Author Archives: Holly Hoar

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About Holly Hoar

I am the Development Officer (Research & Funding) in Research, Business and Employability Services. The Research team provides information to University staff on external funding, partners, and innovation activities. The team works with researchers and academic staff to help diversify income for Staffordshire University. Our Research and Funding Blog contains information on funding opportunities and the activities of the team. See my staff profile here http://www.staffs.ac.uk/staff/profiles/heh2.jsp

Travel overseas with Winston Churchill

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Winston Churchill Memorial travel fellowships cover a range of research areas. The annual call has been launched this should be of interest to all faculties.

Funding Body: Winston Churchill Memorial Trust

Scheme: Travelling fellowships

Overview: Fellowships enable British citizens to travel overseas in order to bring back knowledge and best practice for the benefit of others in their UK professions and communities. Applications are invited in the following categories:

•the arts and older people;

•early years prevention and intervention;

•environment and sustainable living;

•prison and penal reform;

•young people 18-25;

•crafts and makers;

•designers;

•education;

•medicine, health and patient care;

•science, technology and innovation;

•open category.

Applicants must be British citizens.

Grants usually support a stay of between four and eight weeks and cover return and internal travel, daily living costs and insurance.

Deadlines: 23 September 2014 –this call is made once a year.

Further Information: http://www.wcmt.org.uk/applications/apply-online-for-a-2015-winston-churchill-fellowship.html

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International Exchange with China

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This fund is for scientists who want to stimulate new collaborations with leading scientists in China through either a one-off visit or bilateral travel. Similar schemes are also available for Taiwan and Ireland.

Funding Body: Royal Society

Scheme: International Exchanges Scheme- China cost-share programme

Overview: This stimulates new collaborations within the natural sciences between scientists in the UK and China.

The UK applicant must apply to the Royal Society and the Chinese applicant must apply to NSFC. Both applicants must have completed a PhD or have extensive experience at an equivalent level. They must hold a permanent or fixed term contract in an eligible organisation in their respective countries. The participation of junior scientists is encouraged.

Budget: The Royal Society provides up to £12,000 for the UK team’s airfare to China and the Chinese team’s subsistence whilst in the UK. Up to £2,000 of this amount may be spent on research expenses and consumables. An additional £12,000 equivalent is available from NSFC to the Chinese team’s airfare to the UK and the UK team’s subsistence whilst in China.

Deadlines: 21 October 2014 (this call repeats annually)

Further Information: https://royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/international-exchanges/

 

Royal Society priorities include

  • Promoting science and its benefits
  • Recognising excellence in science
  • Supporting outstanding science
  • Providing scientific advice for policy
  • Fostering international and global cooperation
  • Education and public engagement

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NESTA: Bright Ideas Research Fund

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The Bright Ideas Research Fund from NESTA is looking for interesting research projects and policy proposals in fields that relate to innovation but where they do not have big programmes already in place.

Funding Body: NESTA

Scheme: Bright Ideas Research Fund

Overview: They are looking to fund good new ideas relating to innovation and innovation policy. This could include the development of a new idea about how innovation happens, a pamphlet making an interesting and compelling argument relating to innovation, an examination of a new innovation or technology, or a worked-up, evidenced proposal for a policy related to innovation.

Projects can involve primary research, novel argumentation, or the development of a new idea, or ideally more than one of these things. They should be carefully and rigorously carried out, and should stand up to scrutiny. The end product should be written in an accessible style, suitable for a non-specialist reader.

Their website has an extensive list of fields which they are particularly interested in, so we would recommend taking a look at this.

Budget: They will fund up to £10,000.

Deadlines: This call is an ongoing fund. They review applications on a regular basis. The next review date is 6 June followed by 24 October.

Further Information: http://www.nesta.org.uk/funding/bright-ideas-research-fund-open-call?utm_source=Nesta+Weekly+Newsletter&utm_campaign=7d5bea2b1f-5_14_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d17364114d-7d5bea2b1f-180786294

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Factsheet on Knowledge Alliances fund under Erasmus+

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The European Commission are encouraging Higher Education institutions to work in partnership with businesses on innovative projects that address teaching and learning. The projects are expected to generate long term partnerships which develop entrepreneurship.

