Royal Society
- Background Information on the Royal Socieety
- Preparing your application
- Using the e-GAP2 system
- Preparing a Case for Support
- Costing and Budgeting
- Justification of Resources
- I'm ready to submit my applications - what should I do now?
- The application has been submitted - what next?
- Managing your award
- Information on costing and budgeting for departmental administrators
Background Information on the Royal Socieety
| Areas supported | All areas of the life and physical sciences, including engineering, but excluding clinical medicine |
|---|---|
| Types of funding | Research Fellowships (Early Career and Senior), Small Research Grants, Innovation Awards, Infrastructure (including equipment and laboratory refurbishment) and Capacity Schemes, Mobility (including international joint projects and travel grants) |
| Funding Guide | See Royal Society website |
| Royal Society funding opportunities | On the Royal Society website On ResearchProfessional.com. You will need to log in or click on Campus Access to view these. |
| Royal Society Research Income at Oxford | 2010/11: Oxford received £6.7M (13th largest research funder of the University) |
| Applications and Award Activity at Oxford | 2010/11: 146 applications submitted to the value of £42.0M. 86 new awards accepted worth £9.9M, including financial amendments to existing awards (University financial year Aug-Jul) |
Preparing your application
It is essential that you refer to the Royal Society's general funding guidance and conditions and any specific guidance issued by the Royal Society with the funding call or opportunity. Contact the Royal Society directly for further guidance.
If you are thinking of putting together a grant application, please get in touch with your Departmental Administrator, Research Officer or Research Facilitator as soon as possible (and at the very latest four weeks before the deadline), so that they can provide advice and assistance with the preparation of your proposal. The sooner you get in touch, the more they will be able to help.
Guidance is provided on the Royal Society's website on eligibility to apply for all schemes.
Further information
Step by Step Guide to Applying for Funding - a general guide for researchers to applying for funding, including the internal processes at Oxford.
Using the e-GAP2 system
The majority of applications to the Royal Society's schemes must be prepared and submitted via the e-GAP2 system.
You will need to register for an e-GAP2 account in order to create and submit an application.
e-GAP2 is a web-based system which allows applicants to create and edit grant applications using a series of web forms. The system also allows you to upload supporting documents and attachments to the application.
Further Information
Research Services' Overview of the e-GAP2 system
Preparing a Case for Support
This is the part of the application where you will describe your proposed project and why you should be funded to carry it out.
Ensure that your case is well-structured and addresses the issues or questions raised by the Royal Society in the call.
Familiarise yourself with the assessment criteria that will be used - and the weighting given to each.
When writing your proposal be aware of who will ultimately be reading and assessing it. This will not just be subject experts but also generalists sitting on review panels, as well as (in some cases) research users.
Use the advice and expertise of colleagues, especially those who have had successful proposals with the Royal Societty - it can be helpful to ask colleagues who are both expert and non-expert in your field to read and comment on your application.
As with all aspects of your application, don't overlook 'minor details'. The wrong font size or exceeding page limits will result in your application being returned by the funder - and sometimes not considered at all.
Costing and Budgeting
Your Departmental Administrator, Research Officer or Research Facilitator will assist you to identify the costs of your project and also prepare a Resolve costing. Please contact them as soon as you are thinking about applying and at the very latest four weeks before the deadline. The Resolve costing will provide the financial information that you must include in the Je-S forms and, since this is the form that indicates Departmental approval of the costs of a project, it has to be provided to Research Services before the application can be approved and submitted by the University to the funder.
The Royal Society pays 80% of the full economic costs (FEC) of fellowship applications plus an annual research expenses allowance of ca. £11k per annum. Other schemes do not generally include staff costs and are not awarded on an FEC basis (there are often upper limits on the value of awards as specified in the scheme guidelines).
Further Information for researchers
Departmental administrators see guidance on Resolve costings
Justification of Resources
All applications must include a completed section setting out the justification for the resources requested. This is an opportunity to explain in words why you require the resources detailed in your budget.
I'm ready to submit my applications - what should I do now?
Firstly check that your application is complete and includes all the information and attachments required by the Royal Society.
Electronic applications needs to be approved by your Head of Department via the e-GAP2 system.
You should then submit the application via the e-GAP2 system to Research Services.
Research Services reviews applications on behalf of the University and will liaise with you and/or your Departmental Administrator over any queries or changes that might be needed to the application.
Research Services submits the approved application to the Royal Society.
Further Information
Preparation and submission of Research Grant Applications
(36kb) - Roles and Responsibilites of Departments and Research Services including
information on what Research Services reviews prior to submission of
application to the funder
The application has been submitted - what next?
The application will be checked by the Royal Society to ensure that you meet the eligibility requirements for the scheme and that it contains all the necessary information. You will be contacted if there are any problems. Your application will then be peer reviewed.
The Society relies upon expert independent referees in many of its peer review processes. These referees are often chosen from the Fellowship of the Royal Society but other experts in your field may also be approached.
Peer review comments then inform decision taken by funding panels. Panel members are usually chosen from the Fellowship of the Royal Society.
Do let your Departmental Administrator know the outcome of your application. Where it is to be funded they will liaise with you and Research Services regarding the acceptance of the award.
Further Information
Managing your award
See Managing awards for the process at Oxford for accepting and managing awards.
All claims, invoices and financial statements to funders must go out from Research Accounts, never directly from Departments.
Publications arising from research funded by the Royal Society should include an acknowledgement of support as set out in the Royal Society's Conditions of Award (PDF) .
Information on costing and budgeting for departmental administrators
Costing applications - includes advice on FEC