Tag Archives: ESRC

Research Seminars Competition 2013-2014

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ESRC

The ESRC is making funding available for UK research organisations to hold Research Seminars for groups of academic researchers, postgraduate students and non-academic users from different organisations including the public sector, commercial private sector and civil society sector. Seminar groups designed to bring together leading international researchers and stakeholders from across disciplines to identify new research agendas or capacity-building priorities are particularly encouraged. 

Seminar groups meet regularly to exchange information and ideas with the aim of advancing research within their fields. 

These grants are non-fEC and are limited to £30,000. This covers:

  • justified travel and expenses for speakers and participants
  • justified secretarial costs
  • justified project specific stationery, postage, copying and telephone costs
  • justified hire of rooms and facilities (when the host institution or other collaborating organisation cannot provide these facilities).

Closing date for applications is 16.00 on 28 January 2014

Further information including details of previously awarded Research Seminar grants is available at:

http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/funding-opportunities/3677/research-seminars-competition.aspx

DFID-ESRC China and Africa research programme

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The Department for International Development (DFID) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) have announced a dedicated programme of research to investigate in comparative perspective the economic development impact of China’s engagement in sub-Saharan Africa. The programme aims to critically evaluate what lessons China’s own economic development transformation can offer other developing countries – in particular in low-income Africa.

Research projects under this call are expected either to take a developmental challenge facing Africa and examine possible solutions linked to recent experience from China’s own economic development, or to build understanding of an aspect of China’s engagement with Africa relevant to the continent’s economic development.

The programme encourages academics from developing and developed countries to work together in any configuration of their choice and principal investigators can be from anywhere in the world.

Grants will be for a maximum of four years and with a full Economic Cost (fEC) value of between £200,000 and £2 million. It is expected that a mixed portfolio of small (in the region of £200,000 to £500,000) and larger (£500,000 and above) research projects will be funded under this call. UK-based researchers will be funded at 80 per cent fEC, whilst non-UK researchers will receive 100 per cent of the direct costs of the research, plus a variable overhead. The total budget for this call will be £4.5 million.

Deadline for applications: 16.00 UK time, 13 March 2014.

Call specification (PDF, 217Kb)

There will be a webinar on 11 December at 9.00 (UK time), to allow anyone interested in the call for proposals to ask specific questions about the application process. If you would like to take part in the webinar, please contact decarp@esrc.ac.uk at least 24 hours before the start. (If you are unable to join the meeting using your web browser, you will be able to join over the phone instead).

For further information go to: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/funding-opportunities/29138/dfid-esrc-china-and-africa-research-programme.aspx

 

Ethics and rights in a security context

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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

Binary Matrix Security

ESRC and ACCA sign a joint agreement

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ESRC     ACCA - The global body for professional accountants

A Memorandum of Concordat (MoC) has been signed by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).

The two organisations have worked in partnership over several years on a number of initiatives – such as diversity, pensions, social responsible investment and climate change and now the strategic agreement seals the relationship.

The concordat will be three years, from 1st of April 2013 to 31st of March 2016. To support the delivery of the Concordat, each organisation will make a sum of £50,000 available, annually. This will be used, by mutual agreement, to sponsor joint initiatives, provide research grant funding, and internship programmes, as well as other activities, under the terms and spirit of the Concordat.

For further information go to http://www.esrc.ac.uk/news-and-events/press-releases/26585/Economic_and_Social_Research_Council_and_ACCA_sign_joint_agreement.aspx?dm_i=XZA,1N3D8,9OEB28,5QF0B,1

ESRC: Pre-announcement of two pending calls for an Administrative Data Research Network (ADRN)

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Following the publication of the Administrative Data Taskforce report Improving Access for Research and Policy (PDF, 1.1Mb), the ESRC will be inviting proposals for a major investment in the new Administrative Data Research Network.

There will be two forthcoming calls:

  • for the Administrative Data Research Centres (ADRCs) in each of the four regions in the UK
  • and for the Information Gateway (IG) for ADRCs. Applications will be invited from research organisations eligible for Research Council Funding.

Applicants should be aware that the ESRC is currently in discussion with the statistical authorities in the UK to confirm their role in the new Network – with anticipation that they may become commissioning partners with the ESRC. Applicants should avoid approaching the statistical agencies about forming collaborations until full details of these calls are published.

Full details will become available 5 June 2013.

