The Global Challenges Research FundSmall Grants Fund

Background

The University of Glasgow has received an allocation of £1.9 million from the Global Challenges Research Fund via the Scottish Funding Council. This money will be spent in accordance with the University of Glasgow strategy (available on the Knowledge Exchange section of the Research and Innovation Services) which was approved by the Scottish Funding Council in May 2018 and will be awarded through internal competition. In order to support the development of strong applications, we encourage all potential applicants to contact the International Development Coordinator Mary Ryan for advice on strengthening their proposals. Funds must be committed by March 31st, 2019 and all successful projects must report on their progress by June 1st, 2019. This year’s allocation of funding will support four types of applications. Each application type will use an identical application form and applicants can apply for multiple types of activity, but must submit a fully completed application form for each project. The four call types are:

Research Projects that have potential to develop into larger research initiatives through widening and deepening relationships with Low and Middle Income Country (LMIC) partners and conducting smaller scale preparatory studies. Projects can include funds to have LMIC-based researchers visit Glasgow.

Meetings and Exchanges to widen and/or deepen relationships with LMIC partners to strengthen potential collaborations. This can include exchanges of MPA, technical or research staff to ease the process of research management, budget setting and management, or meetings to develop research ideas and strengthen collaborative partnerships.

Administrative support for existing research networks that are transitioning from nascent to self-sustaining.

Capacity strengthening (e.g. training courses) to build research, technical and administrative skills in UofG and/or LMIC organisations to increase capacity to deliver collaborative research activities.

How to apply

If you are unsure about any aspect of this process contact Mary Ryan and ask. We want your application to be as strong and competitive as possible.

The deadline for applications for all calls is 23:59 on August 13th, 2018. The application form can be downloaded from the Knowledge Exchange section of the

Research and Innovation Services website It is the responsibility of the applicant(s) to ensure that all proposed activities are in

accordance with the University’s ethical guidance and Code of Good Practice for Research. Application forms should be submitted electronically to gcrf@glasgow.ac.uk.

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How to Apply Cont’d

Early Career Researchers would usually be those who are currently on fixed-term contracts or who are within 5 years (excluding any career breaks) of their first lectureship appointment. Well-justified exceptions would be considered – please contact Mary Ryan to discuss.

Any applicants wishing to apply for more than the stipulated amounts should provide strong justification for their request.

All applications are considered by the GCRF Coordination Group, comprising: Professor Jonathan Cooper, Vice-Principal Knowledge Exchange, CoSE Academic Representative, CoSE Professor Dan Haydon, GCID Convenor (Chair), MVLS Professor Chris Pearce, Dean of Research, CoSE Professor Graeme Milligan, Dean of Research, MVLS Professor Sally Wyke, Dean of Research, CoSS Professor Sayantan Ghosal, Dean for Interdisciplinary & Impact, CoSS Dr John R Davies, Research Fellow, CoA Professor Dauvit Brown, ArtsLab Director, CoA Lynne McCorriston, Business Development Manager, CoSE Dr Jane Townson, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, MVLS Dr Fiona Heatlie, Head of Research Business Development, CoSS Dr Mia Perry, Senior Lecturer, CoSS Professor Paul Garside, Dean for Global Engagement (Africa & Middle East), MVLS Dr Julia McClure, Lecturer, CoA Professor Faye Hammill, CoA

The panel will meet in the week commencing August 20th and decisions will be announced within two weeks of the meeting.

Successful applicants are encouraged to plan for projects to commence activities on October 1st, and use the period from funding decisions and that date to prepare any necessary subcontracts, hiring processes and budget set-up.

Decisions are final and not subject to appeal.

Call Details – Research Projects

This call is intended to support:

Teams, wherever possible working across the remit of two or more research councils (applications involving PIs or Co-Is from the College of Arts are particularly welcome), and including partners in ODA recipient countries, to develop partnerships and projects to target large scale, external GCRF funding calls. We encourage applicants to plan for LMIC researchers to visit Glasgow as part of their project activity.

Applicants can apply for up to £60,000 (including VAT) for research projects. Approximately 25% of the funds available are prioritized for proposals led by early career researchers.

Eligibility

This call is open to any academic staff from across the University who have salary support to cover the duration of any award

Expenses for items such as travel, accommodation, subsistence, consumables, etc. are eligible for inclusion in project budgets, and should be appropriately justified in your application

Costs for temporary staff are eligible for inclusion where it can be demonstrated that appropriate staff can be recruited in the timescale and/or that contractual arrangements for current staff on temporary contracts can be reasonably altered. For further advice about the costs and constraints associated with the inclusion of costs for temporary staff, including named researchers, please contact Jaclyn McCann.

There are no limits on the proportion of funding that may be allocated to HEIs and non-academic organisations in ODA recipient countries.

