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9 December 2015

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T HE UK GOVERNMENT has started the process of creatingits £1.5-billion Global Challenges Fund, announced

in the spending review. It plans to manage the fund jointly with the research councils’ proposed interdisci-plinary fund to ensure there is no overlap between the

initiatives. It is expected that the two will have sepa-rate funding streams.

However, it remains unclear how the two funds will

interact at a fundamental level, especially as the GlobalChallenges Fund is expected to start running at least a

year before the interdisciplinary fund. The latter will not

be set in motion until the new umbrella body ResearchUK, proposed in the Nurse review, is established.

That will require legislation that is unlikely to reach

parliament before April 2018. The whole process couldtake even longer than that, says Philip Nelson, chair-

man of Research Councils UK. “It helps if one can moveat some pace, but one has to balance pace with stabil-ity,” he told Research Fortnight . “We want a smooth

transition, without unnecessary disruption. Four years would easily be within the scope of ensuring that

disruption would not happen.” The timeline for thereform will be set in early 2016, he says.

Details of the interdisciplinary fund, intended to

support research that falls outside the remit of theseven research councils, are still under discussion—not

least, the amount the councils will have to contribute.“There’s a lot of detail to work through, but Nurse doessay that he sees the proportion of money being con-

trolled at Research UK level as being small,” says JohnSavill, chief executive of the Medical Research Council(MRC). “I think the research councils’ chief executives

would see that in the order of 5 per cent.”It is thought that the Global Challenges Fund,

which wil l distribute grants until 2020-21, wil l besplit into two streams—one for thematic research andanother for capacity building in the UK. Governance

of the fund is likely to include representatives from anumber of departments, the research councils and the

national academies.Proposals submitted to the fund will have to com-

ply with the OECD’s criteria for Official Development

Assistance funding, as the money comes from the gov-ernment’s ODA budget.

A source close to the councils says that an advisory

team of scientists with experience in overseas devel-opment and interdisciplinary research is expected tobe formed in March 2016, to come up with an “evolv-

ing list of challenges” that meet those criteria. Thiscould include research into antimicrobial resistance,emerging viral threats, and animal and plant health.

It is likely that much research funded by the councils will fit the bill already. Kieron Flanagan, senior lectur-

er in science and technology policy at the University

of Manchester, says it could be a positive developmentif it freed up money for researchers in other areas.

However, he adds, “how this plays out across disci-plines and councils will be an issue, because it’s likelyto be easier to find ODA-compliant research in the MRC

or the Economic and Social Research Council than,say, the Science and Technology Facilities Council.”

Research council chief executives are also discussingthe wider implications of the government’s commit-ment to the recommendations in the Nurse review of the

research councils. A major concern among researchers isthat the chief executive of Research UK would be able to

move money from one council to another after the gov-ernment has handed out individual budget allocations.The council heads are said to be eager for confirmation

of the chief executive’s powers and responsibilities fromgovernment to dispel these rumours.

The government has yet to confirm whether it plans

to set up the ministerial committee that Nurse proposed.Colin Blakemore, former chief execu-

tive of the MRC, says he is concernedthat as spending on research in gov-ernment departments decreases, this

committee “might be used as a way ofpushing some of this applied research

into the research councils, with ademand that they should do it”.

Additional reporting by Anna McKie.

by Cristina Gallardo [email protected]

The outsider: Talking to thenext Royal Society head – p6

Brexit blasphemy EU referendum – p5

Spending review David Walker saysOsborne has no plan – p23

Starting gun fired on Global Challenges FundSavill moots 5 per cent levy for councils’ interdisciplinary fund

Issue No. 469


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2 editorial Edited by Ehsan [email protected]: 020 7216 6500Fax: 020 7216 6501Unit 111, 134-146 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3AR

e l s e w h e r e

“By cancelling the project, we are abdicat-

ing from global leadership.” Jon Gluyas, professor of carbon capture andstorage and geoenergy at Durham University,says that it was bizarre and hazardous tocancel the £1-billion competition for the UK’sfirst CCS scheme days before the UN climatetalks in Paris. Conservative Home, 2/12/15.

“When energy is spent declaring thatsomething is not worth serious considera- tion, I know it is important.”The organiser of a recent conference onthe Kardashians Meredith Jones, readerin gender and media studies at BrunelUniversity London, says that the negativepublic response to the Kimposium made herall the more keen to study the family. TheConversation, 26/11/15.

“If we made a factory that produces10 cows a year rather than a million, noone would even blink.” Xu Xiaochun, chief executive of Chinesebiotech firm BoyaLife, which last weekannounced plans to clone a million cows a year, says that people are applying doublestandards to the company because of the scaleof its operations. Financial Times, 27/11/15.

“Deaf young people are telling us they feel the government is intent on making itmore difficult for them to go to university.”The government has announced that from

September 2016, universities will have to payfor non-medical support staff for deaf stu-dents. Susan Daniels, chief executive of theNational Deaf Children’s Society calls on thegovernment to make sure deaf students canstill take degrees. The Guardian, 3/12/15.

“ORES functions like a pair of X-ray specs… these specs actually work to highlightpotentially damaging edits for editors.”Senior research scientist at the WikimediaFoundation Aaron Halfaker says that anartificially intelligent editing programme will help the declining number of volunteer Wikipedia editors to find suspicious content. Wikimedia Blog, 30/11/15.

Research Fortnight, 9 December 2015

Edited by Ehsan [email protected]: 020 7216 6500Fax: 020 7216 6501Unit 111, 134-146 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3AR

d e c a d e

“This was supposed tosimplify and harmoniseclinical trials across Europe,and it has not done that.”

Richard Sullivan, the director of pro-grammes at Cancer Research UK, says thatthe charity’s assessment of the EuropeanClinical Trials Directive two years onsuggests academic clinical trials have

doubled in cost and suffered long delays.


Facebook funderResearch funding is about to get a major new player

The presence of significant philanthropic giving has become one of thehallmarks of more-developed societies.

In recent years, some of the biggest donations to research and especial-ly to science have come from Bill and Melinda Gates, and the billionairefinancier Warren Buffett.

Last week Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg said they would give away99 per cent of their Facebook shares in their lifetimes. The couple’s shares

are currently valued at $45 billion (£30bn). They have pledged the cash toan array of causes including promoting green energy, building inclusivecommunities, tackling inequality, and ending child poverty and suffering.

We should celebrate what is a selfless act. Zuckerberg and Chan, apaediatrician, recognise that humanity faces many crises and they haveset aside funding of an order of magnitude appropriate to the scale of

the problems. The UK government should take note. Its £1.5bn GlobalChallenges Fund isn’t small by any means, but for the world’s fifth largesteconomy, it pales in comparison.

But at the same time we need to be cautious. It will probably be a whilebefore the Facebook funding is available via the routes we know. Readers

shouldn’t hold their breath for strategy-setting sandpit events or respon-

sive-mode open calls, assessed by independent peer review anytime soon.Philanthropists, at least in their early years of giving, like to do things

their way. At the same time they can be impatient to see results. They willtypically be advised by a small group of trusted experts working behindthe scenes. These are often people who don’t always appreciate advice

from the wider public.Instead, these advisers will in turn advise grant programme managers

on which conferences to attend and which researchers to get to know witha view to funding them. They will argue that if the Manhattan Project didn’tneed an open call for funding, then neither should a malaria vaccine.

That is true up to a point, but such an approach has its drawbacks. When newly minted philanthropists descend with massive amounts of

cash, this scale of intervention can be damaging.Often, the chosen recipients of such cash lack the capacity to know

what to do with very large grants. In science, very large sums can also

skew the direction of research.In 2014 Gates acknowledged some of these problems on the occasion

of the 10th anniversary of the original grand-challenges approach, which

his foundation pioneered on the advice of a small number of experts and without much consultation.

In spite of spending $1bn in 10 years, his foundation’s interventionshave made little difference to finding new vaccines or making genuineadvances in agricultural technology. “I was pretty naïve about how long

that process would take,” Gates said.Fortunately, Chan and Zuckerberg have promised that they will learn

from the experiences of Gates and others. They also say that their moveinto giving is not a short-term thing, nor are they expecting quick wins.

Let’s hope they keep to their word.


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Royal Institution on track to clear debt as auction pays off

The Royal Institution has said that it is set to pay off a £2-million bank loan by January 2016,

following the sale of rare books from its collection on science and medicine for £1.14m at an

auction at Christie’s on 1 December. It sold 68 items, including first editions of works by IsaacNewton and Charles Darwin. The charity was left with a £7.1m deficit in its general funds after a

10-year renovation of its Grade I-listed building at 21 Albemarle Street in London’s Mayfair.

