This page links to the Institute of Physics publications and events that I’m involved in.
The latest additions are
The launch of the new Collaborations guide – Glasgow June 2016
Slides from the Cardiff launch event for Navigating the Funding Landscape.
Here are my blog posts from the “Taking Control of Your Career” event run in November 2015.
A badge of honour? Imposter Syndrome
The bulk of this page relates to material and links that support “Navigating the Funding Landscape”, a guide to research funding for early career researchers from the Institute of Physics. The guide has been launched around the UK and Ireland. The slides from each launch event are below.
The new guide to collaboration for early career researchers is currently being edited prior to publication. The links supporting this guide can be found on the Collaboration in Physics page (coming soon).
To get your copy, contact Vishanti Fox at the IOP (Tel: + 44 (0)207 470 4906 or e-mail: vishanti.fox@iop.org)
Infographic by Miriam Gilbert
Section 1: The Funding Map
Key funding bodies – the links chosen should help you follow the initial exploration of funders that is suggested in the guide
RCUK eligibility http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/funding/eligibilityforrcs/
EPSRC eligibility https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/howtoapply/basics/eligibility/
EPSRC strategic plan https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/about/plans/strategicplan/
STFC research funding http://www.stfc.ac.uk/funding/research-grants/
STFC and EPSRC use “Grants on the Web” as a platform for easier navigation of funded projects
http://www.gow.stfc.ac.uk/gow/
SFI programmes for ECRS
http://www.sfi.ie/funding/funding-calls/programmes-for-early-and-mid-career-researchers.html
http://www.sfi.ie/funding/sfi-women-in-science.html
National Research Prioritisation Exercise (Ireland)
http://www.djei.ie/publications/science/2012/research_prioritisation.pdf (no live link currently available)
Irish Research Council funding for postdoctoral researchers
http://research.ie/funding/postdoctoral-funding
Newton Fund Mobility Grants
http://www.international.ac.uk/programmes/current-opportunities/the-newton-fund.aspx
https://royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/newton-mobility-grants/
Royal Commission 1851 Fellowship
http://www.royalcommission1851.org/awards/?award=research
Overview of Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (funding for early career researchers with mobility)
http://ec.europa.eu/research/mariecurieactions/about-msca/actions/index_en.htm
Overview of H2020
http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/pdf/press/horizon2020-presentation.pdf
ERC (European Research Council) Starting Grants
http://erc.europa.eu/starting-grants
Leverhulme Trust
https://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/funding/
Royal Society University Fellowship
https://royalsociety.org/grants/
British Council: International workshops for ECRS
EPSRC: Funding for workings to stimulate future research activities
https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/howtoapply/routes/network/workshops/
Examples of travel grants:
Travel grant – UK – South Africa
Visiting scientist funding: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science to spend 2 – 10 months in a Japanese research institute
http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-inv/apply15.html
Don Claugher bursary, Society of Electron Microscope Technology
Up to £1,000 funding is available to cover consumables, small equipment, scientific meetings, attendance expenses or access time on an electron microscope.
http://www.semt.org.uk/index_files/TheDonClaugherBursary.htm
Young Investigator Grant, Itish Association of Physicists in Medicine “A grant of up to €1,500 is available to support an innovative research project in any area related to medical physics and bioengineering. The funds may be used to pay for items such as equipment, consumables, attendance at a conference, etc.” You must be under 35 or registered for a higher degree.
