Phil Ward Research Funding Manager October 2009 Research

Phil Ward Research Funding Manager October 2009 Research Funding Opportunities in KLS

To recap… • Basically two types of funding available…: § ‘Responsive Mode’ Grants & Fellowships Ø For research on a subject suggested by you § ‘Managed Programme’ Grants & Contracts • Page 2 Ø For research on a subject suggested by the funder Ø Programme Grants are similar to other grants; Contracts tend to have more onerous terms and conditions and generally result in ‘deliverable’ product/report …and five sources of funding: § § § Research Councils Charities Professional and Learned Bodies Government Industry

So you have to consider… • Remit • Costs § Do they fund your area? § Does the scheme fit? (eg Grants/Fellowships) § What are the politics behind the call? § Will it cover all your costs? • If not, are there other reasons to apply? • Overheads – ‘Full Economic Costs’ (f. EC) • • Page 3 Timetable Success Rate § Deadline – is there enough time to write a proposal? § Duration – will it cover the period of your research? § Is it worth it? § Back up plan

Research Councils 2009 -10 • • Page 4 Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (26% - £ 814 m) (£ 795 m) Science & Technology Facilities Council (20% - £ 630 m) (£ 624 m) Medical Research Council (19% - £ 658 m) (£ 606 m) Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (14% - £ 471 m) (£ 427 m) Natural Environment Research Council (13% - £ 408 m) (£ 392 m) Economic & Social Research Council (5% - £ 170 m) (£ 165 m) Arts & Humanities Research Council (3% - £ 104 m) (£ 103 m)

Research Council Delivery Plans 2008 -11 • • • Page 5 RCs laying out their priorities for the next 3 yrs 4 cross-council priorities: § § Energy Living with Environmental Change Global Uncertainties Ageing: Lifelong Health and Wellbeing ‘Economic and Social Benefit’

…and Strategic Plans • AHRC 2007 -12 § to promote and support • the production of world-class • world-class postgraduate training • Page 6 § to strengthen the impact of arts and humanities research § To act as voice and advocate for arts and humanities ESRC 2009 -14 § § § § Global Economic Performance, Policy & Management Health & Wellbeing Understanding Individual Behaviour New Technology, Innovation & Skills Environment, Energy & Resilience Security, Conflict & Justice Social Diversity

AHRC • • • Delivery Plan Priorities: § Stimulating innovation in the knowledge economy § Global threats to security § Capitalising our cultural assets NB: Responsive Mode/Strategic 3: 1 Success Rates 2008 -09: Ø Research Grants o Standard o Speculative o Practice-led Ø Fellowships in the C&P Arts Ø Research Leave Ø Networks & Workshops Page 7 12% 13% 33% (23%, 27%) (24%, 31%) (32%, 19%) 10% 19% 30% (17%, 18%) (27%, 49%) (21%, 33%)

AHRC • Research Grants Ø Emphasis on supporting ‘teams’ of researchers Ø 4 ‘routes’ to applying: Ø Standard (£ 20 k - £ 1 m) Ø Early Career (£ 20 k - £ 200 k): <8 yrs of Ph. D, or <6 yrs 1 st appt Ø Speculative (£ 20 k - £ 200 k): ‘outcomes uncertain’ Ø Practice-led (up to £ 20 k): ‘practice as integral component’ • Page 8 Ø Deadline ‘open’ Research Fellowships

ESRC • • • Page 9 Delivery Plan Priorities: Ø Succeeding in the global economy Ø Understanding individual behaviour Ø Population change NB: Responsive Mode/Strategic 5: 3. 5 Success Rates 2008 -09: Ø Standard Grants Ø Fellowships Ø Small Grants 14% 13% 25% (15%, 19%) (26%, 15%) (36%, 39%)

Pros and Cons of RCUK • Benefits of applying to AHRC or ESRC: • What to watch out for: Ø Prestige Ø f. EC – generous funding Ø Je. S form Ø The funding ‘politics’ Ø Social & economic impact Ø The ‘lure’ of programmes Ø…but AHRC programme success rate good this year: 41% Ø Divide between AHRC and ESRC remits Ø AHRC: Research Grants: ‘Team’ research Ø ESRC: Small grants/standard grants assessment: Øbetter to be seen by individual or whole Board? Ø ESRC: Users and Ethics Page 10

