend on the day, the briefing will be recorded and shared on Brightspace.

Please contact Alexandra Pekalski or Lisa Andrews, RDS Research Facilitators for further information on this scheme.

InnovateUK Smart Grants – Internal Deadlines

Funding opportunities, Industry collaboration, innovation

The next round of the Innovate UK Smart grant call currently has a submission deadline of 26 August 2020 at 12 pm noon. Innovate UK will officially open this round in August 2020. This early heads-up from us will give you more time to confirm your partnerships with potential Business Leads.

Due to the volume of bids that are received by RDS in every round, the internal deadlines will be strictly applied to ensure that the pre-award team can provide all interested academics with optimal support in a timely manner.

Innovate UK has provided generic guidance for applications to this call. Previous specific guidance for the last round will assist in preparing for the up-coming round.

Timeline

Currently, the call closes at 12.00 noon pm on 26 August 2020.

29 July: Intention to Bid forms and a draft application or project summary to be submitted to your Faculty Funding Development Officer (FDO) – this is 4 weeks before the deadline.

5 August: Costing to be finalised and an updated, complete draft application to be sent to FDO for internal approvals process.

19 August: PI to upload all required attachments and submit on Je-s.

19 – 26 August: PI and FDO to work on final checks of the Je-s application to get it submission-ready.

26 August: Latest time to submit is 12.00 noon on this date.

Where ITB forms are received after 29 July 2020, they will be moved automatically to the next round or alternatively, RDS will work with you to find another funding opportunity.

If you have any queries, please contact Ehren Milner, the Research Facilitator for Industrial Collaborations.
Note: If InnovateUK changes the publicised submission deadline, we will update our internal deadlines in this Blog.

British Academy: Special COVID 19 Call

Funding opportunities

As you are aware the British Academy launched their Special Research Grants: COVID-19 call. The deadline for applications is 5pm (UK time) on Wednesday 27 May 2020 and outcomes will be notified by 30 June 2020.

Due to the expected high demand, we ask that if you are interested in applying to this call then please send your intention to bid form to your Funding Development Officer by 11thMay 2020, after this date no new applications will be accepted.

The British Academy has provided guidance on the Special Research Grants – BA scheme notes for applicants and BA FAQs . They have asked that all applicants read the documentation carefully before starting their application.

Timeline

The call closes at 5pm on Wednesday 27th May 2020.

 

Date Action
11th May 2020 Intention to bid forms to be submitted to your faculty funding development officer
20th May 2020 Your final application must be submitted on FlexiGrant  by this date at the latest
21st – 27th May 2020 Institutional checks to take place by RDS.
27th May 2020 Submission

Any queries please contact Alexandra Pekalski 

 

COVID-19 funding and research

Funding opportunities, innovation, NHS

To support the response to COVID-19 the Research Design Service South West (RDS SW) has put together a useful resource page to help researchers. This includes relevant funding calls as well as more general information about the pandemic.

Don’t forget, your local branch of the NIHR RDS is based within the BU Clinical Research Unit (BUCRU)

The BUCRU/RDS office is currently closed due to Coronavirus.  Staff are still working and able to offer research advice remotely, call us on 01202 961939 or send us an email.

Pre-Call Announcement – GCRF Partnerships

Funding opportunities

GCRF ‘Conflict Intersections’ Global Partnership Development Awards: Prevention and Resilience at the Intersections between Conflict, Fragility and Wider Development Challenges and Risks

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), working in collaboration with other Research Councils within UKRI, is planning to announce a new funding call in early 2020 for Partnership Development awards under the Global Challenges Research Fund’s Collective Programme. This call will support the development of equitable partnerships and an interdisciplinary community to explore the intersections between conflict and fragility (SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions & GCRF Conflict portfolio) and wider development challenges (and other SDGs and GCRF portfolios) such as health, environmental resilience, sustainable cities and food systems, as well as cross-cutting development issues such as gender, inequalities, poverty reduction and sustainable livelihoods.

