Applying to the ESRC - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 / 26
About This Presentation
Title:

Applying to the ESRC

Description:

3 Studentship. Postdoctoral Fellowship. Small Grant. Large Grant. Mid-career Fellowship ... Studentship Schemes. First Grants. Seminars. Large Grants. Centres ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:63
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 27
Provided by: tracyd1
Category:

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: Applying to the ESRC


1
Applying to the ESRC
  • Adrian Alsop, ESRC Director for Research

2
What this presentation covers
  • Brief overview of funding opportunities
  • The lifecycle of a standard grant proposal
  • Overview
  • Writing the proposal
  • ESRC Office Checks
  • Peer Review
  • Assessor review
  • The Research Grants Board

3
ESRC Facts and Figures
  • 99m invested in research
  • 46m invested in training
  • At any one time, the ESRC supports
  • 2,800 doctoral students
  • 930 grants and fellowships
  • 350 projects within our 20-30 managed programmes
  • 40 large scale research and resource centres
  • Over 120 institutions carry out research with
    ESRC funds

4
Research careers funding pathway
On-going Training and Development
Professorial Fellowship
Centres
Priority Networks/ Groups
Mid-career Fellowship
Large Grant
Small Grant
Postdoctoral Fellowship
First Grant Scheme
3 Studentship
Research Masters
Research Opportunities
5
ESRC funding schemes
  • Open Schemes
  • Research Grants (small and standard)
  • Fellowships (postdoctoral and research)
  • Annual calls
  • Studentship Schemes
  • First Grants
  • Seminars
  • Large Grants
  • Centres
  • Professorial Fellowships
  • One-off Schemes
  • Strategic initiatives/specific calls on
    highlighted areas

6
Postdoctoral Fellowships
  • You must start within 1 year of completing your
    doctorate 
  • Designed to enable new researchers to
  • Produce publications
  • Disseminate their research
  • Improve research skills
  • Carry out LIMITED research related to PhD work
  • They are not designed for new research

7
First Grant Scheme
  • Designed to allow new researchers to gain
    experience in managing a research project
  • Up to
  • 3 years in length
  • 40 of investigators time
  • 400,000 (FEC)
  • Must not have been a PI or Co-I on an existing
    ESRC award
  • Must be within 6 years of completing doctorate
  • Call opens once a year in the autumn next
    deadline is 10th January 2008

8
Responsive Mode Grants Scheme
  • Project funding for up to 5 years
  • Open-date scheme
  • Small grants 15k up to 100k Full Economic Cost
  • Standard grants 100k up to 1.5m Full Economic
    Cost
  • Aim to make decision within
  • 22 weeks for standard grants
  • 14 weeks for small grants
  • Stand-alone research projects

9
Proposal Lifecycle Standard Research Grant
10
Writing the Proposal overview
  • Before you begin you need to.
  • Know your funding source
  • Plan the overall content and structure
  • Consider the detailed content
  • Check the details
  • Identify critical friends who can comment on
    your proposal
  • Ensure that you have met all the criteria on the
    proposal check-list

11
Writing the Proposal Know your Funding Source
  • ESRC criteria Quality, Impact and Independence
  • Refer to ESRC research funding rules
  • Demonstrate
  • Excellent research
  • Value to potential users
  • Ability to deliver research
  • Value for money
  • Get Je-S registration

12
Writing the Proposal Plan the Overall Content
and Structure
  • Convey to the reader your genuine interest,
    understanding and enthusiasm for the work
  • what is the story you are telling
  • what is the audience
  • why does it matter
  • why now
  • why you

13
Writing the Proposal Consider the Detailed
Content
  • Content
  • Potential difficulties
  • Ethical considerations
  • Bibliography
  • Dissemination strategy
  • Fits with guidance notes
  • Skills competencies
  • Formulate the problem
  • Aims objectives
  • Research design methods
  • Data collection analysis
  • Potential users user engagement

14
Writing the Proposal Checklist
  • Have I
  • established appropriate aims and objectives?
  • provided a well thought-out research design,
    fully defending it against critical appraisal?
  • considered already existing resources?
  • given a full and detailed description of the
    proposed methods, including a clear and
    systematic approach to the analysis and/or data
    collection?
  • thought about and addressed ethics?
  • identified potential users and thought about how
    to engage them?
  • recognised and planned for all the skills and
    competencies required ensuring they are reflected
    in the proposals research team?

