Funding opportunity

Funding opportunity: ESRC responsive mode: UKRI-SBE lead agency opportunity round one

This funding opportunity allows UK and US-based researchers to submit a collaborative proposal that will go through a single review process.

You can submit proposals in any area within the remits of both ESRC and NSF-SBE.

Applications for ESRC-led proposals are via the UKRI Funding Service and will run as consecutive rounds with closing dates.

The full economic cost of the UK part of your project can range from £350,000 to £1 million. We will fund 80% of the full economic cost.

The deadline has been extended to 29 September at 4pm.

Who can apply

The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) councils participating in this collaboration with NSF-SBE are ESRC, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

This information relates specifically to a collaboration between ESRC and NSF-SBE.

Before applying for funding, check the following:

UKRI is introducing new role types for opportunities being run on the new Funding Service.

For full details please see eligibility as an individual.

Who is eligible to apply

UK partners

The project lead for the UK (ESRC-funded) part of this funding opportunity can be based at any organisation eligible for ESRC funding throughout the duration of the grant.

You can be at any stage of your academic career, but the project team must have a level of skills, knowledge and experience that is appropriate to the proposed project.

To apply as a project lead, you must:

  • meet UKRI eligibility criteria
  • be actively engaged in postdoctoral research and be of postdoctoral standing. This means that you either have a doctorate or can demonstrate in your application that you have equivalent research experience or training, or both.

Applications may be submitted jointly by more than one applicant. In such cases, one person must be regarded as the project lead of the UK part, taking the lead responsibility for the conduct of the project and the observance of the terms and conditions. Correspondence regarding the proposal and grant will be addressed to the project lead only (and in the case of any offer letter, to their research office).

Additional applicants making a significant contribution to the conduct of the project should be identified as Project co-leads.

US Partners

US applicants whose costs are being sought from NSF-SBE should be entered as project co-lead (International). They must be eligible for funding from NSF-SBE as their costs will not be covered by the collaborating ESRC.

See the ESRC Research Funding Guide for further information on costs that can be included on ESRC grants.

International applicants

Project leads from non-UK organisations are not eligible to apply for the UK part of this funding opportunity.

Project co-leads based in non-UK research organisations can be included in research grant applications. Read project co-lead (international) policy guidance for details of eligible organisations and costs.

Business, third sector or government body project co-leads

Business, third sector or government body project co-leads based in the UK can also be included on research grant proposals as a project co-lead. Read Including project co-leads from business, third sector or government bodies for details of eligible organisations and costs.

Resubmissions

We will not accept uninvited resubmissions of projects that have been submitted to UKRI or any other funder.

Find out more about ESRC’s Resubmissions policy

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all funding applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.

We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:

  • career breaks
  • support for people with caring responsibilities
  • flexible working
  • alternative working patterns

Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at ESRC.

What we're looking for

Scope

You can submit a collaborative research proposal in any area of the social sciences within the remits of ESRC and NSF-SBE.

ESRC will fund basic, applied and strategic research from any disciplines and on any topics within our remit. Ambitious and novel proposals addressing new concepts and techniques are encouraged, as are those with the potential for significant scientific or societal and economic impact. There are no thematic or methodological priorities; we will fund the highest quality proposals received, regardless of focus or approach.

Proposals can draw from the wider sciences, however, the social sciences must be more than 50% of the focus and effort. We will work with other research councils to ensure that applications close to remit boundaries are assessed by the most appropriate lead council. For a full list of ESRC disciplines, or if you are unsure whether your project is suitable for ESRC funding, please check the eligibility of your proposal.

Duration

The duration of this award is up to five years (60 months).

Funding available

We fund the UK part of your project and NSF-SBE funds the US part of your project.

UK part:

  • the full economic cost of your project can range from £350,000 to £1 million
  • we will fund 80% of the full economic cost

NSF-SBE part:

  • the funding you request from NSF-SBE must follow the relevant NSF-SBE funding rules

You do not have to request equal amounts from ESRC and NSF-SBE. The difference should reflect the variations in costs and local prices.

