Apply for funding

Applications to the final round of the BTG development fund (closing date 5th December 2012) have now been assessed and will be announced on the website soon. There will be no further opportunities to apply to the development fund, but we still have funding to support small meetings and workshops.

Applications funded so far through the development fund are listed here.

Funding for small meetings and workshops

Bridging the Gaps can provide small amounts of funding (typically under £100) and administrative support to facilitate small workshops/ meetings which will be open to any University research staff, without the need to apply to the development fund. To promote collaboration between campuses, we can also provide funding for researchers working in Cornwall to attend Bridging the Gaps events in Exeter, or vice versa. Staff and postgraduate research students can request such funding at any time by e-mail to Helen Butler, including a short description of the amount requested and what it is for.

Requests for funding to support research or meetings of closed groupings, and any requests for over £100, will need to be submitted to the development fund as described below and will be considered competitively with other bids.

Funding scheme guidelines

Although you can no longer apply for funding from the development fund, the following guidelines are listed below for information, particularly for BTG award-holders.

Aims

  • To provide support for a wide range of activities to initiate and foster cross-disciplinary engagement and creativity.
  • To promote a culture of cross-disciplinary research across the University of Exeter.
  • To support development of novel cross-disciplinary ideas to a point at which external funding can be sought.
  • To provide early support for cross-disciplinary research with the potential to lead to externally-funded projects with significant academic and socio-economic impact.

Types of Activity

  1. Feasibility funding: to support new cross-disciplinary research by providing pump-priming funding for preliminary work and building a collaborative consortium. Funding is expected to lead to an application to an external funder.
  2. Project development funding: for extra staff to develop a cross-disciplinary proposal for submission to an external funder.
  3. Academic research visitor programme: funding to invite a key academic to Exeter for a short period of time as an international fellow or seminar speaker to inform, initiate or develop a cross-disciplinary collaboration.
  4. Workshop funding: to support a workshop that will bring researchers from different disciplines together, with the aim of forming an ongoing collaboration. BTG can also provide staff support to help organise events.
  5. Bridge-crossing staff exchanges: funding for a researcher (who is funded as directly incurred) to spend a short period of time working with a research group in another discipline, with the aim of laying the foundations for a long-term collaboration
  6. Travel fund: a separate fund is available to support any of the above or other relevant cross-disciplinary activity

Eligibility

  • There must be at least two applicants, representing  at least two disciplines (which could be within the same College).
  • Applicants must be University of Exeter academic or research staff, with contracts extending beyond the end of the proposed activity or project.
  • The proposed project must be relevant to the remit of our sponsor , the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and priority will be given to projects likely to lead to an EPSRC application. More information about the EPSRC portfolio is available on their website. 
  • Priority will be given to applications from new collaborations and to those who have attended a BTG event.

Submission process

  • Applicants should submit a completed application form to Helen Butler.
  • Applications must be submitted by 5th December 2012 and will be considered by the project’s Expert Panel on 18th December.
  • For advice on the process, or help with identifying possible collaborators in other disciplines, contact Helen Butler, or a member of the project’s Expert Panel.

Guidelines

  • Applicants must provide details of their proposed activity and its aims in a way that is understandable to a non-expert, stating clearly why the activity is novel, how it will initiate or develop cross-disciplinary collaboration and the expected outcomes and benefits. A brief work plan should be provided, including when the activity is planned to start and finish. The end date must be no later than 30th June 2013 and any funds unspent at this time will be returned to the project’s development fund.
  • The application should list expected outcomes, with the expectation that support will usually lead to an application for external funding.
  • Funding may be used in a variety of ways and may be requested, for example, for directly incurred staff time, travel and subsistence, consumables or workshop costs. Funding will not be provided for academic salaries, equipment, studentship fees, use of College facilities or indirect costs. We have access to free meeting rooms on campus, so would not expect applicants to include room hire costs. A breakdown of specified costs must be provided with a clear justification of how each of the requested resources will be used. If you have a question about costing, please contact Mike Mullan.
  • Applicants may request part-funding for activities for which some funding can be secured from other internal or external sources.
  • Applicants should list others whom they expect to involve in the activity and how it will lead to long-term collaboration in the future.
  • If requesting a bridge-crossing staff exchange, it is the responsibility of the lead applicant to ensure that arrangements have been made to cover any teaching and/or administrative duties and that the deans of both Colleges have approved the arrangements. You should make it clear whether a one or two-way exchange is sought.
  • If proposing to employ someone, applicants should first consult HR for guidance if needed.

Assessment criteria

Applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:

  • Potential for initiating or developing long-term multidisciplinary collaborations (priority will be given to requests to form new collaborations).
  • Potential to lead to a successful application to an external funder.
  • Quality, novelty and level of engagement with world-leading research.
  • Feasibility and likelihood of achieving stated aims.

Monitoring

Award-holders should provide a two-page report within 2 months of the end date for the activity to explain:

  • how funds have been used;
  • the outcomes of the activity and the extent to which the proposed aims have been achieved;
  • how the funding has initiated or developed multidisciplinary collaboration and how this will be sustained in the future;
  • whether the funding has led, or will lead to, an application to an external funder; and
  • who was involved in the activity.

Award holders will be required to contribute to a subsequent Bridging the Gaps ‘physical’ or ‘virtual’ event.

Successful applications will be listed on the Bridging the Gaps website.

Administration of awards

Download guidance notes on administration of BTG awards.