We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
For this funding opportunity we are using a hybrid approach. You will be required to complete financial information for all the staff requested and provide high level information for the non-staff costs within the Funding Service. You will be required to answer several questions and upload a case for support which should be provided as an attachment within the Funding Service.
We will require you to provide more detailed financial information off-system.
All proposals should be submitted online using the Funding Service. How applicants use the Funding Service, includes how to create your Funding Service account, user briefings and training tutorials and system help.
The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.
For consortium grants, only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.
To apply
Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.
- Confirm you are the project lead.
- Sign in or create Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.org
- Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document (including the Case for Support), follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page
- Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
- Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
- Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI
Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant:
- use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words
- insert each new image onto a new line
- provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)
- files must be smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format
This relates to the Funding Service only, not the uploaded document.
Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service.
For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:
Deadline
We must receive your application by 21 February 2024 at 4.00pm UK time.
You will not be able to apply after this time.
Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.
Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.
Personal data
STFC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.
We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.
Publication of outcomes
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.
Summary
Word limit: 550
In plain English, please provide a summary of your application.
We may make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, so make it suitable for a variety of readers.
Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
- context
- the challenge the projects address
- aims and objectives
- potential applications and benefits
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
- project lead (PL)
- project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
- researcher co-lead (RcL)
- specialist
- grant manager
- professional enabling staff
- doctoral student
- research and innovation associate
- technician
- visiting researcher
Only list one individual as project lead.
Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.
Case for support
Word limit: 5
We require you to provide a case for support document which should be uploaded as an attachment. Our applicant guidance provides the details required to write this document.
Create a document that includes your responses to all criteria. Please see the supporting document for the relevant page limits. The document should be single spaced, in 11-point Arial (or equivalent sans serif font) with margins of at least 2cm. You may include images, graphs, tables.
For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘Case for support’.
Save this document as a single PDF file, no bigger than 8MB. Unless specifically requested, please do not include any sensitive personal data within the attachment.
If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected.
The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.
Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)
Word limit: 500
What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:
- the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations
- how you will manage these considerations
You are expected to consider UKRI’s trusted research and innovation work programme aimed at protecting all those working in our thriving and collaborative international research and innovation sector.
Project leads are asked to answer the following questions associated the experiments that the group participates in:
a. Does the research in this application relate to any of the 17 sensitive areas of the economy identified in the NS&I Act?
b. Does the research in this application include international collaboration?
c. Is this application part of an experiment at an international facility?
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the service.
Data management and sharing
Word limit: 1,000
How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Provide a data management plan that clearly details how you will comply with UKRI’s published data sharing policy, which includes detailed guidance notes.
Please use the data management plan guidance provided by STFC.
Resources and cost justification
Word limit: 5
You will be required to input financial information for all the staff requested and provide high level information for the non-staff costs within the Funding Service. In addition, we will require you to complete a detailed breakdown of the costs as you would have done through the Je-S system. You will need to confirm you have submitted this breakdown to us within the Funding Service.
The resource and cost justification for this funding opportunity must be included within the case for support What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost? section. Details around the page count can be found in the supporting documentation. You will need to confirm within the Funding Service that this information has been included in your Case for Support and that the financial spreadsheet has been provided.
All costs associated with the research proposal must be justified, with the exception of estates, indirects, and infrastructure technician costs, and the unit cost of the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) -determined elements such as investigator salary costs or research facility charge-out costs, although the amount of resource required does need to be justified.
Assessors want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work show the following:
- are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
- represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
- maximise potential outcomes and impacts