Research Funders Response to COVID-19

Below we have summarised the responses from some of our most popular sources for Research Funding around deadlines in the midst of the COVID-19 situation. We will be updating this post daily should the situation change across these funding bodies.

If you have any further queries then please do not hesitate to get in touch with your Research Development Team (for pre-award queries) and Research Delivery Team (for post-award queries).

Last updated: 03/04/20

UKRI

Staff have been advised to work from home and are still contactable via email. If you were due to visit any of their offices please get in touch to rearrange these meetings. Funding programmes will continue with application systems still operating as normal. Call deadlines are being monitored and extensions/ re-opening calls will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the appropriate councils.

BBSRC have delayed their April deadline until Late June.

British Academy

The Flexi-Grant system is still accessible for all applications. Deadlines for currently open calls currently remain in force and applicants should submit their applications as normal.

Royal Society

Royal Society staff have been advised to work from home and office locations are closed. All funding calls remain open with their currently advertised dates (there have been no postponements).

Leverhulme Trust

Leverhulme will be monitoring the ongoing situation and take it’s usual pargmatic approach. Funding deadlines have not been affected.

NIHR

All funding schemes are calls are open for applications and deadlines for all stages of applications remain as previously advertised. NIHR have set up a useful FAQ page.

UKRO

The UKRO has a specific COVID-19 section available on their portal, which is available under the resources tab. There is currently an extension in place for H2020 applications.

Dunhill Medical Trust

Dunhill will not be opening their new outline Research Grant applications (due to open 23rd March). They will be announcing a new strategic plan in Autumn 2020 hopefully with new deadlines and schemes.

Wellcome Trust

Schemes remain open with their current deadlines and extensions will not be granted.

MS Society

There will be new grant rounds opening due to COVID-19 however the situation is being continuously monitored.

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

Innovate UK – ISCF Transforming Foundation Industries: Building a Resilient Recovery

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of £8 million in grant funding for projects supporting recovery and growth of the UK’s foundation industries.

See full details

Eligibility

This competition is open to both single applicants and cross-sector collaborations.

To lead a project your UK registered organisation must:

• be a business of any size or a research and technology organisation (RTO)
• carry out its project work in the UK
• intend to exploit the results from or in the UK

Open now

Opened: 3 August 2020

Closes: 4 November 2020

View the webinar recordings here

If you are interested in this funding scheme, please contact your Faculty Business Development Manager, or a member of the central RKE team at conversation@mmu.ac.uk

SONY Research Award Program

The Sony Research Award Program provides funding for cutting-edge academic research and helps build a collaborative relationship between faculty and Sony researchers. With awards up to $150,000 USD* per year for each accepted proposal, both the Faculty Innovation Award and the Focused Research Award create new opportunities for university faculties to engage in pioneering research that could drive new technologies, industries and the future.

Faculty Innovation Award
Global research and development at Sony enables us to foster innovative ideas, which could ultimately lead to future technology advancements and company growth. In order to speed up and expand the creation of new ideas, we would like to partner with universities. This partnership will help cultivate advanced concepts and fertilize our own research and development. The Sony Faculty Innovation Award provides up to $100K USD* in funds to conduct pioneering research in the areas listed below. Click here to see bulleted keywords under each category title.

• Information Technology
• Devices and Materials
• Biomedical and Life Science

Focused Research Award

Solid research is the underlying driving force to crystallize fearless creativity and innovation. While we are committed to run in-house research and engineering, we are also excited to collaborate with academic partners to facilitate exploration of new and promising research. The Sony Focused Research Award provides an opportunity for university faculty and Sony to conduct this type of collaborative, focused research. The award provides up to $150K USD* in funds, and may be renewed for subsequent year(s). A list of candidate research topics appears below. Please select the Focused Research Theme for which your submission is written.

