Tagged / research

**New** Intention to Bid Forms & Annexures for Quality Approval

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The Faculties have requested, through the Deputy Deans of Research & Professional Practice (DDRPPs), that RKEO provide support targeted to achieve their research strategies. To aid in this, it has been agreed that, as part of the internal approvals process for bids involving external funding, the following shall become mandatory:

  1. An Intention to Bid (ITB) form must be lodged with RKEO; and
  2. At the time of lodgement, the PI must cc. his/her Head of Research with the ITB Form.

To implement the DDRPPs’ decision, RKEO has taken the opportunity to produce a more easy-to-use, streamlined ITB form to be used across all Faculties, with an Annexure for Quality Approval (A-QA) that is customised for each Faculty.

The ITB form and A-QAs will shortly be uploaded onto the Staff Intranet for download and use.

The RKE Bid Timeline and RKE Sample Costs documents on the same Staff Intranet page will also shortly be updated for reference.

RKEO’s Funding Development Team is available to provide pre-award support and their contact details can be found on the Research Blog. Should you have any difficulty in accessing the documents on the Staff Intranet, please request them from us and we will send you a copy.

Due to various staff movements and other exigencies of the workplace, the original team of Funding Development Officers which previously comprised 4.2 FTE to support the 4 Faculties is currently comprised of 2.4 FTE. For optimal support of your application and to aid in workload management, it is of particular importance that a completed ITB form and A-QA be lodged with RKEO at the earliest opportunity, ideally 3 weeks before the submission deadline.

Congratulations to Prof. Brooks

Ann Brooks 2016Congratulations to FHSS Prof. Ann Brooks on her latest academic article in the July issue of Cultural Politics. The article ‘The Cultural Production of Consumption as Achievement’ is co-authored with Lionel Wee.

Brooks, A. & Wee, L., The Cultural Production of Consumption as Achievement Cultural PoliticsCultural Politics (2016) 12 (2): 217-232

doi 10:10.1215/17432197-3592112

http://culturalpolitics.dukejournals.org/content/current

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

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

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, via the Global Challenges Research Fund, invites applications for its call on Tackling global development challenges through engineering and digital technology research. The aim of this activity is to support an internationally leading programme of research, centred around engineering and digital technologies, to tackle the challenges faced by the developing world. Exemplar areas are given under each heading below, but these should not be seen as exclusive. Proposals may also span both headings: 1) Tackling global development challenges through engineering research- Sustainable infrastructure development, Engineering for disaster resilience, Engineering for humanitarian aid; 2) Tackling global development challenges through digital technology research- Access to digital services, Use of data for vital services, Secure and trusted digital infrastructures. The proposed research must be predominantly in EPSRC remit, although interdisciplinary and/or multidisciplinary proposals are welcomed.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 15/11/16.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council invites applications for its First Grant scheme. The scheme helps new academics apply for research funding at the start of their careers. Applicants must have been appointed to their first academic lecturing appointment, which involves lecturing and administration alongside research, in a UK university within the previous 36 months, or still be in the probation period of their new appointment. They must also have completed their PhD or an equivalent professional qualification within the last 10 years.

Maximum award: £100,000. Closing date: No deadline.

Innovate UK

Innovate UK invites applications for its connected and autonomous vehicles competition 2. Projects must be business led and should provide technical solutions for connected and autonomous vehicle features that provide real-world benefits to users. This includes how these vehicles will work as part of a wider transport system. The commercial benefit should clear in proposals. This competition is in 4 streams: Stream 1 will fund a large-scale challenge to develop and demonstrate a vehicle operating at SAE level 4 automation. It is expected that the fund will support a single project or 2 projects maximum of between £15 million and £30 million each. Projects should last between 18 and 30 months. Streams 2, 3 and 4 will fund feasibility studies and industrial research and development projects on connected and autonomous vehicles. Projects are expected to range in size from total costs of £250,000 to £5 million. Projects should last between 12 and 30 months.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 02/11/16.

Medical Research Council

The Medical Research Council invites applications for its Confidence in Concept scheme. This scheme aims to accelerate the transition from discovery science to the early stages of therapeutic/biomarker development by providing locally-administered, responsive and flexible funding to support preliminary translational work. The award can be used flexibly by the institution to support a number of preliminary-stage translational projects. The projects supported should aim to provide sufficient preliminary data to establish the viability of an approach –– before seeking more substantive funding

Maximum award: £1.2 million. Closing date: 15/11/16.

