Category Archives: Funding

Innovative Manufacturing in through-life Engineering Services feasability study proposals

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The EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Through-life Engineering Services is offering funding for feasibility studies in the field of through-life engineering services. Through-life Engineering Services are technical services that are necessary to guarantee required and predictable performance of a complex engineering system throughout its expected operational life with the optimum whole life cost. The feasibility studies should examine a subject area in the field, review activity in it, identify key challenges and research questions not currently being addressed and develop full proposals for funding by established routes. Awardees are expected to attract significant new industrial support and the subsequent major award will form a strategic part of the Centre activities. Awards are limited to £20,000 at 80 per cent FEC and to a maximum duration of six months.

Closing date: 12:00 on 30 March 2013
Issue Date: 04 Feb 2013
 
For details on this call click on link:TESFeasibilityStudyCall2013
 
Contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk for further information
 

Technology inspired innovation

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The Technology Strategy Board is to invest up to £2m in technical feasibility studies to stimulate innovation across four enabling technology areas. This will help to ensure that small and micro businesses in the UK are well equipped to respond to market opportunities across a range of economic sectors.

TSB are seeking projects in the following fields: advanced materials; biosciences; electronics, sensors and photonics; and information and communications technology.

The competition is open to small and micro companies only, working either singly or in collaboration with one partner. Projects can last up to four months and total project costs must not exceed £33,000.

This is a single-stage competition. It opens on 18 February 2013 and applicants need to register before noon on 27 March 2013.The deadline for applications is at noon on 3 April 2013. Successful projects must be completed by 30 November 2013.

A briefing event for potential applicants will be held in London on 21 February 2013.

 

Update on Horizon 2020

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Horizon 2020 is the successor research and innovation funding programme to Framework Programme 7.  Horizon 2020 will operate from 2014-2020 with a proposed overall budget of €80 billion. This programme will support three pillars of activity – Excellent Science, Industrial Leadership and Societal Challenges. 

Each legislative part of Horizon 2020 implementation must be approved by the European Parliament, Council and Commission.  These discussions are scheduled  to be completed by summer 2013, before the end of the Irish presidency.  Current issues to be resolved include the rules and rates for cost reimbursement, the detailed structured for the societal challenges pillar and widening the participation potential across all member states.  Once these issues have been resolved the first calls are expected in early 2014.

This all depends on the budget negotiations, which are part of the overall EU budget for 2014-2020 (the Multi-Annual Financial Framework), subject for the summit meetings this week.  Our UKRO annual visit on 13th February will provide more detailed information following on from these budget discussions. To register for this event contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk.

eFuturesXD awards

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eFutures is an EPSRC funded network which aims to consolidate the academic community engaged in all aspects of electronics research in a bid to address the major challenges of the future.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s eFuturesXD programme invites applications for its Staff Awards, Travel Awards, Facilities Awards, Meeting Awards.

Staff Awards

Staff awards are primarily aimed at small teams of researchers from two or more disciplines who wish to carry out key experiments or measurements to confirm an initial hypothesis. This is for carrying out larger scoping or proof-of-concept studies that require dedicated staff to carry out specific experiments or an extended visit to a laboratory in order to be immersed in another discipline. No funding will be available for academic staff time or other directly allocated costs.

Applicants must be academic employees, at lecturer level or equivalent, of an eligible organisation and must be resident in the UK. EPSRC fellows, except postdoctoral fellows and Royal Society fellows are also eligible to apply. Awards are not available to industry or international collaborators. Applications must consist of at least two partners from UK universities and be cross-disciplinary within ICT. It is anticipated that inter-university applications will form the majority, but applications where partners are from the same institution are also welcome.

Maximum award (100% FEC): £60,000

Travel Awards

The aim of this award is to allow researchers from one ICT discipline a chance to spend a short time in a different institute or for two researchers to spend time in each other’s institutions. Visits are expected to be no longer than a month and exchanges no more than two weeks per visit (1 month in total).Visits or exchanges should have a clear purpose and should include promotion of the visit(s) (and the eFuturesXD scheme) where possible (e.g. departmental seminars, report of visit published in departmental newsletter).

Travel outside the UK is not permitted.

Maximum award (100% FEC): £5,000

Facility Awards

This is for the use of expensive characterisation facilities such as microscopy, fabrication of novel structures using clean rooms or the manufacture of test chips using Europractice. Facilities can be outside the UK if appropriate. The award is intended for researchers who have a current or recent cross-disciplinary project and require additional resources to take their idea towards commercialisation or require further investment to bridge the gap with follow-on funding. Applications from early-stage work are also permitted but evidence of success factors should be included in the application. Applicants must be academic employees, at lecturer level or equivalent, of an eligible organisation and must be resident in the UK. EPSRC fellows, except postdoctoral fellows, and Royal Society fellows are also eligible to apply. Awards are not available to industry or international collaborators. Applications must consist of at least two partners from UK universities and be cross-disciplinary within ICT. It is anticipated that inter-university applications will form the majority, but applications where partners are from the same institution are also welcome.

