Research & Innovation Services

Applications to the Small Grants can be led by any UofG staff member with school approval to hold General Funds (please check with your local school finance contact).

GKE Small Grants Fund can fund projects at a maximum cost of £2,000. Projects are expected to start within 2 months of funding decision and last for no more than 6 months. Funds awarded must be spent by 31st July of the financial year in which awards are made. There is no possibility of project extension.

Projects need to have a clear link to underpinning University of Glasgow research.

The GKEF recognises that pathways from research to impact are complex and diverse and encourage creative project proposals and activities. Whilst not an exhaustive list, some examples of eligible activities are:

• Secondments/Placements of staff, between the University and a non-academic partner from any sector. Secondments/Placements can be part-time or full-time and range in duration from weeks to months. Secondments/Placements of permanent staff may also be considered.
• Fellowships and internships with non-academic organisations to concentrate on specific knowledge exchange projects. Staff buy-out may be considered in exceptional circumstances.
• De-risking of research outputs/outcomes for commercial uptake, including market assessments, toolkit development, prototype and demonstrator development, proof-of-concept activity and application-focused feasibility projects.
• Engagement with policymakers and practitioners at any stage of the research-impact cycle, for example through events, knowledge exchange workshops, collaborative toolkit development, collaborative activity to co-produce evidence, and/or mechanisms to ensure the uptake of that evidence.
• Engagement with partners in private, public or third sectors to foster innovation, new collaborative relationships, or to deepen/broaden existing relationships.
• Engagement with communities to pursue new research agendas, to increase the uptake of relevant research outcomes, and other public engagement initiatives, provided they are structured in a way that supports the creation of strong, well-evidenced impact. Initiatives designed to support engagement with underserved or marginalised communities or groups are particularly welcome.

Examples of costs that would be eligible include:

• Staffing costs, e.g. RA's - note that reimbursement for UofG permanent staff time is not permitted as knowledge exchange and engagement are assumed to fall within existing remits. All requested funding for staff costs should be justified in the 'detail' text box.
• Consumables
• Small equipment
• Travel
• Workshops and seminars
• Specialist sub-contract work

The GKEF does not fund Estates and Indirect costs.

For collaborative projects with non-academic organisations, we are looking for evidence of partner commitment to the project. This may come in the form of a contribution to the project costs (cash and/or in-kind) - particularly with private sector partners. In-kind contributions could include partner organisation staff time, provision of access to equipment, materials, data or other items. Partner contributions should reflect the role of the partner in the project, their appreciation of its potential value, and their willingness and ability to contribute.

For collaborative projects, including secondments, a collaboration agreement will be required before funding is released to agree the arrangements for intellectual property and the terms and conditions for staff. The University of Glasgow Contracts Team leads on arranging these agreements. Awardees are encouraged to speak to their College knowledge exchange and/or impact team for support in discussing these issues with their partners at an early stage of project development.

Applicants will be asked to confirm that external collaborators have seen and approved the application, workplan, and budget prior to submission.

You will be required to provide to report at the conclusion of a GKEF funded project, reporting requirements will be agreed in line with the sum requested and the type of activity funded.

You can also expect:

• Information from project applications and reports may be used to support reporting on overall GKEF outcomes.
• The names and descriptions of GKEF-funded projects, as well as the names of successful PI/Lead Applicants may be shared with the University’s Senior Management Group and posted on the University of Glasgow webpages.

Contact the Research Impact and Engagement team to discuss your plans and recieve an application form. 

Assessment process and criteria

Applications will be assessed by the GKEF managers in the Research Impact and Engagement team as they are received. We use criteria similar to those for the other funding streams, but requirements for meeting criteria are assessed within the context of the sum requested and the lighter-touch application form. Considerations will include:

• Clarity of link between underpinning research to the engagement activities. 
• Visibility of any external partners in the project, including evidence of their commitment to the project via in-kind or cash support, role in delivering activity (if applicable) and in the potential for sustainability and further development of the collaborative relationships. (Note that any external organisation collaborating on the project will need to have seen/reviewed the application.)
• Immediate- and longer-term vision for potential impact generation, and how the proposed project outcomes might enable next steps towards that goal. 
• Construction of the plan, including any risks and mitigation steps, and probability that the project will deliver on its objectives and Fund aims.
• Quality of evaluation plan and next steps - a sustainability plan that should capture outcomes and provide a step forward or step-up to generating long-term envisaged impact. 