What we will fund

For the UK-funded part of your proposal, funding can support:

  • standard research projects
  • methodological development
  • large-scale surveys or other infrastructures (for example, linguistic corpora or the classification, cataloguing and compilation of information which would be of benefit to social science researchers and a possible wider audience)

What we will not fund

For the UK-funded part of your proposal, applications cannot be accepted under this funding opportunity for:

  • unspecified research work
  • research already carried out
  • writing up previous research
  • literature surveys
  • conference attendance, other than within an award
  • travel for general study
  • expeditions
  • requests to hold conferences, workshops, or seminars
  • preparation of books and publications
  • preparation and production of materials such as curriculum materials and software development where these constitute the primary project component

Associated studentships cannot be funded under this funding opportunity.

Supporting skills and talent

We will be looking for evidence of a strong commitment to supporting the development of researchers at all stages of their career. We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

We expect this to include a strong career development programme, shaped to suit the stage of the researchers’ career and providing increased opportunities for professional development. This should include, but not be limited to, the early career stage. Increasing capacity contributes to the quality and impact of the research. We encourage you to consider how you can support capacity building for all members of the project team.

ESRC data infrastructure

We support a range of data infrastructure. Where relevant, we encourage you to consider whether the use of these resources could add value to the project. Please find more details about the datasets available across the UK on Facilities and resources

Details of datasets and infrastructure to be used in your project should be given in the Facilities section.

Impact, innovation and interdisciplinarity

We expect you to consider the potential scientific, societal and economic impacts of your project. Outputs, dissemination, and impact are a key part of the assessment criteria. We also encourage applications that demonstrate innovation and interdisciplinarity (projects combining approaches from more than one discipline).

Knowledge exchange and collaboration

We are committed to knowledge exchange and encouraging collaboration between researchers and the private, public, and civil society sectors. Collaborative working benefits both the researchers and the individuals or organisations involved. Through collaboration, partners learn about each other’s expertise, share knowledge, and gain an appreciation of different professional cultures. Collaborative activity can therefore lead to a better understanding of the ways that academic research can add value and offer insights to key issues of concern for policy and practice.

Knowledge exchange should not be treated as an ‘add-on’ at the end of a project but considered before the start and built into a project.

Equitable partnership principles

When undertaking research and innovation activities outside the UK, you must recognise and address the possible impact of contextual, societal, and cultural differences on the ethical conduct of those activities.

Researchers should also follow the principles of equitable partnerships to address inherent power imbalances when working with partners in resource-poor settings.

Applying the principles will encourage equitable access, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), while maintaining incentives for innovation. You should consider the principles from the start of the research and development cycle.

Read UKRI’s guidance on research in a global setting.

Trusted Research

If your application includes international applicants, project partners or collaborators, visit Trusted Research for more information on protection of those working in our thriving and collaborative international research and innovation sector.

Research ethics

We require that the research we support is designed and conducted in such a way that it meets ethical principles and is subject to proper professional and institutional oversight in terms of research governance. We have agreed a framework for research ethics that all submitted proposals must comply with. Read further details about the framework for Research Ethics and guidance on compliance.

How to apply

This is an open funding opportunity for ESRC-led funding opportunities with a two-stage application process (expression of interest and full proposal).

Before applying, discuss with your research team whether the lead agency should be NSF-SBE or ESRC. You must base this decision on where you plan to carry out most of the research.

If you are planning to submit an application to NSF-SBE as the lead agency, you will need to check submission deadlines for the SBE participating research programmes most relevant to your project.

Expression of interest

You must submit your expression of interest (EOI) using the NSF-SBE – UKRI expression of interest template (PDF, 107KB). You must then email your completed EOI in PDF format to your chosen lead agency.

If ESRC is the lead agency, you must email your EOI to sbeleadagency@ukri.org.

If NSF is the lead agency, email your EOI to sbe-ukri@nsf.gov.

