British Academy Research Development Awards (BARDAs)

Deadline to notify REST of intention to bid: 23 October 2009
Faculty deadline to complete application form: 27 November 2009

The British Academy launched its new online electronic grant administration processing system, e-GAP2, on 20 August 2009. If you are thinking of applying to one of the research grant programmes it is worth learning about e-GAP2 (see: http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=1136) and you can register as a user as soon as the call opens so that you can see what is required for the application.

BARDAs are offered for established UK-based scholars to develop a significant collaborative or individual research project, providing a flexible package of support, including research leave, research expenses, workshops and visits by or to partner scholars. Awards are offered on an FEC basis, up to £150,000 (of which the BA meets 80%). Priority is given to applicants who have at least five years postdoctoral experience.

• Annual competition (two-stage process)
• Applications available from: 2 November 2009. It will not be possible to access application forms before these dates. Paper-based applications will not be accepted.
• Funder deadline for submission of applications: 15 December 2009
• Results of outline stage expected: end January 2010
• Research beginning on or after: 1 June 2010
• A smaller group of the most outstanding applicants will then be invited to submit second-stage applications for a deadline in March 2010, final decisions in May

For full guidance on British Academy Research Development Awards (BARDAs) see: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/guide/barda.cfm

For details of all the recently announced British Academy deadlines see: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/index.cfm

British Academy/Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowships

Deadline to notify REST of intention to bid: 23 October 2009
Faculty deadline to complete application form: 18 November 2009

The British Academy launched its new online electronic grant administration processing system, e-GAP2, on 20 August 2009. If you are thinking of applying to one of the research grant programmes it is worth learning about e-GAP2 (see: http://royalsociety.org/page.asp?id=1136) and you can register as a user as soon as the call opens so that you can see what is required for the application.

Senior Research Fellowships are offered for established scholars working at UK universities providing a period of research leave during which they will be able to concentrate on bringing a major piece of research towards completion while their normal teaching and administrative duties are covered by a full-time replacement. Awards are tenable for 1 year from autumn 2010.

• Annual Competition
• Applications available from: 22 October 2009. It will not be possible to access application forms before these dates. Paper-based applications will not be accepted.
• Funder deadline for submission of applications: 7 December 2009
• Results expected: early March 2010
• Research beginning on or after: 1 September 2010

For full guidance on British Academy/Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowships see: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/guide/srf.cfm

For details of all the recently announced British Academy deadlines see: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/index.cfm

Internal approval process for bids

If you are thinking of applying for ANY external funding - whether for research, enterprise, teaching or any other activity - you need to let the University know and receive the relevant approvals. Depending on the circumstances, this may take a few weeks. There is a new page on the intranet which outlines the processes with an explanation of which form to use for each type of funding. This can be found at: http://intranet.open.ac.uk/developmentoffice/project-funding/

If you are a member of the Arts Faculty, please notify the Research and Enterprise Team at Arts-REST of any planned funding bids or negotiations.

ESRC new strategic plan increases focus on impact

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) released its Strategic Plan for 2009-14 on 21 July. It outlines the research council’s goals and objectives for the next five years, including a greater concentration on the impact of its research.

"The social sciences are essential to developing the international competitiveness of UK business and the wellbeing of citizens in the UK and beyond. Providing a high quality social science knowledge and evidence base, which is at the heart of the ESRC's mission, is fundamental to addressing a range of economic and social issues within the UK and globally. To achieve this, active two-way dialogue and collaboration between social scientists and potential users throughout the research process and beyond is crucial."

For more information and to download a full copy of the Strategic Plan go to: http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/strategicplan/

European Science Foundation Research Networking Programmes - 2009 Call for Proposals

The European Science Foundation (ESF) are inviting Proposals for new Research Networking Programmes. An ESF Research Networking Programme is a networking activity bringing together nationally funded research activities for four to five years, to address a major scientific issue or a science-driven topic of research infrastructure, at the European level with the aim of advancing the frontiers of science.

Key objectives include:

• creating interdisciplinary fora;
• sharing knowledge and expertise;
• developing new techniques;
• training young scientists.

A successful Programme proposal must show high scientific quality and also demonstrate added value by being carried out at a European level rather than by individual research groups at the national level.

