The Research Development Team have organised a session to run through the AHRC/EPSRC Immersive Experiences call for proposals, and follows on from an RCUK event that took place on Friday 7 July at MMU where the call was announced and explained. Anyone who may be interested in the call is welcome to attend, and please do feel free to pass to colleagues that may be interested.

This session will be held Wednesday 19 July 2:00 – 3:30pm in Chapman Seminar rooms 1-2.

We wish to convene all those interested so that we can fully support your project proposals and help to facilitate potential interdisciplinary collaborations. We will run through the call specification and then invite anyone who has an idea to present it via a two minute pitch and one powerpoint slide to generate ideas for collaboration and a starting point for further discussion.  This is not compulsory, but if you wish to take part do let us know and, if possible, send your Powerpoint slide in advance of the session. We will then run through the call timetable and finally end with coffee and networking so you get chance to begin the conversations to develop your bid. read more

In light of a number of queries received from academic colleagues in recent weeks, it is clear that there is still some uncertainty about the position of UK researchers in relation to applying for EU research funding in light of the referendum result and the UK’s impending departure from the EU. The Research Development Team therefore thought it would be useful to summarise the current position and to point colleagues towards additional sources of information about post-referendum related issues.

The over-arching message is that, at least until the UK officially leaves the EU (currently expected to be in March 2019), there is no change in UK-based applicants’ ability to bid and be awarded funding from the main EU research & innovation funding programmes (Horizon 2020, but also Erasmus+). Those colleagues interested in applying for funding from these sources should continue to pursue these opportunities and work with their partners across Europe to develop and submit their proposals as normal. read more

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has released details of funding calls it plans to launch in 2017/18.

The list of calls contains only very high-level information at this stage, including the call title, relevant thematic area and proposed call issue date. Further details on each call will be available when they are officially launched.

Colleagues can sign up for weekly email alerts on new/upcoming EPSRC calls here.

EPSRC Future Calls 2017/18

In a recent post on Research Professional, Phil Ward (Deputy Director of Research at the University of Kent) outlines a top ten of tips on making, developing and sustaining international research collaborations. These tips make a great starting point for anyone looking to expand their international connections, which are increasingly important in the age of the Global Challenges Research Fund and Newton Fund.

See below for the ten tips. The full article is available to view here.

(Note: you will need to log in to your Research Professional account if you want to access the article off-campus. If you have forgotten your password you can reset it, your username is your Salford email address.)

Top Tips for International Collaboration

1. Start small, as they have as little spare time as you do

Starting an international collaboration is a considerable undertaking for both partners. Both of you are exploring links that have considerable potential, but take a lot of work and time to develop. It is therefore worth starting small. You don’t have to collaborate on, say, a global challenges bid immediately. Rather, consider joint authorship on a paper, a joint conference session, or a short exchange. read more

Please see the following announcement from UKRO:

The Enterprise Europe Network, in partnership with Innovate UK, is organising a National Information Day and official launch event to introduce the 2017 round of calls for Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 5 – Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials on 23 November in Birmingham.

The event, which is free to attend, will introduce the calls for proposals in 2017, present insights and priorities from the European Commission, provide information on the support available to UK applicants and offer numerous networking opportunities to help forge the winning partnerships for future applications. In addition, National Contact Points (NCPs) from the UK, Ireland, Poland and Cyprus will be present to help broker potential collaborations. read more

Please see the following call for applications in the field of Digital Economy, relevant to early career researchers in the fields of health and social care, resource constrained communities, and cyber security and cyber safety.

CHERISH-DE – Digital Economy Crucible 2017

The EPSRC-funded CHERISH-DE (Challenging Human Environments and Research Impact for a Sustainable and Healthy Digital Economy) Centre is inviting applications for its UK Digital Economy Crucible 2017.

The Crucible is an exclusive development opportunity for aspiring young academics working in the field of Digital Economy research to understand the wider context of their work and to develop a broader perspective of how they might progress within their career and, crucially, to build a network for work-related collaboration and peer support. read more

In December NORFACE (New Opportunities for Research Funding Agency Co-operation in Europe) is expected to announce a new call, Transformations to Sustainability (T2S), in December 2016.

The call themes are:

1. Governance and institutional dimensions of transformations to sustainability
2. Economy and finance of transformations to sustainability
3. Well-being, quality of life, identity, and social and cultural values in relation to transformations to sustainability

Proposals for innovative research addressing one or more of these themes are invited. The description of the three themes gives a clear indication of areas that are considered priorities. However, it is expected that applicants will develop and add to these areas. In addition, applicants are encouraged to consider linkages across the themes and invited to reflect upon one or both of the following cross-cutting issues: (1) conceptual aspects of transformation processes and (2) methodological innovation. Co-production of knowledge and research problem formulation is considered to be critical to the process of societal transformation. Therefore, proposal applicants are strongly encouraged to include stakeholder or community-based partners in their projects. read more

The 2017 College of Occupational Therapists award scheme is now open. A number of awards are available for members of the British Association of Occupational Therapists (BAOT).

Please see the available awards here, and further details here.

Deadlines for applications is 2nd December 2016.

For further information please see the call page or contact your Funding Team representative.

SAM, SHS,  – Dr Deborah Woodman

CSE, ELS, SoBE – Stephen Parkinson

NMSWSS – Dr Chris Coey

We are pleased to announce details of a forthcoming joint University Alliance/British Academy event at the university, which will address issues of international research in the humanities and social sciences. Academic staff with an interest in this area are encouraged to register to secure their place.

The University Alliance have joined up with the British Academy and the University of Salford to explore the topic of international research in the humanities and social sciences through an event aimed at academics and research managers. The event will be held at the university on 7th December 2016.

The event will:

• highlight British Academy funding opportunities available for researchers
• explore policy and structural problems around international research and share best practice on how these can be overcome
• share best practice between researchers working on international projects.

This event will be a great opportunity for colleagues from both Salford and other University Alliance institutions to get to meet British Academy colleagues and hear about the funding opportunities and support available. The event will also include research showcases and presentations from active researchers and Academy award holders from across the North West. read more

The 2017 call for ERC Consolidator Grants is expected to open on 20 October 20116 and close on 9 February 2017.

The grants are aimed at researchers with 7-12 years post-PhD experience, and are designed to support the development independent research leaders. Grants are worth up to €2m over 5 years. Applicants should have an appropriate track record of research and publishing.

UKRO is hosting two information/grant writing events in the run up to the call.  The first is at the University of Glasgow on 26 October, the second is yet to be announced and will be in London. read more