Monthly Archives: November 2014

Thinking Imaginatively about Impact – Presentation

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Thinking Imaginatively about Impact: Transistors, Mini-Skirts & Global Warming

A presentation is being held regarding the do’s and don’t’s of writing about ‘Impact and Innovation’, and will be an ideal opportunity learn more about what is required of an ‘Impact’ statement.

Anyone who interacts with the Research Councils, the EU,  and other funders will have come across terms like ‘Impact’ and ‘Innovation’. Major grant applications are not being approved due to deficiencies in the ‘Impact’ section. Among researchers there is sometimes a wariness about the whole idea of ‘Impact’, and a confusion regarding what it really means. The talk will be given by a consultant specialising in Innovation and Knowledge Transfer, and will offer a systematic approach to ‘Impact’, identifying the ‘benefits’ and placing them in the context of ‘opportunities’, alongside offering practical advice about how to write about scientific concepts in a clear way. Minconceptions regarding impact will also be tackled, particularly the statements “It’s all about commercial outcomes” and “that its only relevant for STEM (science technology engineering and maths)” subjects. Lunch will be provided.

Date: 9th December 2014
Time: 12:30 – 13:30
Location: Lecture theatre, Pitt Rivers Museum

Places are limited, so to sign up – Click here

Wellcome Trust – Changes to Funding

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The Wellcome Trust have announced they are changing their funding framework in order to enhance their ability to support excellent research, make an even greater impact on health, and provide opportunities for talented researchers at whatever career stage to find funding. Improvements include a new funding mechanism for collaborative research by teams, and the introduction of seed grants to support researchers who want to develop original and innovative ideas.

The most significant changes to the funding framework include:

  • A new scheme for collaborative research, to support groups led by multiples researchers in pursuing key questions.These are designed to allow multiple researchers to come together, ideally from different disciplines, to work towards solutions which are more than the sum of their parts.
  • A new scheme for seed funding to support original and innovative ideas, with a view to enabling researchers to move towards a larger research application.
  • Current “New Investigator” and “Senior Investigator” Award schemes are merging into a single “Investigator” Award scheme. All candidates will be considered according to their career stage and experience to date.
  • Increased opportunities for research leaders of the future through our established schemes of Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowships and Sir Henry Dale Fellowships.
  • New schemes to encourage the development of portfolios of translational research projects and sustained excellence in public engagement.

A webinar explaining the new changes, how they will be implemented, and what effect they will have is being held on 12th December 2014.

To find out more – Click here
To sign up for the Webinar – Click here

ERC Consolidator Grants call now open!

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European Research Council Consolidator Grant call is now open for applications.

ERC Consolidator Grants are designed to support researchers at the stage at which they are consolidating their own independent research team or programme. The scheme will strengthen independent and excellent new individual research teams that have been recently created.

For example, it is normally expected that applicants will have produced independently several important publications without the participation of their PhD supervisor.

Applicants should also be able to demonstrate a promising track-record of early achievements appropriate to their research field and career stage, including significant publications (as main author) in major international peer-reviewed multidisciplinary scientific journals, or in the leading international peer-reviewed journals of their respective field. Applicants may also demonstrate a record of invited presentations in well-established international conferences, granted patents, awards, prizes etc.

ERC Consolidator Grants in brief

  • For researchers of any nationality with over 7 and up to 12 years of experience since completion of PhD (or equivalent degree) and scientific track record showing great promise
  • An excellent research proposal
  • Research must be conducted in a public or private research organisation located in one of the EU Member State or Associated Countries 
  • Funding per grant: up to € 2 million (in some circumstances up to € 2.75 million)
  • Duration: up to 5 years
  • Sole evaluation criterion: scientific excellence of researcher and research proposal

The application deadline is 12th March 2015, so please contact your Research Facilitation team as soon as possible if you intend to apply.

To find out more, Click here
For application guidance, Click here (PDF)

Royal Society – Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship

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Applications are welcomed for the Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship. This scheme is for outstanding scientists in the UK at an early stage of their research career who require a flexible working pattern due to personal circumstances such as parenting or caring responsibilities or health issues.The scheme covers all areas of the life and physical sciences, including engineering, but excluding clinical medicine, and female candidates are particularly invited to apply. 

This scheme offers holders the opportunity to:
— Hold appointments on a part-time basis or convert from full-time to part-time and back again to help match work and other commitments, such as parental or caring responsibilities etc.
— Claim back time spent deferring the fellowship and/or working part-time at the end of the fellowship.
— Claim some funds for family support where these can be justified on scientific grounds, e.g. the cost of child care during a conference or collaborative visit abroad (those funds can be applied for during the Fellowship).

Applicants must be able to demonstrate a current need for flexible support due to personal circumstances at the time of application. This can include current parenting or caring responsibilities (such as raising children or looking after ageing or seriously ill family members), clinically diagnosed health issues or other personal circumstances that create a need for a flexible working pattern. Please contact the grants team if you would like clarification on whether you meet this eligibility requirement.

Deadline for Applications: 12th January 2015
*Please note – all applications must go through your Research Facilitation team

Royal Society – Brian Mercer Feasibility Award

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Applications are welcomed for the Brian Mercer Feasibility Award. The scheme provides initial support of up to £30,000 to test the feasibility of a project (max 12 months), enabling applicants to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of commercialising an aspect of their scientific research, possibly in conjunction with a third party. This award is designed to promote innovation and fill the funding gap between scientific research and the exploitation of an idea through venture capital investment, in the general areas of electrotechnology and biomedical sciences.

The Brian Mercer Feasibility Award is open to applicants of any nationality who have a PhD (or are of equivalent standing in their profession), who hold a substantive post in a UK university or not-forprofit research organisation and who will be in post for at least the duration of the project. The project must commence within three months of the date of notification. Applicants may make only one application per round. Applications from individuals or groups who already have established contacts with industrial or commercial collaborators are particularly encouraged.

Deadline for applications: These awards now operate on a rolling basis. There is no closing date as such, and applications will be assessed as and when they are submitted. Applicants are therefore encouraged to submit their proposals as soon as possible.

To find out more – Click here
*Please note – all applications must go through your Research Facilitation team