Co-ordinated University Bids

Some funders and schemes place a limit on the number or type of proposals that may be submitted from each institution. Some may require an institution to send in a ranked/priority list. Normally Research Services will liaise with the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) and he in turn with Heads of Academic Divisions where institution-wide decisions need to be made. This web page contains information about internal Oxford processes and timelines for research proposals of this kind.

RCUK Energy Programme: Energy Management in Non-Domestic Buildings (Internal Deadline: 2 pm, 25 Sept 2013)

The Research Councils UK Energy Programme (RCUKEP) has issued a call for proposals that lead to a better understanding of the management of energy in non-domestic buildings. The research should be focussed on existing buildings, with the main objectives being to improve design of control systems, facilities management tools and models of building design and operation.

RCUKEP has a total budget of £3 million available for this call and the maximum amount for an individual project is £0.5 million. An institution is only permitted to submit one expression of interest and therefore an internal co-ordinated bid process is required. If you are interested in collaborating in a bid or intend to submit your own application, please inform Sarah Wagstaffe in Research Services (with a copy to the Director of Energy Research, c.llewellyn-smith@physics.ox.ac.uk), as soon as possible. Formal expressions of interest should then be submitted by 2 pm on 25 September following the instructions below. It is known that one group is preparing a submission: if more than one is received, all expressions of interest will be assessed internally by a small panel chaired by the Director of Energy Research at Oxford University, and one bid will be selected.

Internal timetable

  • Potential applicants should submit a brief summary of their plans to sarah.wagstaffe@admin.ox.ac.uk by 2 pm on Wednesday, 25 September 2013.
  • Summaries should not be more than two sides of A4 and should include the following information:
    • Investigator and co-investigator names and departments
    • Details of any project partners
    • An approximate value of funds to be requested and the anticipated grant duration
    • A brief overview of the bid ensuring that the assessment criteria detailed in the call text(PDF) are addressed:
      • Will the proposed research lead to useable products that will reduce Energy Demand?
      • Engagement with user environments (e.g. business, society, public sector)
      • Leverage of funding by host institution and other partners
  • If more than one proposal is received, all applicants will be informed of the outcome of the internal selection process by close of business on Monday, 30 September 2013.

External timetable

The selected applicant from the internal process must register their intention to submit by email to the RCUKEP by 4 pm on 3 October 2013. This stage is intended to allow RCUKEP to gauge levels of interest and enable the early identification of peer reviewers. The full proposal should be prepared and submitted using the Research Councils’ Joint electronic Submission (Je-S) System by 4 pm on 5 November 2013.

Energy reduction by better management and operations of non-domestic buildings will require multi-disciplinary research and the development of research into usable products and systems, thus crossing the remits of the Research Councils and the TSB. The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) has therefore issued a separate but associated call through the Low Impact Buildings Innovation Platform in order to completely cover the range of work required across the whole research landscape. The TSB call will include domestic as well as non-domestic buildings and will fund business-led research that may involve researchers (up to 30% of the total budget for a project). There is up to £1million available for academics collaborating with business as part of this call from RCUKEP. The TSB expect to fund projects from £300k to £1 million total size, any applicants wishing to apply for larger grants should contact the TSB prior to submission. This TSB-led call will not be subject to an internal coordination process; further details about this call can be found on the TSB website.

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Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowships (internal deadline for Stage 1 proposal: 9 am, 2 Oct 2013)

The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) will shortly launch this year's Research Fellowships competition. The RAEng closing date is expected to be at the end of October. Fellowships last for 5 years (full-time equivalent), and applicants must have no more than 3 years postdoctoral experience by the end of October 2013; but there are no restrictions on nationality.

Once again, Oxford is restricted to a maximum of three candidates. An internal selection process will therefore be required.

Internal Timetable

  • Potential applicants should submit a (near final) draft Stage 1 proposal to martin.edmunds@mpls.ox.ac.uk by 9 am on Wednesday, 2 October 2013.
  • The proposal should comprise the following documents:
    • A (near final) Stage 1 application form (track record, esteem indicators table, 3 pp. case for support)
    • CV (2 pp.) + list of publications/presentations
  •  Heads of department are asked to provide short supporting comments by the same deadline and, if possible, to rank applications from their departments (if they are putting forward multiple candidates).

Please note: departments are asked to bear in mind the overall institutional quota (of 3 applications) when selecting potential candidates, and to ensure that proposals have a strong and clear engineering focus.
In order to inform the internal selection panel membership it will be helpful to have an early indication from departments of the likely number of applicants and their area(s) of research.
If you should have any questions please contact martin.edmunds@mpls.ox.ac.uk.

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BBSRC Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation Seminars (No deadline)

Summary

This initiative provides universities and institutes with funding to deliver seminars on knowledge exchange and commercialisation (KEC). The aim of these seminars is to raise awareness of how knowledge exchange and commercialisation of BBSRC bioscience research can deliver benefits to the economy, the public and has an impact on society.

The BBSRC will support a maximum of one seminar per year per institution, and therefore coordination across the institution is essential.

Please contact Phil Clare (phil.clare@admin.ox.ac.uk) in the first instance if you are interested in applying to this scheme.

More details can be found here on the BBSRC website.

Recommended seminar format and content

  • A half day, with networking or debate
  • Involve senior academic staff and academic-related colleagues in developing the programme and encouraging attendance
  • Speakers could include university industrial liaison staff, knowledge exchange professionals, technology transfer specialists, patent lawyers, KTP advisors, KTP office, business development staff and senior managers
  • Success stories by academic colleagues demonstrating the benefits and impact of KEC

Possible sessions

  • Highlight the principles underlying BBSRC KEC policy
  • What are intellectual assets?
  • What is the university strategy with regards to intellectual assets management?
  • University knowledge exchange strategy and policies
  • What is IP and its relation to intellectual assets?
  • Understanding patenting of IP in biological research
  • Licensing and collaboration agreements
  • When to disclose or disseminate to achieve greater impact?

Costs

We will contribute up to £2,000 in grants towards costs of external speakers, room booking, time spent in organising the event and other reasonable costs. The cost of lunch and refreshments is not eligible.

A BBSRC speaker may be available, free of charge, on request.

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Contacts