Below is the August edition of Enterprise and Commercial Development’s ‘KT Chronicle’, featuring the latest on all things KTP & KEEN, including: the University’s new partnership with Lister Trade Frames, recent changes to the KTP Programme structure and application process, details of the call for shorter KTPs in multi-disciplinary software development and guidance on what to look for in a potential KTP / KEEN project and partner.
Posted by: Dominic Collins KTP Caseload Coordinator
Many academics struggle to get the time to carry out research. This fund from the British Academy offers free time from teaching. British Academy funding if for the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Applications must be made of their online system. Once submitted they need to be approved by the Universities External Projects Team by the deadline of 18/09/13, so make sure you let the team know you are applying in advance. externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk
Funding Body: British Academy
Scheme: Mid-career Fellowships
Overview: Time freed from normal teaching and administrative commitments to devote to the completion of a major piece of research.
Through this scheme the academy intends to support individual researchers with excellent research proposals and to promote public understanding and engagement with the humanities and social sciences.
Individuals employed at UK universities or other higher education institutions are eligible to apply. Fellowships are intended primarily to provide opportunities for scholars who have already published works of intellectual distinction or have established a significant track record as an excellent communicator and a champion in their field, and who are normally no more than 15 years from the award of their doctorate.
Fellowships can be held over a minimum of six months and a maximum of 12 months, beginning in the autumn of 2014.
Budget: The total value of a fellowship is not expected to exceed £160,000.
Deadlines: 18 September 2013
Further Information: http://www.britac.ac.uk/funding/guide/midcareer.cfm
This fund aligns with a number of the research areas in the University. It looks like a good opportunity for a few ARCs to collaborate. As well as collaboration across the University, applications would need to collaborate with other institutions. The Research Council UK is keen to see a cross-disciplinary approach to this research.
Anyone interested in pursuing this fund should make sure they attend the Town Meeting on 23 September 2013 (details from the web link below). Plus they should get in touch with the External projects Team externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk to say they are following it up, this will help us to make a University orientated response rather than just a faculty based response.
Funding Body: ESRC, AHRC, EPSRC
Scheme: Ethics and rights in a security context
Overview: The Economic and Social Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council invite proposals for their ethics and right in a security context, under the Research Councils UK Global Uncertainties programme. This call aims to develop greater understanding of how questions of ethics and rights play out in a security environment, with a focus on government. The call focuses on the following research themes:
•legitimacy; •jurisdiction; •autonomy; •temporality; •surveillance; •protection; •agency.
Collaborative research groups which address at least two of the councils’ remits may apply. Projects are for a duration of 24 months. It is anticipated that eight to 10 research grants will be awarded. Grants will commence on 1 September 2014.
Budget: The total budget for this call is between £2 million and £2.5m. Funding is worth up to £200,000 at 80 per cent of the full economic costs
Deadlines: 21 November 2013
Further Information: http://www.globaluncertainties.org.uk/funding/pre-call-ethics-and-rights-in-a-security-context.aspx
This factsheet gives details of the Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grants. These grants provide funding in almost any research area. The grants cover staffing time for Principal Investigators, research assistants and Post Graduate Students. They do not cover overhead costs.
Grants tend to be for around £250,000 for 2-3 years. There are three calls a year, but a quick stage one bid is made before submitting a full grant application.
Leverhulme Research Project Grants Factsheet
http://www.ashersarlin.com/archives/2004/09/honestly_who_co.php
The Royal Society has launched a call for Research Professorships. These awards come up highly infrequently and they are extremely prestigious. The aim of these awards is to release the best scientists from teaching and administration, allowing them to focus on research. There is plenty of time to consider an application, as bids are due in on 13 March 2014.
Funding Body: Royal Society
Scheme: Research Professorship
Overview: These prestigious posts provide long-term support for internationally recognised scientists of outstanding achievement and promise. The Professorships may be awarded in any field across the natural sciences. Applicants can be of any nationality, and applications are particularly welcomed from scientists currently resident outside the UK.
Budget: The scheme provides salary costs, a one-off start-up grant and research expenses. Appointments are usually made for up to 10 years.
Deadlines: 13 March 2014
Further Information: http://royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/research-professorship/
The European Commission has launched a tender which aims to foster digital entrepreneurship with SMEs. They want to promote SMEs that are good at developing digital products. The tender fits a number of different skill and research areas in the University so it may be a project that is well suited to be worked on across faculties.
Funding Body: European Commission –Competitiveness and Innovation
Scheme: Fostering digital entrepreneurship in Europe: raising awareness and the visibility of digital icons and creation of a European e-mentors ecosystem
Overview: The commission wants to:
• Raise media attention to European business and entrepreneurs that offer new digital products and services, invent innovative business models and thrive through the intelligent use of novel digital technologies
• Set up a mentoring ecosystem to help spark, support and expand new business ideas and fuel Digital Entrepreneurship in Europe
Projects will last up to 24 months.
