Category Archives: Sciences

Diet and Health Research Industry Club (DRINC)

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The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, together with the Medical Research Council, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council, invites applications for its diet and health research industry club. The DRINC scheme supports UK universities and research institutes with innovative basic research that addresses the theme of improving the understanding of the relationship between diet and health. Proposals should seek to relate improved understanding to the challenges facing the food and drink industry and address one of the following research challenges:

  • understanding the relationship between food processing and nutrition
  • designing foods to maintain and improve health
  • understanding food choice and eating behaviour to improve health through diet

Principal applicants must be resident in the UK and hold an academic staff appointment, at the lecturer level or equivalent, at a higher education institution or research council institute. Research teams must include expertise for designing and running clinical trials. Collaborative applications bringing together groups with relevant expertise or experience to move research closer to application are encouraged.

A budget of approximately £3 million will support a portfolio of projects at 80 per cent full economic cost. Projects are typically three to four years in duration, but projects up to five years will be considered.

Outline application deadline: 9 July 2014, 4pm

A workshop for the call will be held on 3 June 2014 in London and will be an opportunity for applicants to:

  • understand the DRINC research challenges and assessment process
  • meet other potential applicants and form new collaborations
  • discuss proposals with representatives from the DRINC steering group, the Club’s company members and the Research Councils

For further information go to: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/business/collaborative-research/industry-clubs/drinc/apply.aspx

NIHR – Health services and delivery research programme – researcher-led workstream

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The National Institute for Health Research invites proposals for the researcher-led workstream of its health services and delivery research programme. This workstream focuses on research into the quality, appropriateness, effectiveness, equity and patient experience of health services. Research should lead to improvements in health services that will be of greatest benefit to the NHS and to patients. This workstream has a continued interest in applications for research in areas highlighted as a priority in previous NIHR themed calls. Applicants may submit either a standard outline proposal or an evidence synthesis full proposal.

Large scale studies of national importance are particularly encouraged in this call, including primary research projects that:

•address an issue of major strategic importance to the NHS, with the cost in line with the significance of the problem to be investigated;

•are likely to lead to changes in practice that will have a significant impact on a large number of patients across the UK;

•aim to fill a clear evidence gap, and are likely to generate new knowledge of direct relevance to the NHS;

•have the potential for findings to be applied to other conditions or situations outside the immediate area of research;

•bring together a team with strong expertise and track record across the full range of relevant disciplines;

•will be carried out across more than one research site.

NHS organisations, universities and other organisations in England, Scotland and Wales are eligible to apply. NIHR will fund HEIs at a maximum of 80 per cent of full economic cost, and non-HEIs at 100 per cent of full economic cost.

For more information Click HERE

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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EPSRC Energy Programme

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EPSRC, as part of its contribution to the RCUK Energy Programme, invites proposals for collaborative research projects to undertake fundamental research to tackle challenges in Conventional Power Generation. An indicative budget of up to £3M is available from EPSRC for this call. Cross-institutional bids are welcome, but there must be a single submission for each application, led by a single principal investigator, with only one proposal form.

The remit of this call is derived from the outputs of a scoping workshop which was held on 15 April 2014. We invite proposals in the areas of:

  • Step change technologies and materials for future plant design
  • Integration of conventional plants with future technologies

Anyone intending to submit a proposal to this call must register their interest by email to Laura Sewell by 16 June 2014.

 

 

 

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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Industry Fellowship

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This scheme is 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.

It aims to enhance knowledge transfer in science and technology between those in industry and those in academia in the UK.

The scheme provides a basic salary for the researcher and a contribution towards research costs.

The scheme is funded by the Royal Society, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Natural Environment Research Council, Rolls-Royce plc and BP plc.

The scheme covers all areas of the life and physical sciences, including engineering but excluding clinical medicine.

The applicant must:

  • have a PhD or be of equivalent standing in their profession
  • hold a permanent post in a university, not-for-profit research organisation or industry in the UK
  • be at a stage in their career when they would particularly benefit from establishing or strengthening personal or corporate links between academia and industry as a foundation for long-term collaboration and development

Applications involving spin-offs or small companies are encouraged. Applicants should clearly state how the fellowship will benefit the not-for-profit research organisation, especially in cases where the applicant has financial involvement within the company. Applicants should also state which complementary skills the employees at the company can offer.

Applicants should ensure that they meet all the eligibility requirements, which can be viewed in scheme notes (PDF).

The applicant’s basic salary is provided while on secondment but the employing organisation continues to pay national insurance and pension contributions.

Research expenses may be claimed up to the value of £2,000 per year. Awards can be for any period up to two years full-time or a maximum of four years pro rata. (i.e. an award could be held at 50% part-time for four years enabling fellows to maintain links with their employing institution more easily).