The Medical Research Council invites applications for its Proximity to Discovery – Industry Engagement Fund. The scheme is designed to provide flexible funding for innovative ways to enable the initial development of academic-industry collaborations. Short term people exchanges between industry and academia are seen as a key way of exchanging skills and knowledge and developing a longer term working relationship. Proximity to Discovery: Industry Engagement Fund can be used for people and knowledge exchange at the very earliest stage of a collaboration and may not necessarily be aligned to a specific project objective. Examples of potential uses include: People exchange that allow for an exchange of skills or knowledge which will enable new collaborative projects to develop; People exchanges between Technology Transfer Offices in Universities and Business Development teams in industry, where the placement will enhance the understanding of each other’s business model and allow them to better support their organisation to develop medical research collaborations with industrial partners; Other creative ways to encourage new collaborations or two-way people exchange to increase the permeability between industry and academia; Projects that would enhance academic understanding of industry or vice versa; Showcases/workshops which enabling Universities to develop relationships with potential industry partners.

Maximum award: £250,000. Closing date: 15/11/16.

Royal Academy of Engineering

The Royal Academy of Engineering, in partnership with the Leverhulme Trust, invites applications for its Senior Research Fellowships. The fellowships allow academics to concentrate on full-time research and be relieved of teaching and administrative responsibilities. The purpose of the Fellowships is to cover the salary costs of a replacement academic who will take over the awardee’s teaching and administration duties for up to one year. A support fund of up to £2,500 is also available to the awardee to cover miscellaneous research costs, such as conference attendance and public engagement activities.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 19/10/16.

Royal Society

The Royal Society invites proposals for its scientific meetings, which offer the opportunity to present an international, two day conference. The call is open to UK based researchers in any field and the discussion throughout the meeting should allow everyone, at any stage of their career, to be involved in the conversation. The award will cover administrative support, a contribution towards speaker, organiser and chair travel expenses and accommodation, logistical support, materials for the meeting, venue, facilities and catering.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 30/9/16.

The Royal Society invites proposals for its Science+ and Fast Track Discussion meetings. These meetings Bring together scientists from around the world to present and discuss new research in all areas of science. Each meeting is organised by leaders in the field, using their expertise to ensure the key topics are covered. The focus on discussion throughout the meeting allows everyone, at any stage of their scientific career, to get involved in the conversation. The programme offers a unique opportunity  to present an international, two-day conference, with the chance for publication in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society following the event.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date:  30/09/16.

Royal Society of Edinburgh

The Royal Society of Edinburgh, in collaboration with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, invites applications for the BBSRC Enterprise Fellowships. The aim of this scheme is to increase exploitation of ideas with commercial potential from BBSRC supported research. The Enterprise Fellowships are designed to enable an individual to advance the commercialisation of existing research results or technological developments and are tenable for a period of one year within a UK HE or similar academic institution. The Fellowships enable the holder to concentrate on developing the commercial potential of their research, whilst also receiving formal training in relevant business skills.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 19/11/16.

Wellcome Trust

The Wellcome Trust and the National Institutes of Health invite applications for their Four-year PhD Studentships. This scheme offers postgraduate students collaborative PhD training at academic laboratories in the UK or Republic of Ireland and at the National Institutes of Health in the USA. Students usually spend half their time at an academic organisation in the UK/Republic of Ireland and the other half of their time at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus at Bethesda (Maryland, USA). Applicants should have a first class degree or 2:1 (or the European Economic Area equivalent), or be in their final year and predicted to get a first class degree or 2:1. Applicants must also be UK or EEA nationals.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 07/11/16.

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 you are thinking of applying, why not add an expression of interest on Research Professional so that BU colleagues can see your intention to bid and contact you to collaborate.

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

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

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

BBSRC and the MRC, under the Global Challenges Research Fund, invite expressions of interest for their call for Networks in Vector Borne Disease (VBD) Research. This call forms part of BBSRC’s and MRC’s activities under the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) (see related links) and therefore requires Networks to address VBD challenges primarily relevant to the health or prosperity of Low and Middle Income Countries on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) DAC List. The funders aim to support multidisciplinary Networks which foster collaboration, facilitate wider cross-disciplinary integrative participation (including environmental and social science research) and build capability which together will contribute to and underpin the development of novel strategies to control VBD of plants, animals and humans. Five key research priorities have been identified: Development of new control strategies for VBD in particular non-chemical vector control methods such as genetic control; Increased understanding of fundamental vector biology and vector ecology; Understanding what is driving the emergence and expansion of VBDs; Increased understanding of vector pathogen interactions; Improved diagnostics, surveillance and forecasting.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: Expressions of interest 4pm, 03/11/16.

