Tagged / Grants Academy

Last chance to sign up for the AHRC open meeting!

On, Wednesday,  27th June Professor Mark Llewellyn, Director of Research from the AHRC is coming to BU. 

This is a great opportunity to ask your questions about the AHRC.    It is unusual for a Research Council to make university visits, so please make the most of this chance to hear first hand about AHRC’s future strategy, and how your research might fit within it.

The open meeting with start with a presentation, and then be followed by discussion. 

Click here to book your place.

Day: Wednesday, 27th June

Time: 1.30pm – 2.15pm

Place: Talbot Campus – PG16

If you are off-campus and experiencing difficulty accessing the staff intranet please email your booking to staffdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

In the meantime, if you have any questions please email Caroline O’Kane

Your chance to talk to the AHRC!

Funding opportunities

  • Have you ever submitted a proposal to the AHRC?
  • Have you considered the AHRC as a potential funder of your research?
  • Would you like to find out more about the AHRC and how it works?
  • Have you any burning questions about AHRC strategy?

If you have answered yes to any of the above, then you will be pleased to hear that on 27th June Professor Mark Llewellyn, Director of Research from the AHRC is coming to BU. 

This is a great opportunity to ask your questions about the AHRC and how you might best secure funding.  It is unusual for Research Councils to visit universities – it would be wise to make the most of this chance to hear first hand about AHRC’s future strategy, and how your research might fit within it.

Professor Llewellyn began his secondment to the AHRC as Director of Research in January and his responsibilities cover all areas of research activity, postgraduate funding, peer review, and international and Knowledge Exchange issues.

The open meeting with start with a presentation, and then be followed by discussion. 

Click here to book your place.

Day: Wednesday, 27th June

Time: 1.30pm – 2.15pm

Place: Talbot Campus – PG16

In the meantime, if you have any questions please email Caroline O’Kane

Welcome to our first Grants Academy members

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We are delighted to announce that the selection process is complete and the Grants Academy has its first members!

 Membership includes not only early career academics, but also professors and everyone inbetween.  This mix of skills and experience will add extra depth and interest to the Academy programme.   

Our new Academy members will be attending their Strand One training  workshop next week.  The aim is that 2 days locked away in a hotel in Bournemouth with our workshop leader Martin Pickard, will give our new members the skills and confidence to develop some really strong funding applications.   They will be supported throughout the bidding process by bid mentors, bidding clinics and all the other resources and benefits available to the Academy.

We are really pleased to be getting this new initiative up and running.   We will let you know how the first workshop goes, and what our members think of it. 

Do you want to be part of our Grants Academy?  

Don’t worry – we will be soon be letting you know about the next round of applications.  Please keep in touch with the blog to stay on top of developments – click on the Grants Academy tag to find out about the Grants Academy and what it involves.

Any questions?  Please contact Caroline O’Kane

Grants Academy: 1st round applications are now closed

The first round of applications for the Grants Academy has now closed.

The assessment panel,  made up of the PVC and four senior academics,  is now considering applications. 

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application on Monday 30th April. 

The criteria for assessing applications broadly includes: 

  • potential for generating research and KE income in future
  • scope of future research plans
  • ambition, motivation and engagement
  • experience of bidding and success to date

The outcome of the assessments will determine the first members of the Grants Academy, and who will be attending the first two-day training session in May.

Next round

There will be further Strand One training sessions scheduled for later in year (between August 2012 and July 2013).  The dates of these sessions are not yet fixed, and will be advertised on the Research Blog in due course, along with details of the next round of applications. 

Watch this space for more information about how you can take part in this exciting initiative.

Any questions?  Please contact Caroline O’Kane

Grants Academy applications – what to do about signatures

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On the Grants Academy application form there is a section at the end where your DD R&E (or equivalent) is required to sign, to show that they support your application.

Applicants can either:

  • submit a hard copy, with signature, to the RDU
  • submit via email a scanned version of your application (with signature)
  • or, if you are submitting a version without a signature, we will need an accompanying email from your DD R&E (or equivalent), confirming that they are in support of your application.

Please note: An individual can scan their own signature, using the Ricoh printers, then save this signature as a bmp or gif file.  This can then be inserted into the document.

 Any questions?  Please contact Caroline O’Kane

The Grants Academy launches today!

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The application process is officially open!

Last week on the blog we outlined what the Grants Academy is all about.  Clicking on the   tag is a good way to refresh yourself of the relevant information.