The funding is called Knowledge Alliances and is part of the Erasmus+ scheme. Although the deadline for 2014 has recently closed, it takes time to develop a strong consortium and project idea. The External Projects Team is encouraging staff to get thinking on project ideas for 2015. To help have we have created a factsheet giving an overview of the fund.

It is expected that the 2015 deadlines will be in March/April, with calls coming out around November 2014.

Download Knowledge Alliance factsheet here

The External Projects Team can help you to find project partners and can help develop project ideas. Anyone who is interested should contact the team on exteranlprojects@staffs.ac.uk

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Benefits of getting involved with a Marie Curie Exchange

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A report funded by the European Commission highlights the impact Marie Currie Fellowships have on researchers long-term careers. The findings were that completing a Marie Curie Fellowship has a definite beneficial impact on a researchers career prospects. The report compared the career paths of Marie Curie Fellows funded under FP4, FP5, and FP6 to a control group.

The Marie Curie fellows reported that the fellowship contributed significantly to other career drivers such as access to high quality research, facility and labs, enlarging professional networks and improving interdisciplinary skills.

It was found that the Marie Curie Fellowships could improve immediate employability slightly better than other types of fellowships.

The study also showed that all other factors considered, the Marie Curie Fellows publications were more often cited that the control groups and were more frequently published in influential scientific journals.

Marie Curie Fellowships are available under the Horizon 2020. There is a call currently open with a deadline date of 11 September. It is open to all research areas, even though they say scientific researchers in the guidance notes. Fellows can be based in a European country or be seconded to a country outside of Europe for 12 months. For more information see http://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/research/2014/03/18/marie-sklodowska-curie-actions-msca-individual-fellowships-call/

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View Marie Curie report summary here: http://ec.europa.eu/research/fp7/pdf/mca/marie_curie_researchers_and_their_long-term_career_development_-_executive_summary_en.pdf#view=fit&pagemode=none

Travel funding for ethics in biomedical work

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This fund from the Wellcome Trust covers travel funding for people looking at the social or ethical aspects of biomedical research.

Funding Body: Wellcome Trust

Scheme: Small Grants

Overview: This scheme is for small-scale research projects, scoping exercises or meetings whose subject matter falls within the remit of the Society and Ethics programme.

This programme supports research that explores the social and/or ethical aspects of biomedical research and health, with the ultimate aim of achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health.

Key strands:
(1) consider social, economic and cultural factors that influence health, biomedical or health research, the development and implementation of healthcare practices, and health interventions
(2) inform answers to questions about resolving ethical dilemmas arising from biomedical or health research, the development and implementation of healthcare practices, and health interventions.

Research trips under this scheme may be to consult libraries or archives.

This scheme can also provide institutions with financial support for conferences (or a session within a conference), symposia, seminar series etc.

Budget: The normal maximum that can be applied for is £5000.

Awards provide a contribution towards expenses normally incurred in travelling to consult libraries or archives, such as transport, accommodation, subsistence and photocopying costs. They may include the costs of overseas visits.

Support does not include university fees or the applicant’s costs in attending a conference.

Costs for conferences and meetings may include the travel and accommodation of keynote speakers, catering, conference pack publication and any reasonably justified associated expenses.

Deadlines: Open call –applications may be submitted at anytime

Further Information: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Society-and-ethics/funding-schemes/Small-grants/index.htm

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Opportunity for scientists to meet Indian partners

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This fund is for British and Indian scientists to have meetings in either India or the UK. The scheme covers all areas of the life and physical sciences, including engineering, but excluding clinical medicine.

Funding Body: Royal Society

Scheme: India-UK scientific seminars

Overview: Funding enables groups of early to mid-career scientists from India and the UK to organise scientific seminars in order to promote collaboration and knowledge transfer. The meetings may address any area of the life and physical sciences, although applications focusing on the following priority areas are particularly encouraged:

•sustainable cities and urbanisation;

•public health and well being;

•water, food and energy nexus.

