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Enhancing Research & Innovation Cultures Fund

The Enhancing Research & Innovation Cultures funding call is open to all researchers and research-supporting staff who want to enrich or support research culture across Queen Mary.
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Introducing the Enhancing Research & Innovation Cultures Fund (ERIC)

The Research Culture team hopes to receive a wide range of applications for the Enhancing Research & Innovation Cultures Fund that can support Queen Mary’s strategic goal to nurture a world class research & innovation culture, as part of our ambition to be the most inclusive university of our kind, anywhere.

A wide range of projects and activities are potentially in scope for this call. The selection panel would particularly welcome applications that address existing challenges and opportunities to improve Queen Mary’s research culture, including work to promote EDI, to support career transitions at different stages, to embed research integrity, to promote collaboration, external engagement, innovation, and interdisciplinarity, and to support our technicians and to build team science.

Applications close - 8th December, 2023

What are Research Culture projects?

What research culture projects might look like in practice at Queen Mary will of course vary considerably according to the intended focus of the project and the discipline and/or professional interest of the lead applicant.

To give an idea of the breadth of activity that could be funded by this call, projects could include the following:

  • establishing a regular networking or seminar event to encourage interdisciplinary conversation and connections
  • trialing a fellowship or large grant incubator for Early Career Researchers with bespoke and innovative training
  • piloting a scheme to support academic staff returning from long-term leave
  • employing a data or HR specialist to look into a specific research culture issue in your faculty or institute
  • fostering impact activities in your school/institute, or delivering a roadshow aimed at professional services staff about the importance of open research practice

If you are in doubt that your project will qualify for the funding scheme then we encourage you to apply, as the funding panel have been instructed to interpret the scope of the funding call as generously as possible. Research England have identified a series of themes or areas of activity that could fall under the umbrella of research culture that you can also consult for ideas (see section 4). If you would like to discuss a potential project informally, please get in touch with the research culture team at researchculture@qmul.ac.uk.

Funding Streams

The scheme will be open to all researchers and research supporting staff, including PGRs, Postdocs, Early Career Researchers, established researchers, technicians, and any member of staff who supports research or researchers in a professional service department. The scheme will allocate money via two streams:

  1. Grass roots grants of up to £10,000 are available for projects with potential to create particular benefit in their immediate area – this could be as small a unit as a center or a professional services or technical team.
  2. Project grants of up to £50,000 are available for larger pieces of work which will add benefit across a number of teams.

Panel and Assessment Criteria

The assessment panel will be chaired by Professor Tim Warner, in his capacity as a member of the Research & Innovation Board and as the chair of Queen Mary’s People, Culture and Environment work-stream as part of preparations for REF 2028, and will include a representative from each faculty, as well as seek a representative from the postdoc and technician communities, and from a professional services department.

The panel will be encouraged to interpret research and innovation culture as broadly as possible and consider the eligibility of each application in that light. Applications deemed eligible will be assessed against three main criteria:

  1. Rationale: how effectively will the project address a clear research culture need or priority?
  2. Evidence: how effectively will the project measure and evidence its success?
  3. Delivery: can the project and its related spend be completed by 31 July 2024?

Application Process and Timelines

Each project supported by the Enhancing Research & Innovation Cultures fund will need to address a clear research culture need or priority and to demonstrate how they will evidence capture and evaluation into its design. This is to allow the research culture team to report back on how the funds have been spent and how they have helped advance research culture at Queen Mary.

  • Applications close - 8th December, 2023
  • Panel sessions - Mid-December and early January
  • Decisions announced - 22nd January, 2024

Each project will be required to spend its funding by 31st July, 2024 and report back to the research culture team on the project’s results.

To apply, please use this application form.

Drop-in sessions

Are you interested in learning more about research & innovation culture and the scope of projects that can fall under this call? Then consider attending one of our two drop-in sessions led by the Research Culture team.

These will take place at the following dates and times:

  • Thursday 16th November, 13:00 - 14:00
  • Tuesday 21st November, 12:00 - 13:00

Please email researchculture@qmul.ac.uk to reserve a space.

If you would like to discuss project ideas informally, then you can also book a 1-2-1 with a member of the Research Culture team by emailing researchculture@qmul.ac.uk.

Contact us

Please feel free to get in touch with the Research Culture team with any questions you might have at researchculture@qmul.ac.uk.

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