The University has a fund which provides support for large bids. You can find further information on the Large Bid Fund and guidance how to apply here:
https://www.research-strategy.admin.cam.ac.uk/research-funding/support-large-bid-preparation
The team in the Research Strategy Ofiice can assist you, as we are aware the application process can be time consuming. The RSO can offer support with facilitation, coordination and input into large complex bids, particularly to promote cross-disciplinary grant applications.
Please get in touch if you are interested and we can help.
Restricted call: British Academy Global Professorships 2024 (internal deadline: 4th September 2024)
The British Academy invites applications for Global Professorships 2024 programme – a funding opportunity for established researchers to undertake high-risk, curiosity-driven research in the humanities and social sciences in a UK research institution.
This programme provides mid-career to senior scholars – active in any discipline within the social sciences and the humanities and based in any country overseas – with an opportunity to work in the UK for four years. Applications must be for new, coherent, and cutting-edge projects. The Academy is looking to support academics that are proposing ambitious, beyond the state-of-the-art applications that break new ground.
The Global Professorships are expected to add significant value to the UK host institution and vice versa, and thus the projects must be significant, leading to novel and innovative collaborations.
Applications from historically and/or structurally disadvantaged groups and female researchers are particularly encouraged to apply.
Value and duration:
The Academy will provide up to £900,000 over four years. The starting date must be between 26th March 2025 and 30 September 2025.
Eligibility requirements:
- Applicants must hold a doctoral degree (or have equivalent experience)
- Applicants must be currently employed outside the UK and be based outside the UK at the time of application
- Applicants must be available to take up an unpaid leave of absence, a long-term secondment, or employment away from their home institution
For more details on eligibility requirements, please see page 5 of the funder’s scheme guidance notes here.
University Internal selection:
The British Academy does not expect more than 4 applications per institution in this round. Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure.
The internal selection process for this scheme will be coordinated via School offices. We invite Schools, Museums, and UL to submit their ranked nominations by completing the online form by 4th September 2024. For your convenience, the attached document outlines the questions asked in the form. If asked to log-in, please use your Raven details. Please note that the online form must be completed in one sitting and cannot be saved and/or returned to for future editing.
You will need the following documents and information to complete the Form:
I. Ranked list of applicants from your school, listing all the applicants to this scheme within your School.
Please include the following details for each candidate:
- School ranking
- Applicant’s title and name
- Applicant’s email address
- Applicant’s host department
II. Merged documents for all candidates.
Please include the following in one document for each candidate:
- Head of Department support letter confirming their support
- Applicant’s CV (up to 4 pages, including publications)
- Proposal details (up to 700 words)
- Reasons for choosing the University of Cambridge as the UK host institution (up to 300 words)
Assessment criteria:
Internal applications will be evaluated based on the funder’s select assessment criteria:
- applicant’s research track record and/or promise of the applicant
- the quality, ambition, and originality of the proposed research vision and programme, with the aim to support state-of-the-art applications that break new ground
- the distinct research contribution and added value that the applicant will be able to make to the UK host institution
Applicant should be aware of the importance that assessors place on the viability, specificity, and originality of the research programme and its achievability within the timescale.
Please note that the four selected applicants will require a support letter from the PVC for Research. We will provide further details about this requirement after the internal selection process –the deadline for draft letters will be 25th September 2024.
Funder deadline: 23rd October 2024, 5pm.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Documents
Restricted call: UKRI cross research council responsive mode pilot scheme: round 2 (internal deadline: 9th September 2024)
Full details for this round are not yet available, as the call is expected to open on 2nd September 2024. However, due to the tight timeframe between the call opening and the funder deadline, we are circulating our process now. Please note that because the funder has only pre-announced the call, details may change, and we will communicate such changes as necessary.
UKRI has pre-announced the Cross-research council responsive mode pilot scheme: Round 2. This scheme will fund around 36 awards for projects advancing breakthrough interdisciplinary ideas that transcend, combine or significantly span disciplines and research council remits. UKRI will fund awards of between £200,000 and £1,200,000 each for projects that last up to 2 years from either individual applicants or teams from a single organisation or across a number of organisations. UKRI have produced a 20 minute video which aims to provide potential applicants to the scheme with a better understanding of interdisciplinary research as it relates to the Cross Research Council Responsive Mode scheme, what good interdisciplinary research looks like, and what assessors will be looking for in applications.
UKRI will hold a webinar dedicated to informing prospective applicants across the UKRI research community on UKRI-supported facilities and services on offer across the research councils at 10am on 4 July 2024. UKRI will also hold webinars for this scheme to provide more information about the funding opportunity and a chance to ask questions at 10am on 5th September, and 2pm on 11th September. Please click the links to register. In addition, the University of Cambridge's Research Funding Team will hold an information session for this scheme in mid-July 2024. More details will follow about this event in due course.
UKRI have also provided a helpful document of generalised feedback on outline applications from last year’s round, which may be useful in preparing your application.
Please see the full scheme guidance for further information.
University Internal selection:
The University of Cambridge can only submit a maximum of 20 applications as the lead organisation. Therefore, this call will be managed according to the University’s restricted calls procedure. If you are leading on a bid to this scheme, please complete the online selection form by 9th September, 2024.
You will need the following documents and information to complete the Form:
- Basic details about the project including the interdisciplinary interface that best aligns with your proposal and a list of internal and external collaborators
- Head of Department Support Letter confirming their support for the project and that the lead department is happy to host the project.
- Project Summary (max 850 words) which addresses the three assessment criteria listed below
Internal Assessment Criteria:
The assessment of internal applications will focus on the following core funder criteria:
− Vision: the proposed work is timely, has high potential to deliver ground-breaking outcomes, advance current understanding and generate new knowledge, thinking, concepts, techniques, methods or technologies or discoveries only achieved through interdisciplinary research and disruptive ideas.
− Approach: the proposed work is clearly interdisciplinary in a way that explores new types of, and approaches to interdisciplinary research, involves all disciplines required in the co-creation and design, reciprocally benefits all the disciplines involved and addresses and overcomes the challenges of interdisciplinary research.
− Applicant and Team Capability to Deliver: the proposed work includes a project team with the skills and expertise in the disciplines required for the delivery of the project.
Overview of internal process:
Please note, For ease of reference, internal deadlines are marked in red.
- Call opens: 2nd September, 2024
- Internal deadline for applicants to submit MS Form: 9th September, 2024
- Funder deadline for submission of outline applications: 19th November, 2024
- Funder deadline for submission of full applications: 3rd July, 2025
If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact us at researchstrategy@admin.cam.ac.uk.