Partners from HEIs and non-academic organisations in the UK and in non-ODA recipient countries are eligible, but limited to 30% of the project budget, and applicants must clearly demonstrate why this activity is ODA eligible.

All projects that send funds to partner institutions will require a collaboration agreement and subcontract. The contracts team have developed a simplified template collaboration agreement and subcontract that can be quickly completed however applicants should discuss this requirement and the due diligence checks that may accompany this paperwork with partner institutions early in the application process.

Overheads can be included in the budget for LMIC partner organizations but cannot exceed 30% of their direct costs.

The fund is not intended to support the following costs for any partner:o Direct buy-out of time (salary costs/directly allocated costs) for existing, permanent

academic or professional services staffo Estates and indirect costs, or short falls from FEC funded research (with the

exception of LMIC partner overheads noted above)o PhD feeso Publisher costs associated with Open Access

Assessment Criteria

All Applications will first be assessed for eligibility, and then considered according to the following criteria: Potential for strengthening the position of the University of Glasgow and partner

organisations to contribute to GCRF strategy through both this initiative and future funding opportunities

Fit to School/Institute, College and University strategy The quality of the research proposed (or future research likely facilitated) and its

potential to impact on the development of ODA recipient countries (in terms of the challenges it addresses, clarity of aims and objectives; feasibility of achieving the stated outcomes within in the timescale).

Value for money and effective mitigation of risk Clear evaluation plans and ability to capture and demonstrate impact Promotion of interdisciplinary and cross-College research activity Involvement of UoG researchers new to GCRF-related activities Inclusion of non-academic delivery partners The strength of the evidence presented of demand from ODA recipient communities or

the quality of plans proposed to determine this demand

Reporting

Award recipients will be required to submit a report detailing expenditure, use and outcomes by June 1st, 2019.

All reporting requirements will be confirmed on award of funding.

Call Details – Meetings and Exchanges

This call is to support strengthening existing connectivity and developing new partnerships and will support two types of applications:

Applications for up to £30,000 to support meetings, networking activities or project development activities for new and existing partnerships with collaborators in ODA recipient countries. Funding may be used to develop new connections through exploratory meetings, or for meetings of established teams to develop new projects. This call will be particularly relevant for early career researchers who seek to develop research collaborations with LMIC country partners but have struggled to develop research proposals without existing relationships. At least 25% of the funds available are prioritized for ECR-led applications.

Applications of up to £7,500 for short-term (up to 1 month) staff visits between the University of Glasgow and partner organizations in LMIC countries. The purpose of this call is to help research, technical and professional staff members learn about the processes, challenges and opportunities present in their collaborators' institutions and to develop their own networks and professional collaborative relationships. Research staff intending to work on specific projects should apply under the “Research Projects” call – the Meeting and Exchanges call is for short visits not intended to deliver a particular research outcome.

Eligibility

This call is open to any academic, technical or administrative staff from across the University who have salary support to cover the duration of any award

Expenses for items such as travel, accommodation, subsistence, consumables, etc. are eligible for inclusion in project budgets, and should be appropriately justified in your application.

All projects that send funds to partner institutions will require a collaboration agreement and subcontract. The contracts team have developed a simplified template collaboration agreement and subcontract that can be quickly completed. However applicants should discuss this requirement and the due diligence checks that may accompany this paperwork with partner institutions early in the application process.

Overheads can be included in the budget for LMIC partner organizations but cannot exceed 30% of their direct costs.

The fund is not intended to support the following costs for any partner:o Direct buy-out of time (salary costs) for existing, permanent academic or

professional services staffo Estates and indirect costs, or short falls from FEC funded research (with the

exception of LMIC partner overheads noted above)o PhD feeso Publisher costs associated with Open Accesso Costs associated with specific research projects (e.g. field or lab work)

Assessment Criteria

Applications will first be assessed for eligibility, and then considered according to the following criteria: Potential for strengthening the position of the University of Glasgow and partner

organisations to contribute to GCRF strategy through both this initiative and future funding opportunities

Involvement of UoG staff new to GCRF-related activities Involvement of new LMIC partner organisations, particularly non-academic institutions The quality of the future research likely facilitated and the potential of your activities to

impact on the development of ODA recipient countries Value for money and effective mitigation of risk Clear evaluation plans Promotion of interdisciplinary and cross-College research activity Fit to School/Institute, College and University strategy

Reporting

Award recipients will be required to submit a report detailing expenditure, use and outcomes by June 1st, 2019.

All reporting requirements will be confirmed on award of funding.

Call Details – Network Support

This call will invite applications to support salary for administrative staff members in existing networks that have a high likelihood of transitioning into self-sustaining groups. Applicants can apply for up to 6 months of funding to support administrative salary costs of existing networks that include multiple partners in ODA-recipient countries. Preference will be given to proposals that employ administrators in ODA-recipient countries. There is no limit on the number of administrators or level of funding that can be included in the proposal, but all applications must demonstrate value for money. Full salary costings for all staff positions must be provided, and confirmed with Jaclyn McCann at least one week before the application deadline.

