1. EPSRC: Responsive Mode Funding
2. Royal Society: Wolfson Research Merit Awards (deadline: 23 October)
3. Royal Society: Research Grants (deadline: 26 October)
4. Royal Society: Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowships (deadline: 11 December)
5. Royal Society: Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship (deadline: 12 December)
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1. EPSRC: Responsive Mode Funding
EPSRC defines responsive mode funding as a flexible scheme with a large scale of projects supported ranging from small value, short term grants to multi-million pound research programmes. Key features of the responsive mode are: (1) there a no cloning dates; (2) no constraint on the filed of research as long as it falls within the EPSRC’s remit; and (3) research quality is the main criterion against which the proposals are assessed.
A useful description of responsive mode funding and a comprehensive guide to applicants can be found
here. The EPSRC has published additional tips to be used when preparing the newly required Impact Plan that can be found
here.
2. Royal Society: Wolfson Research Merit Awards
Jointly funded by the Wolfson Foundation and DIUS, this scheme aims to provide universities with additional support to enable them to attract to this country, or retain, respected scientists of outstanding achievement and potential. Awards are made to the university and as such researchers must remain at the university named on the application.
The focus of the award is salary enhancement. Research expenses are also considered for research costs not suitable for Research Councils' research grants applications and for overseas applicants to support integration into the UK research and funding environment.
Eligibility: Applicants can be of any nationality and must hold, or be guaranteed, a permanent post at a UK university. All applicants must have their basic salary wholly funded by the university.
Length of tenure: Five years funding after which the award holder continues with the permanent post at the host university.
Place of tenure: UK University. Please note that these awards are made to the host university and cannot be transferred to another university.
Value: Salary enhancements have been made usually in the range of £10K to £30K per annum.
Website link:
http://royalsociety.org/funding.asp?id=1127
Internal deadline: 16 October 2009.
3. Royal Society: Research Grants
This scheme provides ‘seed corn' funding for new projects initiated by research scientists at an early stage of their career (within the first 5 years). The objective of the scheme is to increase the availability of specialised equipment, consumable materials and services, and to support essential field research. The scheme also provides support for research in the history of science or to assist with publication of scholarly works in the history of science (subject category I), and we welcome any research proposal or publication in the area of Royal Society history.
A parallel round is available for current Royal Society University Research Fellows and Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellows who are beginning the second year of their fellowship in October. Subjects covered: All disciplines in which the Society will elect researchers to the Fellowship of the Royal Society
Eligibility: Applicants must be resident in the UK. They should have postdoctoral level or equivalent status at the time of the application and have a permanent or limited-tenure position in an eligible organisation. An applicant who is a postdoctorate paid by a grant for which someone else is the principal investigator is not eligible. Applicants must play a major part and take a leading role in the project and not make its fulfilment more than marginally dependent on the services of postgraduate/doctoral students.
Length of tenure: The grant is for a period of 12 months
Place of tenure: UK University or not-for-profit research organisation (except for Research Council Institutes).
Value: For all subject categories (A to I), up to £15,000 (including VAT) is available for the purchase of specialised equipment, essential consumable materials and services. Up to £5,000 (including VAT) is available for the publication of scholarly works in the history of science.
Website:
http://royalsociety.org/funding.asp?id=1128
Internal deadline: 19 October 2009.
4. Royal Society: Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowships
This fellowship scheme was established through the generosity of the Leverhulme Trust and seeks to provide opportunities for academic researchers to be relieved of all their teaching and administrative duties to enable them to concentrate on full-time research for up to one year.
Eligibility: Applicants must be of postdoctoral status or equivalent, hold a permanent post in a UK university and be at a stage in their career when they would particularly benefit from a period of full-time research.
Length of tenure: Between one academic term and one year.
Place of tenure: Normally the applicant's own university, or any university or not-for-profit research organisation in the UK. This includes industrial research organisations in the UK, approved by the Council of the Royal Society and the Leverhulme Trust.
Value: The Fellow's employing institution will be reimbursed for the full salary costs for the applicant (up to the equivalent of the minimum point on the lectureship scale as paid by the host university). Research expenses up to a maximum of £2,500 are also available.
Website link:
http://royalsociety.org/funding.asp?id=1124
Internal deadline: 7 December 2009.
5. Royal Society: Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships
The Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship scheme supports excellent scientists and engineers at an early stage of their career. The Royal Society invites in particular female candidates to apply for an opportunity that is designed to help successful candidates to progress to permanent academic positions in the UK. Each fellowship offers: • The possibility of holding appointments on a part-time basis or converting from full-time to part-time and back again to help match work and other commitments, such as parental or caring responsibilities etc. • The possibility to claim back time spent deferring the fellowship and/or working part-time at the end of the fellowship. • The possibility of claiming some funds for family support where these can be justified on scientific grounds, e.g. the cost of child care during a conference or collaborative visit abroad. • The option of participating in a mentor scheme and of networking with other Dorothy Hodgkin Fellows.
Eligibility: Applicants are expected to be at an early stage of their career. As an example, applicants could have had one or two post doc positions. Applicants who have not yet submitted their PhD must have done so by 1 October 2010 and, if offered an appointment, cannot take it up until a successful result has been received. The latest date the award can be deferred to is 1 January 2011.
Persons holding a permanent post in a university will not be considered (includes UK).
Length of tenure: A maximum of 4 years' funding is guaranteed.
Place of tenure: Fellowships must be held in a UK University or not-for-profit research organisation (except for Research Council Institutes).
Value: Provides funding to cover the research fellow's salary costs, estates costs and indirect costs. Under the full economic costing model, 80 per cent of these costs will be met by the Royal Society. Research expenses (up to £13,000 for the first year and up to £11,000 annually thereafter) will also be provided.
Website link:
http://royalsociety.org/funding.asp?id=1122
Internal deadline: 21 December 2009.