Chris Whitty named chief scientist at the Department of Health

The former chief scientific adviser at the Department for International Development, Chris

Whitty, has been appointed to the same role at the Department of Health. This will see Sally

Davies, the chief medical officer, passing this part of her work to Whitty. She has held both roles

since 2010, when she took over as chief medical officer from Liam Donaldson but retained the

responsibilities of her former position as CSA.

Pfizer plans closure of Cambridge centre

The American pharmaceutical company Pfizer is planning to close its Neusentis research facility

in Cambridge, threatening 120 jobs. The company said that a final decision would be subject

to completing a consultation process and other legal requirements. The news comes just a year

after the company’s failed bid to take over AstraZeneca, during which it cited the Neusentis unit

as evidence of its “commitment to R&D in the UK and around the globe”.

Better critical-thinking skills could counter radicalisation

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses are constructed in a way that fails to

appreciate ambiguity, nuance, or multiple points of view, according to a British Council report.The report’s author, Martin Rose, said that people involved in violent extremism are more likely

to have studied STEM subjects, and engineering in particular. Rose recommended reforming the

syllabuses of such courses as a way to counter radicalisation.

Research councils join national ORCID consortium

Research Councils UK has announced that it has joined the UK’s Open Researcher and

Contributors ID consortium to accelerate adoption of the identification system. RCUK said that

its grants system would be ready to incorporate researchers’ ORCID numbers in early 2016, but

that having an ORCID number will not be a condition of receiving funding.

More public engagement in arts than sciences, study finds

UK researchers in the arts, humanities and social sciences do more public engagement than

their counterparts in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, according to a study

published by the Wellcome Trust. The survey of 2,454 research staff found that 88 per cent of

respondents in the arts, humanities and social sciences had taken part in public engagement

activities, compared with 78 per cent of respondents in STEM subjects.

Migration in Europe crucial for UK research, engineers say

The free movement of people within the European Union is critical if the UK wants to maintain

its excellent research base, the Royal Academy of Engineering has said. The comments

came as part of the group’s submission to the House Lords Select Committee on Science andTechnology’s consultation on UK membership of the EU.

w h a t ’ s g o i n g o n

Research Fortnight, 9 December 2015 what’s going on 3


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4 news Research Fortnight, 9 December 2015

n e w s

The science and innovation audits that universities and

science minister Jo Johnson announced in the summer will map the UK’s skil ls and expertise in science and

innovation, region by region. The idea is to use them todrive local growth and boost the UK’s productivity.

At the start of November, the government announced

that it was accepting applications from local groups wanting to lead audits in their regions. These groups

have been asked to form consortia, which shouldinclude higher education or research institutions, inno-

vation organisations such as the Catapult centres, Local

Enterprise Partnerships (LEP) and businesses. They haveuntil 29 January to submit their proposals.

Those who are working up their applications are

disappointed at the lack of clarity on the part of thegovernment. “Quite often the government says it’s notgoing to tell us the rules of the game and how we’re

going to win at this, which means you can spend toomuch time navel-gazing,” says one LEP member, who

wants to remain anonymous.

One cause of confusion is that there is little informa-tion available to advise how consortia should be formed.

For instance, it isn’t clear whether they are expectedto focus on a range of subject areas or one specificresearch topic, and regions have not been defined by

the government.“Doing it on a very large scale, like across the north of

England, feels very daunting, even in collaboration withother universities,” says Nick Wright, pro vice-chancel-lor of research and innovation at Newcastle University.

“We would probably be looking to do something morelocalised. But the problem is that LEP boundaries are not

necessarily the natural boundaries of industry.”However, Peter Simpson, director of the N8 group

of northern research-intensive universities, says that

because the audits are not too prescriptive, they offergroups a chance to decide which areas they want topromote to government. “You can take this as an oppor-

tunity to shine a spotlight on areas that are not alreadyprominent on the national agenda and probably don’t

have massive government funding,” he says.The source from the LEP agrees. “Where you end up

on the spectrum—whether you focus on technologies

in sectors or on a geographical area—I think there’san opportunity here to tell the government what they

should look like,” he says.Simpson stresses that the Department for Business,

Innovation and Skills must ensure that the audits—

which will be carried out in waves of no more than 10

at any one time—can be compared with each other. “It’s very easy to cut and slice in lots of different ways and I

would hope that there are means to ensure comparabil-ity of analysis,” he says.

To address this, the government has hired a contrac-

tor—whose name is expected to be announced beforeChristmas—to oversee the auditing process and to

ensure that the final reports can be effectively com-pared. The contractor will also provide assistance to thegroups chosen to run the audits. This is in lieu of govern-

ment funding to do the audits. In its call for expressionsof interest in carrying out the audits, BIS said that thisreflects the “need for government and consortia to share

the responsibility”.The government has also set up a Smart Specialisation

Hub to help LEPs develop strategies to access European

Structural and Investment Funds. These strategies areexpected to tie in with the requirements of the audits

and so the hub will be working closely with the LEPs

as they develop their bids. The hub—which is beingrun by Innovate UK’s Knowledge Transfer Network and

the National Centre for Universities and Businesses—ismade up of representatives from businesses, universitiesand investors, and is led by Susan Perriam.

She says that she expects to see a number of propos-als from authorities bidding for devolution deals, who

are using the audits to push forward their own localagendas. Others have been more hesitant. “I’ve heardfrom some groups who say that they would like to have a

science and innovation audit but they don’t think any-body will pay attention to them because they’re not big

enough,” Perriam says.But for some the concern is the amount of unexpected

work that an audit might demand. “One of the issues we

are grappling with is trying to estimate how much workis involved,” says Wright. “We’re a little worried thatonce you get into the audit, you’ll get mission creep.

You might think you have the resources for one thing,but then find you’ve got to do that plus something else—

then you’ve got a lot of unresourced work.”In addition, Simpson notes that there’s no guarantee

of funding for the subjects your audit analyses. “There is

the challenge of that there is no pot of gold at the end ofthe rainbow,” he says. “But, equally, I think everybody

understands the opportunity this presents to define what we want on the national agenda for the next fiveto fifteen years.”

Audit anxietyLinking local research excellence to national productivity goals for the government’sregional science and innovation audits is a tricky job. Eloise Johnston reports.


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Academy of Medical Sciences

plans rapid-response team


The Academy of Medical Sciences should have a rapidresponse team so it can react to policy issues while they

are still live, its new president Robert Lechler has said.In an interview with Research Fortnight , Lechler—an

immunologist who took over the presidency from JohnTooke on 4 December—said that the academy should bethe “go-to place” for ministers as soon as an issue arises.

Lechler says that the rapid-response team could be asmall group of people who “are not going to produce the

biblical article on the subject but will produce somethingreally useful to politicians to navigate a complex topic”.

Lechler’s goal is to provide responses and advice while

politicians are still debating the matter, “rather than com-ing in with an answer when the issue has gone”. This ispart of a continuing plan to evolve the academy into a

“more potent and loud voice in the UK landscape”, he says.But this will not replace the academy’s other policy

work, which he says has been responsible for building

its “brilliant reputation and influence”. For instance, theacademy is producing a report on public health, which he

says is a “terrific piece of work”, but won’t be released untilnext year. Creating a faster team to work in parallel would

greatly enhance the academy’s abilities, he says.Lechler also wants to consider the academy’s place

in discussions on how to make the healthcare system

more sustainable. “We need the NHS to be committed toresearch—as it wishes to be,” he says. “But if it’s all the

time engaged in cost-cutting measures then it’s going tobe very difficult to give any serious priority to research.”

Beyond this, Lechler plans to get the academy to

engage more with regions outside London and thesouth-east of England during his presidency—forinstance by relocating some council meetings, usually

held in London, to cities such as Glasgow. And publicengagement will continue be high on the academy’s listof priorities, Lechler says. “We need public support to

do what we do because ultimately it’s the taxpayer whofunds most medical research one way or another.”

by Anna McKie [email protected]

news 5

Scientists and researchers are afraid to lobby for the UKto leave the European Union in case of repercussions at

work, the campaign group Scientists 4 Britain has said.

The group, which is only campaigning via Twitter atpresent, is made up of seven scientists or former scien-

tists, who wish to remain anonymous. They are based inLondon, Cambridge and Bath. The group’s spokesman,

who asked to be referred to only as David, is a former

journalist who studied science at university.“Half of our active members are unable to release their

names. They feel it would impact their jobs or compro-mise their careers by speaking out against the EU,” hesays. “Scientists are at pains to protect their personal

and professional reputations and want to avoid beingmisconstrued as isolationist.”