Eligibility

This call is open to any academic staff from across the University who have salary support to cover the duration of any award

Applicants must demonstrate that appropriate staff can be recruited in the timescale and/or that contractual arrangements for current staff on temporary contracts can be reasonably altered. For further advice about the costs and constraints associated with staff appointments, please contact Jaclyn McCann.

Applications must support collaborative activities with HEIs and non-academic organisations in ODA recipient countries. There are no limits on the proportion of funding that may be allocated to these partners.

Partners from HEIs and non-academic organisations in the UK and in non-ODA recipient countries are eligible, but limited to 30% of the project budget, and applicants must clearly demonstrate why this activity is ODA eligible.

All projects that send funds to partner institutions will require a collaboration agreement and subcontract. The contracts team have developed a simplified template collaboration agreement and subcontract that can be quickly completed however applicants should discuss this requirement and the due diligence checks that may accompany this paperwork with partner institutions early in the application process.

Overheads can be included in the budget for LMIC partner organizations but cannot exceed 30% of their direct costs.

The fund is not intended to support the following costs for any partner:o Direct buy-out of time (salary costs) for existing, permanent academic or

professional services staffo Estates and indirect costs, or short falls from FEC funded research (with the

exception of LMIC partner overheads noted above)o PhD feeso Publisher costs associated with Open Accesso Costs associated with specific research projects

Assessment Criteria

Applications will first be assessed for eligibility, and then considered according to the following criteria: Potential for strengthening the position of the University of Glasgow and partner

organisations to contribute to GCRF strategy through both this initiative and future funding opportunities

Fit to School/Institute, College and University strategy Promotion of interdisciplinary and cross-College research activity The quality of the research facilitated and its potential to impact on the development of

ODA recipient countries The strength of the evidence presented of demand from ODA recipient communities or

the quality of plans proposed to determine this demand Value for money and effective mitigation of risk Clear evaluation plans and ability to capture and demonstrate impact

Reporting

Award recipients will be required to submit a report detailing expenditure, use and outcomes within 4 weeks of the conclusion of the project.

All reporting requirements will be confirmed on award of funding.

Call Details – Training and Capacity Strengthening

This call will support explicit training activities to address skills needs in ODA-recipient countries. Applicants can apply for up to £15,000 to run workshops, exchanges, training sessions, summer schools, develop online training tools etc. Applications may address training needs that have been identified through other research projects but for which funding is not available within the funded research programme.

Eligibility

This call is open to any staff member from across the University who have salary support to cover the duration of any award

Expenses for items such as travel, accommodation, subsistence, consumables, etc. are eligible for inclusion in project budgets, and should be appropriately justified in your application.

Costs for temporary staff are eligible for inclusion where it can be demonstrated that appropriate staff can be recruited in the timescale and/or that contractual arrangements for current staff on temporary contracts can be reasonably altered. For further advice about the costs and constraints associated with the inclusion of costs for temporary staff, including named researchers, please contact Jaclyn McCann.

Collaborative projects with HEIs and non-academic organisations in ODA recipient countries are also particularly welcome. There are no limits on the proportion of funding that may be allocated to these partners.

Partners from HEIs and non-academic organisations in the UK and in non-ODA recipient countries are eligible, but limited to 30% of the project budget, and applicants must clearly demonstrate why this activity is ODA eligible.

All projects that send funds to partner institutions will require a collaboration agreement and subcontract. The contracts team have developed a simplified template collaboration agreement and subcontract that can be quickly completed however applicants should discuss this requirement and the due diligence checks that may accompany this paperwork with partner institutions early in the application process.

Overheads can be included in the budget for LMIC partner organizations but cannot exceed 30% of their direct costs.

The fund is not intended to support the following costs for any partner:o Direct buy-out of time (salary costs) for existing, permanent academic or

professional services staffo Estates and indirect costs, or short falls from FEC funded research (with the

exception of LMIC partner overheads noted above)o PhD feeso Publisher costs associated with Open Access

Assessment Criteria

Applications will first be assessed for eligibility, and then considered according to the following criteria: Potential for strengthening the position of the University of Glasgow and partner

organisations to contribute to GCRF strategy through both this initiative and future funding opportunities

Fit to School/Institute, College and University strategy Promotion of interdisciplinary and cross-College research activity Involvement of UoG researchers new to GCRF-related activities The quality of the future research activity likely facilitated and its potential to impact on

the development of ODA recipient countries The strength of the evidence presented of demand from ODA recipient communities or

the quality of plans proposed to determine this demand Value for money and effective mitigation of risk Clear evaluation plans and ability to capture and demonstrate impact

Reporting

Award recipients will be required to submit a report detailing expenditure, use and outcomes by June 1st, 2019.

All reporting requirements will be confirmed on award of funding.