The call will launch in early March 2020 with a closing date in late spring 2020 and projects expected to start from autumn 2020. Approximately 20 awards of varying sizes up to £200,000 (fEC) and between 12 and 24 months duration will be supported.

Further details can be found in this Pre-Call Announcement Document (PDF, 172KB)

Timescale

Call opens February/March 2020
Call Close May 2020
Panel July 2020
Expected grant start dates September/October 2020

If you require further information, please don’t hesitate to contact Alex Pekalski. She’s happy to have a chat with prospective applicants.

Early Career Conference Grants 2020 – applications are now open

Funding opportunities, international

Early Career Conference Grants fund emerging researchers who have not yet had the opportunity to travel internationally beyond their region to present at overseas conferences. Applications for the Early Career Conference Grants are now open. 25 grants of up to £2000 are available in 2020.

To apply, researchers must:

  • Be employed as a lecturer, research fellow/associate or post-doctoral researcher (or equivalent) at an ACU member university
  • Be within 7 years of the start of their academic career – applicants who have taken a career break and returned to work will also be considered
  • Not have previously travelled for work beyond their home region
  • Already have submitted a proposal to present at an overseas conference

How to apply

Full details and the application form can be found on the ACU website

Applicants are required to complete four short personal statements, upload their conference proposal, and attach a letter of reference from their line manager or head of department.

The closing date is 23:59 GMT on Wednesday 25 March.

If you have any queries, please contact RKEDF@Bournemouth.ac.uk

 

NERC standard grants (July 2020 deadline) – internal competition launched

Funding opportunities

NERC introduced demand management measures in 2012. These were revised in 2015 to reduce the number and size of applications from research organisations for NERC’s discovery science standard grant scheme. Full details can be found in the BU policy document for NERC demand management measures available here.

As at January 2020, BU has been capped at one application per standard grant round. The measures only apply to NERC standard grants (including new investigators). An application counts towards an organisation, where the organisation is applying as the grant holding organisation (of the lead or component grant). This will be the organisation of the Principal Investigator of the lead or component grant.

BU process

As a result, BU has introduced a process for determining which application will be submitted to each NERC Standard Grant round. This will take the form of an internal competition, which will include peer review. The next available standard grant round is July 2020. The deadline for internal Expressions of Interest (EoI) which will be used to determine which application will be submitted is 27th March 2020.  The EoI form, BU policy for NERC Demand Management Measures and process for selecting an application can be found here: I:\RDS\Public\NERC Demand Management 2020.

NERC have advised that where a research organisation submits more applications to any round than allowed under the cap, NERC will office-reject any excess applications, based purely on the time of submission through the Je-S system (last submitted = first rejected). However, as RDS submit applications through Je-S on behalf of applicants, RDS will not submit any applications that do not have prior agreement from the internal competition.

Following the internal competition, the Principal Investigator will have access to support from RDS, and will work closely with Research Facilitators and Funding Development Officers to develop the application. Access to external bid writers will also be available.

Appeals process

If an EoI is not selected to be submitted as an application, the Principal Investigator can appeal to Professor Tim McIntyre-Bhatty, Deputy Vice-Chancellor. Any appeals must be submitted within ten working days of the original decision. All appeals will be considered within ten working days of receipt.

RDS Contacts

Please contact Lisa Andrews, RDS Research Facilitator – andrewsl@bournemouth.ac.uk if you wish to submit an expression of interest.

 

Royal Society Visit

Funding opportunities, Training

SPACES STILL AVAILABLE

Wednesday February 5th

11:00 – 13:00

7th floor of the Executive Business Centre

 

The Royal Society is the independent scientific academy of the UK, dedicated to promoting excellence in science. The Society performs a number of roles including influencing policymaking, promoting public engagement with science and funding leading scientists.  Over £40 million is spent annually by the Royal Society across the grant-making schemes.