Remit of AHRC and ESRC • • Page 11 AHRC supports research into the content, procedures, theory, philosophy and history of the law. This includes studies of legal systems and legislation in all periods of history and in all parts of the world. ESRC supports socio-legal studies, which are concerned with the social, political and economic influences on and impact of the law and the legal system. Both will provide personal advice on this No projects should fall in the ‘gap’ • Each might fund projects that include elements of the other • Will use ‘appropriate’ spread of peer reviewers

Charities • General ØLeverhulme Trust ØWellcome Trust ØNuffield Foundation ØJoseph Rowntree Foundation • Specialist ØOften medical o eg Cancer Research UK Page 12

Leverhulme Trust • • • Funds all fields, except social policy and welfare, medicine and education Supports original, risk-taking research that often transcends traditional discipline boundaries 2007 expenditure £ 43. 1 m (£ 44. 3 m), split between: Ø Sciences Ø Humanities Ø Social Sciences Page 13 46% 33% 21% (45%, 45%) (43%, 36%) (12%, 19%)

Leverhulme Trust • Page 14 Success Rates Ø Visiting Professorships Ø Emeritus Professorships Ø Study Abroad Fellowships Ø Research Fellowships Ø Philip Leverhulme Prizes Ø Research Grants Ø Major Research Fellowships Ø Early Career Fellowships 41% (43%, 50%) 31% (40%, 48%) 20% (31%, 24%) 16% (18%, 22%) 21% (18%, 19%) 22% (20%, 22%) 13% (13%, 13%) 14% (12%, 11%)

Leverhulme Trust • • Benefits of applying to Leverhulme Ø Not ‘restricted’ by demands of distributing public money o no ‘political agenda’ o reporting not as onerous What to watch out for: Ø Research has to appeal to broad general audience o Trustees all ex-Unilever employees o Depend for advice on: o ‘Advisory Committee’ (for smaller grants): 9 professors o ‘Advisory Panel’ (for larger grants): 32 academics Ø Interdisciplinary – but not ‘last resort’ Ø Risk taking Ø Individual ‘vision’ Page 15

Wellcome Trust • • • ‘To foster and promote research with the aim of improving human and animal health’ Funding expenditure in 2007 -2008 £ 702 (£ 519 m, £ 484 m) As well as Biomedical Research, also supports ‘Biomedical Humanities’ Ø Broad remits: o History: ‘research into the historical study of all factors affecting the medical and health experience of people and animals - in all countries and at all periods. ’ o Ethics: ‘research into ethical issues that arise in the development and delivery of healthcare or the use of medical techniques in non-healthcare contexts. ’ Page 16

Wellcome Trust • • Page 17 Benefits of applying to Wellcome What to watch out for Ø Wide range of funding Ø More useful feedback following rejection Ø Supportive once you have received funding Ø Bringing in electronic submission in Medical Humanities Ø Biomedical ethics centred on funding for institutions and developing countries Ø Bewildering choice of funding schemes

Nuffield Foundation • • • Research expenditure (2008): £ 10. 6 (£ 10. 9 m, £ 9. 5 m) Benefits of applying to Nuffield • Page 18 Aims What to watch out for: Ø ‘To advance social well being…by supporting work which will bring about improvements in society. ’ Ø To support the development of research and professional capacity Ø 2 part process: initial application very simple, and can apply any time Ø Can apply for ‘teaching buy out’ in grants Ø Strong social policy element Ø Small scale funding Ø Importance of ‘methodology’ Ø Look at previously successful grants

Nuffield Foundation • • Page 19 Project Grants Ø Funding for research, practical developments and innovation Ø Programme areas o Child protection and family justice o Access to justice o Open door o NB: ‘Older People & their Families’ area dropped Social Science Small Grants Ø Currently being updated (autumn 2009? ) Ø Up to £ 12 k Ø Not restricted to policy/practical projects, although do look for ‘social relevance’