This should outline:

  • the proposed research
  • the research teams that are involved
  • bottom line estimates of funding at 100% full economic cost to be requested from both the NSF and UKRI (including all research-related and institutional administrative costs for the US budget request)

The expression of interest should include:

  • a brief summary
  • the main objectives and research challenges of the proposed research
  • the methodologies to be used
  • the outputs, impact and beneficiaries

The EOI template should not exceed either 1,000 words or two pages in length. The EOI will be shared with the non-lead agencies to check for eligibility.

Upon confirmation from the lead agency that the proposed collaborative research is appropriate for the NSF-SBE – UKRI lead agency funding opportunity, researchers may submit a full research proposal to the lead agency.

Full proposal

Applying through UK Funding Service

If your EOI is accepted as falling within the scope of research typically reviewed by the NSF-SBE programme, as well as fitting within ESRC, we will invite you to submit a full research proposal.

Full proposal budgets should not vary from those specified in the approved EOI by more than 10%, and you must justify any changes.

We expect that full proposals will be submitted within one year of receiving EOI approval. If more time is needed for proposal preparation, an additional EOI may be required.

If you submit a full proposal before receiving EOI approval, the proposal will be rejected.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UKRI Funding Service. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

The UK project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the UKRI Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

If the NSF-SBE is the lead agency, you must submit your proposal via FastlaneGrants.gov or Research.gov.

To apply:

  1. Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this page.
  2. Confirm you are the project lead.
  3. Sign in or create a UKRI Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.org.
  4. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the ‘How to apply’ section on this Funding finder page.
  5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
  6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Watch our research office webinars about the new UKRI Funding Service.

Deadline

We must receive your application by 28 September 2023 at 4:00pm UK time.

You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.

Previously, this funding opportunity was open for applications on an ongoing basis. From 28 June 2023, there will be consecutive rounds with opening and closing dates for applications.

The subsequent responsive mode round on the UKRI Funding Service will open on 29 September 2023.

ESRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your funding service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.

ESRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding Opportunity at What ESRC has funded.

If your application is successful, some personal information will be published via the UKRI Gateway to Research.

UKRI Funding Service: section guidance

Summary

In plain English, provide a summary that can be sent to potential reviewers to determine if your proposal is within their field of expertise.

This summary may be made publicly available on external facing websites, so please ensure it can be understood by a variety of readers, for example:

  • opinion-formers
  • policymakers
  • the general public
  • the wider research community.
Guidance for writing a summary

Succinctly describe your proposed work in terms of:

  • its context
  • the challenge the project addresses and how it will be applied to this
  • its aims and objectives
  • its potential applications and benefits

Word count: 550

Core team

List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:

  • project lead (PL)
  • project co-lead UK (PcL)
  • project co-lead (International) (PcL (I))

Only list one individual as project lead.

All US-based applicants for whom funds are being requested from NSF-SBE must be listed as project co-lead (International) in the Funding Service. Any such individuals must be eligible for funding from NSF-SBE as their costs will not be covered by ESRC.

Find out more about UKRI new grant rules.

Section: Primary discipline classification

Question: Enter the primary discipline for this project.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Select the primary area of research from the list of social disciplines and enter into the text field. This information is used to determine eligibility for ESRC funding and to assist in the selection of appropriate reviewers. The social disciplines include:

  • area studies
  • demography
  • development studies
  • economics
  • education
  • environmental planning
  • history
  • human geography
  • law and legal studies
  • linguistics
  • management and business studies
  • political science and international studies
  • psychology
  • science and technology studies
  • social anthropology
  • social policy
  • social work
  • sociology
  • tools, technologies and methods

Section: Vision and Approach

For this round we will ask you to submit a single six-page PDF attachment covering the ‘Vision’ and ‘Approach’ sections of the application and enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box below. The document must have single line spacing, margins of at least 2 cm and be typed using Arial 11pt, or another ‘sans serif’ font with an equivalent size to Arial 11pt.