Applications to the Flexible Fund can be led by any UofG staff member with school approval to hold General Funds (please check with your local school finance contact).

GKE Flexible Fund can fund projects at a maximum cost of £30,000. Projects are expected to start within 2 months of funding decision and last for 6 months. Funds awarded must be spent by 31st July of the financial year in which awards are made. There is no possibility of project extension.

Projects need to have a clear link to underpinning University of Glasgow research.

The GKEF recognises that pathways from research to impact are complex and diverse and encourage creative project proposals and activities. Whilst not an exhaustive list, some examples of eligible activities are:

• Secondments/Placements of staff, between the University and a non-academic partner from any sector. Secondments/Placements can be part-time or full-time and range in duration from weeks to months. Secondments/Placements of permanent staff may also be considered.
• Fellowships and internships with non-academic organisations to concentrate on specific knowledge exchange projects. Staff buy-out may be considered in exceptional circumstances.
• De-risking of research outputs/outcomes for commercial uptake, including market assessments, toolkit development, prototype and demonstrator development, proof-of-concept activity and application-focused feasibility projects.
• Engagement with policymakers and practitioners at any stage of the research-impact cycle, for example through events, knowledge exchange workshops, collaborative toolkit development, collaborative activity to co-produce evidence, and/or mechanisms to ensure the uptake of that evidence.
• Engagement with partners in private, public or third sectors to foster innovation, new collaborative relationships, or to deepen/broaden existing relationships.
• Engagement with communities to pursue new research agendas, to increase the uptake of relevant research outcomes, and other public engagement initiatives, provided they are structured in a way that supports the creation of strong, well-evidenced impact. Initiatives designed to support engagement with underserved or marginalised communities or groups are particularly welcome.

Examples of costs that would be eligible include:

• Staffing costs, e.g. RA's - note that reimbursement for UofG permanent staff time is not permitted as knowledge exchange and engagement are assumed to fall within existing remits. All requested funding for staff costs should be justified in the 'detail' text box.
• Consumables
• Small equipment
• Travel
• Workshops and seminars
• Specialist sub-contract work

The GKEF does not fund Estates and Indirect costs.

For collaborative projects with non-academic organisations, we are looking for evidence of partner commitment to the project. This may come in the form of a contribution to the project costs (cash and/or in-kind) - particularly with private sector partners. In-kind contributions could include partner organisation staff time, provision of access to equipment, materials, data or other items. Partner contributions should reflect the role of the partner in the project, their appreciation of its potential value, and their willingness and ability to contribute.

For collaborative projects, including secondments, a collaboration agreement will be required before funding is released to agree the arrangements for intellectual property and the terms and conditions for staff. The University of Glasgow Contracts Team leads on arranging these agreements. Awardees are encouraged to speak to their College knowledge exchange and/or impact team for support in discussing these issues with their partners at an early stage of project development.

Applicants will be asked to confirm that external collaborators have seen and approved the application, workplan, and budget prior to submission.

You will be required to provide a project report at the conclusion of a GKEF funded project.

 You can also expect:

• Specific reporting requirements to be confirmed on award of funding.
• An invite to submit the end of project report via an online portal approximately 6 months after project completion.
• An in-project, mid-way monitoring meeting with the GKEF managers to discuss project set up, challenges or issues faced, and ensure projects are progressing at the pace laid out in the workplan.
• An additional audit may be conducted at further intervals after the conclusion of projects to track impact over time.
• Information from project applications and reports may be used to support reporting on overall GKEF outcomes.
• The names and descriptions of GKEF-funded projects, as well as the names of successful PI/Lead Applicants may be shared with the University’s Senior Management Group and posted on the University of Glasgow webpages.