He says that saying you are in favour of Brexit

amounts to “blasphemy” among scientists. He calls fora more equal debate ahead of the UK’s referendum on

leaving the EU, due by the end of 2017.Mike Galsworthy, who runs the pro-EU campaign group

Scientists for EU, agrees that it is harder for scientists

to speak up in favour of Brexit. “We need to encouragethese voices into the debate,” he says. “At this stage,

the country could go either way and so we do need a fullrange of insights about our options on either path.”

Scientists 4 Britain argues that leaving the EU would

not have the negative effect on research that the pro-EU

campaign says it would. In fact, one research scientist-from the group says that it wants to put forward a positive

message. “Much as the economic arguments focus ontrade with the wider world, we will be emphasising theglobal nature of research.”

David says the group aims to show how coop-eration would continue without the “unscientific

political underpinning that comes with EU funds”. Headds: “International collaboration can exist, and doesexist, beyond political alliances. We’d like to see science

being funded and run on an international rather thansupranational basis.”

But Galsworthy argues that international science pro-

grammes require political support. “If you didn’t have theEU you’d have to set up a lot of mechanisms that copy huge

parts of what the EU does,” he says. “Although you prob-ably wouldn’t have the democratic input of the EuropeanParliament on how this taxpayer money was spent.”

Scientists 4 Britain plans to launch a website andFacebook group in January 2016, at which point David

says one of the group will reveal their identity. For now, thegroup, which is not yet is affiliated to any ‘Out’ campaigns,is meeting more science activists and lobby groups.

‘Blasphemy’ to speak out against EU, lobbyists sayby Eloise Johnston [email protected]


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Research Fortnight, 9 December 20156 news

A scientist’s scientist The Royal Society’s new president Venki Ramakrishnan doesn’t cut as imposing afigure as his predecessor but he should not be underestimated, says Rebecca Hill .

‘Science is

a quest for

knowledge;

we need to

convey theexcitement.’

“This is still Paul’s office, I’m just borrowing it while he’s

away,” Venki Ramakrishnan tells me as I enter the half-empty office overlooking The Mall that has been home

to Paul Nurse for the past five years. We’re speaking justdays before he takes over from Nurse on 1 December tostart his own five-year term as president. He already

looks quite at home.Ramakrishnan speaks quietly and pauses before

answering questions. It’s hard to imagine him holdingcourt with the movers and shakers of Whitehall in quitethe same way that Nurse does, but nothing in our meet-

ing suggests he will be less effective in his own mission.How does he think his presidency will differ from his

predecessor’s? He pauses. “Paul and I have some things

in common,” he says. “Neither of us went to the top eliteschools for our education, and we eventually proved our-selves and rose up the ranks.” But, he acknowledges, in

other ways they’re quite different. “I have a lower-keybackground,” he says, “so I think that will naturally lead

to differences in style.”

The Indian-born structural biologist came to theUK in 1999, after working in the United States for

many years. He now runs a well-respected group at theMedical Research Council’s Laboratory for MolecularBiology in Cambridge investigating ribosome structure.

But even after 16 years there, he says he still feels newto the country. “I’ve only just been accepted in my vil-

lage,” he jokes. “I’m still a relative outsider to the UKestablishment, but I don’t think coming in fresh is a dis-advantage because you have no preconceptions.”

These experiences clearly drive his interest in immigra-tion policy, which he is particularly keen to talk about.

“Science relies on recruiting and interacting with peoplefrom all over the world—my own lab is highly interna-tional,” he says. “If we start putting up barriers to the free

movement of scientists, that prevents us from getting newideas and recruiting the best talent.”

But Ramakrishnan is practical about

the issue, acknowledging that no countryallows open immigration. “That’s not what

we’re objecting to,” he says. Instead, he wants to see a massive reduction in the redtape, cost and time it takes to apply for a

visa to work in the UK. In addition, the gov-ernment must make it clear that the country

wants to recruit the best researchers, wher-ever they come from. “That’s the messagethat’s not coming across,” he says.

His experience of working in the US and his ties to

India will no doubt be useful to him as he runs the RoyalSociety, and he draws on examples from around the

world throughout our meeting. For instance, he notesthat a few decades ago the Indian government decidedto focus funding on research institutes rather than uni-

versities, which created a divide between teaching andresearch that the country now has to address. “People

need to keep in mind that education and research arehighly linked,” he says when I ask whether the ResearchExcellence Framework and its teaching counterpart

could cause such a divide. “Britain has a strong researchbase in universities, and that has to be maintained.”

When it comes to the Royal Society, Ramakrishnan

sees its role as one of education and engagement—hedoes not speak of strong lobbying, but rather of moresubtle approaches. “You can’t have science funding from

the government in a vacuum. A democratically electedgovernment is going to be responsive to what the public

wants, so we have to convey the message of how impor-

tant science is at various levels,” he says. “Science is aquest for knowledge; we need to convey the excitement

of what science is about.”He also stresses the importance of the scientific

method—he wants to see more conceptual and critical

thinking taught early on—and of evidence-based policy-making. “For almost any decision you can ask, ‘What is

the evidence?’ There are scientific ways of approachingthese things,” he says.

So is Ramakrishnan very much a scientist’s scien-

tist? “Yes, that’s probably true. I have a very active laband I’ve probably published more major papers after

my Nobel prize in 2009 than in the five years before,”he says. “What really matters is to keep doing good sci-ence.” When I ask him whether he’ll continue to lead

his lab, he answers quickly in the affirmative. But won’tthat be a lot to juggle? Again, he pauses. “Yes, I suppose,

we’ll see how it goes.”

It’s easy to warm to Ramakrishnan. His enthusiasmfor science is abundantly clear and his honest, consid-

ered responses are refreshing. Whether or not he willhave to harden his stance on some topics remains tobe seen, but as he readily acknowledges, he is only at

the beginning of his term. “I’m still feeling my way,” hesays. “Perhaps if you come a year or two from now, I’ll

have another answer.” S omething to add ? Ema il comment @Resear ch

Research.com

i n t e r v i e w v e n k i r a m a k r i s h n a n


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funding opportunitiesevery new opportunity every discipline

JRF poverty and ethnicityThe Joseph Rowntree

Foundation invites

proposals for its poverty

and ethnicity programme

evaluation. The total

budget is worth £50,000

over 37 months [11].

EPSRC energy storageThe Engineering and

Physical Sciences Research

Council, as part of theResearch Councils UK

energy programme, invites

registrations of intent to

apply for the SUPERGEN

energy storage challenge

call II. The total budget is

£4 million [13].

UK-Brazil collaborationThe British Council,

via the Newton Fund,invites proposals for its

institutional skills grants

for Brazil-UK training

programmes. Grants are

worth between £10,000

and £100,000 each [16].

Innovate UK/RCUK foodInnovate UK, Research

Councils UK and

the Government of

India’s Department ofBiotechnology, via the

Newton-Bhabha Fund,

invite registrations for

their UK-India research

and innovation bridges

competition on agri-

food. UK project costs

are expected to range in

size from £800,000 to

£1 million [17].

Research Fortnight9 December 2015

Opportunities from previous issues of

Research Fortnight , listed by closing

date. European Commission and

associated funders marked EU.