The meetings must take place in either India or the UK and serve up to 20 attendees, five from the visiting country and up to 15 from the host country. All attendees must have a PhD or equivalent research experience. UK attendees must hold a permanent or fixed term contract at an eligible organisation, excluding industrial, private and commercial organisations, university spinout companies, governmental bodies and research institutes and research councils. Indian attendees should be scientists or faculty members working in regular capacity in universities, deemed universities or academic institutes recognised by the University Grants Commission, or in national research and development laboratories or institutes. Applications should be submitted by the UK scientists.

Budget: Between 12 and 20 awards, worth up to £12,000 each, will be granted to support meetings of up to three days’ duration between October 2014 and March 2015. Awards will cover international airfares for up to five scientists, local travel costs, accommodation for up to four nights and organisational support.

The grant does not cover bench fees, conference fees, departmental costs.

Deadlines: 10 June 2014

Further Information: https://royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/india-uk-seminars/

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European Health Programme

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The European Commission has approved funding for a new programme for health. This programme could be of interest to researchers in the University involved in health based research. The objectives of this fund are to:

  • strengthen action to promote health and prevent diseases;
  • be better prepared to protect citizens against health emergencies and to coordinate action at European level to address them;
  • increase the up-take of innovation in health; and
  • improve people’s access to medical expertise and information for specific conditions; and improve healthcare quality and patient safety.

It is expected that the first calls for proposals will come out by early May 2014. It is expected that they will launch an annual call for proposals.

The funders will cover between 60-80% of project costs, so projects will require a degree of match funding.

Universities are eligible to apply. The fund will include action grants that contribute to the cost of joint transnational projects; and plus tenders for public procurement contracts.

More details on this programme can be found here http://ec.europa.eu/health/programme/policy/2014-2020/state_of_play_en.htm

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Info Day: http://ec.europa.eu/health/programme/events/info_day_2014_en.htm

Cultural Heritage and European Identities

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The European Commission has officially launched the Horizon 2020 Reflexive Societies call for 2015.

The calls include projects that will look at Cultural Heritage and European Identities.

They are looking for projects that will show how digital cultural resources can promote creativity and generate innovation in research, lead to richer interpretations of the past, bring new perspectives to questions of identity and culture, and generate societal and economic benefits.

Projects should enable new models to be developed of Europe’s cultural and intellectual history and to bring cultural content to new audiences in novel ways.

The deadline is 21 April 2015.

Projects will need to work with a consortium of European Partners. Groups who are successful in this call will start developing their consortium now.

The commission is looking to award funds of €2-4 million for projects.

Further Information: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/topics/2104-reflective-6-2015.html

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Introduction to Erasmus+

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Erasmus+ is the new EU Programme for education, training, youth and sport. Staffordshire University are running an Erasmus+ workshop on Wednesday 9 April 9:30-12:30. The new programme presents an excellent source of funding to develop a variety of projects in partnership with organisations across Europe. The workshop will be an opportunity to gain a better understanding of what activities can be carried out so we can ensure the Universities capitalises on this new resource.

 

Erasmus+ Started on 1 January 2014 and will run till 2020. The programme supports activities in education, training, youth and sport across all sectors of lifelong learning including Higher Education, Further Education, adult education, schools and youth activities.

 

The deadlines for the 2014 calls are coming up in the next few weeks. This workshop is timed to get people thinking ahead to the 2015 calls.

 

The workshop will be in the LT114/116, Ashley Building, Stoke. Members of staff from all faculties are encouraged to attend. To book a place please email exteranlfundingofficer@staffs.ac.uk

Below is an overview of the agenda:

 9-00-9-30 Coffee /Networking

9-30  Abdel-Hamid Soliman, Erasmus Mundus – case study

10-00  Deb Graddon,  Introduction and overview

10-30 Deb Gradden, Erasmus Mundus 201402020, Key Action 1

11-00 Q&A

11-15  Margaret Bennett and Jose Beech, Key Actions 2 & 3

12-00 Q&A

12-15 Close

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