Question: What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work and how will you deliver it?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

For the Vision, explain how your proposed work:

  • is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the fields or areas
  • has the potential to advance current understanding, generates new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
  • is timely given current trends, context and needs
  • impacts world-leading research, society, the economy or the environment

Within the Vision section we also expect you to:

  • consider potential beneficiaries and users of the proposed research, including the relevance of the research to these beneficiaries
  • indicate the expected outputs; both academic and those orientated to users

For the Approach, explain how you have designed your work so that it:

  • is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
  • is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
  • if applicable, uses a clear and transparent methodology
  • if applicable, summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed
  • will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
  • describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place, its location, and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work

Within the Approach section we also expect you to:

  • clearly describe both the framework and specific analysis methods proposed and explain the reasons for their choice. You should particularly mention any innovation in this or how different methodologies or methods may be combined
  • explain what steps you will take to provide opportunities for users to benefit from your research, and to ensure that your research has maximum economic and societal impact

Note: All applicants planning to generate data as part of their grant must complete the separate Data management question.

A list of references used to support your application can be added in the References question.

Word count: 5

Section: References

Question: List the references you’ve used to support your application.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

All references should be included in this section of the application and not in any other application question.

You should not include any other information in this section.

We advise you not to include hyperlinks as assessors are not obliged to access the information they lead to or consider it in their assessment of your application. If linking to web resources, use persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers to ensure the information’s integrity is maintained.

Word count: 1,000

Section: Applicant and team capability to deliver

Question: Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:

  • the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
  • the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
  • the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
  • contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community

The word count for this section is 1,500 words, 1,000 words to be used for R4RI modules and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you, and if relevant your team (investigators, researchers, other (technical) staff for example research software engineers, data scientists and so on, and partners), have and how this will help to deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.

Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed below. You should use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, including the NSF-SBE team. See the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:

  • contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
  • the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
  • contributions to the wider research and innovation community
  • contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

Additions: Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences or outputs, but any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).

You should complete this as a narrative and you should avoid CV type format.

Word count: 1,500

Section: Project partners: contributions

Question: Provide details about any project partners’ contributions using the template provided.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you do not have any project partners, simply add ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and move to the next section.

If you do have project partners, download and complete the project partner contributions template (DOCX, 52KB) then copy and paste the table within it into the text box below.

Ensure you have obtained prior agreement from project partners that, should you be offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the template.

Word count: 1,000

Section: Project Partners: letters (or emails) of support

Question: Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the table in the previous ‘contributions’ section.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If you do not have any project partners, simply add ‘N/A’ into the text box, mark this section as complete and move to the next section.

If you have named project partners in the previous ‘contributions’ section, enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box below.

Each letter or email you provide should:

  • confirm the partner’s commitment to the project
  • clearly explain the value, relevance and possible benefits of the work to them
  • describe any additional value that they bring to the project
  • be no more than one A4 page in length

Other accepted letters of support include those confirming access to datasets or confirming access to or use of the facilities provided by named collaborating organisations.

Letters of support may only be included where they confirm a specific contribution to the project as described above.

Letters of support from host or project co-lead’s research organisations will not be accepted.

Unless specifically requested, do not include any personal data within the attachment.

Upload details are provided within the service on the actual application.

For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.

Word count: 5

Section: Facilities

Question: Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

If not, enter N/A into the text box, mark this section as complete and move on to the next section.

If you will need to use a facility (including access to, and use of data, infrastructure and resources) you should follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Where prior agreement is required, ensure you obtain their agreement that, should you be offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project. We encourage the use of secondary and linked datasets.

In the text box below, for each requested facility you should provide:

  • the name of facility, copied and pasted from this list
  • the proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicted on that list
  • confirmation you have their agreement where required

Do not put the facility contact details in your response.

Word count: 250

Section: Data management

Question: How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed research?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a data management plan which should clearly detail how you will comply with our published Research Data Policy, which includes detailed guidance notes.

If you are not generating new data as part of your grant application, you are not required to complete this section. Please enter ‘N/A’ in the text box, mark this section as complete and move to the next question.