Each entry is followed by a Web id

December

N O T T O B EP H O T O C O P I E D

For subscriptions call +44 20 7216 6500

d e a d l i n e sf o c u s p o i n t s

17 EU Directorate-General for

Communications Networks, Contentand Technology 2nd survey ofschools: ICT in education 1187505

EU European Space Agency drop your thesis projects 1165985

EU Horizon 2020: IndustrialLeadership collaborative sharing ofspectrum prize 1180932

MOD Centre for Defence Enterprise/Defence Science and TechnologyLaboratory enduring challenge

competition 1175661 NIHR health services and delivery

programme – commissioned calls:15/144, 15/145 1186977

NIHR UK rapid response teamcompetition 1187384

Organisation for Economic Coopera-tion and Development Thomas JAlexander fellowship 1171030

18 AHRC anniversary essay competition

– the way we live now debates fiveto eight 1185414

DH policy research programmeradiation protection research initia-tive 1186855

Dystonia Society seed grant scheme 1175817

STFC access to Ultra, Octopus andEPSRC laser loan pool 1173934

20 British Mycological Society small

grants 213758

21 SET for Britain Parliamentary and

Scientific Committee exhibition ofposters 260686

22 EU European Centre for Disease

Prevention and Control assessmentof tuberculosis under-reportingthrough inventory studies 1187544

23 Innovate UK cross-platform

production in digital media 1175754

Private Physiotherapy EducationalFoundation individual scholarshipawards 1169390

Private Physiotherapy Educa-tional Foundation research awards 1169389

Private Physiotherapy EducationalFoundation research awards fornovice researchers 1169388

30 British Council/Newton Fund/

Thailand Research Fund innovativeand sustainable competitiveness infood and drinks technology – callfor research delegation 1187503

EU Digital Agenda for Europe ex-perts supporting the identificationof technical specifications to bereferenced in public procurementaccording to Article 13 of EU regula-tion 1025/2012 1185768

Innovate UK/ScotGov/ScottishEnterprise/Scottish Diabetes Grouppersonalised diabetes educationand care 1187191

31 Allen Foundation research grants

194161

Autonomous Government of Catalo-nia international prize 204483

Berthold Leibinger Stiftung innova-tion prize 155224

British Biophysical Society younginvestigator award 153194

British Entomological and NaturalHistory Society Maitland Emmetresearch fund and grants 207742

British Institute of Radiology SirGodfrey Hounsfield lecture 152750

British Society of PeriodontologyJohn Zamet memorial prize in peri-odontal research 1185377

British Trust for Ornithologyresearch grants 258591

Champalimaud Foundation visionaward 206992

Commonwealth Forestry Association young scientist research award 1178215

Company of Biologists/Jour-nal of Experimental Biology/

Development, Disease Models &Mechanisms/Journal of Cell Sciencetravelling fellowships 205990

EU European Science Foundationquantitative models of cellular anddevelopmental biology – exchangegrants 1164860

European Academy of Allergy andClinical Immunology clinical fellow-ships 196140

European Academy of Allergy andClinical Immunology research fel-lowships 1157993

European Association for CancerResearch/Pezcoller Foundationcancer researcher award 254658

European Association of Plastic Sur-geons Hans Anderl award 209843

European League Against Rheuma-tism knowledge transfer programme 187035

European Orthodontic Society WJBHouston memorial research scholar-ship 1172184

European Society for Surgery of theShoulder and the Elbow Europe-UStravelling fellowships 1170424

European Society for Surgery of theShoulder and the Elbow Europe-US

travelling fellowships 259564 European Society of Contraception

and Reproductive Health coursegrants 1170016

European Society of Contraceptionand Reproductive Health projectgrants 1170015

European Society of RegionalAnaesthesia and Pain Therapyeducational grant 1170467

European Society of Regional An-aesthesia and Pain Therapy researchgrant 1170462

Handel Institute research awards 1163710

International Society for AntiviralResearch women in science career

development awards 1182346 Lady Davis Fellowship Trust postdoc-

toral research fellowships 185088

London Mathematical Society jointresearch groups in the UK 206881

Musculoskeletal Association ofChartered Physiotherapists Inter-national Federation of OrthopaedicManipulative Physical Therapistspresentation award 1172308

Musculoskeletal Association ofChartered Physiotherapists MSc/PgD route bursaries 1172293

Royal College of Psychiatrists inScotland research prize 152807

Royal College of PsychiatristsMargaret Slack travelling fellowship 1165695

Royal Society of Chemistry energysector PhD thesis award 1184112

Society of Environmental Toxicologyand Chemistry best publicationawards 1161140

Weizmann Institute of Science visit-ing professorships 198003

YIVO Institute for Jewish ResearchEastern European Jewish studiesfellowship 1187633

YIVO Institute for Jewish ResearchAmerican Jewish studies fellowships 1187632

YIVO Institute for Jewish ResearchBaltic Jewish Studies Fellowships 1187629

January

1 British Endodontic Society grants

for research workers 206210

British Society of Periodontologyclinical fellowship awards 209659

British Society of Periodontologyresearch grants 213041

British Society of Periodontology SirWilfred Fish research prize 213035

European Association of Urologyclinical visit 252514

European Association of Urologyscholarships 252519

European Association of Urologyshort visit 252521

Royal Society of Chemistry JWTJones travelling fellowship 256367

Royal Society of Chemistry stop-overs in Commonwealth countries 1165005

Online Funding Search

Funding searchSearch

For full details of every funding opportunity, visitwww.ResearchProfessional.com

Online subscribers can view full details of any funding opportunity bysimply searching for the Web id number as free text in a funding search.

Free text: 1234567 x

Issue no. 469


8/24

8 funding opportunities Research Fortnight, 9 December 2015

Sports medicine travel grantThe British Association of Sport and Exer-cise Medicine invites applications for itsexternal meeting sponsorship. Funding

sponsors the cost of an external, non-BASEM meeting in order to encouragemembers to attend relevant sport andexercise medicine meetings that they areunable to get sponsorship for throughthe NHS or other employees. Awardsare worth up to £500 each for full mem-bers and up to £300 each for associatemembers.Web id: 1185681Email: [email protected] deadline [1]

Biotechnology grants 1The Crossing Biological Membranes Net-work invites applications for the followinggrants:

•industrial-academic exchange grants,worth up to £1,000 each.Web id: 1187726

•open innovation meeting grants,worth up to £2,000 each.Web id: 1187727Email: [email protected] deadline [2]

Travel grantsThe Neuroanaesthesia Society of GreatBritain and Ireland invites applicationsfor its travelling fellowships. These enablemembers of the society to undertake visitsfor research, study or teaching. The totalbudget is £5,000. Fellowships are worthup to £2,500 each.

Web id: 1187733No deadline [4]

UK-Brazil energy workshopThe British Council via the Newton Fund,the National Council of Technologicaland Scientific Development (CNPq), theBrazilian National Council of State Fund-ing Agencies (CONFAP) and the São PauloResearch Foundation (FAPESP) inviteapplications for their community-basedsustainable energy workshop. Fundingenables UK and Brazilian researchersto come together for a workshop, to beheld from 15 to 20 February 2016 in Flo-rianópolis, Brazil, and discuss the issuesand solutions of micro-grids within the

areas of wireless sensing and embed-ded computing, renewable energy andsocial sciences. Grants cover all traveland accommodation expenses.Web id: 1187817Deadline: 24 December 2015 [5]

Encephalitis PhD fellowshipThe Encephalitis Society invites applica-tions for its PhD fellowship. This enablesHEIs to host graduates in order for themto obtain a postgraduate PhD researchqualification, focusing on the theme ofrecovery and rehabilitation of encepha-litis patients. The fellowship is worth upto £12,500 a year to cover up to 50 percent of the full costs of a studentship,including fees, stipend and consumables.Web id: 1187826Contact: Ava EastonEmail: [email protected]: 30 December 2015 [6]

Early-career entomology The Royal Entomological Society invitesnominations for the Marsh award forearly-career entomologists. This rec-ognises an early-career contribution toentomological science with a single orongoing impact to the field. The awardis worth £1,000.Web id: 1187835No deadline [7]

Wind energy technology The Carbon Trust invites tenders for theprovision of dynamic thermal rating ofsubsea cables. The tenderer will look intothe thermal optimisation of the sub-seacables in the operating conditions ofoffshore wind farms. The contract is worthup to £375,000 over 14 months.Web id: 1187828Email: [email protected]: 4 January 2016 [8]

Commonwealth awardsThe Commonwealth Scholarship Commis-sion in the UK, in collaboration with the

government of India, invites applicationsfor their scholarships. These support UKcitizens who wish to study in a universityin India in 2016-2017. Up to two schol-arships are available, including livingand rent allowance, a contingent grant,tuition fees, and thesis and dissertationexpenses.Web id: 1187798Email: [email protected]: 4 January 2016 [9]

ScotGov Phytophthora speciesThe Scottish Government invites tendersfor its call on the risks of Phytophthoraspecies to the Scottish environment andrural economy. The tenderer will develop

and use improved detection methods forPhytophthora species to determine thepresence of the species in key environ-ments in Scotland, in order to evalu-ate the risks of the species to plants intrade, in commercial production and theenvironment. The budget is worth up to£250,000.Web id: 1187735Email: [email protected]: 6 January 2016 [10]

JRF poverty and ethnicityThe Joseph Rowntree Foundation invitesproposals for its poverty and ethnicityprogramme evaluation. Funding aims tosupport an evaluation of the poverty andethnicity programme in order to learnabout the wider impact of the programme,and the effectiveness of the poverty andethnicity programme model. The totalbudget is worth £50,000 over 37 months.Web id: 1187871Email: [email protected]: 7 January 2016 [11]