British Academy

British Academy, in collaboration with the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), the National Council for the State Funding Agencies (CONFAP) and the State Funding Agencies (FAPs) in Brazil, and the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society in UK, under the Newton fund programme, invites applications for its Fellowship and Young Investigator awards. In the State of São Paulo, the call is open for UK visiting researchers to visit research groups in São Paulo. FAPESP will also offer an opportunity for young investigators from the UK to start a research career in a university or research institution in the State of São Paulo through its Young Investigator Awards. The UK Academies will also offer Newton International Fellowships and Newton Advanced Fellowships to the Brazilian research community, covering the fields of natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, and medical (including clinical and patient-orientated research) sciences. Mobility grants will also be offered to the Brazilian research community, covering the fields of natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, and engineering.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 12pm (Brazil time), 24/10/16.

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

EPSRC, on behalf of the RCUK Energy Programme (RCUKEP), invites applications for  the DoE NEUP programme. In particular the RCUKEP will support the UK component of proposals including US/UK collaboration in the following specific areas: Radioisotope Retention in Graphite and Graphitic Materials; Materials Ageing and Degradation; Reactor Safety Technologies; Materials Recovery; Advanced Waste forms; Advanced Fuels ; Used Nuclear fuel disposition: Disposal; Nuclear Energy Advanced modelling and simulation.UK applicants wishing to engage in this programme should liaise directly with their US partners. Appicants must submit an expression of interest (pre-applications), which shoulbe be submitted by the US partners to the DoE.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: Pre-aplications 14/09/16.

Medical Research Council

MRC and the ESRC invite applications for their Skills Development Fellowships, which enable early-career researchers to develop new skills in a priority area as well as researchers at all career stages willing to transform their career. The scheme currently invites proposals that focus on any of the following priority areas within a UK and/or global health context: Quantitative Skills – covering mathematics, statistics, computation and informatics applicable to any biomedical or health related data sources, from molecular to population level. These skills can be applied across the full range of the MRC’s remit, for example, cell biology, physiology, epidemiology, population and public health, and health psychology; Skills at the social science interface – with a focus on areas of health economics and/or mixed methods research.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 14/06/17.

Natural Environment Research Council

NERC invites application for its Follow-on Fund Pathfinder awards, which enable researchers to develop projects that will realise the commercial potential of NERC-funded research via a combination of complementary technical and commercial engagement work programmes. Pathfinder awards are designed to fill  knowledge gaps via activities such as market assessment and competitor analysis, intellectual property searches, engaging with potential commercial collaborators and end-users, and ‘milestone 1’ technical work where the technical feasibility of the whole project depends on it. The fund is open to researchers with current or past NERC funding. Proposals for Follow-on support must build on the outputs of recent or previous NERC-funded research activity.

Maximum award: £20,000 (80% fEC). Closing date: 4pm, 27/09/16.

The Royal Society

Royal Society, in collaboration with the EPSRC and Rolls-Royce, invites applications for its Industry Fellowships.  The Fellowships are for academic scientists who want to work on a collaborative project with industry and for scientists in industry who want to work on a collaborative project with an academic organisation. The scheme aims to enhance knowledge transfer in science and technology between those in industry and those in academia in the UK.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 29/09/16.

Royal Society and the National Natural Science Foundation of China invite applications for the cost-share programme of their International Exchanges scheme. This scheme is for scientists in the UK who want to stimulate new collaborations with leading scientists overseas through either a one-off visit or bilateral travel. The scheme covers all areas of the life and physical sciences, including engineering, but excluding clinical medicine.

Maximum award: £12,000. Closing date: 10/10/16.

Royal Society and the Taiwan Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) invite applications for the cost-share programme of their International Exchanges scheme. This scheme is for scientists in the UK who want to stimulate new collaborations with leading scientists overseas through either a one-off visit or bilateral travel. The scheme covers all areas of the life and physical sciences, including engineering, but excluding clinical medicine.

Maximum award: £12,000. Closing date: 10/10/16.

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 you are thinking of applying, why not add an expression of interest on Research Professional so that BU colleagues can see your intention to bid and contact you to collaborate.

Making the most of the Library during the summer

Whether you want to catch up on some reading without being disturbed or find somewhere to work collaboratively with research colleagues or your Faculty’s library team, the Library has lots to offer at this quiet time of the year. See our news item on the Staff Intranet for details about library services and facilities available to staff and researchers throughout the summer vacation.