Proposals may be submitted in any or across several of the following broad scientific fields:

• Biomedical Sciences
• Life, Earth and Environmental
• Physical and Engineering Sciences
• Humanities
• Social Sciences

Science driven issues of Research Infrastructures in any of the above fields

Deadline 22 October 2009, 16.00hrs CET

For more information see: http://www.esf.org/activities/research-networking-programmes/rnp-call-for-proposals.html#c15761

AHRC Knowledge Transfer Fellowship scheme - next deadline 12 November 2009

The Knowledge Transfer (KT) Fellowship Scheme is designed to support academics to undertake a programme of knowledge transfer activity in a flexible way. The knowledge transfer project should be planned around an existing piece of arts or humanities research which has the potential to make a significant difference beyond the world of academia. KT Fellows may work either on their own or as part of an academic team, to collaborate with, and bring tangible benefits to, non-academic organisations through a process of knowledge exchange. These benefits may be economic, social or cultural in nature.

Researchers can apply to work on the project on either a full time or part time basis for between 4 months and 3 years. The award can be between £5,000 and £1 million on a full economic cost basis.

The Knowledge Transfer Fellowships scheme has two closing dates each year, in November and May. The next closing date will be 12 November 2009, at 4pm. A revised scheme guide will be available in August, and the J-eS system will open for applications to this round at the same time.

For more information see: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Pages/KTFellowshipScheme.aspx

For more general information about Knowledge Transfer see the RCUK Knowledge Transfer Portal: http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/innovation/ktportal/default.htm

AHRC Religion and Society Small Grants

The Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Religion and Society Programme is offering approximately eight Small Research Grants. These grants will support projects from less established as well as established senior scholars, and from those wishing to undertake small scale innovative or short projects of up to one year.

The project can be for between £20,000 and £100,000 Full Economic Cost (fEC).

The recently introduced requirements of Impact Summary, Academic Beneficiaries and Impact Plan are compulsory for proposals submitted for this scheme.

The closing date for the receipt of applications is 4pm on the 30th April 2009.

For more information see: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Pages/ReligionandSociety-SmallGrants.aspx

Times Higher Education Awards - Research Project of the Year

Deadline: 5 June 2009

This will be awarded to the individual or team for innovative research that has a far-reaching impact on its field and has caught, or has the potential to catch, the imagination of the public. It is open to individuals or teams in any discipline at a UK institution. Nominations must be endorsed by the applicants' institution.

• Explain the background to your project.
• Why was the research necessary, and what were its primary objectives?
• Describe how the research was funded, what the work involved and what challenges arose.
• What did the results reveal, and what are the potential wider benefits to society?
• Has it led to other projects or new avenues of exploration?
• Judges will look for evidence of significant or novel results, creative collaborations and imaginative communication of research results.

The awards will recognise achievements in the 2008/2009 academic year and entries will be accepted between 26 February 2009 and 5 June 2009. Judging will take place in June and the shortlist will be announced in July. The winners will be announced at a dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London on 15 October 2009.

For more information and online application form see: http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/hybrid.asp?typeCode=352&;pubCode=1&;navcode=98

EU funding for training and career development of researchers

The European Commission's Directorate-General for Research has published three calls for proposals under the 'People' programme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

Intended to provide support for training and career development of researchers, the calls include:

• Intra-European Fellowships (IEF);
• International Outgoing Fellowships (IOF);
• International Incoming Fellowships (IIF).

The Intra-European Fellowship scheme targets experienced researchers seeking to enhance their individual competence and acquire new skills at an interdisciplinary level.

International Outgoing Fellowships aim to reinforce the international dimension of European researchers by giving them the opportunity to work in a high-level research organisation in a third country.

By contrast, the International Incoming Fellowship scheme is addressed at top-class researchers active in third countries, who would like to work on research projects and share their knowledge with colleagues in Europe. Ultimately, the goal is to develop mutually beneficial research cooperation between Europe and third countries.

To see the full details of the call, please consult the following web address: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/calls/

The deadline for all 3 calls is 18th August 2009

New "Impact Requirements" for AHRC & ESRC grant applications

From 23rd March 2009, applicants for Arts & Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) research and fellowship grant proposals are required to include a description in the application of the impact that their research will have on society and the economy.