ScotGov farm assuranceThe Scottish Government invites tendersfor the provision of a collaborative devel-opment of positive welfare indicatorsfor farm assurance. The tenderer willundertake a research project that will con-sider the development of animal-basedindicators of positive welfare in animalsthat could be used in farm assuranceschemes in Scotland. The total budget isworth between £100,000 and £120,000.Web id: 1187863

Email: [email protected]: 7 January 2016 [12]

EPSRC energy storageThe Engineering and Physical SciencesResearch Council, as part of the ResearchCouncils UK energy programme, invitesregistrations of intent to apply for theSUPERGEN energy storage challenge call

II. This supports collaborative researchthat underpins the development of energystorage technologies. Projects shouldaddress materials, and materials designand diagnostics. EPSRC expects to supportfive projects for up to three years. Thetotal budget is £4 million.Web id: 1187763Email: [email protected]: 11 January 2016 [13]

White rot in onion cropsThe Agriculture and Horticulture Devel-opment Board, via its horticulture divi-sion, invites proposals to tender for theprovision of an investigation into thecontrol of white rot in bulb and salad

onion crops. The tenderer will developan integrated crop management strategyfor control of white rot, covering bothconventionally and organically grownbulb and salad crops. The budget is worthbetween £80,000 and £100,000 over aperiod of two to three years.Web id: 1187865Email: [email protected]: 15 January 2016 [14]

Integration projectThe Energy Technologies Institute invitesapplications for its networks multi vectorintegration project. This aims to under-stand the opportunity for and impli-cations of moving to more integrated

multi-vector networks. The project mayreceive £300,000 over nine months.Web id: 1187862Email: [email protected]: 15 January 2016 [15]

UK-Brazil collaborationThe British Council, via the Newton Fund,invites proposals for its institutionalskills grants for Brazil-UK training pro-grammes. Funding supports new training,capacity building or community engage-ment programmes for staff or key com-munity partners of Brazilian institutions,where the programmes focus on devel-oping specific scientific or creative andinnovative skills in conjunction with a UK

organisation. Grants are worth between£10,000 and £100,000 each.Web id: 1187802Email: [email protected]: 20 January 2016 [16]

Innovate UK/RCUK agri-foodInnovate UK, Research Councils UK andthe Government of India's Departmentof Biotechnology, via the Newton-BhabhaFund, invite registrations for their UK-India research and innovation bridgescompetition on agri-food. Fundingsupports collaborative industrial R&Dprojects that propose new commercialsolutions to critical challenges impact-ing the agri-food sector in India. The

total budget is worth up to £10 million,of which £5m is provided by RCUK andInnovate UK for the UK partners, whileDBT are providing matching funding forIndian partners. UK project costs are

expected to range in size from £800,000to £1m, and the percentage of the totalcosts provided depends on the size of theorganisation.Web id: 1187746Email: [email protected]: 20 January 2016 [17]

Tuberous sclerosis awards 1Tuberous Sclerosis Association invites

applications for its project grants. Thesesupport a range of research projectswithin the tuberous sclerosis complex andthat relate to understanding TSC and itsimpacts, and treating and preventing themanifestations of TSC. Grants are worth upto £190,000 over three years.Web id: 1187803Email: [email protected]: 22 January 2016 [18]

DFID evaluation servicesThe Department for International Devel-opment invites tenders for evaluationservices. The tenderer will contributeto improving the impact and value for

money of DFID's development spendingand support the effective delivery of itsstrategic objectives.Web id: 1187821Email: [email protected]: 29 January 2016 [19]

Sports medicine awardsThe British Association of Sport and Exer-cise Medicine invites applications for thefollowing opportunities:

•research award, in collaboration withDJO Global. Web id: 1185677•MSc in sport and exercise medicine

bursary, worth £2,000. Web id: 1187840•travelling fellowship, worth up to

£5,000. Web id: 1185678Email: [email protected]: 31 January 2016 [20]

Digital social science prizeThe Independent Social Research Foun-dation and Big Data and Society inviteapplications for their essay competitionon digital social science. This recognisesthe best essay on the topic of influenceand power. The prize is worth CHF1,000(£660).Web id: 1187814Email: [email protected]: 31 January 2016 [24]

Prehistoric archaeology The Prehistoric Society invites applica-tions for its collections study award. Thissupports the study of a specified areaof a museum's archaeological collec-tions or archives relating specifically tohuman prehistory. Grants are worth upto £3,000 each.Web id: 1187869Contact: Tessa MachlingEmail: [email protected]: 31 January 2016 [25]

Sensors and metrology callsThe University of Birmingham's UKNational Quantum Technology Hub forSensors and Metrology and the Engineer-ing and Physical Sciences Research Coun-cil invite proposals via the following calls:

•end-user driven demonstration activi-ties. Grants are worth up to £500,000each. Web id: 1185827•new academic collaborations.

u k h i g h l i g h t s

New opportunities from UK-based funders.


9/24

Research Fortnight, 9 December 2015 funding opportunities 9

Web id: 1187855Contact: Max TurnerEmail: [email protected]: 31 January 2016 [26]

Aesthetics travel grantsThe British Society of Aesthetics invitesapplications for its postgraduate travelstipends. These enable participation inconferences or research visits to other

universities on topics in aesthetics andthe philosophy of art. Stipends are worthup to £800 each.Web id: 1187743Email: [email protected]: 1 February 2016 [28]

Royal Society medalsThe Royal Society invites nominations forthe following medals:

•Copley medal, worth £25,000.Web id: 1187843

•Rumford medal, worth £2,000.Web id: 1187844Email: [email protected]: 1 February 2016 [29]

Oxford humanities networksThe University of Oxford's Research Cen-tre in the Humanities invites applicationsfor its research network scheme. Thissupports researchers seeking to estab-lish, or consolidate, multi- or interdis-ciplinary research networks to be basedat the Radcliffe humanities building.Awards are usually worth £2,500 andare tenable for one year with possibleextension.Web id: 1187824Email: [email protected]: 19 February 2016 [31]

Learning disabilitiesThe Baily Thomas Charitable Fund invitesapplications for its doctoral fellowships.These enable researchers to complete aPhD on a topic relevant to people withlearning disabilities. Up to two fellow-ships are available per year, for three

years , which incl ude annual stipe ndsworth up to £18,057, PhD registrationfees of £4,000, a grant of £5,000 per

year for consumable costs, and £300 per year for travelling to conferences or visitcollaborators.Web id: 1187774Email: [email protected]: 1 March 2016 [32]

Legal scholars grantsThe Society of Legal Scholars invitesapplications for its small projects andevents funding. This supports projects oractivities that advance legal education.Grants are worth up to £2,500 each.Web id: 1187755Email: [email protected]: 1 March 2016 [33]

Organisation theory prizeThe Independent Social Research Foun-dation and Organisation Studies inviteapplications for their essay competitionon organisation studies. These recognisethe best essay on the topic of autono-my and organisation. Prizes are worth

CHF7,000 (£4,600) each.Web id: 1187812Email: [email protected]: 31 March 2016 [34]

Radiography fellowship grantThe Society of Radiographers, togetherwith the College of Radiographers, andthe College of Radiographers IndustryPartnership Scheme, invites applica-tions for its doctoral fellowship grants.These enable members to undertakedoctoral level research on radiography,in one of the chosen research areas.Two fellowships of up to £25,000 eachare available.Web id: 1187848Contact: Valerie AsemahEmail: [email protected]: 1 April 2016 [35]

Innovate UK energy solutionsInnovate UK invites registrations for itscompetition on energy game changer.Funding supports technical feasibilitystudies which encourage new entrantsinto the energy sector and stimulatethe adoption of disruptive technologiesthat address challenges faced by theenergy sector. The total budget is worthup to £1.5 million. Each project mayreceive between £25,000 and £100,000for a period of six to 12 months, althoughlarger projects may be considered.Web id: 1187856Email: [email protected]: 4 May 2016 [36]

Geotechnical engineer awardThe International Society for Soil Mechan-ics and Geotechnical Engineering invitesnominations for its outstanding younggeotechnical engineer award. This rec-ognises individuals under 36 years ofage who have made outstanding con-tributions to the practice or researchin geotechnical engineering throughcontributing to one or more research

or industrial projects. The prize is worth£1,000.Web id: 1187859Email: [email protected]: 1 July 2016 [37]

Social behaviour prizeThe Independent Social Research Foun-dation and the Journal for the Theory ofSocial Behaviour invite applications fortheir essay competition on social theory.This recognises the best essay on thetopic of social behaviour and its inves-tigation. The prize is worth CHF7,000(£4,600).Web id: 1187815Email: [email protected]

Deadline: 31 March 2017 [38]

u k o t h e r

Renewed opportunities from funders based

in the UK.