We recognise the importance of research data quality and provenance. Research data generated by ESRC-funded research must be well-managed by the grant holder to enable their data to be exploited to the maximum potential for further research.

Using the text box below you should:

  • describe how you will publish your research findings
  • demonstrate that you comply with ESRC’s Research Data Policy and ESRC Framework for Research Ethics. This should include confirmation that existing datasets have been reviewed and why currently available datasets are inadequate for the proposed research. You should cover any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing or storing the data, including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical issues
  • explain how data collected, generated or acquired through the proposed research (such as primary input into research and first order results of that research) will be managed, including planning for the research through the life cycle of the award until data is accepted for archiving by the UK Data Service (UKDS). See the importance of managing and sharing data on the UKDS website for further information. Detailed advice on what assessors are looking for in your response can also be found on the UKDS site. We expect you to provide a summary of the points provided
  • critically consider any challenges to data sharing (e.g., copyright or data confidentiality), with possible solutions discussed to optimise data sharing. Most data collected, generated or acquired as a result of economic and social research can be successfully archived and shared. However, some research data are more sensitive than others. It is a responsibility of the grant holders to consider all issues related to confidentiality, ethics, security and copyright before initiating the research

Word count: 500

Section: Ethics and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)

Question: What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Using the text box, demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations, and how you will manage them.

All proposals have to comply with the ESRC Framework for Research Ethics which includes guidance for applicants and links to related web resources.

All necessary ethical approvals must be in place before the project commences, but do not need to have been secured at the time of application.

If you are generating new data as part of your project, you should complete the Data Management question and should cover ethical considerations relating to data in your response.

If you are not generating new data and have not completed the Data Management question you should address any legal or ethical considerations relating to your use of data here.

Additional sub-questions (to be answered only if appropriate) relating to research involving:

  • animals
  • human participants
  • genetically modified organisms

Word count: 500

Section: Resources and cost justification

Question: What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Use the resources and cost summary table to enter the full UK costs. Include high-level costs only, not a breakdown of individual items. The NSF-SBE budget form should include the SBE budget, therefore you are not required to include NSF-SBE-based researcher costs here.

Use the justification text box to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work for both the UK and NSF-SBE:

  • are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
  • represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
  • maximise potential outcomes and impacts

This section should not simply be a list of the resources requested, as this will already be given in the costs table. Costings should be justified on the basis of full economic costs (FEC) of the project, not just on the costs expected from UKRI. For some items we do not expect you to justify the monetary value, rather the type of resource, such as amount of time or type of staff requested.

Where you do not provide adequate justification for a resource, we may deduct it from any funding awarded.

You should explain:

  • support for activities to either increase impact, for public engagement, knowledge exchange or to support responsible innovation
  • support for access to facilities, infrastructure or procurement of equipment
  • support for preserving, long-term storage, or sharing of data
  • support from your organisation or partner organisations and how that enhances value for money
  • support for activities outsourced to a third party (such as consultancy or social surveys)
  • support for project co-leads under our international, business and third sector eligibility policies

For detailed guidance on eligible costs please see the ESRC Research Funding Guide.

The NSF-SBE budget form should be uploaded as per the guidance.

Word count: 1,000

How we will assess your application

Assessment process

For ESRC-led proposals, we receive and assess your proposal on behalf of both ESRC and NSF-SBE. A decision will be made within our normal standard grants competition process as outlined below, but SBE-nominated experts will be involved throughout.

We will assess your application using the following two stage process:

First stage Expert Review

Following eligibility checks, we will invite experts to review your application independently against the specified criteria for this opportunity.

Applications are sent to three reviewers. Sometimes more reviewers will be approached depending on the nature of the project.

Applicants to opportunities offered through the new UKRI Funding Service will not be able to nominate reviewers for their applications. Expert reviewers will continue to be selected by research councils.

We are monitoring the requirement for applicant-nominated reviewers as we review policies and processes as part of the continued development of the new UKRI Funding Service.

