TRUST US, WE CAN HELP!

 

Research Professional recently shared an article about how useful your Research Office can be and we couldn’t have said it better ourselves.

We may not be researchers but the Research Office can be a real help when you are thinking about writing a bid – and not just because you need us to develop your budget and navigate the institutional approvals!

FUNDERS We know them. If you have a research idea but you’re not sure which funder you stand the best chance of success with, we will help you explore the funders and get to the bottom of what it is they want to identify where your research best fits amongst them.

FUNDING CALLS We read funding calls all day and we know what to look for when picking out key bits: where the emphasis lies and what the funder is really looking for in a proposal. If you’re not sure you are ticking the right boxes or would like some guidance on any particular scheme, we can help you with that.

TIMESCALES Sometimes it can be a difficult thing to establish a timeline either for writing a research proposal or for carrying out the project itself. Your Research Development Manager can help you to think realistically about your goals and map out how much time you will ideally spend on each aspect of the proposal or project.

LAY REVIEW Your Research Office can be a helpful place to get a lay person’s perspective on your proposal. When your project goes off to the funders for consideration, it is likely that those reviewing it aren’t going to be experts in your field. If your Research Development Manager is having a hard time grasping what your research is, then there’s a possibility that those reviewing it will too, and a project that isn’t easily understood is less likely to be funded than one that is.

You can read the full article here, but the main point is that we are here to help every step of the way so make sure you get in touch so we can get started!

Contact the Research Office: researchapplications@mmu.ac.uk

Images of Research 2022

There is still time to enter the fourth annual Images of Research competition.

All academic staff who complete research and postgraduate research students are invited to take part.

The competition challenges researchers to communicate the significance and impact of their work through a single image and a 150-word abstract.

Shortlisted entries will be toured around the four Faculties and also displayed in a virtual gallery throughout March 2022.

There are three awards up for grabs, including the People’s Choice award which is voted for by staff members, students and members of the public. Each award winner will also receive a £100 gift voucher.

Please visit the Images of Research webpage for further competition details.

The deadline for entries is Monday 31 January 2022.

MS Society – 2022 Grant Round Opening Soon

The MS Society have announced the key dates for the 2022 Grant Rounds. This year they will be offering to Catalyst Award rounds as well as the Project and Career Development Awards.

Key Dates:

Catalyst Awards Round 1

Applications open: Late January 2022

Lay summary development deadline: 7th March 2022

Applications close: 27th April 2022

Project Awards and Career Development Awards

Applications open: early May 2022

Lay summary development deadline: 11th April 2022

Applications close: 7th June 2022

Catalyst Awards Round 2

Applications open: mid-June 2022

Lay summary development deadline: 11th July 2022

Applications close: 6th September 2022

For further information on each of the schemes please visit the MS Society website.

If you would like to apply for any of these opportunities please contact your Research Development Team.

Researcher Networks – Request for Examples of Practice

Vitae’s Researcher Networks Working Group are seeking the community’s collective knowledge and examples of practice, with the aim of creating a list of recommendations and ideas to share freely with the global research community.

If you have an example relating to the formation or running of a researcher network that you would be happy to share, please complete this short form. It takes less that 10 minutes to complete.

The deadline for submissions is the 31^st January 2022.

Many thanks in advance for your contributions.

British Academy UK-Germany Knowledge Frontiers Symposium: “Mobilities”

The British Academy is inviting applications for early-career researchers in the humanities and social sciences to participate in virtual research activities on the broad theme of “mobilities”, in partnership with The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 16 February 2022 at 17:00 (UK time). We will seek to notify successful applicants by early March 2022.

Aims
The symposium aims to bring together around 40 early-career researchers (understood as up to 10 years after obtaining a PhD) based in the UK and Germany from across the humanities and social sciences to discuss key questions around the theme of “mobilities”. The virtual activities will be designed to encourage collaboration and exchange between early-career researchers.

The virtual activities will enable participants to share their research plans and collaboration ideas through a series of sessions that facilitate discussion, feedback and collaborative thinking. The virtual activities will take place on 9-10 May 2022.

In order to stimulate collaboration and networking, seed funding will be provided by the British Academy following the symposium. This funding is designed to facilitate collaborations that are formed directly from the symposium.

Participants will also be eligible to apply for CONNECT, a follow-up programme for participants of Frontiers of Research Symposia offered by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. It provides allowances for short workings visits in Germany or in the United Kingdom that can be taken up at any time following the symposium.

In addition to the ability to apply for this funding, the symposium will aim to provide opportunities for a range of other outputs. Participants, for example, could contribute to a publication focused on the symposium theme, either through individual papers or in partnership with other symposium participants such as in the Journal of the British Academy or a more policy-oriented briefing.

Eligibility requirements
For the purpose of this symposium, early career is defined as being within a 10-year period of the award of the applicant’s doctorate (or equivalent research experience). This eligibility will be viewed flexibly in order to take into account instances such as career breaks.

Applicants are encouraged to contact the British Academy with any questions they may have related to eligibility.
Participants must be based at institutions in the United Kingdom.
Participants must have fluency in spoken and written English.
Participants must be able to participate in the entirety of the symposium over the two days.
UK-based attendees may only participate in two British Academy Knowledge Frontiers Symposia in any 24-month period.

Application Process
Applicants should provide a completed application form, including:
• A CV which should not exceed two pages
• A one-page summary of their initial thoughts on the theme of “mobilities”
• An outline of what disciplinary and interdisciplinary skills and/or experience they would contribute to the symposium; and how the symposium could help to develop their own research and career.
Applications must be submitted online using the British Academy’s Grant Management System (GMS), Flexi-Grant®.

