Additional funder questions are funder-specific or programme-specific questions that are additional to the common question set. These questions must be answered separately each time they are asked, responses cannot be copied and applied to multiple awards in a portfolio. Completing additional funder questions is mandatory after a grant has ended.
Key findings
This section is for grant holders funded by:
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
- Medical Research Council (MRC)
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
In this section we want you to report on the main, high-level results from the award, particularly in relation to the award objectives. Please note that what you enter and submit will be publicly available through the publicly accessible Gateway to Research system.
Reporting times during and after award
The following timings will normally be applied to UKRI awards in researchfish.
For awards of less than one year duration:
- you’re asked for key findings in first available submission period
- after the award ends, you’re asked for only two submission periods subject to response quality (does not apply to STFC grant holders)
For awards of one to two year duration:
- you’re not asked in first submission period after award starts
- you’re asked from second submission period after award starts
- after the award ends, you’re asked for only two submission periods (does not apply to STFC grant holders)
For awards of more than two year duration:
- you’re not asked in first two submission periods after award starts
- you’re asked from third submission period after award starts
- after the award ends, you’re asked for only two submission periods (does not apply to STFC grant holders)
What to report
You should address three questions:
- what were the most significant achievements from the award
- how might the findings be taken forward and by whom
- to what extent were the award objectives met (if they were not met or only partially met, select the reasons from a list and optionally add a further brief explanation)
As a major investor of public funds, UKRI is accountable for large sums of public money. Being able to demonstrate how expectations from awards have been met is an essential component of this accountability.
What to avoid when reporting
While you may wish to use this section to draw together and reference entries from any other sections, please:
- do not repeat specific outcomes or impacts you already are reporting through other sections of researchfish
- do not include confidential information or personal data you do not have permission to share publicly
- do not describe impact-related activities you have already undertaken during this award, these should be reported in sections ‘Engagement activities’ or ‘Influence on policy, practice, patients and the public’
- do not use this to provide us with feedback on the researchfish system, feedback should instead be submitted by email to researchoutcomes@funding.ukri.org
Narrative impact
This section is for grant holders funded by:
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
- Medical Research Council (MRC)
- Natural Environment (NERC)
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Please use the section to summarise, as it evolves, the overall impact of the work supported by this award. The section can be updated as impact emerges and develops, and it is accepted that impact can occur over a wide and varying time frame.
We would normally expect that an award that finished over a year ago would begin to be able to identify how non-academic audiences have been impacted by the findings. Submitted data will appear on Gateway to Research and may be used for evaluation purposes by UKRI.
Reporting times during and after award
The following rules will normally be applied to UKRI awards in researchfish.
For awards of less than one year duration:
- you’re not asked while award is current
- you’re asked in all submission periods after the award ends
For awards of one to two year duration:
- you’re asked from second submission period after award starts
- you’re asked in all submission periods after the award ends
For awards of more than two year duration:
- you’re asked from third submission period after award starts
- you’re asked in all submission periods after the award ends
What to report
We want to hear more broadly about how the outputs and outcomes of the award you are reporting on are beginning to impact, or have impacted, beyond academia in the public, private or third/voluntary sectors, as well as within academia.
For example, please tell us about:
- details of emerging economic and societal impact arising from the award that you are reporting on (including how it has evolved)
- a summary of how the findings from your award are impacting the public, private or third/voluntary sectors, and elsewhere
- challenges overcome to achieve impact
- significant impact within academia, for example the nucleation of a new research area
- how your research has resulted in change in and beyond academia
What to avoid when reporting
Do not repeat specific outcome or impacts already associated with the grant you are reporting on through other sections of researchfish.
You should not duplicate descriptions of impact added in other sections (for example in the ‘Influence on policy, practice, patients and the public’ section), which should be clear, specific, and proven impacts. However, you may wish to draw together and reference entries in other sections in summarising the overall impact.
Skills shortage
This section is for grant holders funded by:
- Medical Research Council (MRC)
- Natural Environment (NERC)
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
The section asks you to report where you have experienced some difficulty in recruiting or retaining staff in particular areas or with particular skills.
Please note, this section is only completed in the first year of your project.
Secondments, placements, and internships to or from other organisations
This section is for grant holders funded by:
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
- Medical Research Council (MRC)
- Natural Environment (NERC)
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Please note: in accordance with the UK data protection legislation, the personal data provided will be processed by UKRI, and may be held on computerised database or manual files. Read more about the UKRI Privacy Notice.
What to report
In this section please record details of secondments, placements and internships that have taken place in connection with the research supported by this award.
Tell us about instances where:
- you or anyone else delivering the research supported by the award has gone on temporary secondments, placements or internships while engaged in the research
- individuals have come to work with you, or anyone associated with the research supported by the award from other organisations as part of a temporary secondment, placement or internship
What to avoid when reporting
Do not tell us about students who are working as part of the research team but not funded by the award.
Animal use
This section is for grant holders funded by:
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Medical Research Council (MRC)
- Natural Environment (NERC)
What to report
The aim of this section is to capture information on:
- use of animals during this research project
- how researchers have applied the ‘3 Rs’ (replacement, reduction and refinement) to reduce, refine or replace the number of animals used in their project, to include what was planned at the beginning or implemented during the course of their work
- whether their research has led, or has the potential to lead to, significant reduction, refinement or replacement of the need to use animals in future research projects
Engagement activities
This section is for grant holders funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).
We recommend that you refer to the specific STFC guidance when completing this additional question. See recording the results of public engagement funded by STFC.
Patient and public involvement (PPI)
This section is for grant holders funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC).
Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research is an active partnership between patients, members of the public and researchers in the research process. Patient and public involvement in research is when research is carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them.
What to report
Please use this section to tell us about:
- the different ways in which patients and the public have been involved in the design and delivery of your research
- the elements you think have made your PPI successful. We are keen to identify examples of good practice in involving patients and the public in research and develop the evidence base to articulate the factors associated with successful involvement
- any aspects of involving people in research that have been challenging and how, where possible, you have overcome these challenges. We need to understand these challenges better to develop the evidence-based guidance and support
- the difference or impact PPI has had on the process of undertaking your research, the difference it has made to your research outputs, outcomes and impacts, and to you as a researcher
Please note that these questions do not refer to the recruitment of patients or members of the public as participants or subjects in the research. There is no need to duplicate activities you have already told us about in the ‘Engagement activities’ section. Where appropriate refer to outputs reported in other sections in researchfish.
GCRF collective fund
This section is for grant holders funded by:
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
- Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
- Medical Research Council (MRC)
- Natural Environment (NERC)
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Please refer to specific GCRF guidance sent separately to grant holders who are required to complete this additional funder question.
You should use the free text boxes to detail your project’s progress against each of the six categories listed in the section.
This section would not normally duplicate other entries in the system. However, you may wish to use this section to draw together and reference entries from any other sections.
What to report
Please use the following questions to inform the evidence and information you provide:
- what key milestones you have reached over the last year
- what key metrics or evidence you can provide to demonstrate your project’s progress in each area
- what challenges you have faced in each area, and how you have addressed them
- how the approaches that you have adopted in each area have helped you to address the global challenges that are the focus of your work
Structure your submission in a way that facilitates the identification of key information for analysis purposes.
Build on progress indicators from previous submissions. This will enable us to identify trends and track progress across the GCRF collective fund portfolio.
What to avoid when reporting
Do not repeat specific outcome or impacts already associated with the grant you are reporting on through other sections of researchfish.