Surgery of the handThe British Society for Surgery of theHand invites applications for the HongKong research fellowship. The fellow isexpected to complete one or two researchprojects, and one or two reviews of clinicalmaterial. The fellowship lasts six monthsand is funded through a monthly allow-

ance of £1,000.Web id: 203439Email: [email protected] deadline [39]

Ancient mosaics grantsThe Association for the Study and Preser-vation of Roman Mosaics invites applica-tions for its grants. These are given tocover the costs of travel or publicationrelating to the study of ancient mosaics,or work on the conservation or preserva-tion of mosaics. Grants are worth up to£500 each.Web id: 252001

Contact: Wendy PassmoreEmail: [email protected]: 31 December 2015 [40]

Rehabilitation medicineThe British Society of Rehabilitation Medi-cine invites applications for the followingopportunities:

•the Philip Nichols prize, worth £500.Web id: 212291

•travelling scholarship, worth up to£600. Web id: 212293Email: [email protected]: 31 December 2015 [41]

Orthodontics grantsThe European Orthodontic Society invitesapplications for the following oppor-tunities:

•the Beni Solow award, worth £2,500.Web id: 1180564

•research grants, worth up to £20,000each. Web id: 1169459

•the W J B Houston research awards,worth £2,000 each. Web id: 1180563Email: [email protected]: 31 December 2015 [43]

Applied microbiology fundThe Society for Applied Microbiologyinvites applications for its president'sfund. This assists members to present atscientific meetings or attend workshopsrelated to their area of work. Grants are

worth up to £1,200 each.Web id: 202163Email: [email protected]: 31 December 2015 [46]

Biochemistry awards 1The Biochemical Society invites applica-tions for the following opportunities:

•general travel grants, worth up to£750 each. Web id: 257440•visiting fellowships, worth up to

£2,000 each. Web id: 251981Email: [email protected]: 1 January 2016 [47]

German history grantsThe German History Society invites appli-cations for the following opportunities:

•conference funding, worth up to£1,000 each. Web id: 1182615• small grants, worth up to £1,000

each. Web id: 1170664Email: [email protected]: 1 January 2016 [49]

Eye disease researchThe National Eye Research Centre invitesapplications for its PhD studentships.These fund research which improves theunderstanding of, and treatments for,eye disease and sight loss. Grants arenormally worth up to £60,000 each overthree years.Web id: 1165155Email:[email protected]: 5 January 2016 [51]

I S S N 1 3 5 8 - 1 1 9 8

Published every two weeks withbreaks at Christmas, Easter and inthe summer. The next edition willbe published on 13 January.

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10/24

10 funding opportunities Research Fortnight, 9 December 2015

Biochemical eventsThe Biochemical Society invites applica-tions for its sponsored events grants. Thesesupport single lectures or small events,such as postgraduate research days or one-day mini symposia, at a higher educationinstitution. Grants are worth up to £500.Web id: 1164785Email: [email protected]: 6 January 2016 [52]

AHRC/BBC new generationThe Arts and Humanities Research Counciland BBC Radio 3 invite applications fortheir new generation thinkers scheme. Thisenables early-career researchers workingin all areas of the arts and humanities toattend a series of dedicated workshops,develop new programmes and becomeRadio 3's resident new generation think-ers. Up to 10 placements are available.Web id: 1161307Email: [email protected]: 7 January 2016 [53]

Bibliography awardsThe Bibliographical Society invites appli-cations for the following opportunities:

•the Katharine F Pantzer Jr researchfellowship, worth up to £4,000.Web id: 202850

•major grants, worth up to £2,000each. Web id: 202849Email: [email protected]: 8 January 2016 [54]

Biosocial sciencesThe Parkes Foundation invites applica-tions for the following opportunities:

•PhD grant fund, worth up to £3,000.Web id: 187173

•small grants, worth up to £800 each.Web id: 210923Email: [email protected]: 8 January 2016 [56]

Fish biology studentshipsThe Fisheries Society of the British Islesinvites applications for its PhD student-ships. These support postgraduate studythat leads to a PhD in any field relevantto fish biology, and fisheries science andconservation. Studentships are basedon the NERC stipend rate plus a £1,000supplement, and include a contributionof £1,500 per year towards consumables.Funding covers a period of three years.Web id: 260066Email: [email protected]: 12 January 2016 [58]

Computer science awardThe British Computer Society invitesnominations for the Roger Needhamaward. This recognises a distinguishedresearch contribution in computer sci-ence by a UK-based researcher who hascompleted up to 10 years of postdoctoralresearch. The prize includes £5,000 andthe opportunity to give a public lectureon the winning work.Web id: 1170945Email: [email protected]: 13 January 2016 [59]

Physics public engagementThe Institute of Physics invites applica-tions for its public engagement grants.These support individuals and organisa-

tions running physics-based events andactivities in the UK and Ireland. Grantsare worth up to £2,000 each.Web id: 257005Contact: Sarah BarnesEmail: [email protected]: 14 January 2016 [60]

Occupational therapy awardsThe British Association of Occupational

Therapists' and the College of Occu-pational Therapists' UK OccupationalTherapy Research Foundation invitesproposals for the following awards:

•the Elizabeth Casson Trust postdoc-toral award, worth up to £10,000.Web id: 259790

•research career development grant,worth up to £10,000. Web id: 259787

•research priority grants, worth up to£80,000 each. Web id: 259785Email: [email protected]: 15 January 2016 [61]

Nuclear medicineThe British Nuclear Medicine Societyinvites applications for its young investi-

gators prize competition. This recognisesabstracts presented at the annual meet-ing concerned with the application ofradiotracers to diagnosis and therapy.The prize is worth £500.Web id: 161466Email: [email protected]: 15 January 2016 [64]

Systematic researchThe Linnean Society and the SystematicsAssociation invite applications for theirsystematics research fund. This supportssmall-scale research projects in the fieldof systematics and taxonomy. Awards areworth up to £1,500 each.Web id: 257476

Contact: Mark CarineEmail: [email protected]: 15 January 2016 [65]

Mineralogy bursariesThe Mineralogical Society invites applica-tions for the following bursaries:

•postgraduate student bursaries,worth up to £500 each. Web id: 187223•senior bursaries, worth up to £500

each. Web id: 201141Contact: Kevin MurphyEmail: [email protected]: 15 January 2016 [66]

Anaesthesia grantsThe National Institute of AcademicAnaesthesia invites applications for theAssociation of Anaesthetists of GreatBritain and Ireland anaesthesia researchgrants. These support research focusingon the following areas: patient safety,innovation, clinical outcomes, educa-tion and training, related professionalissues, or the environment. Grants aretypically worth from £1,000 to £10,000for small projects, and up to £20,000 forlarger projects.Web id: 1171783Email: [email protected]: 15 January 2016 [68]

Canada scholarshipsThe Association of Commonwealth Uni-versities invites applications for theCanada Memorial Foundation scholar-ships. These support British studentsor graduates wishing to pursue a post-

graduate course at a university or otherhigher education institution in Canada.The awards last for one year and includefunding for airfares, fees, maintenanceand other allowances.Web id: 187203Email: [email protected]: 17 January 2016 [69]

Economic growth policy The International Growth Centre, basedat the London School of Economics andPolitical Science, invites proposals for itscentral call on growth policies in develop-ing countries. This supports high-calibreresearch projects relevant to growth poli-cies in developing countries within thefour themes of state effectiveness, firmcapabilities, cities and energy. Fundingcovers fees, services, and expenses suchas equipment and overhead costs. Thereare no limits on budget or duration forprojects funded under this call.Web id: 1176308Email: [email protected]: 17 January 2016 [70]

Special economic projectsThe Royal Economic Society invites appli-cations for its special project grants.These offer financial assistance for activi-ties that further the understanding anduse of economics. Grants are worth up to£5,000 each.Web id: 1166397Email: [email protected]: 20 January 2016 [71]

Tuberous sclerosis awards 2The Tuberous Scierosis Association invitesapplications for the following oppor-tunities:

•junior fellowships, worth up to£40,000 per year each over a maximumperiod of three years. Web id: 1174466•PhD studentships, worth up to

£15,000 per year each over a maximumperiod of there years. Web id: 1179198Email: [email protected]: 22 January 2016 [72]

Wellcome collaborationThe Wellcome Trust invites applicationsfor its collaborative awards in humani-ties and social science. These enableteams to tackle major health-relatedquestions in the humanities and socialsciences. Awards are normally worth upto £2 million each over a maximum periodof five years, with most in the range of£1m to £1.5m.Web id: 1182833Email: [email protected]: 22 January 2016 [74]

Mathematics prizesThe London Mathematical Society invitesnominations for the following prizes:

•the Anne Bennett prize, worth£1,500. Web id: 1182685•the De Morgan medal, worth £1,500.

