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A presentation covering the basics of applying for research funding in the UK. This was delivered as part of the PG certificate of Higher Education Practice at Northumbria University.
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1
Dr David Young (Research Funding Development Manager)Research and Business Services
Developing a Successful Research Grant
Application
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Welcome!Introductions
Where are you?Aims
StructureHandouts
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Here’s the plan…Research funding landscape
Discussion 1How to find and apply for
research fundingBreak
Playing the research funding game
Discussion 2 & 3Exercise
Final questions and follow-up
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Time is limitedApologies for brevityPlease ask questions
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What’s out there?An overview of
research fundingDual support
Funders and remitsCurrent policy and strategic
directions
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Dual supportResearch is funded in two ways:
HEFCE QR block grantResearch grants and contracts
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• RAE/REF• Relatively predictable• Flexible• Long-term• £1.9bn
QR Block Grant
• Range of funders• Competitive• Mainly shorter-term• Relatively inflexible• £4.4bn
Research grants & contracts
Figures for 2010/11 for UK HE sector from HESA
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•£2.4MQR Block Grant
•£4.4MResearch grants & contracts
Figures for 2010/11 for Northumbria from University’s financial statements/HEFCE
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Research Councils7 councils
Different remits but increasing crossover
Mix of calls: some open, some targeted
From “blue sky” to appliedCollaborative and individualCompetitive and prestigious
£1,558M in 2010/11
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Other UK Governmente.g. DEFRA, MOD (CDE), NIHR,
DFID, NHSGenerally much more targeted
Generally more appliedGenerally tighter deadlines
£807M in 2010/11
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Industrial FundingConsultancy and contract
researchMeeting the needs of the
businessCan be good pay-off…
…but check contracts and IPR£293M in 2010/11
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Charities & Trustse.g. Wellcome, Leverhulme,
CRUK, Joseph RowntreeVast range of funders
From small to hugeFrom targeted to open
Independent of governmentDon’t pay overheads
£920M in 2010/11
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Academies & Societiese.g. British Academy, Royal Society, Royal Academy of
EngineeringPart-funded by parliamentary grant, but more independent
than Research CouncilsMix of fellowships, prizes and
grantsCompetitive and prestigious
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EuropeFramework Programme 7 -
€50bnInternational collaboration……but some individual grants
availableCan be time-consuming to write
Success rates vary widely£513M in 2010/11
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Funding EnvironmentThe Big Squeeze…
2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14 2014/150
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
Research grants Studentships Fellowships TOTAL
EPSRC spend by type of award over current spending review period
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Strategic DirectionsImpact
Longer and largerInterdisciplinary and
collaborativeSolving “grand challenges”
Concentration of fundingDemand management
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But there is hope…Be realistic
Be informedBe innovative
Be rigorousBe targeted
Be connectedBe prepared: know the game
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Discussion 1Target Practice: finding the right funder for you
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How to find and apply for funding
Finding fundingResearch application process
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Research ProfessionalGo to:
http://researchprofessional.comRegister
Log inFunding search
Practice!Set up email alerts
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Other sourcesUKRO: http://www.ukro.ac.uk/
RDInfo/Funding: http://www.rdfunding.org.uk/
Research Support Blog (Northumbria):
http://research.northumbria.ac.uk/support/
The Nugget (Northumbria): http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/researchandconsultancy/sa/funding/nugget/
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Find funding opportunity
Read guidance
Contact RBS/School
administratorContact partners
Draft bid (including budget with RBS support)
Peer review and feedback Revise draft
RBS coordinates bid registration &
approval
Sign off & submit!
Research Application Process
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Any questions?
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Coffee time!…back in 10 mins
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Playing the research funding game
The bottom lineLearning the game
Discussion 2Raising your game
Discussion 3Mastering the game
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The bottom lineA well written and constructed
proposal won’t necessarily mean that poor research gets
funded……but a poorly written and
poorly constructed proposal often prevents good research
getting funded
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Learning the gameThis is a competition: “It’s not a
test; it’s a contest”
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Learning the game: basic elements
Research project structure:Who?
What?How?
(…Why?)
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Learning the game: Who?
Principal InvestigatorCo-investigator
Partners
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Learning the game: What?
Research problems/questionsMethodology
Outputs Impacts
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Learning the game: How?
BudgetProject plan
Management
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Learning the game: the call
Funders issue calls for proposalsThese can be open or targeted
The call will include guidance notes on context and how to put
the application togetherIt may also tell you the review
criteriaYOU MUST: address the remitYOU MUST: follow these rules
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Learning the game: the application
Lay summary/abstractAims & objectives
Academic beneficiariesPathways to impact
Case for supportStaff responsibilities
Justification of resourcesCVs
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Discussion 2Help! I’m a researcher: overcoming
barriers to your research
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Raising your gameFollowing the rules is not
enough……you need to answer “why?”