15
Grants you CANNOT apply for
  • Unspecified research work
  • Research already carried out
  • Literature surveys
  • Solely general travel, seminars, conferences
  • Production of materials e.g. software
  • Preparation of books publications
  • Writing up previous research

16
Filling in the Je-S Form
  • You must be a registered user in Je-S your
    institution will approve you
  • Complete all sections carefully check word /
    character limits
  • Je-S Help Guidance click help in top right
    hand corner of your Je-S editing screen or click
    system help on the log in screen
  • Give your department and Je-S approver time at
    the institution
  • Remember, closing dates and times are strict it
    will not be submitted immediately!

17
Writing the Proposal Details matter!
  • Presentation
  • Typeface point 12
  • 6 side limit (12 sides if over 1m)
  • Plain English
  • Check spelling, grammar, readability etc
  • Provide appropriate attachments (in addition to
    case for support)
  • Justification of resources (explanation of
    costings) - 1 page only in addition to above
  • References
  • CVs - 2 pages only in addition to above
  • Technical annex (if appropriate) - 1 page only in
    addition to above

18
Proposal Lifecycle Office Checks
Fails ESRC Office checks 10 of proposals are
rejected out-right, or the applicant is advised
to withdraw and resubmit
19
Proposal lifecycle Peer Review
A further 7 of proposals are rejected on the
grounds that they lack positive Referee comments
20
Referee Grading
  • ALPHA
  • ALPHA
  • ALPHA
  • BETA
  • REJECT
  • All applications with an average grade of A-minus
    or above are forwarded to the Board for
    consideration
  • Applications receiving an average referee grade
    of below A-minus are normally rejected without
    referral to the Board

21
Proposal Lifecycle Assessor Review
Around 20 of proposals are rejected by Board
Assessors, taking the Referee comments into
consideration
22
Assessor Grading
  • A1 - outstanding scientific
    merit/contribution
  • A2 - significant value important
    scientific contribution
  • A3 - considerable value potentially
    important scientific contribution
  • A4 - some value potential scientific
    contribution
  • A5 - some value inconsistent quality
  • Beta - worthy of support lesser
    quality/urgency
  • Reject - flawed repetitious technically
    defective

23
Proposal Lifecycle Research Grants Board
Only around 19 of proposals considered by the
Grants Board are actually funded
24
Characteristics of a successful grant proposal
  • Four characteristics of all successful ESRC
    research grants are constant
  • promise excellent research
  • demonstrate value to potential users outside or
    within the research community
  • convince of the ability to deliver research
  • demonstrate value for money (not necessarily the
    same as cheapness)

25
Summary
  • Allow yourself time
  • Study your funding source read (and understand!)
    the rules and the guidance notes
  • Consider discussing your proposal with colleagues
    or critical friends who have successfully
    obtained funding
  • Think about how you will present your proposal
    presentation matters
  • Think about how to build dissemination activities
    into the structure of your research plan
  • Justify your costing
  • Schedule in time to get your proposal through
    internal checks at your institution (and Je-S)
  • Plan in time to check the details and then
    check them again

26
Further information
  • Website http//www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCIn
    foCentre/index.aspx
  • Funding rules http//www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/E
    SRCInfoCentre/opportunities/research5Ffunding/
  • How to write a good application
  • http//www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/S
    upport/research_award_holders/FAQs2/index1.aspx
  • Frequently Asked Questions http//www.esrcsociety
    today.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/How/researchers/
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com