Web id: 1157796•the Fröhlich prize, worth £1,500.

Web id: 1157797•senior Berwick prize, worth £1,500.

Web id: 208743•the Whitehead prizes, worth £1,500

each. Web id: 208744Contact: Duncan TurtonEmail: [email protected]: 25 January 2016 [75]

ESRC impact prizeThe Economic and Social Research Coun-cil invites applications for its celebrat-ing impact prize. This recognises andrewards ESRC-funded researchers whohave achieved, or are currently achieving,outstanding economic or societal impactsthrough their research and collaborativeworking, partnerships, engagement andknowledge exchange activities. A prizeof £10,000 will be made to the winnersof each category.Web id: 1171231Email: [email protected]: 29 January 2016 [80]

Orthopaedic researchOrthopaedic Research UK invites expres-sions of interest for its general and trans-lational research awards. These supportprojects that address an identified ortho-paedic clinical need. Awards are worth upto £100,000 each.Web id: 1185572Email: [email protected]: 29 January 2016 [81]

Glaucoma researchThe Royal College of Ophthalmologistsinvites applications for the InternationalGlaucoma Association award. This sup-ports postgraduate research into glau-coma. The grant is worth up to £75,000.Web id: 211918Email: [email protected]: 29 January 2016 [82]

ScotGov health servicesThe Scottish Government's Chief ScientistOffice, under the response mode fundingscheme, invites outline proposals for thefollowing calls:

•health improvement, protection andservices research grants, worth up to£300,000 each. Web id: 192806•translational clinical studies research

grants, worth up to £300,000 each.Web id: 1161521Email: [email protected] Deadline: 29 January 2016 [83]

American studies awardsThe British Association for AmericanStudies, on behalf of the British Library,invites applications for the followingawards:

•the Eccles Centre postgraduateawards in North American studies, worth£600 each. Web id: 1171851•the Eccles Centre visiting fellows in

North American studies awards, worth£2,250 each. Web id: 1171850Email: [email protected]: 30 January 2016 [85]

Biochemistry awards 2The Biochemical Society invites nomi-nations for its centenary award. Thisrecognises a biochemist of distinctionfrom any part of the world. The award isworth £3,000.Web id: 1161323Email: [email protected]: 31 January 2016 [87]

Laboratory visits

The British Microcirculation Societyinvites applications for its laboratoryvisit grants. These enable postgraduatestudents or junior postdoctoral workerswho are members of the society to vis it a


11/24

jobs 11

Licensing Executive,Engineering and PhysicalSciences £37,394-£45,954 Financial & Business Services(BEIS) – Commercialisation,University of NottinghamClosing date: 13/12/2015Details: If you are unable toapply online please contact HRon 0115 951 5206.For more details and/or toapply online please access:www.nottingham.ac.uk/jobs/currentvacancies/ref/FAB269515

Research Development Team

Lead (Engineering and PhysicalSciences) £38,896-£46,414increasing up to £52,219 College of Engineering andPhysical Sciences,University of BirminghamClosing date: 12 midnight,04/01/2016Details: Please visit:www.hr.bham.ac.uk/jobs searchcurrent vacancies and enterRef:53927

Group Head, Survey ResearchCentre (Health and Bio-

medical) c. £60,000 NatCen Social ResearchClosing date: 08/01/2016Details: Applicants can downloadan information pack at: www.bloomsburyresourcing.co.uk.For an informal and confidentialdiscussion about the role, pleasecontact Shahidul MiahTel: 07581 230 171

Group Head, Policy ResearchCentre (Health) c. £60,000 NatCen Social ResearchClosing date: 08/01/2016

Details: Applicants can downloadan information pack at: www.bloomsburyresourcing.co.uk.For an informal and confidentialdiscussion about the role, pleasecontact Shahidul MiahTel: 07581 230 171

International Policy Manager£28,384 Economic and Social ResearchCouncil (ESRC)Closing date: 11/01/2016Contact: Lewis PreeceEmail: [email protected]

P o l i c y , M a n a g e m e n t & S u p p o r t – p l u s E x p e r t C o m m i t t e e s 9 D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5

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For more details and the completelist of jobs, please visit:www.researchresearch.com/jobs

Getting to grips with the ethics around big data

is essential for researchers in a range of subjects,and it could make you more employable, too,says Emma Uprichard, associate professorat the University of Warwick’s Centre forInterdisciplinary Methodologies.

She has just won £12,000 from the IBM FacultyAward scheme to run a three-day postgraduatecourse on big-data ethics in the second halfof 2016, which she says will teach researcherstechniques to respect privacy, confidentiality andanonymity when using a diverse range of publicand interlinked data available online.

The three-day course will run annually andaccept up to 30 postgraduate students across

the university’s Centre for InterdisciplinaryMethodologies, Warwick Business School, andthe faculties of computer science, politics,international studies and sociology.

“Big-data ethics is going to be an increasingissue for managers and employers across different

job areas,” she says. “People are going to face muchtighter regulations within their own institutions,so having a background in ethics will increase theiremployability.”

According to Uprichard, many professionalethics codes relating to research and practice don’toffer solutions to the increasing number of ethicalchallenges constantly being posed by big data

and real time analytics. And, she says, most big-data courses focus on coding, data extraction andanalysis rather than the ethics of using that data.

“Very often all this data is linked in some way to

a person and you can’t get away from the ethicaland political implications of that,” Uprichard says.

She wants to get researchers on her course todiscuss real-life dilemmas arising from scraping andmining data, and ask more critical questions on theuse of big data. This will help them come up withanswers to research questions such as ‘What are thepoorest areas of a city?’ without endangering thesubjects’ personal information, she says.

Uprichard has designed an interdisciplinarycourse, saying that big-data ethics should notonly be taught only to computer scientists. “Socialscientists are being trained to think in ethical ways

from very early on, but those approaches are outof date,” she says. “Researchers are increasinglyturning to online tools with little or no ethicalguidance. Big-data ethics needs to be taught andexplored across the disciplines.”

However she acknowledges that this willmean her training is more general, and adds thatresearchers should complement this with othercourses that are more specific to their fields.

Uprichard’s course materials, including a listof recommended reads, will eventually be madepublicly available, online. But, if you want to startnow she recommends reading #SocialEthics: A

guide to embedding ethics in social media research,

which was published on 12 November as part ofa project called Wisdom of the Crowd that givesadvice to integrate social media analyses as a validand ethical research methodology.


Don’t let big data dilute your ethics

A lack of incentives and pressures on fundingare making it more difficult for academics toengage people with learning disabilities in theirresearch, according to Craig Blyth, programmedirector of the Learning Disability Studiescourses at the University of Manchester.

“In the past, funders looked at partnershipswith learning-disabled people very positively,”he says. “In more recent years, as we’ve seenfunding to research councils being cut, funding forpartnership research has proved a real challenge.”

Another obstacle is the publication of research,he says. “If you work with learning-disabledpeople it is very important that you use accessiblelanguage, but if you want to get your article in atop-rated journal that can be a challenge,” he says.

You can write two versions of a paper, he says, butthis does take extra time. In 2012, the PartnershipSteering Group, led by Blyth and formed of peoplewith mental disorders such as autism and Downssyndrome, or those with an IQ of less than 70, editeda special edition of the British Journal of Learning

Disabilities. This project took about three years toput together, but was worth the effort, Blyth says.

One of the biggest barriers is the attitude of

academics to the work. “There is still a perceptionamong clinical health researchers that these peopleare in need of cure and control, they see them asa set of diagnoses rather than a person,” he says.

The bachelor and masters courses he runs aimto address this. He invites people with learningdisabilities to teach the students. “The idea was thatlearning-disabled people could provide live insights,rather than just having academics preaching abouthow it is to have a learning disability,” Blyth says.

But, he says, it’s important that researchersconsider their partners’ financial situation: Blyth’spartners get paid as visiting lecturers for the hoursthey teach, but can’t receive money for any othertask as this might affect their long-term benefits.

Although his courses will not be run next year,having failed to meet the university’s thresholdof 30 students, he is hopeful that the spirit ofthe courses will remain. “We need to challengeacademics so that they can really see the value

of learning-disabled researchers and the hugerange of skills that they have, provided that theyare given the right support,” he says.