MMU info: Initial applications are just for a place at the symposium so this does not need to go through the internal WorkTribe approval process. You should however confirm your availability to attend the events with you HoD. Any subsequent applications for seed funding will need to be approved via Worktribe in the usual way

Action Medical Research for Children – Project Grants

The action medical research for children will be opening their project grants soon and will be accepting project ideas that cover any areas within their remit which includes:

• Autism
• Epilepsy
• Asthma
• Rare childhood diseases
• Congenital heart disease
• Cystic fibrosis

For a full list of remit areas please visit the action medical research for children

Project grants are aimed at Researcher’s of all career stages and offer up to £200k for projects up to 3 years in duration. The budget can cover salary costs (of researcher’s employed on the bid), consumables and equipment.

This is a two-stage application process with a deadline for outlines in March 2022 and a full stage application deadline of Summer 2022.

For further details please visit the action medical research for children website.

If you would like to apply for this opportunity please contact your Research Development Team.

Visit by the Director of the Leverhulme Trust – book your place

An introduction to the Leverhulme Trust from their new Director, Professor Anna Vignoles

2pm – 3:30pm,  Wed 16 February, LT4, Geoffrey Manton

Register via Eventbrite

We are delighted to welcome the new Director of the Leverhulme Trust to ManMet on Weds 16^th Feb.

The Leverhulme Trust are a large, independent, charitable,  UK grant-making organisation that has been funding research, fellowships and more for nearly 100 years. Their remit spans all disciplinary areas (other than medical or policy-driven research) with a mission to “fund outstanding scholarship, while maintaining a distinctive role within the research funding landscape”.

As part of her visit, Professor Anna Vignoles will be delivering a presentation which provides an introduction to the Trust, explains that distinctive role and outlines their research grant opportunities.  The event is primarily for academic researchers and booking is required.

Please register to attend via Eventbrite.

Research and Knowledge Exchange

EPSRC New Investigator Session

The Research Development Team have recently started a series of short, weekly online ‘Know Your Funder’ information sessions. Each briefing will cover a regular research funding opportunity or share information on a new call. Sessions will be held over Teams, open to all and will provide:

• an overview of the funder and the specific grant scheme
• info on the practicalities of applying with some insights and tips
• time for Q&A

The next session will be at 12pm on Tues 18th Jan and will cover the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council ‘New Investigator’ grant scheme.

You will need to book in advance to attend the session using this intranet link and selecting ‘yes’ on the ‘will you be attending’ section on the right hand side of the screen – this will download the calendar invite for you to add to your diary.

The programme of future sessions can also be found on the intranet.

Rosetrees Trust Interdisciplinary Award 2022 EOI

The Rosetrees Trust has launched the ‘Interdisciplinary Award 2022’, with funding of £300k available for a period of 3 years.

The aim of the Rosetrees 2022 Interdisciplinary Award is to encourage collaboration between Clinicians/Scientists and experts in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning.  It is hoped that the merging of skills and experience in these areas will lead to innovative research that addresses unmet clinical needs. Applicant proposals must include details on how artificial intelligence and machine learning can result in patient benefit within 5-10 years. Further details can be accessed via the Rosetrees website.

Each university is only allowed to submit one application as a lead institution, therefore we are running an internal EOI call.

If you are interested in this award, the first stage is to submit an expression of interest – these are the criteria for selection:

EOIs of 500 words max detailing:

• Outline of project idea
• Interdisciplinary nature of the work (medicine/AI/Machine Learning)
• Maturity of the proposal i.e. has this been previously developed/submitted for another award
• Novelty of work

EoIs are to be submitted to Kelly via Research Development  by the 28th Jan 2022 by 5pm

The Committee will meet week of the 31st Jan 2022 to make a decision – everyone and selected group will be notified no later than the 7th Feb 2022 to work up full proposal (28th April).

Know Your Funder – our next briefing is on AHRC Research Networking

The Research Development Team have recently started a series of short, weekly online ‘Know Your Funder’ information sessions. Each briefing will cover a regular research funding opportunity or share information on a new call. Sessions will be held over Teams, open to all and will provide:

• an overview of the funder and the specific grant scheme

• info on the practicalities of applying with some insights and tips

• time for Q&A

The next session will be at 12pm on Tues 11th Jan and will cover the Arts & Humanities Research Council’s ‘Research Networking’ grant scheme.

You will need to book on to the session IN ADVANCE VIA THE INTRANET LINK BELOW: https://mmuintranet.mmu.ac.uk/Interact/Pages/Content/Document.aspx?id=7580

The programme of future sessions can be found there too

Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Research Grants

Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation research grants are now taking applications.

Applications are invited for the following streams:

• Women and asthma (sex hormones) – Project, Pump-priming and Professional Chair awards.
• Respiratory diseases (including COPD, ILDS, Pre-school wheeze, Bronchiectasis and infections) – Project, Pump-priming and Professional Chair awards.
• Mesothelioma – Clinical trial, Project and Pump-priming awards/

Key details for the available schemes:

Scheme	Max. Award Amount	Max. Duration
Project grant	£300K	3 years
Pump-priming grant	£80K	18 months
Professional Chair	£400K	5 years

Application Deadline: 10th February by 3pm

For further details about the streams please visit the Asthma UK or British Lung Foundation websites. Id you’d like to apply for any of these opportunities please contact your Research Development Team.