Next application deadline: please contact your Faculty KE contact for details of local deadlines

The University has recently been awarded additional IAA funding and has committed to investing in a portfolio of ‘stage 1’ (early-stage scoping) projects up to March 2022. We are pleased to announce that we are inviting proposals for small awards of up to £10k from early September.

Example ‘stage 1’ activities can be found below:

Eligibility:

• Proposals should look to accelerate impact from previously funded EPSRC research
• Awards of up to a maximum of £10k can be requested
• Funding can only cover directly incurred staff and non-staff costs are eligible. Facility charges can also be covered if necessary to the scope of the project
• Funds must be spent by 31st March 2022

Application process:

• Please discuss your application with your Faculty KE contact at the earliest opportunity
• Proposals are invited using the EOI form found below, which should be submitted to your Faculty KE contact
• A submission should include a completed EOI form, a draft costing report and where relevant, letters of support from any partners to confirm their commitment and any cash or in-kind contributions
• Kindly note the word limits and complete all sections of the EOI form
• Applications will be reviewed and evaluated by Faculty KE teams (also consisting of representatives from Partnerships and Regional Engagement and Commercialisation) on an ongoing basis. Funds will be awarded to approved proposals until such time that the budget is fully allocated

Key contacts:

Please contact your Faculty KE contact in the first instance. An alternative contact is Joanne Roberts, Partnerships and Regional Engagement

Download EOI Form

Next application deadline: Friday 26th February 2021

Future application deadline: Friday 30th April 2021

EPSRC/STFC-funded PGR students are invited to apply for a Knowledge Exchange (KE) Scholarship.

This is a relatively new scheme within the University with the objectives of engaging doctoral (PGR) students in KE and supporting their personal and professional development. Scholarships may be held between thesis submission and viva, or during a period of corrections, but must be complete prior to the degree being awarded.

What's on offer?

Financial support: The awards are up to a maximum of £5,000 to fund a maintenance stipend at the standard UKRI rate for up to 3 months, as well as an allowance to fund activity that establishes and develops partnerships, and explores external opportunities for KE and potential impact - e.g. travel, meetings, workshops and conferences with non-academic partners.

Training and development: as well as benefiting from working closely with an experienced supervisor and developing professional skills, Scholarship holders will also have priority access to the following Researcher Development sessions run by the Think Ahead team.

Eligibility:

• Available to EPSRC and STFC-funded PGR students only at this time.
• EPSRC-funded applicants MUST evidence a clear, direct link between their proposed activity and their EPSRC-funded research (this is a requirement of the funding used to support the Scheme).
• STFC-funded applicants DO NOT have to evidence a direct link between their proposed activity and their STFC-funded research but should exploit their scientific expertise or wider STFC research. Please contact Faculty KE colleagues to discuss whether the proposed activity is in scope.
• Applicants must submit their thesis within the funded period.
• Activity must be complete prior to student status lapsing (i.e. the degree being awarded).
• Funds must be spent by 31st March 2022 at the very latest.
• Funding cannot support placements (alternative funds are available for this - PREP).
• Supervisor endorsement is a requirement and they are expected to take a lead role in the project.

Application process:

• Applications are invited using the form below. Please submit to Joanne Roberts (joanne.roberts@sheffield.ac.uk).
• The awards are being offered on a competitive basis and applications will be reviewed by a small panel with representation from the University’s Postgraduate Research Committee and Partnerships and Regional Engagement Team shortly after each application deadline.

Terms and conditions:

• Please note that successful parties will be required to engage with the KE team to arrange the finance account, provide interim updates, and produce a short report at the end of the funded period.
• If the thesis has not already been submitted, the planned date must be stated in the application form (within the timeline section) and awards will be made conditionally on this date being achieved.
• We reserve the right to recover or withhold funds where there is evidence that the scholarship holder is failing to adhere to the agreed objectives or the project is not progressing.

Key contacts:

For enquiries, please contact Joanne Roberts, Project Manager (Knowledge Exchange), Partnerships and Regional Engagement (joanne.roberts@sheffield.ac.uk).

Application form

The Government has made substantial funds available to address some of the major societal challenges facing the UK today, with £2.6bn of public funding committed alongside around £3bn of matched funding from the private sector. Made up of 23 different challenges, the vast bulk of investment is committed through collaborative R&D funding competitions and awarded to business-led projects.

We are keen to support academics to engage with this knowledge exchange and innovation activity, as your expertise and research is often pivotal to the success of projects and tackling the societal challenge in question. Your project contributions are eligible for funding through ISCF.

If you are interested to work on this challenges then the University's Industrial Strategy Programme Manager maintains a forward look of ISCF funding opportunities that are expected to open in the next 6-8 months:

Summary of forthcoming ISCF funding calls

If you would like further detail on the scope of these competitions, or support in finding external partners for a project, please contact Adam Bond (a.p.bond@sheffield.ac.uk) or Mel Knight (m.knight@sheffield.ac.uk).