For further information go to https://royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/industry-fellowship/

Erasmus + Event

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The External Projects Team led a workshop this week in the Ashley Centre, over 25 staff from across the institution attended to hear about the new EU funding programme for education and youth, ERASMUS+. This new programme replaces the old Life Long Learning Programme as well as Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Asia Link, Youth in Action and Edulink. The team were joined by our Erasmus Co-ordinator Deb Graddon who shared the latest news on our Key Action 1 bid (mobility of staff and student from SU) and Abdel Hamid Soliman who gave a great overview of a current Erasmus Mundus project PEACE.

If you are interested in this programme, there are a number of ways to find out more, you can access all of the current calls for proposals in the Programme Guide or if you would like access to the slides from the day, please email us at externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

 

 

 

 

Marie Sklodowska-Curie COFUND Seminar

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In its capacity as UK National Contact Point for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, UKRO is pleased to announce a seminar on the Horizon 2020 COFUND scheme. COFUND offers co-funding for new or existing regional, national and international programmes to open up to:

  • International, intersectoral and interdisciplinary research training; and
  • Transnational and cross-sectoral mobility of researchers at all stages of their career.

COFUND in Horizon 2020 has a new element to it, as there are now two funding streams: one supporting experienced researchers through a ‘Fellowship programme’ and the second supporting early stage researchers through a ‘Doctoral programme’.
The first COFUND call under Horizon 2020 is due to open on 10 April 2014, with a deadline for proposals on 2 October 2014.

Date and venue

Wednesday, 30 April Queen Mary University of London Mile End Road London, E1 4NS

Seminar format

This seminar aims to provide participants with a better understanding of the COFUND scheme and its requirements, including the new doctoral training option. The seminar will combine discussion on the objectives of COFUND and its fit within the wider postgaduate researcher training landscape in the UK, along with practical information on proposal preparation, submission and finances. The seminar will also feature a case study from previous successful COFUND applicants.
The event will run from 10.30 to 16.00, with a lunch break. Please note that lunch will not be provided.

Registration

Attendance is free of charge but capacity at the venue is limited and places will therefore be allocated on a first come first served basis. Contact the external projects team at externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk if you are interested in attending.

 

NIHR Funding Event

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The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funding workshop took place this week in the Ashley Building (see speakers in the picture above). Hosted by the External Projects Team and the Faculty of Health Sciences, this workshop was opened by Prof Tony Stewart, who set the scene and chaired the day.

Over 35 people attended to listen to experts from the NIHR present funding information on a range of health related topics, this was a helpful session, aimed at encouraging colleagues and partners to think about cross collaboration with the NHS and stimultating and reinforcing which streams of NIHR can be accessed.

There was also a useful presentation from the Research Design Service (RDS) for our area, which is based at Keele University. This is led by Roger Beech, the service now supports all applications to the NIHR scheme rather than just the Research for Patient Benefit programme (RFPB). There is also a small bursary avaliable from the RDS service up to a max of £500 to facilitate patient and public involvement (PPI) to enable applicants to put the patient views at the centre, from the pre application planning stage through to application and project implementation.

To access the RDS please email rds@cphc.keele.ac.uk

if you are interested in this stream of funding, you can access an overview of NIHR by clicking HERE

The external projects team has all the slides, so please let us know if you would like a copy by emailing externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

 

ESRC Festival of Science

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About the ESRC Festival of Social Science

The Festival of Social Science offers an opportunity for researchers to hold events aimed at non-academic audiences. Events which are aimed primarily at academic audiences are not eligible to be part of the Festival or to receive sponsorship.

The Festival of Social Science 2014 will take place from 1-8 November, and applications for sponsorship of up to £2,000 can be made to assist with events.

Social science research makes a difference. Discover how it shapes public policy and contributes to making the economy more competitive, as well as giving people a better understanding of 21st century society. From big ideas to the most detailed observations, social science affects us all everyday – at work, in school, when raising children, within our communities, and even at the national level.

This celebration of the social sciences takes place across the UK – via public debates, conferences, workshops, interactive seminars, film screenings, virtual exhibitions and much more. This is the eleventh year that ESRC has held the Festival of Social Science and each year the Festival grows from strength to strength.

We are pleased to confirm that the 2014 ESRC Festival of Social Science will be taking place across the UK from 1-8 November.

The call for applications is now open. The closing dates for:

  • Sponsored applications is 16.00 on 9 May
  • Non-sponsored applications is 16.00 on 16 May

Events must:

  • be held during the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2014 (1-8 November)
  • fit with the aims and objectives of the Festival
  • feature social science (ideally with a social scientist involved in the event)
  • be free to attend
  • not be aimed primarily at academic audiences

Please get in touch with the team if you are interested and click here for further information ESRC Festival of Science