Themes:

• Manipulation Secure Image Sensing
• Self-supervised Learning for Spiking Neural Networks with Event based Vision Sensor
• Deep Learning and Deep Fusion towards Automotive Scene Perception
• Designing and Implementing Camera ISP Algorithms Using Deep Learning and Computer Vision
• Robust Mesh Tracking for Volumetric Capture
• Advanced Image Processing enabled by AI
• Novel Actuator
• Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence for Wireless Communications
• Reconfigurable Reflector Type Materials
• Individual Treatment Effect Estimation
• Acoustic Metamaterials
• Novel Technologies for GaN-based VCSELs
• Intelligent Sensing of Patient-Reported Outcomes

Click here for submission guidelines.

Deadline:

Submissions must be completed by 11:59 pm PDT (Pacific Daylight Time; GMT-7) on September 15, 2020 / 8:59 am CEST (Central European Summer Time; GMT+2) September 16, 2020.

 

Business of Fashion, Textiles & Technology – Challenge 2: SME R&D Support Programme

£1.5m is available to invest in your transformative ideas. 

The Business of Fashion, Textiles & Technology SME R&D Support Programme is now open for expressions of interest.

The fashion, textiles and technology related sector is buoyant, innovative and multidisciplinary, informing many adjacent sectors in the wider industry. Quite literally, spanning agriculture to advertising.

This funding call is looking to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the development of the next generation of products, services and experiences in the fashion, textiles and technology sectors – with sustainable innovation at their core.

Deadline for expressions of interest: 7 September 2020.

Join the information webinar on 10 August to find out more.

If you are interested in this call, please contact your Faculty Business Development Manager, or a member of the central RKE team at conversation@mmu.ac.uk

Innovate UK – Biomedical Catalyst 2020: round 1, early and late stage awards

UK registered SMEs can apply for a share of up to £30 million to develop a product or process that is an innovative solution to a health and care challenge.

See full details

Eligibility

This competition is open to single applicants and collaborations.

To lead a project your organisation must:

• be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) or a research and technology organisation (RTO)
• partner with at least one SME if the lead is an RTO

Open now

Opened: 27 July 2020

Closes: 7 October 2020

Online Briefing

An online briefing for this funding scheme will be held on 4 August 2020 at 1pm. Join the event here

If you are interested in this funding scheme, please contact your Faculty Business Development Manager, or a member of the central RKE team at conversation@mmu.ac.uk

Innovate UK – Eureka Eurostars 2: round 14

UK SMEs can apply for a share of up to £2.5 million to collaborate in research with partners across Europe and associated countries.

See full details

Eligibility

To lead a project in the UK you must:

• be a UK registered micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
• carry out research and development (R&D) that follows EUREKA’s eligibility requirements

Open now

Opened: 27 July 2020

Closes: 3 September 2020

If you are interested in this funding scheme, please contact your Faculty Business Development Manager, or a member of the central RKE team at conversation@mmu.ac.uk

Innovate UK – Agri-tech catalyst round 10

Agri-tech catalyst round 10: agriculture and food systems

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £2.5 million to work on agri-tech and food chain innovations in Africa.

Eligibility

This competition is open to collaborations only.

Your project must include all of the following:

• a business
• at least one partner from the UK
• at least one partner from an eligible African country

The application must be started by, and the award received by, a partner from the UK.

The project work can be led by a partner from the UK, an eligible African country or another country.

Early stage

• projects with total eligible costs between £100,000 and £500,000
• must start by 1 April 2021
• duration between 12 and 18 months

Mid stage

• projects with total eligible costs between £250,000 and £1 million
• must start by 1 April 2021
• duration up to 3 years

Late stage

• projects with total eligible costs between £150,000 and £800,000
• must start by 1 April 2021
• duration up to 18 months

Open now

Opened: 20 July 2020

Closes: 21 October 2020

Watch the online briefing events

If you are interested in this funding scheme, please contact your Faculty Business Development Manager directly, or a member of the central RKE team at conversation@mmu.ac.uk

Innovate UK – Automotive Transformation Fund

Automotive Transformation Fund expression of interest: July 2020

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £1 billion for R&D and capital projects that help industrialise the electrified automotive supply chain at scale in the UK.

Eligibility

This competition is open to single applicants and collaborations.