Joseph Rowntree Foundation • • Page 20 3 aims: Ø Poverty: to examine the root causes of poverty and disadvantage and identify solutions. Ø Empowerment: to find ways in which people and communities can have control of their own lives. Ø Place: to contribute to the building and development of strong, cohesive and sustainable communities. Research expenditure (2008): £ 3. 5 m (£ 5. 4 m) Benefits of applying to JRF: Ø Prestigious What to watch out for: Ø Very prescriptive calls for proposals Ø Relatively small amounts of funding

Professional & Learned Societies • • • Generally provide some small scale support for visits, conferences, fellowships or smaller research projects Professional Bodies Ø Represent people working in a specific area o e. g. Socio-legal Studies Association Learned Societies Ø Represent, and act as a forum for, a particular subject or discipline o e. g. Royal Society, British Academy Page 21

British Academy • • • Page 22 Funds research in Humanities & Social Sciences Research Expenditure 07/08: £ 23 m (£ 22. 4 m, £ 21. 3 m) funding strategy is focused on providing smallscale support, including Development Awards (up to £ 150 k f. EC), fellowships, conference grants and agreements with other countries for international projects

British Academy • Success Rates 2007/08: Ø Small Grants Ø Overseas Conference Grants Ø Bardas Ø Conference Support Ø Senior Research Fellowships Ø Postdoc Fellowship 50% (50%, 69%) 49% (50%, 50%) 9% (9%, 59%*) 9% (9%, 50%**) 9% (9%, 9%) 8% (8%, 5%) *Bardas replaced ‘Larger Grants’, and grant increased from £ 20 k to £ 150 k **Replaced British Conference Grants and increased upper limit from £ 2 k to £ 20 k Page 23

British Academy • • Page 24 Benefits of applying to BA What to watch out for: Ø Small Grants have highest success rate out of all relevant funders Ø Relatively simple forms Ø ‘useful’ pots of money – eg conference funding, collaboration etc Ø Quite a ‘traditional’ funder Ø Success rates slump Ø Electronic forms

Government • National Ø Government Departments o Usually managed programmes, e. g. DH, DEFRA, DFID o Some responsive mode – e. g. DEFRA’s Darwin Initiative Ø County Councils Ø Other Government-funded organisations • o British Council – collaborative grants o NESTA International Ø Europe o Framework Programme Ø USA o Federal Grants & National Institutes of Health Page 25

Other National Government Funding • • Page 26 County Councils British Council Ø Commission surveys etc. Ø Have collaborative agreements with a number of countries

Dept of Health • • Research & Development budget 2008 -09: £ 800 m National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Ø Umbrella organisation covering a range of funding programmes, including: o Research for Patient Benefit (Rf. PB): ‘it funds research into everyday practice in the health service’ o Service Delivery & Organisation (SDO): ‘commissions research on the way health services are organised and delivered by the NHS. ’ • • Page 27 Benefits of DH: What to watch out for: Ø A lot of funding available, f. EC Ø NIHR success rate good Ø Complex applications Ø Research Governance Framework (RGF)

SE Research Design Service • • Page 28 £ 5 m service for SE Strategic Health Authority Surrey, Sussex, Kent Advise and support health and social care researchers Free

European Funding • European Commission Ø ‘driving force’ behind EU Ø Drafts laws, manages day-to-day business of EU Ø Organised into 37 Directorates General & Services, including o Justice, Freedom & Security § eg ‘Daphne II Programme’ to combat violence against children, young people and women o Research § Framework Programme o Regional Policy § Interreg Programme Page 29

DG Research • • Framework Programme: EU’s main method for funding research and innovation FP 7 running from 2007 -13 Budget € 50 bn over 7 years Organised into 4 pillars: Cooperation People Page 30 Ideas Capacities

FP 7: Budget Split 2007 -2013 € 4 217 € 1 751 Values in € Millions Cooperation € 4 728 Ideas People € 7 460 Capacities JRC € 32 365 Page 31