Here are the things you need to know if you are thinking of applying:

First two-day training

The first two day training programme (Strand One) is scheduled for the 9th and 10th May.  This training is taking place off-site, at a Lansdowne Hotel.  There will be homework (!) to do on the 9th May, so you will need a clear evening too.

Further dates

There will be further Strand One training sessions scheduled for later in year (between August 2012 and July 2013).  The dates of these sessions are not yet fixed, and will be advertised in due course.  

Application process

  • In the first instance, we are interested in applicants who are available to attend the first two-day session on 9th and 10th May.  Please make sure you state your availability to attend the first session on your application.     There will be an opportunity to apply for membership and future Strand One training sessions (and Strand Two sessions), later on in the year.  

 

  • We are looking for no more than 12 participants at any one Strand One training session

 

  • The criteria for assessing applications will broadly include: 
    • potential for generating research and KE income in future
    • scope of future research plans
    • ambition, motivation and engagement
    • experience of bidding and success to date

 

  • Applicants will complete an application form, and send this to the RDU

 

  • The deadline for applications is midnight, Tuesday 17th April

 

  • All applications will be forwarded to the assessment panel, which is made up of the PVC and  four senior academics

 

  • All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application on Monday 30th April

 

  • The application form is below.

 

Any questions?  Please contact Caroline O’Kane

Application Form

What is the Grants Academy?

 

The Grants Academy – Strand Three: Post-award training

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Strand Three – post-award training

  • The third strand of the Grants Academy will focus on post-award project management for Principal Investigators new to managing a grant.

 

  • The administrative specifics of managing a grant at BU will be covered in the awards information pack sent by RKE Operations to the PI prior to the start of the award, and for larger and/or more complex projects this will be discussed at the project kick-off meeting, led by the Research Development Officer (Research Conduct).

 

  • Strand Three is based on Vitae’s Leadership Development for Principal Investigators Framework and focuses on the skills required to successfully manage the grant, including:
    • What is expected of a principal investigator
    • Research environment and legal requirements
    • Impact and public engagement
    • Managing people
    • Project management
    • Network
    • Publishing outputs

 

  • Strand Three will offer new PIs with limited experience the opportunity to be mentored by a PI with significant experience who can advise and guide them on all aspects of research and project management.

 

  • Support will be provided to the mentor and mentee by the Research Development Officer (Research Conduct).

 

  • As part of Strand Three, the mentees will be required to complete the Vitae online resource for new PIs and their progress will be discussed during their meetings with their mentor, who will also advise where they might benefit from additional training to obtain the skills required to be a successful PI.

How to apply

The Grants Academy will officially launch on Monday, 2nd April.  Details about how to apply will be posted on the Research Blog on Monday.  Watch this space if you’re interested in joining the Academy.

Want to find out more?

If you would like to find out more please contact Caroline O’Kane

The Grants Academy – Strand Two: Bespoke training

Todays post will tell you all about Strand Two of the Grants Academy.  

Strand Two: Bespoke training and development programme

  • In essence Strand Two of the Grants Academy will follow the same format as Strand One.  

 

  • Strand Two will be a bespoke programme tailored to a specific group of academics (Research Centres, research themes, etc).  For example, the BU-wide scheme would offer advice and training on general research funding bodies whereas the bespoke scheme would offer advice on funding bodies that fund research in that particular field.

 

  • More importantly it is directed towards groups of staff who would be working together on a bid and subsequently ‘hunting as a pack’.

 

  • The provision of Strand Two could be requested by senior academic managers (e.g. UOA Leaders, Heads of Academic Group, Deans, etc.) and could also be initiated by the Pro Vice Chancellor for example, where a Research Centre has had limited success in attracting external research funds. 

 

  • Completion of Strand Two will entitle the group to all of the resources listed for Strand One, and will also entitle the group to dedicated support from the Research Development Unit for a period of three months to prepare bids for external funding. This support will depend on the specific skills requirement of the group, but may include support with EU funding, collaborative grants support, or support with bids for fellowship / early career funds.

 

  •  Strand Two of the Grants Academy will run as and when required, and it is anticipated this will be twice during 2012-13. The number of attendees per session would be discussed with the academic lead as part of the bespoke design of each Strand Two programme. As with Strand One, all attendees  will be required to work on a proposal after the session and to submit this proposal for external funding within six months of completing the training programme. They may remain part of the Academy for a maximum of 18 months during which time they will be expected to have submitted a minimum of three external bids.