If you have already been working on an application form on the Je-S system you will find that since 17th February a new section has automatically been added for an impact summary, which has a 4,000 character limit, including spaces and returns. If you are submitting a bid before 23rd March, you need to put in this box the words "Not applicable" and also add an Impact Plan in the attachments section that is a page also just saying "Impact Plan not applicable."

To find the specific guidance for AHRC and ESRC bids, if you click on "edit attachments" in your Je-S form, and then the help link in the top right corner, you will be taken to the attachment page of that councils help text. For ease here are links to the pages for AHRC and ESRC:

AHRC: Click here
ESRC: Click here

Click here for the Je-S Help guidance page which gives the summary information on the requirements.

The impact summary on the Proposal Form should address the following questions:

• Who will benefit from this research?
• How will they benefit from this research?
• What will be done to ensure that they have the opportunity to benefit from this research?

Peer reviewers for research grant proposals will be asked to consider:

• Whether the plans to increase impact are appropriate and justified, given the nature of the proposed research

Note: The impact summary may be published to demonstrate potential impact of Research Council funded research. Please ensure confidential information is not included in this section.

The Case for Support (and/or attached Impact Plan where required) should expand on the information contained in the impact summary and describe what will be done to increase the scale or likelihood of impact. In making your case, you should consider and describe any potential impacts of the research on society and the economy.

Article updated on 24/02/09 after additional email guidance from AHRC.

AHRC Knowledge Transfer Fellowship scheme next closing date 14th May 2009

The Knowledge Transfer Fellowship Scheme is designed to support academics to undertake a programme of knowledge transfer activity in a flexible way. The knowledge transfer project should be planned around an existing piece of arts or humanities research which has the potential to make a significant difference beyond the world of academia. KT Fellows may work either on their own or as part of an academic team, to collaborate with, and bring tangible benefits to, non-academic organisations through a process of knowledge exchange. These benefits may be economic, social or cultural in nature.

Researchers can apply to work on the project on either a full time or part time basis for between 4 months and 3 years.

For more information see: http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/FundingOpportunities/Pages/KTFellowshipScheme.aspx

Up to 3.5m Euros funding for "Frontier Research"

ERC Advanced Investigators Grant 2009 (ERC-2009-AdG_20090415 for Social Sciences and Humanities)

The objective of the Advanced Grant is to encourage and support excellent, innovative investigator-initiated research projects by leading advanced investigators across the EU Member States and Associated Countries.

European Research Council (ERC) grants support projects which are carried out by individual research teams headed by a single Principal Investigator (PI) of any nationality and, if necessary, include additional team members. These teams may be of national or trans-national character.

The PI is expected to devote at least 30% of his/her workload to the ERC funded project, while spending at least 50% of his/her total workload in Europe (EU Member
State or Associated Country).

ERC grants aim to support "Frontier Research", in other words the pursuit of questions at or beyond the frontiers of knowledge, without regard for established disciplinary boundaries. Applications can be made in any field of research - including the social sciences and humanities - with particular emphasis on the frontier of science, scholarship and engineering. In particular, proposals of an interdisciplinary nature which cross the boundaries between different fields of research, pioneering proposals addressing new and emerging fields of research or proposals introducing unconventional, innovative approaches and scientific inventions are encouraged, as long as the expected impact on science, scholarship or engineering is significant.

Depending on the specific project and field, the level of these grants may be up to EUR 3.500.000 for a period of 5 years (pro rata for projects of shorter duration). Normally, however, grants will be limited to a maximum of EUR 2.500.000 unless the application involves specific features requiring a higher level of support: a 'Co-Investigator project'; requirement to purchase major research equipment, or a PI who is coming from a third country to establish a research team and activity at a host institution in a EU Member State or Associated Country.

An ERC grant can cover up to 100% of the total eligible direct costs of the research plus a contribution towards indirect costs, which cannot exceed 20% of the total eligible direct costs.

This information has been extracted from the "ERC Grant Schemes Guide for Applicants December 2008".

Deadline: 15 April 2009 at 17:00:00 (Brussels local time)

Full details of the ERC-2009-AdG_20090415 call are available on the Cordis website at:
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.IdeasDetailsCallPage&call_id=187

The competition for this funding will be fierce and the assessment is strongly weighted to the quality of the PI alone. In order for an application to stand the best chance of success, we recommend a long lead time for the application preparation, and internal peer review to strengthen the presentation of the proposal.