http://www.theiapm.ie/files/YIG_guidelines_2015.pdf
Summer Schools (examples – there are many more)
Plasma Physics: http://www.culhamsummerschool.org.uk/applications.htm (suggested funding source: FUSENet)
High Energy Particle Physics: http://www.stfc.ac.uk/research/particle-physics-and-particle-astrophysics/particle-physics/hep-summer-school-2015/
Condensed Matter: http://www.physicsbythelake.org/
Examples of small awards:
(these are some of the 150+ funding opportunities that were found on a search of a research funding database in July 2015)
Herbert P Broida prize for contributions to the field of atomic and molecular spectroscopy or chemical physics. American Physical Society
http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/broida.cfm
Workshop funding for up to 120 scientists from multidisciplinary fields to engage in high-level discussions and exchange results. European Molecular Biology Organisation
http://www.embo.org/programmes/courses-workshops/workshops.html
The Royal Astronomical Society small grants. These support research or study in any area of astronomy or geophysics. Eligible activities include the following: study or research projects;educational projects; purchase of temporary help for a particular task; support of the applicant or others for a research or educational purpose, including research overseas; support of meetings; travel to conferences or expeditions
http://www.ras.org.uk/awards-and-grants/grants-for-studies/2319-applying-for-a-grant
Travel grants, British Society of Rheology
http://www.bsr.org.uk/travel.asp
Section 2: Getting Ready to Write
Obligations of the host organisation (from EPSRC) https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/fellows/hostorganisationobligations/
Head of Department Questions from Isaac Newton Trust (Internal funds available in University of Cambridge) http://www.newtontrust.cam.ac.uk/ressupport/rgs/HoDquest
Bournemouth University Research Blog – internal support for developing a proposal http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/research/research-lifecycle/developing-your-proposal/
Bristol Physics Fellowship resource including list of potential schemes http://www.bristol.ac.uk/physics/research/fellowships.html
Glasgow Physics Fellowship resource http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/physics/research/groups/particlephysicsexperiment/fellowshipopportunities/
Social Media links (Twitter):
STFC https://twitter.com/stfc_matters
EPSRC https://twitter.com/EPSRC
Leverhulme Trust https://twitter.com/LeverhulmeTrust
European Research Council https://twitter.com/ERC_Research
Science Foundation Ireland https://twitter.com/scienceirel
Phil Ward, Deputy Director of Research Services, University of Kent https://twitter.com/frootle
Professor Andrew Derrington – the co-author of the Research Funding Toolkit https://twitter.com/amderrington
Professor Dame Athene Donald – professor of experimental physics and Master of Churchill College Cambridge https://twitter.com/AtheneDonald
Institute of Physics https://twitter.com/PhysicsNews
European Physics Society https://twitter.com/EuroPhysSoc
Research Funding https://twitter.com/hashtag/researchfunding
Physics Impact Case studies from REF 2014
http://impact.ref.ac.uk/CaseStudies/Results.aspx?UoA=9
Applied Research links: Research with a commercial endpoint
RAEng – grants to build links between academia and industry
http://www.raeng.org.uk/grants-and-prizes/schemes-for-people-in-industry
SFI (Ireland) Industry Fellowship Programme
http://www.sfi.ie/funding/funding-calls/open-calls/sfi-industry-fellowship-programme-2015.html
Royal Society Industry Fellowship (funded by the Royal Society, EPSRC, BBSRC, NERC and Rolls-Royce plc.)
https://royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/industry-fellowship/
STFC Working with Industry funding
http://www.stfc.ac.uk/funding/working-with-industry/research-in-industry-funding/
STFC/RSE Enterprise Fellowship
http://www.stfc.ac.uk/funding/fellowships/rsestfc-enterprise-fellowships/
Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellowship
http://www.raeng.org.uk/grants-and-prizes/support-for-entrepreneurs/enterprise-fellowships
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships
Articles and information on industry – academia connections and funding
Imperial College: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/researchsupport/funderinformation/typesofresearchfunding
University of Aberdeen: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/business-info/collaborative-research/funding-for-collaborative-research-58.php
Times Higher Education https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/research-and-industry-funding/400335.article
Report on best practices for industry-academic collaborations http://osp.mit.edu/sites/osp/files/u8/bestpractices.pdf
Report on different needs of academic and industrial partners http://nbs.net/sustainability-centres/collaborative-research-how-to-meet-the-needs-of-both-academic-and-industry-partners/
Innovate UK
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk Overview
https://interact.innovateuk.org/ Funding opportunities
https://connect.innovateuk.org/ Networking events
https://vouchers.innovateuk.org/ Innovation vouchers
Competitions
https://www.igem.org/Main_Page IGEM
http://convergechallenge.com/ (Scotland only)
http://threeminutethesis.org/international Three Minute Thesis
Impact Acceleration Funds https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/newsevents/news/impactaccelerationaccounts/
Edinburgh Complex Fluids Partnership http://www.edinburghcomplexfluids.com/
Section 3: Winning Applications
EPSRC fellowship links
New competency profile, to accommodate researchers who have had years away or worked part-time after your PhD. (https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/fellows/peerreviewprocess/whocanapply/).