Latest Major Funding Opportunities

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

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

The NSPCC and ESRC are working together to commission research that contributes to their joint interests in mental health and the NSPCC’s new research programme: Helping Children Get Back on Track. The aim of this research programme is to increase the evidence base about what kinds of therapeutic or social intervention work for which children with experience of abuse and when; how to identify children whose mental health is vulnerable; and how to identify the things that make others more resilient.

It is expected that this research will result in one or more of the following outcomes: A better understanding of how to identify the children whose mental health is vulnerable because of abuse, including those with ‘latent vulnerability’; that is, those children who are susceptible to poor outcomes including mental ill health but are not overtly symptomatic, or who need help in order to get their development back on track after experience of abuse, including to prevent the onset of mental health problems either in childhood or later; A better understanding of when support should be offered to children in order that poor outcomes including poor mental health can be prevented; A better understanding of what sort of help is effective in preventing poor outcomes for children with experience of abuse including poor mental health; A better understanding of how to identify the factors that make some children more resilient and adaptive and others more vulnerable to the mental health consequences of maltreatment.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 07/10/2016.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) invite applications for their scheme to recognise Academic Centres of Excellence in Cyber Security Research. The scheme makes collaboration and knowledge sharing between the best of the UK academic sector, business and government easier. It encourages exploitation of current leading-edge research and the identification of the future work needed to ensure the UK is well prepared to meet coming cyber security challenges and threats. The relevant research areas include: cryptography, key management and security protocols; information risk; information assurance science; hardware engineering; total network defence; strategic technologies and products; side channel and fault analysis; engineering processes and assurance; building trusted and trustworthy systems; operational technology security; Internet of Things.

This call applies both to universities currently recognised who wish to extend their recognition for a further 5 years, and to universities not previously recognised. An institution whose submission is successful in this call will be able to hold the title of ‘Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research’ for a period of 5 years, subject to complying with appropriate terms and conditions of membership of the scheme. They will also be supported by an EPSRC research grant to support activiteis associated with the recognition.

Maximum award: £60,000. Closing date: 4pm, 12/12/16.

National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research

The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research, in collaboration with Arthritis Research UK, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and Innovate UK, invites applications for its CRACK IT challenges. This aims to fund collaborations between industry sponsors, academics and the NC3Rs to develop innovative, integrated approaches to better predict the GHS classification category for acute oral, skin and eye irritation in the development of agrochemical formulations without using animals or generating new in vitro data. The challenge also requires a disruptive business model whereby access and storage of industry data can be managed to provide predictive testing strategies for complex mixtures.

Maximum award: £1 million. Closing date: 09/11/17.

Wellcome Trust

The Wellcome Trust invites applications for its Collaborative Awards in Humanities and Social Science. Collaborative Awards promote the development of new ideas and bring disciplines together to speed the pace of discovery. Teams will have a track record of working together to tackle research questions that can only be approached collaboratively. Teams can come from the same discipline or from a combination of disciplines. They can be from the same university department or a number of organisations (anywhere in the world). Applications that combine humanities and social science research with biomedical science research and/or product development and applied research are particularly encouraged.

Maximum award: £1.5 million. Closing date (preliminary applications): 16/01/17.

The Wellcome Trust invites applications for its Investigator Awards in Humanities and Social Sciences. These awards support researchers in established posts at all career stages working on important questions of relevance to health. The level of funding provided for an Investigator Award is flexible and can be anything from under £300,000 to around £1 million. Awards can last for up to five years.

Maximum award: £1 million. Closing date (preliminary applications): 16/01/17.

The Wellcome Trust invites applications for its University Awards in Humanities and Social Science. A University Award provides support for up to five years at lecturer, senior-lecturer or reader level. After this, we expect you to take up a permanent position at the academic organisation. Up to five years’ support is available, providing full salary for three years, 50 per cent in the fourth year and 25 per cent in the fifth year. Awards also support research expenses, materials and consumables, animals, equipment, and travel and subsistence costs.  During its first three years, the award allows you to focus on research rather than teaching and administration.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 18/01/17.

The Wellcome Trust invites applications for its Humanities and Social Science Doctoral Studentships. This scheme enables researchers to undertake humanities or social science doctoral degrees in any area of health. Studentships are available for up to three years and cover the student’s stipend, approved tuition fees, as well as travel to meetings and conferences of up to £1,500, equipment and research expenses worth up to £1,500.

Maximum award: Not specified. Closing date: 22/03/17.

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 you are thinking of applying, why not add an expression of interest on Research Professional so that BU colleagues can see your intention to bid and contact you to collaborate.