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Raising your game: Why is this important?
“National importance”What is the risk of not funding
this research?
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Raising your game: Why this funder?
Matching the funder’s strategic remit
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Raising your game: Why you?
Could anyone else do this?What is unique or innovative
about your approach?Identify weakness and get the
right team in place
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Raising your game: Why now?
What is timely about your research?
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Discussion 3It’s not rocket science: the art of the
project summary
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Mastering the game: 10 common traps and
pitfalls to avoidIt’s not a research paper!
Get to the point!Justify, justify, justify
No details on plan/methodologyWatch your language
Spelling and grammarInconsistencies between sections
Promising too much/too littleIgnoring funder priorities
Tell a convincing “story”
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Mastering the game: peer review
Ask someone else to read your proposal before you submit!
…and not just read, but critique
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Mastering the game: practice, practice,
practice…
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ExerciseSumming up: writing up your own
research project
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Workshop SessionsFriday 1st June, 2pm-5pm
Wednesday 20th June, 9am-12pmTo book:
[email protected] completed outlines to me:
[email protected] At least three days before your session
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Thank you for listening…any questions?
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Image Credits (1)Welcome Mat by Jeni Rodger (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/kittymghee/4437368431/Plans by Jeff Hitchcock (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/arbron/1043115842/Time by lett (CC BY 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/07anycolouryoulike/4536619509 /Binoculars portrait by gerlos (CC BY-SA 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/gerlos/3119891607/Money by 401K (CC BY-SA 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/68751915@N05/6848823919/Swindon by cinto2 (CC BY-NC 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/cinto2/544510546/The House of Commons by UK Parliament (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/uk_parliament/4642915654 /Factory by Biczzz (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/biczzz/1570699867/Collection Box by Leo Reynolds (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/lwr/7496500/Graduation Day by Jase Curtis (CC BY 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/25722571@N08/6385852693/
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Image Credits (2)European flags flying in front of the Berlaymont by TPCOM (CC BY-NC-ND)http://www.flickr.com/photos/tpcom/3246111473/Signpost by thepicturedrome (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/55637931@N03/6334628811/Hope by Darren Tunnicliff (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/darrentunnicliff/4232232092/Bullseye by nicole cho (CC BY-NC 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/nchoz/243216008Magnifying Glass by Rafael Anderson Gonzales Mendoza (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/andercismo/2349098787 /G Love and the special sauces by Janellie (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) http://www.flickr.com/photos/janellie23/5671495178 /Question Mark by Ryan Milani (CC BY 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/51029297@N00/5275403364/Coffee Cup by Doug Wheller (CC BY-NC 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/doug88888/2953428679 /Chess by Konstantin Lazorkin (CC BY-NC 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/slayer23/2508790690 /Lily and lines by timlewisnm (CC BY-SA 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/gozalewis/3489734986 /
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Image Credits (3)Hurdles by Julie Vuitton (CC BY 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/julie-v/4638951855/Molecule by Simon Goldenberg (CC BY-ND 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/simon999/2731507778/The ILGWU women's basketball team at the Bronx Branch Athletic Club by Kheel Center (CC BY 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/kheelcenter/5279013761/Question mark by Ciccio Pizzettaro (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/cicciopizzettaro/4297936934/Anyone understand spreadsheets…? by Simon James (CC BY-SA 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/bearpark/2882102644/Recent purchase: megaphone by Gene Han (CC BY-NC 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/larimdame/2575986601/Passport application by Ben Ward (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/benward/2248330869/Communication by P Shanks (CC BY-NC 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/pshanks/411196422/Rules of the Inn 1786 by Dan Brady (CC BY 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/djbrady/1205847589/Skills by Delarge (CC BY-NC 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/delarge/3786268069/
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Image Credits (4)Roller skating high jump by Zoulou (Free art license)http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roller-skating-high-jump-zoulou.jpgInterval running (race track) 16 by Michael Lokner (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/lokner/3740260369/Ready Steady Go by purplemattfish (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplemattfish/3020016417/1950’s Rocket Ship by studio hades (Public Domain)http://openclipart.org/detail/157477/1950s-rocket-ship--by-studio_hadesTrap by Tom Heller (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomopteris/5173028844/Exam by Alberto G (CC BY 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/albertogp123/5843577306/Outline juggling by Pedro Moura Pinheiro (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedromourapinheiro/2122754745/Writing by Tony Hall (CC BY-ND 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/anotherphotograph/2276607037/Workshop by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (CC BY-SA 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/boellstiftung/5803926253/Thank you by Russ Morris (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)http://www.flickr.com/photos/russmorris/2486506322/