Potential applicants can register to attend a Bidders’ Information Event to be held in central London 13 June 2013. Those interested in attending should pre-register their details

Email: esrc@vistaevents.co.uk
Telephone: 020 8542 8223

Further information will be available on the ESRC website later in May

http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/funding-opportunities/26048/administrative-data-research-network.aspx

 

ESRC: Pre-announcement of a pending call for European-Chinese joint research projects

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Societal Challenges – Green Economy and Population Change

The research funding organisations of China (NSFC), France (ANR), Germany (DFG), The Netherlands (NWO) and the United Kingdom (ESRC) are delighted to launch a new multi-lateral collaboration consisting of a joint research programme on two basic societal challenges:

  • The challenges of the Green Economy
  • The challenges of Population Change

There will be a number of priority areas within these themes and researchers from these countries will be invited to submit proposals for joint projects in these areas. Researchers may have any disciplinary background within the social sciences and beyond, however, the proposal should be predominantly within the social sciences and applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria of their home funding agency. Projects will also need to involve a number of Chinese and European partners; full guidance will be announced in the call.

The call, its decision procedure and funding mechanisms will be based on the Open Research Area for Social Sciences (ORA), a process established on international standards. Funding will be distributed among the partners according to the place of work of the researchers, and according to the funding rules of each individual agency.

Further information about the priority areas will be made available by the end of June 2013 with the full call launched in September. The closing date of the call will be in early December 2013.

http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/funding-opportunities/26041/societal-challenges.aspx

Supporting Innovation in the UK Retail Sector – full briefing released

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The ESRC and TSB have now released a full briefing document for ‘Supporting Innovation in the UK Retail Sector’, the new targeted call for KTP proposals aiming to “help retail managers address the major economic, social and environmental challenges that they face, leading to new opportunities and tangible outcomes for business”. The document can be downloaded at: http://www.innovateuk.org/content/competition/ktp/supporting-innovation-in-the-uk-retail-sector.ashx

 The specific aims of this call are to:

o             increase knowledge exchange between retailers and economic / social scientists*

o             develop a greater understanding of the changing nature of the UK High Street and retail spaces to drive growth, innovation and efficiency within the sector

o             stimulate and support innovations in e-commerce, m-commerce and omni-commerce, to maintain and strengthen the UK’s position as a global leader in internet retailing

o             promote and enable innovations in the use of ‘big data,’ providing insights into consumer behaviour, increasing efficiency and growth within the retail sector

o             support other innovative projects, addressing one or more sectoral challenges

 *It’s well worth academics working outside of these disciplines submitting expressions of interest, though. As the briefing makes clear (p.4)  – if the ESRC doesn’t fund them, another KTP funder might (and see also the last of the five aims, above – “other innovative projects” will be funded). Interdisciplinary and cross-faculty approaches can also be considered.

 Partners should be businesses in the retail sector that:

  • need further support to understand and respond to the challenges facing the sector;
  • are looking to access social and economic science skills and knowledge (see above) to help them innovate in dealing with these challenges; 
  • want to build and improve their capability in innovation.

 The application process is essentially the same as that for a ‘normal’ KTP and the deadline for submission is 21st August, 2013. Please contact Dominic Collins (01785 353404 / d.collins@staffs.ac.uk )if you’re interested.

ESRC – KTP’s

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On 25 February the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) will launch a call for retail-themed KTPs as part of its £2.5 million Retail Sector Initiative, funding collaborative research and knowledge exchange activities in the sector.  Their recent announcement states that—”Understanding the behaviours of individual people, communities and organisations is key to understanding the challenges now facing the retail sector”. They particularly welcome, therefore, proposals in the following areas:

1) the changing nature of the UK high street and changing retail spaces

2) e-commerce, m-commerce and omni-channel retailing

3) consumer (including ‘big’) data

 For more information please see the following link to the pre-call announcement on the ESRC website:

http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/funding-opportunities/16967/esrc-retail-sector-initiative-2013.aspx

 The ESRC are holding  a launch event for the Retail Sector Initiative on 28 February 2013, further information about this event is available at the following link:

http://www.esrc.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/24936/launch-workshop-for-the-esrc-retail-sector-initiative-2013.aspx

 A full briefing document will be available next week.

 Contact Dominic Collins: d.collins@staffs.ac.uk , ext. 3404,  for further information.

ESRC Future of the UK and Scotland Project

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Advance notice is given that the ESRC expects to publish, on 15 January 2013, a call for proposals for an investment in research on the impacts of both the process and outcomes of the Scottish independence referendum.

Research topics will be wide-ranging and are likely to include the wider implications of independence and/or continuing devolution of powers for the rest of UK, Scotland’s finances, continuing constitutional and legislative change, and the future shape of Scottish society (including demographic issues).

It is therefore expected that the call will be for a ‘Hub and Spoke’ Centre or Research Network (although innovative alternative arrangements will be considered), with a two year programme of work, costed at up to £2 million (at 80 per cent FEC).

Please note: applications will be acceptable from any Research Organisation eligible to hold ESRC funds, across the UK.

http://www.esrc.ac.uk/funding-and-guidance/funding-opportunities/24499/latest-opportunity-11.aspx