To lead a project or work alone your organisation must:

• be a UK registered business of any size
• carry out its project work in the UK
• exploit the results from or in the UK
• address the requirements of the Automotive Transformation Fund

Closing soon

Opened: 13 July 2020

Closes: 5 August 2020

ATF: moving the UK automotive sector to zero emissions

UK registered organisations can apply for a share of up to £10 million for feasibility studies to support industrialisation of the UK’s high-value electrified automotive supply chain.

Eligibility

This competition is open to single applicants and collaborations.

To lead a project your organisation must:

• be a UK registered business of any size, a research organisation, research and technology organisation (RTO) or a non-UK registered business or research organisation
• carry out its project work in the UK

Open now

Opened: 13 July 2020

Closes: 19 August 2020

Watch the online briefing:

If you are interested in these funding schemes, please contact your Faculty Business Development Manager directly, or a member of the central RKE team at conversation@mmu.ac.uk 

Innovate Funding: EUREKA Globalstars Singapore and Japan

• EUREKA GlobalStars Singapore CRD – Round 2 

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £1 million to develop innovative proposals with Singapore and other EUREKA participating members.

Eligibility

This competition is open to collaborations only.

UK lead applicant

To lead a project as a UK registered organisation you must:

• be a UK registered business, of any size
• involve at least one UK registered micro, small or medium sized enterprise (SME)
• collaborate with a Singapore registered business, which must be a separate non-linked legal entity to the UK partners

Open now

Opened: 17 June 2020

Closes: 15 October 2020

Please contact your Faculty Business Development Manager or email conversation@mmu.ac.uk to discuss submitting an application

• EUREKA GlobalStars Japan 

UK registered businesses can apply for a share of up to £1 million to develop innovative proposals with Japan and other EUREKA participating members.

Eligibility

This competition is open to collaborations only.

UK lead applicant

To lead a project your organisation must:

• be a UK registered business, of any size
• collaborate with a lead organisation registered in Japan

Open now

Opened: 8 June 2020

Closes: 10 September 2020

Please contact your Faculty Business Development Manager or email conversation@mmu.ac.uk to discuss submitting an application

AHRC New Generation Thinkers 2021 Call upcoming

• Opening date: 20 August 2020
• Closing date: 1 October 2020 16:00 UK time

This prestigious scheme offers early career researchers the opportunity to develop programmes for the BBC. If selected, you’ll workshop ideas with BBC producers, get media and public engagement training, and a platform for informing and influencing public opinion, policy and practice.

You’ll be an up-and-coming early career researcher who wants to share ideas with the largest possible audience. 60 applicants will be invited to BBC workshops, from which 10 will be selected as New Generation Thinkers. Thinkers will then experience a year of focused activity and development from the BBC and AHRC.

To get a good idea of what AHRC are looking for, they recommend you listen to work by previous New Generation Thinkers on the BBC website before you apply. You can also find more examples and other information about the scheme on AHRC’s New Generation Thinkers webpage.

Applicants

You must be in arts and humanities remit and be early career i.e. either:

1. A current PhD student who has made considerable progress on your research, for example within one year of submission, or
2. Within eight years of the award of your PhD, excluding any period of career break such as parental leave, caring responsibilities or health reasons, or
3. Within six years of your first academic appointment, excluding any period of career break such as parental leave, caring responsibilities or health reasons.

More information

All the details available here: https://ahrc.ukri.org/funding/apply-for-funding/current-opportunities/new-generation-thinkers-2021/

Please contact your Research Development Team for advice and support with your application.

REMINDER: Online Event: H2020 European Green Deal

As part of our subscription to UK Research Office (UKRO), we’re delighted to welcome Dr Branwen Hide (our European Advisor at UKRO) to talk to Manchester Met staff about the forthcoming Horizon 2020 Green Deal Call due to be launched in early autumn. The session will take place on Monday 13 July between 2.00pm and 3.30pm, and registration in advance will be essential.

As some of you may be aware, this call will support projects aligned with the European Green Deal, tackling challenges in areas such as climate action, greening industry, ensuring biodiversity and sustainable and smart mobility.

These calls are the last set to be launched under Horizon 2020, and will be one of our last chances to access EU R&D funding through the current programme.

If you’re interested in finding out more about these calls please register a place at the event via our Eventbrite page, and we will provide an online link to the event.