Applications for buying new equipment or refurbishing current equipment will not be permitted.

(A list of EPSRC supported facilities can be found here: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/facilities/epsrc/Pages/default.aspx but this is not definitive).

Awards of more than £15k will require recipients to give two presentations at community events, one soon after the award and one at the end of the award. The final profile payment will be withheld if this is not adhered to.

Maximum award (100% FEC): £20,000

Meeting Awards

This supports events specifically aimed at building a research consortium (including sandpits, speed dating etc.) comprising researchers from a number of departments and institutions across the information and communication technology portfolio. There is no upper limit on the number of people who can be involved in events funded by the award. Resources can be requested to allow non-UK researchers to attend and give talks.

Applicants must be academic employees, at lecturer level or equivalent, of an eligible organisation and must be resident in the UK. EPSRC fellows, except postdoctoral fellows, and Royal Society fellows are also eligible to apply. Awards are not available to industry or international collaborators. Applications must consist of at least two partners from UK universities and be cross-disciplinary within ICT. It is anticipated that inter-university applications will form the majority, but applications where partners are from the same institution are also welcome.

Maximum award (100% FEC): £10,000

View website for details: http://efutures.ac.uk/

For further information contact: externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

BBSRC invests £35m in industrial biotech

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£35M to support research for vital industrial sector

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council says it will invest £35 million in industrial biotechnology and bioenergy research.

The announcement was made by science minister David Willetts on 23 January at an industrial biotechnology event in London.

The funding will create two new schemes to develop the UK’s industrial biotechnology and bioenergy research community (including biopharmaceuticals and biorenewables) and to support the translation of new ideas into commercial applications. The new schemes form the central part of BBSRC’s strategy to support the development of industrial biotechnology and bioenergy (IBBE) as a key component of the UK bioeconomy.

Minister for Universities and Science David Willetts said: “Industrial biotechnology is a very promising area of science that could provide greener solutions for many important sectors, like manufacturing and life sciences. Through investing in research and working with industry we can harness the UK’s expertise in this area to drive growth and create jobs.”

Industrial biotechnology is the harnessing of bio-based inputs for the production of industrially useful products on a large scale. It offers novel solutions through the use of plants, bacteria, algae and fungi as non-fossil sources that will benefit many UK industry sectors including chemicals, renewable energy, materials, and health.

BBSRC’s new strategy in IBBE will support both networking activities and investment in major application-focused integrated research projects.

The first phase is a competition for Networks, aimed at both emerging and established areas of importance to IBBE. BBSRC has committed up to £15M to foster collaboration between academic researchers and business at all levels, in order to find new approaches to tackle research challenges. The Networks will work across the boundaries of biology, chemistry and engineering. They also encourage the participation of other disciplines including mathematics, computational modelling, environmental science, economics and social science.

The second phase of the strategy will be launched in 2014 with £20M to support major integrated research projects in IBBE derived from the networking activities and involving the academic and business communities.

Dr Celia Caulcott, BBSRC Director, Innovation and Skills, said: “Investing in industrial biotechnology and bioenergy research has the potential to generate significant returns. World-class research exists within the UK and these schemes will do more to achieve its full potential for industry, economic growth and society as a whole. The bioeconomy is worth trillions globally and could bring major benefits to the UK and create thousands of jobs in the coming years. These benefits offer a sustainable and ‘green’ future with more efficient manufacturing, of biopharmaceuticals for example, and a shift away from fossil fuels towards renewable foundations.’

“Through these schemes we are seeking to energise the UK industrial biotechnology and bioenergy community and to support the building of strong research networks, industry-academic collaborations and new ideas that can be funded through to the brink of commercial application. This will ensure that emerging areas of bioscience are fully integrated into the industrial biotechnology arena.”

The schemes will be live from 24 January 2013 at: www.bbsrc.ac.uk/IBnetworks

 

Funding for university cooperation and mobility

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The European Commission have launched their latest round of funding to support the cooperation of higher education institutions across Europe.  Erasmus Mundus is a cooperation and mobility programme that aims to enhance the quality of European higher education and to promote dialogue and understanding between people and cultures through cooperation with third countries. In addition, it contributes to the development of human resources and the international cooperation capacity of higher education institutions in third countries by increasing mobility between the European Union and these countries. Priorities for this call are for the development of Erasmus Mundus partnerships for curriculum based exchanges of staff and students and the promotion of European Higher Education.

