New Initiatives Fund 2010/11

Applications will be invited in September 2012 for the next academic year.

Each year the University sets aside funding to support the personal, professional and career development of its researchers.  For 2011/12, £5k is available for activity that is planned and managed by researchers. This could be anything from a careers or public engagement event to an industry visit or even launching your own journal.  The main proviso with this funding is that we can't fund something directly related to your research (e.g. conferences or technical training).  It is anticipated that most bids will be for activity that benefits groups of researchers from more than one College. 

Conference organisation is considered to be research specific but, in some cases, can receive partial funding to cover elements that directly address the impact agenda or careers and transferable skills training.  An example of this would be a conference session that looks at public engagement, knowledge transfer or careers outside of academia. 

How to apply:
1.  Have a look at Funding for Researcher Led Initiatives (PDF 1kb) as this gives you information on the things we are looking for
2.  Make sure that your bid clearly demonstrates how it is of career development benefit to researchers.  Write in clear English, avoiding technical or subject-specific language.
3.  Have a look at projects that have been funded in the past
4.  Get in touch to discuss your idea, get hints and tips on what to include and how to sell your idea
5.  Complete the New initiatives application form 

How decisions are made:
Decisions are made by the Researcher Development Committee which is made up of representatives from across the university, including the four colleges, the careers service, PGR office and the Learning and Teaching Centre.  It is chaired by Professor Steve Beaumont, VP Research and Enteprise. 

You will hear a response within one week of the meeting date.

If you receive funding:
A member of University staff should be appointed as the budget holder.
Download our Guide to organising events to help you with planning your event.
You will be required to submit a short evaluation report, one month after your event.  We will provide you with a template for this.