Want to find out more?

If you would like to find out more please contact Caroline O’Kane

Tomorrow: learn about Strand Three (post-award training).

The Grants Academy – Strand One: The Training Programme

The second of our posts on the new Grants Academy is all about Strand One.  

What is Strand One?

This is the BU-wide development and training programme linked to grant writing support in the form of access to a pool of contracted external bid advisors. 

Intensive training

Strand One of the Grants Academy will be an intensive training programme run over two consecutive days, held off campus.  Academics must attend both full days in order to join the Grants Academy. The sessions will be delivered by an external facilitator with support from the Research Development Unit. 

Attendees will be required to come to the session with a draft proposal that they consider to be ready to submit for external funding (including CV). Each attendee will swap his/her proposal with another attendee on day one and will be required to read their colleague’s proposal before the second day when there will be a mock peer review panel where attendees will be required to lead a discussion on the proposal they have reviewed, taking into account everything they have learned the day before.

All participants of the Grants Academy will be required to work on a proposal after the session, using the resources and support listed below, and to submit this proposal for external funding within six months of completing the training programme.  They may remain part of the Academy for a maximum of 18 months during which time they will be expected to have submitted a minimum of three external bids. 

Extra training and resources for Academy members

Completion of Strand One will result in individuals becoming members of the Grants Academy; as members they would be able to access additional training and development resources including:

  • An internal grants mentor: This person will be assigned after the training programme and will be responsible for supporting the mentee with the writing and development of their proposal.  
  • Access to an external bid advisor: The University will contract the services of a number of sector renowned and successful bid advisors who will be available to support Grants Academy members with the development of their proposals.
  • Specific funder events: The Research Development Unit will arrange specific funder events for members of the Grants Academy to find out more about funding bodies, for example, specific schemes, priorities, bid writing hints and tips, etc.
  • Funding drop-in surgeries: These drop-in surgeries will be held fortnightly over lunch and will be facilitated by the Pro Vice Chancellor plus three experienced senior academics. They will offer members of the Grants Academy the opportunity to come along and to talk to experienced colleagues about their research, for example, getting advice on their ideas, how to strengthen their bids, etc.
  • Find a funder service: This service will be provided by the Research Development Unit and will help to match academics and their research ideas and strengths with external funding bodies and open calls. The service will also advise on how proposal ideas can be tweaked so they are more closely aligned to funder priorities, and will also support academics in identifying researchers at other institutions who are researching similar areas for future collaborations. 
  • Access to a library of successful bids: The Research Development Unit will provide access to Grants Academy members to a library of successful bids, and provide support to academics in accessing this resource.
  • Access to a small travel grant to support academic networking.  Each member of the academy will have access to up to £250 to support travel in order to talk to potential collaborators, establish/join networks, etc.

The support listed above will only be available to those academics who have completed Strand One of the Grants Academy.

Want to find out more?

If you would like to find out more please contact Caroline O’Kane

On the blog tomorrow, we’ll be telling you all about Strands Two and Three.

The application process will be launched on Monday, 2nd April 2012.

Coming soon….The BU Grants Academy

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On Monday, 2nd April we will be launching a brand new training programme – the BU Grants Academy – to sustain research and invest in early career researchers to boost BU’s collective research output. 

Every day this week there will be blog posts focussing on different aspects of the Grants Academy.  Today its The Overview.  To find out more, please read on………

What is the Grants Academy?

It is a development programme for academic staff, with three distinct strands:

  • Strand One:    BU-wide development and training programme linked in 2012/13 to external grant writing support in the form of a contracted bid advisor.
  • Strand Two:    Bespoke intervention for key research groups and clusters (e.g., Research Centres, BU Research Themes, etc.) based on a bespoke version of Strand One.
  • Strand Three:  Post-Award support in the form of direct mentorship for new investigators with limited experience of research management and project delivery.

How will the scheme benefit acadmic staff?

Membership of the Grants Academy will enable academic staff to:

  1. improve their understanding of the research funding environment;
  2. increase the quality of their research funding proposals;
  3. unlock staff potential, confidence and motivation;
  4. enable staff to develop the skills required to design, write and structure a competitive, fundable research proposal; and
  5. to then manage awarded contracts, effectively leading to further funding.

Want to find out more?

If you would like to find out more please contact Caroline O’Kane

On the blog tomorrow, we’ll be telling you all about Strand One.