Budget: Maximum price €3m
Deadlines: 6 September 2013
Further Information: Below is the link to the tender, plus on this blog you can download a factsheet giving a broader overview of the tender below the link.
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=6795&lang=en&title=Fostering-digital-entrepreneurship-in-Europe%3A-raising-awareness-and-the-visibility-of-digital-icons-and-creation-of-a-European-e-mentors-ecosystem
This is a fund for researchers involved in internet-embedded applications. There is no specified budget per project, but it looks as though there could be around £350,000 per project. Proposals should focus on early stage directed research through to implementation, testing and iterative improvement of technologies or methods with potential beneficiaries. Projects must have a user partner who is actively engaged in the research.
Funding Body: EPSRC
Scheme: Research in the Wild – Internet of Things
Overview: This seeks to encourage user-driven research in the emerging area of Internet of Things- systems and methodologies that underpins internet-enabled applications, based on physical objects and the environment, seamlessly integrating into this information network.
Activities could either test new technologies and methods with potential beneficiaries in the user domain or look at new ways of using existing technologies and methods. Applications must demonstrate:
•that the research challenge has been co-created with an end-user from the public, private or third sector;
•that the research will be conducted ‘in the wild’, exposing it to potential beneficiaries;
•that the potential impact of the research will be realised by the end-users or related beneficiaries.
Budget: Up to £3.5 million is available to fund approximately 10 projects for a duration of 18 months
Deadlines: 24/10/13
Further Information: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/calls/2013/Pages/internetofthings.aspx
This year’s long awaited University Research Fellowship call have finally come out. The Royal Society has funding to pay 80% of costs for a researcher not currently employed in a University. You must have a specific person in mind because they are looking for Outstanding Early Career Researchers who have the potential to become leaders in their field.
They have about 35 fellowships to award. Last year’s success rate was 12%.
Anyone thinking of applying should let the External Projects Team know externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk as bids have to be approved by them before submission.
Funding Body: The Royal Society
Scheme: University Research Fellowship
Overview: The scheme is for a scientific researcher who does not have a permanent post. They must have a PhD, and must have 3-8 years research experience since their PhD, it is expected that they will get a permanent post at the end of the funding. Funding is for five years.
The scheme covers all areas of the life and physical sciences, including engineering, but excluding clinical medicine and biomedical research.
Budget: The fund gives 80% of the basic salary costs up to £38,759.20, plus estates costs and indirect costs. Research expenses (up to £13,000 for the first year and up to £11,000 annually thereafter) will also be provided.
Deadlines: 17 September 2013
Further Information: http://royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/university-research
Two calls which may be of interest to a broad range of academics have come out from the Higher Education Academy (HEA). The University submits a number of bids to the HEA each year with reasonable levels of success.
These calls are usually repeated each year.
Scheme: Workshops and seminars
Overview: Institutions to host and deliver a workshop or seminar and to produce an associated report for. The aims of the series are to disseminate research or evaluation work and share evidence-based policy or practice. Thematic call areas: •STEM •social sciences •arts and humanities •thematic-focused call.
Budget: Grants are worth up to £750.
Deadlines: 31 July 2013
Further Information: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/seminar-series
Scheme: Departmental scheme grants
Overview: These support single departments in higher education institutions to encourage cooperation between colleagues in the enhancement of learning and teaching. Successful applications will demonstrate team impact across a department. See the website for this year’s key themes.
Budget: Applicants may request up to £30,000 for projects lasting up to 15 months.
Deadlines: 02 August 2013
Further Information: http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/tdg/departmental
NESTA has launched a fund which may be of interest to researchers involved in measuring energy usage. The funding hopes to shift electricity demand to off peak times or make better use of renewable energy generation.
They are keen to see projects that are innovative. If you are awarded the funding you need the capacity to build a prototype or service blue print for your idea.
Funding Body: NESTA
Scheme: Dynamic Demand Challenge Prize
Overview: This competition aims to create a new product, technology or service that uses data to significantly improve the ability of households or small businesses to demonstrate measurable reduction in carbon emissions by shifting energy demand to off-peak times or towards excess renewable generation. Solutions should have commercial market potential.
The competition is open to anyone in the EU. SMEs, charities, NGOs, community groups, developers, engineers, students and sustainability and energy professionals are encouraged to apply. Applicants may submit up to three entries. The prize is worth £50,000.
Deadlines: 9 September 2013
Further Information: http://dynamicdemand.nesta.org.uk