Reporting questions 

The final GKEF project report consists of 3 qualitative questions and a series of quantitative questions.

The quantitative questions are:

• Tell us about the type and number of organisations your project has as collaborators.
• During your GKEF project, did you collaborate with a (non-academic) partner organisation that you have not collaborated with previously? If "Yes", how many new (non-academic) organisations did you collaborate with during the GKEF project
• Tell us about the number and types of activities carried out in your project and funded by GKEF
• If recorded, tell us the number of people that attended or were trained by events funded by your project/GKEF
• Tell us about the outputs from your project (number/amount)- including the value of new licensing agreements, investments from Private Equity or Venture Capital, and income from consultancy or contract research
• Which of the following SDG targets does your project activities and outcomes align to? (Select all that are relevant)
• In terms of potential impacts, in what area do you think these may occur?
• What do you think will be the main pathways to impact for this project?
• Tell us about the geographic reach of your GKEF project activities and their outcomes

The qualitative questions are:

• Tell us about the outcomes of your project and any impacts achieved - what changes has the project delivered? If applicable, briefly outline next steps identified during the course of the project or any additional activities undertaken as result of this project. (Maximum 700 words)
• Detail any qualitative or quantitative information/documentation you may have gathered that evidences the successful outcomes of your project. (Maximum 200 words)
• Optional question: Would you like to provide any other details regarding your project that you would like to highlight? These may include example measures used to address/ensure equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in your project that worked particularly well; key factors which contributed to achieving the success in your planned objectives; unforeseen challenges to deliver your project, etc. (Maximum 500 words)

Currently closed for applications 

The fund is open to UofG staff members who are at an early stage in their research independence.

Examples of research independence include evidence of holding external research funding; generation of research outputs; specific contributions to the wider research and innovation community, contributions to research users and society; supporting the development of others as part of significant leadership, management, supervision roles; as well as awards where the applicant was not the principal investigator, and more.

For reference, some organisations/funders may refer to those eligible for this fund as Early Career Researchers. This resource from UofG’s Research Culture and Researcher Development Teams may help applicants reflect and frame relevant evidence of their career stage and research independence. If you are unsure whether you are eligible for the GKEF Enabling Fund, reach out to our team at RIandE@glasgow.ac.uk.

The lead applicant on the project should:

• Have approval to hold General Funds (please check with your local school finance contact).
• Be able to evidence an independent role in leading or contributing to the generation of, and flow of, new ideas, hypotheses, tools, or knowledge, in the research outputs that underpin the proposed GKEF project.
• Identify a mentor within the University of Glasgow and briefly describe their role in the application. This could include but is not limited to providing disciplinary or sectoral guidance to formulate the engagement activity(s) of the project, sharing and/or developing contacts and networks, or coaching the mentee for career-related next steps during and/or after the end of GKEF project. The mentor would be expected to commit to 3 meetings with the mentee.

GKE Enabling Fund can fund projects at a maximum cost of £15,000. Projects are expected to start within 2 months of funding decision and last for 6 months. Funds awarded must be spent by 31st July of the financial year in which awards are made. There is no possibility of project extension.

Projects need to have a clear link to underpinning University of Glasgow research.

The GKEF recognises that pathways from research to impact are complex and diverse and encourage creative project proposals and activities. Whilst not an exhaustive list, some examples of eligible activities are:

• Secondments/Placements of staff, between the University and a non-academic partner from any sector. Secondments/Placements can be part-time or full-time and range in duration from weeks to months. Secondments/Placements of permanent staff may also be considered.
• Fellowships and internships with non-academic organisations to concentrate on specific knowledge exchange projects. Staff buy-out may be considered in exceptional circumstances.
• De-risking of research outputs/outcomes for commercial uptake, including market assessments, toolkit development, prototype and demonstrator development, proof-of-concept activity and application-focused feasibility projects.
• Engagement with policymakers and practitioners at any stage of the research-impact cycle, for example through events, knowledge exchange workshops, collaborative toolkit development, collaborative activity to co-produce evidence, and/or mechanisms to ensure the uptake of that evidence.
• Engagement with partners in private, public or third sectors to foster innovation, new collaborative relationships, or to deepen/broaden existing relationships.
• Engagement with communities to pursue new research agendas, to increase the uptake of relevant research outcomes, and other public engagement initiatives, provided they are structured in a way that supports the creation of strong, well-evidenced impact. Initiatives designed to support engagement with underserved or marginalised communities or groups are particularly welcome.