Host organisation commitments https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/fellows/hostorganisationobligations/
General fellowship framework which explains which fellowships are open in specific areas at specific career stages: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/fellows/areas/
Separate fellowship calls are occasionally run and listed on the general funding page https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/calls/
Research Funding Toolkit http://www.researchfundingtoolkit.org/
Andrew Derrington’s blog http://www.parkerderrington.com/
12 key sentences:
http://www.parkerderrington.com/get-the-framework-in-place-quickly/
Glasgow Guide to Fellowships: http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_398899_en.pdf
Mentoring
IOP Mentoring Scheme http://www.iop.org/membership/prof-dev/tools/mentoring/index.html
Advice from Funders
Ernest Rutherford Fellowship (STFC) http://www.stfc.ac.uk/funding/fellowships/ernest-rutherford-fellowship/
SFI programmes for ECRS http://www.sfi.ie/funding/funding-calls/programmes-for-early-and-mid-career-researchers.html
Leverhulme Trust approach to grant making https://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/funding/our-approach-grant-making
EPSRC Areas in which fellowships are available: https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/fellows/areas/
EPSRC list of other fellowships (including post-career break/flexible working awards) https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/skills/fellows/areas/other/
Advice for interdisciplinary collaborations:
Advice for writers and reviewers of ID proposals:
https://www.wiki.ed.ac.uk/display/ISSTIInterdisciplinary/ID+Short+Notes (although it appears broken, this link is working)
Confusion in Collaboration:
http://www.shintonconsulting.com/academics/confusion-in-collaboration/
Guide to research collaboration from the GW4 Alliance (Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter)
http://gw4.ac.uk/guidetoresearchcollaboration/
COST Actions – building networks for future collaborations:
Advice from academics and experts
Alan Bundy – how to get funding http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/bundy/how-tos/rsg-how-to-get-funding.html
Aimed at Vision Scientists, “How to write a grant” from the Applied Vision Association (AVA) http://www.theava.net/AVAhowtowriteagrant.pdf
jobs.ac.uk advice on funding
http://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/interview-tips/1265/top-tips-on-applications-for-funding/
http://www.jobs.ac.uk/careers-advice/interview-tips/1265/top-tips-on-applications-for-funding/
Advice from Institutions
Glasgow Guide to Fellowships http://www.gla.ac.uk/media/media_398899_en.pdf
Section 4: Review and Reaction
EPSRC advice on reviewing proposals https://www.epsrc.ac.uk/funding/assessmentprocess/review/
Andrew Derrington’s blog on the difference between reviewers and committees http://www.parkerderrington.com/committees-and-referees/
Research Funding Toolkit – questions for five minute feedback http://www.researchfundingtoolkit.org/five-minute-feedback/
Advice on choosing a referee form Leverhulme Trust https://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/funding/advice-choosing-referee
Advice for fellowship interviews http://shintonconsulting.com/fellowships
Section 5: Turning Negatives to Positives
EPS – European Physics Society with links to events and funding opportunities http://www.epsnews.eu/
STFC Public Engagement funding http://www.stfc.ac.uk/funding/public-engagement-funding/
IOP Public Engagement grant http://www.iop.org/about/grants/outreach/page_38843.html
Space for All (public engagement) https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-funding-academic-community-and-educational#space-for-all—community-funding-scheme
Office of Astronomy for Development has an annual call for small projects (ranging from about €500 to about €15,000) in three areas: (i) Astronomy for Universities and Research, (ii) Astronomy for Children and Schools, and (iii) Astronomy for the Public http://www.astro4dev.org/aboutiauoad/cfp/
STFC – POST Fellowships http://www.stfc.ac.uk/funding/fellowships/stfc-post-fellowships/
Shell-IOP Very Early Career Woman Physicist Award http://www.iop.org/activity/groups/subject/wip/prize/page_40704.html