This event, presented by the Royal Society’s Grants Operations Manager and the Grant Impact and Promotions Officer, will deliver an overview of the society’s funding schemes and provide advice on putting together a successful funding application. Academics with a successful track record will also discuss their personal experiences, and there will be a Q&A session followed by a networking lunch.

The intended learning outcomes of this session are:

  • To learn about the Royal Society, its remit and the type of funding offered
  • To be able to determine whether or not the Royal Society is an appropriate funder for your research project

For more information and to book, please see the staff intranet. If you have any queries, please contact RKEDF@bournemouth.ac.uk.

The Schedule of Events Cost Attribution Tool (SoECAT)

Guidance, NHS

SoECAT stands for the ‘Schedule of Events Cost Attribution Tool’ – either a SoECAT or a Schedule of Events (SoE) is required whenever you are conducting clinical research in the NHS or Social Care. Further information and clarification is provided below.

What is the purpose of the SoECAT?

  • The SoECAT is a way of providing clarity to participating NHS  organisations on the cost attributions associated with a study.
  • The template is designed to support correct cost attribution at application for Research Cost funding, to ensure that full site level Research Costs are recovered.

When is a SoECAT required?

  • A SoECAT is required by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and NIHR non-commercial partner research funders where the call relates to studies that may involve participants under an NHS or Health and Social Care duty of care.
  • In some cases, your study may be funded by an NIHR infrastructure award which does not cover Excess Treatment Costs (ETCs) – in these cases, a SoECAT would be required in order to access the ETC process for England. Further information on ETCs can be found here.
  • In cases where your study is not funded by the NIHR or a NIHR non-commercial partner, but you wish to make an application to the NIHR CRN Portfolio, you will need to complete a SoECAT.

How do I complete one?

  • The NIHR have recently released new guidance on how to complete a SoECAT which can be found here.

When is it completed and where does the SoECAT go when it is completed?

  • The SoECAT should be completed at the funding application stage.
  • The form must be authorised by an AcoRD Specialist prior to submission for Research Cost funding.
  • It should be submitted alongside your other supporting documents when applying through the IRAS system for NHS Ethics approval and/or Health Research Authority approval*.
  • The SoECAT/SoE is then sent to your participating NHS/HSC organisations as part of the Local Information Pack at the site study set-up stage.

*Where there is no external funding attached to a project, the Schedule of Events should be used instead of a SoECAT.

Where can I get further support and guidance?

  • Your research funder should have guidance you can follow if you are unsure about whether your application requires a SoECAT at the Research Cost funding application stage.
  • Get in touch with Suzy Wignall, the Clinical Governance Advisor, or your Funding Development Officer.
  • Further information about the SoECAT can be found here.

Remember – support and guidance is on offer at BU if you are thinking of conducting clinical research, whether in the NHS, private healthcare or social care  – get in touch with Research Ethics. You can also take a look at the Clinical Governance blog for resources and updates.

International Newton Fellowship Opportunities

Funding opportunities, international

Application deadline Thursday 26th March 2020, 3pm UK time

The Newton International Fellowships enable researchers to work for two years at a UK institution with the aim of fostering long-term international collaborations. The Scheme aims to attract the most promising early career postdoctoral researchers from overseas in the fields of natural sciences, physical sciences, medical sciences, social sciences and the humanities.

The Newton International Fellowships Scheme is delivered by the British Academy, Royal Society or the Academy of Medical Sciences- please see below links for call guidance :

British Academy

The British Academy is the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences – the study of peoples, cultures and societies, past, present and future.

Academy of Medical Sciences

We are the independent body in the UK representing the diversity of medical science. Our mission is to advance biomedical and health research and its translation into benefits for society.

Royal Society

The Society’s fundamental purpose, reflected in its founding Charters of the 1660s, is to recognise, promote, and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity.

Research must be within the remit of the funder.  Please ensure you read the guidance for the specific funder subject coverage to determine which of the above funders you will submit your proposal.

If you wish to discuss further please don’t hesitate to contact me at apekalski@bournemouth.ac.uk or alternatively call me on x61204