FP 7: Cooperation Themes • • • Page 32 Health Food, agriculture and biotechnology Information and communication technologies. Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and new production technologies Energy Environment (including climate change) Transport (including aeronautics) Socio-economic sciences and the humanities Security Space

FP 7 - SSH • • Page 33 • • • 1. Growth, employment and competitiveness in a knowledge society: the European case 2. Combining economic, social and environmental objectives in a European perspective: Paths towards sustainable development 3. Major trends in society and their implications 4. Europe in the World 5. The Citizen in the European Union 6. Socio-Economic and Scientific Indicators 7. Foresight activities 8. Strategic Activities

FP 7 – SSH – Current Call • • • Page 34 Deadline 2 Feb 2010 Collaborative projects (CP) – up to € 2. 7 m Topics include: § Demand-driven Research and Innovation policies for growth, welfare and wellbeing § The public sector of the future § Local welfare systems favouring social cohesion § Analysis of the impacts of global changes § EU regions and their interactions with the neighbourhood regions § European Identities: Inner and outer perceptions of Europe and the EU § Reinterpreting Europe's cultural heritage: towards the 21 st century library and museum?

FP 7: European Research Council • • Page 35 Responsive Mode No requirement for collaborative groups ‘Starting Independent Researcher Grant’ Ø 200 to be made annually, each lasting up to 5 yrs Ø Up to € 400 k per year Ø Applicants <10 yrs from Ph. D Ø Very over subscribed – success rate approx 5% Ø Next deadline (SSH 9 Dec 2009) ‘Advanced Research Grant’ Ø Up to € 700 k per year Ø Applicants must have >10 yr track record Ø Next call: end of the year; deadline in Spring

European Science Foundation • • Page 36 Not part of EU (member countries include Switzerland Turkey) Aims to act as a catalyst for brining together European scientists and researchers Includes Social Sciences & Humanities Schemes include exploratory workshops, Programmes and COST Networks

Industry • • • Page 37 Does provide funding for research, but tend to be more restrictive in the parameters of the research and use of intellectual property In-house expenditure on R&D Ø e. g. Pfizer spent £ 550 m on research in UK alone Ø Some of this used in collaborative projects Contracts for research services Grants or award programmes If specifically seeking industry support, talk to Kent Innovation & Enterprise (KIE)

Key points to remember when applying • • • Page 38 Keep it simple § Write for a general audience Think defensively § Assessors are looking to pick holes Concentrate on explaining what you will do § Keep theoretical background to a minimum Make sure costs match outcome § Value for money is a consideration Show it to your peers § Better to have feedback now

Applying for Funding - Approval • All applications must have Internal Approval Form Ø Series of yes/no questions as to risks, use of resources etc Ø Must be signed by: o PI and Co-I(s) o Head of Dept o Research Services Ø If excessive demand on library/computing services • o Head of Computing Service o Subject Librarian May also need: Ø Ethical Approval o Research proposals of a clinical, psychological, social or physiological nature involving human participants o Research Ethics Advisory Groups – Ethics Committee o Contact Nicole Palmer (n. r. palmer@kent. ac. uk) Ø Research Governance Approval o need to get advice and/or approval if your research is in Health or Social Welfare Page 39

Sources of Information • Funders Ø Ø Ø Ø Ø www. ahrc. ac. uk www. esrc. ac. uk www. mrc. ac. uk www. leverhulme. ac. uk www. nuffieldfoundation. org www. wellcome. ac. uk www. jrf. org. uk www. britac. uk www. cordis. lu/fp 7/home. cfm http: //erc. europa. eu/index_e n. cfm Ø www. esf. org • Sources of information • Applying for funding • Help and Support Ø Ø www. research. com www. ukro. ac. uk www. serdsu. org http: //fundermental. blogspot. com/ Ø Research Services www. kent. ac. uk/res Ø Je-S https: //jes. rcuk. ac. uk/eforms/secure/Login. asp Ø Phil Ward p. ward@kent. ac. uk Ø Jacqueline Aldridge j. aldridge@kent. ac. uk Page 40