 

The call deadline is 15th April 2013.  Further information can be found here http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus_mundus/funding/2013/call_eacea_38_12_en.php.  Please contact the External Projects Team if you are interested (externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk).  Staffordshire University has prior experience of success in this funding stream and we are keen to support new applications.

 

Funding for Arts and Digital Technology

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The Digital R&D fund for the Arts is a three way partnership between Arts Council England, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Nesta, running for three years from 2012-2015.  This scheme is funding projects up to £125,000.  It is a £7 million fund to support collaboration between organisations with arts projects, technology providers, and researchers to enhance audience reach and/or develop new business models for the arts sector. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, until 30th December 2013. Briefing sessions and collaborative workshops are provided for people looking to develop projects.
Further information can be found at http://www.artsdigitalrnd.org.uk/.  Please contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk if you are interested.

Health Programme: 2013 Annual Workplan

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Health Programme: 2013 Annual Work Plan Published 

The Annual Work Plan for 2013 for the Health Programme has been adopted.

The Work Plan lists the main priorities for 2013 and details which call will be published under the Health Programme. The Health Programme in the remit of the Directorate General for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO) and calls are managed by the Executive Agency for Health and Consumers (EAHC).

The main priorities for 2013 will be:

  • active and healthy ageing – focus on chronic diseases;
  • effective ways to invest in health – also health workforce;
  • patients’ rights and safety; and
  • advice and data, particularly on sustainable health systems.

The Work Plan will also support the implementation of legislation in the following areas:

  • safety and quality of tissues, cells and blood;
  • cross-border healthcare; and
  • pharmaceuticals and medical devices.

Calls for proposals for projects, conferences and operating grants are due to be published by mid-December.

This is the last Work Plan under the current Health Programme, which is due to end in 2013. A new programme called “Health for Growth” is currently being developed and is due to run from 2014-2020.

 

If you are interested in this call please get in touch with the team at externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

 

Government invests £120 million to boost health research

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January 9, 2013

Health Secretary invites researchers to help tackle the country’s biggest health challenges

Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, announced today that £120 million will be invested in health research to benefit millions of patients and tackle some of the country’s biggest health problems over the next five years.

The £120 million National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) scheme is part of the Government’s commitment to put the UK at the forefront of health research. Jeremy Hunt is calling for researchers to make a real impact on patients’ lives, whether this is through revolutionary new treatments to tackle the biggest killer diseases or better joined up care for patients with long-term conditions to make their lives easier.

The new funding builds on previous successful NIHR health research that has led to improvements in treatments for patients and now widely used in the NHS. This includes a new blood clotting drug that reduces the risk of death in patients by 30 per cent. In another example, research is leading to better follow up care for stroke survivors through a simple questionnaire to make sure their needs are being met and that support is available in the community. This new system is now being provided across 15 services across England, covering 1000 patients. 

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: 

“Britain is one of the best research centres in the world and it is important that we harness the skills and creativity in this sector to really improve the lives of those who use the NHS.

“If we can have better tests, better technology and make better use of the skills of NHS staff, we will be in a better position to tackle the changing needs of our population and ensure patients get the care they deserve.”

Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Advisor at the Department of Health, said:

“This National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) supports world-class research in the NHS, and ensures patients benefit from the latest advances in healthcare treatments.

“This new funding will support the best health researchers around the country. The collaborations will conduct the very highest quality research across universities, the NHS and in other relevant organisations. They are therefore ideally placed to play a key role in ensuring that advances in treatments for a wide variety of diseases reach our patients, so that thousands of people will benefit right across the country.” 

The new £120m investment will support up to 12 National Institute for Health Research Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (NIHR CLAHRCs) around the country, tasked with ensuring the best evidence gained from research is applied directly to the NHS to make the lives of millions of patients better.

The investment, part of the Government’s plans to secure the NHS as a world leader in health research, as well as helping to ensure patients get the best treatment possible.

For more information go to: http://www.nihr.ac.uk/infrastructure/Pages/CLAHRCs.aspx

Contact externalprojects@staffs.ac.uk

 

Scottish Government tender: Evaluation of Community Payback Orders

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http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Research/new-research-projects/social-research

 The Scottish Government Social Research’s Justice Analytical Services seeks to commission a process and early-outcome evaluation of community payback orders, criminal justice social work reports and the presumption against short prison sentences.

 This evaluation will specifically focus on the quality and consistency of Criminal Justice Social Work Reports, the use of the range of Community Payback Orders requirements and legislative powers, the extent to which Community Payback Orders are tailored to address specific individual offender risks and needs, and the impact of all these on demonstrable outcomes.

 A budget of £95,000 exclusive of VAT is available.