Learning-disabled researchers need support from academics


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12 jobs

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Knowledge Transfer Manager(maternity cover)£47,808-£59,649 Enterprise and Innovation,Coventry UniversityClosing date: 13/12/2015Details: Please visitwww.coventry.ac.uk/eandiEmail: [email protected]

Proposal DevelopmentConsultant (two posts) £36,678-£52,224 Enterprise and Innovation,Coventry UniversityClosing date: 13/12/2015Email: [email protected]

Senior Contracts Manager £38,896, rising to £46,414 Research and Innovation

Services, University of BathClosing date: 14/12/2015Details: Applications must besubmitted via the University ofBath websiteEmail: [email protected]: 01225 386924

Head of Pre-Award andContracts £47,801, rising to£55,389 Research and Innovation

Services, University of BathClosing date: 14/12/2015Email: [email protected]: 01225 386924

Research Development Manager £38,896, rising to £46,414 Research and InnovationServices, University of Bath

Closing date: 14/12/2015Email: [email protected]: 01225 386924

Senior Clinical Trials Manager £35,511-£45,954Centre for Tropical Medicine andGlobal Health, University of OxfordClosing date: 14/12/2015Contact: Bethany ValentineEmail: [email protected]: 01865 612944

Knowledge Exchange and

Commercialisation Officer £25,000- £28,000 Research Management Office,Animal Health TrustClosing date: 15/12/2015Email: [email protected]

Research Integrity andGovernance Officer (maternitycover) £30,434-£37,394 Research and InnovationSupport, University of Surrey

Closing date: 15/12/2015Email: [email protected]: 01483 686363

Research Administrator (part-time) £8,721-£10,101 School of Computing andEngineering,

University of HuddersfieldClosing date: 16/12/2015Email: [email protected]

Head of Department £56,482-£67,413 Food and Markets Department,University of GreenwichClosing date: 16/12/2015Email: [email protected]

Business Development Officer £31.342-£37,394Research & Innovation Services,Cardiff University

Closing date: 16/12/2015Email: [email protected]: 029 2087 9777

Senior Programme Manager NSCentral Commissioning Facility,National Institute for HealthResearchClosing date: 17/12/2015Email: [email protected]

Higher Education PolicyAdvisers – Institutions andResearch Teams (five posts)£21,255-£36,519 Higher Education Funding Councilfor England (HEFCE)Closing date: 17/12/2015Email: recruitmentteam@hefce.

ac.ukTel: 0117 931 7444

Head of Research & KnowledgeExchange £54,841-£58,172 Bournemouth UniversityClosing date: 20/12/2015Email: [email protected]: 01202 961133

Chair in Development Politics from £60,869 Department of Politics,University of York

Closing date: 20/12/2015Email: [email protected]

Policy and Research Manager£40,332-£45,332 (inc LW)Joseph Rowntree FoundationClosing date: 12pm, 21/12/2015Email: [email protected]: 01904 615943

Contracts Officer NSRoslin Institute,University of Edinburgh

POLICY MANAGEMENT &SUPPORT VACANCIES


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Communications Manager(part time)

Applications are invited for the post of CommunicationsManager with the Daphne Jackson Trust.This is an exciting and challenging role that will offer theright person the chance to make a difference in a smallbut growing charity that offers fellowships for returners toSTEM after a career break of two years or more.

The post is 0.6 fte and is based in the Trust’s ofces in thePhysics Department at the University of Surrey, Guildford.The Communications Manager is responsiblefor managing, developing and implementing thecommunications strategy of the Daphne Jackson Trust.

This is a fantastic opportunity that would suit someonewith a science background who wants an all-roundcommunications role with lots of potential. Applicants will need to be able to manage content anddelivery across all communications channels, workcollaboratively and effectively with people both inside andoutside the organisation and raise the prole of the Trust .

Salary offered is pro-rata of £30K.Closing date for applications is Friday 8th January withinterviews held in the week commencing 18th January.We acknowledge, embrace and understand diversity.

Further information on the Daphne Jackson Trust, and this

role can be found on our websitewww.daphnejackson.org

REO Finance Ofcer (Post Award), Research andEnterprise Directorate

£34,335 - £40,448 per annum inclusive of LondonAllowance

An exciting opportunity to join the Research Ofce supporting

academic staff in managing research projects and growing

research income. SOAS is the only HEI in Europe special-

ising in the study of Asia, Africa and the Near and Middle

East. With other team members this post will play a crucial

role in establishing a distinct post award function within the

Research and Enterprise Directorate

You will:

•Have proven expertise in research post award management

•Enjoy the opportunity to take responsibility and manage

operations in a changing environment

•Have a methodical approach to your work, good sense of priorities and be self-motivated, dynamic and efcient

Excellent communication skills with stakeholders at all levels

are key

Interviews will take place on 18/19 January 2016

Closing Date: 3 January 2016

Further information: http://jobs.soas.ac.uk

Closing date: 23/12/2015Contact: Jane AndersonEmail: [email protected]

BRC Research Administrator£29,800-£33,860 Department of Surgery andCancer, Imperial College LondonClosing date: 03/01/2016

Post Award Finance Officer £34,335-£40,448Research & EnterpriseDirectorate, SOASUniversity of LondonClosing date: 03/01/2016Details: http://jobs.soas.ac.uk

Research Project Administrator(0.5 fte) £21,605-£25,023 (prorata)Institute of Criminology,University of CambridgeClosing date: 03/01/2016

Email: [email protected] AgreementsOfficer £29,847-£37,768 Research and InnovationServices, University of SheffieldClosing date: 04/01/2016Email: [email protected]

Finance and ResearchAdministrator£27,057-£31,342

Faculty of Science and Engineering,University of LiverpoolClosing date: 5pm, 04/01/2016Email: [email protected]

Research Support Officer (PostAward) £27,057-£31,342 Research Support Office,University of Liverpool

Closing date: 5pm, 06/01/2016Email: [email protected]

Research Theme Leader - PowerNetworks Metrology £49,230-£55,389 Faculty of Engineering,University of StrathclydeClosing date: 18/01/2016Email: [email protected]

Research Development Officer(BASS) £33,822-£39,934 (incLW)

Research Support & DevelopmentOffice, Brunel UniversityClosing date: 22/01/2016Email: [email protected]

Research Development Officer(HLS) £33,822-£39,934 (incLW) Research Support & DevelopmentOffice, Brunel UniversityClosing date: 22/01/2016Email: [email protected]


14/24

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Research Group HeadsCirca £60,000 with more available for

an exceptional candidate • London

Group Head, Policy Research Centre (Health)

The Policy Research team runs around 20 projects covering general health, well-being and mental health projects; gambling and addiction; and health and socialcare users and providers. You’ll be responsible for shaping the strategic direction ofthe team’s work, winning new business, ensuring excellent outputs and good clientrelationships and leading the team. A background in HE, government, or a globalcharity with a health agenda will have given you an appreciation of the scale, impactand reach of the role; and your management ability needs to be of a high order.

Group Head, Survey Research Centre (Health and Bio-medical)

Our Health & Bio-medical research team runs a portfolio of large scale and highprofile surveys in the area of health, well-being, lifestyle, diet and other relatedsubjects, and our research shapes public health policy. This exciting role willinvolve developing the work of the team and maintaining our strong deliverytrack record. Core accountabilities include improving the collection of health andbio-marker data, supporting the development of our survey nurse fieldforce, andestablishing NatCen as a thought-leader in understanding health and well-being.Strong leadership skills and a track record are essential, but you need not comefrom a health background – in this role, sound experience of managing large-scaleresearch projects is more important than sector knowledge.

Candidates for both roles must be experienced social researchers, with a strongtrack record and excellent networks in health. Good technical and managementskills, including an appreciation of the highest standards of ethical behaviour and

legal compliance, are essential. As a senior leader within NatCen, you’ll needto show that you can make a broader contribution to our overall direction andperformance. And (since you’ll be accountable for the wider dissemination of ourwork, maximising its impact and raising the profile of the organisation) you mustrelish the opportunity to advocate, negotiate and influence on our behalf. Finally, youmust share our absolute commitment to improving society by providing exceptional,relevant evidence and insight.

NatCen Social Research is the leading

not-for-profit research organisation in Britain.

We believe passionately that high-quality

research can make a difference to government

policy, and improve the society in which we live.

One of our most important roles is in tracking

the health of the nation and health policy, and

we’re delighted to announce two opportunities

to lead our principal health research groups,

Research Fortnight - 09/12/2015

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Transcript of Research Fortnight - 09/12/2015