Examples of costs that would be eligible include:

• Staffing costs, e.g. RA's - note that reimbursement for UofG permanent staff time is not permitted as knowledge exchange and engagement are assumed to fall within existing remits. All requested funding for staff costs should be justified in the 'detail' text box.
• Consumables
• Small equipment
• Travel
• Workshops and seminars
• Specialist sub-contract work

The GKEF does not fund Estates and Indirect costs.

For collaborative projects with non-academic organisations, we are looking for evidence of partner commitment to the project. This may come in the form of a contribution to the project costs (cash and/or in-kind) - particularly with private sector partners. In-kind contributions could include partner organisation staff time, provision of access to equipment, materials, data or other items. Partner contributions should reflect the role of the partner in the project, their appreciation of its potential value, and their willingness and ability to contribute.

For collaborative projects, including secondments, a collaboration agreement will be required before funding is released to agree the arrangements for intellectual property and the terms and conditions for staff. The University of Glasgow Contracts Team leads on arranging these agreements. Awardees are encouraged to speak to their College knowledge exchange and/or impact team for support in discussing these issues with their partners at an early stage of project development.

Applicants will be asked to confirm that external collaborators have seen and approved the application, workplan, and budget prior to submission.

You will be required to provide a project report at the conclusion of a GKEF funded project.

 You can also expect:

• Specific reporting requirements to be confirmed on award of funding.
• An invite to submit the end of project report via an online portal approximately 6 months after project completion.
• An in-project, mid-way monitoring meeting with the GKEF managers to discuss project set up, challenges or issues faced, and ensure projects are progressing at the pace laid out in the workplan.
• An additional audit may be conducted at further intervals after the conclusion of projects to track impact over time.
• Information from project applications and reports may be used to support reporting on overall GKEF outcomes.
• The names and descriptions of GKEF-funded projects, as well as the names of successful PI/Lead Applicants may be shared with the University’s Senior Management Group and posted on the University of Glasgow webpages.

Reporting questions 

The final GKEF project report consists of 3 qualitative questions and a series of quantitative questions.

The quantitative questions are:

• Tell us about the type and number of organisations your project has as collaborators.
• During your GKEF project, did you collaborate with a (non-academic) partner organisation that you have not collaborated with previously? If "Yes", how many new (non-academic) organisations did you collaborate with during the GKEF project
• Tell us about the number and types of activities carried out in your project and funded by GKEF
• If recorded, tell us the number of people that attended or were trained by events funded by your project/GKEF
• Tell us about the outputs from your project (number/amount)- including the value of new licensing agreements, investments from Private Equity or Venture Capital, and income from consultancy or contract research
• Which of the following SDG targets does your project activities and outcomes align to? (Select all that are relevant)
• In terms of potential impacts, in what area do you think these may occur?
• What do you think will be the main pathways to impact for this project?
• Tell us about the geographic reach of your GKEF project activities and their outcomes

The qualitative questions are:

• Tell us about the outcomes of your project and any impacts achieved - what changes has the project delivered? If applicable, briefly outline next steps identified during the course of the project or any additional activities undertaken as result of this project. (Maximum 700 words)
• Detail any qualitative or quantitative information/documentation you may have gathered that evidences the successful outcomes of your project. (Maximum 200 words)
• Optional question: Would you like to provide any other details regarding your project that you would like to highlight? These may include example measures used to address/ensure equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in your project that worked particularly well; key factors which contributed to achieving the success in your planned objectives; unforeseen challenges to deliver your project, etc. (Maximum 500 words)

Currently closed for applications