Application Sift and Applicant Response

Applications receiving sufficiently supportive reviewers’ comments (average score of 4.5 or above on a one to six scale) will be invited to respond to reviewers’ comments. You will be given 14 calendar days to provide a response or 10 working days if longer. Applications with an average score below 4.5 will normally be rejected at this stage.

Second stage Panel

Applications and reviewer comments, together with the applicant response will be allocated to the two most appropriate members of the grant assessment panels for assessment and scoring.

The Grant Assessment Panels will agree the applications that it recommends for funding, and these will be considered by the Grants Delivery Group, which will make funding recommendations to us. The Grants Delivery Group is chaired by a member of ESRC Council, and its members are the chairs of the grant assessment panels.

For proposals submitted to NSF-SBE, there is no such response phase in the assessment process.

We will follow the usual internal procedures to determine whether a proposal will be awarded or declined. Funding decisions may be subject to budget limits.

Find out more about the ESRC responsive mode grant assessment process, including the grant assessment panel structure and membership.

Proposals sent to NSF-SBE will undergo NSF’s merit review process. US-led proposals, which have already been assessed and recommended for funding by NSF-SBE, are not assessed again by UKRI’s research councils.

Timescale

We aim to complete the assessment process by spring 2024.

Feedback

Feedback will be provided where available.

Principles of assessment

UKRI supports the San Francisco declaration on research assessment (DORA) and recognises the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI Principles of Assessment and Decision Making.

Assessment criteria

The criteria we will assess your application against are Vision, Approach, Applicant and team capability to deliver, Resources and cost justification, Ethics and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) listed under the ‘Questions and criteria’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

This assessment criteria should be used to assess both the UK and NSF-SBE parts of the application.

Section: Vision

Have the applicants demonstrated how the work they are proposing:

  • is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
  • has the potential to advance current understanding, generates new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
  • is timely given current trends, context and needs
  • will impact world-leading research, society, the economy or the environment

Section: Approach

Have the applicants demonstrated that they have designed their approach so that it:

  • is effective and appropriate to achieve their objectives
  • is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
  • if applicable, uses a clear and transparent methodology
  • if applicable, summarises the previous work and describes how this will be built upon and progressed
  • will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
  • describes how their, and if applicable their team’s, research environment (in terms of the place, its location and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the proposed work

Section: Applicant and team capability to deliver

Have the applicants provided evidence of how they, and if relevant their team, have:

  • the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
  • the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
  • the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and their approach to develop others
  • contributed to developing the positive research environment and wider community

Section: Resources and cost justification

Have the applicants demonstrated how the resources they anticipate needing for their proposed work:

  • are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
  • represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
  • maximise potential outcomes and impacts

Section: Ethics and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)

Have the applicants identified and evaluated the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations, and how they will be managed.

Contact details

Get help with your application

For help on costings and writing your application, contact your research office. Allow enough time for your organisation’s submission process.

Ask about this funding opportunity

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org

Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm and Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm.

Questions about eligibility

For UKRI questions, please consult UKRI’s research organisation and applicant eligibility guidance.

For NSF-SBE questions, please consult the NSF website or contact SBE-UKRI@nsf.gov

Sensitive information

If you, or a key team member, need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email the Funding Service helpdesk on support@funding-service.ukri.org. You must include in the subject line: <ESRC Responsive mode: UKRI-SBE lead agency opportunity round one, sensitive info, Funding Service application number>

Typical examples of confidential information include:

  • applicant is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
  • declaration of interest
  • additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the Applicant and team capability section
  • conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
  • the application is an invited resubmission (please include reference number of original submission and a brief overview of changes made)

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, see Privacy notice.

Additional info

Supporting documents

SBE-UKRI expression of interest template (PDF, 107KB)

NSF budget form (DOCX, 226KB)

Global Talent visa

Fellowship holders are eligible for a Global Talent visa under the ‘exceptional promise’ category for future research leaders.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

  • breaks and delays
  • disruptive working patterns and conditions
  • the loss of ongoing work
  • role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.

Updates

  • 6 February 2024
    In the timeline, have changed 'panel meeting' to 'panel assessment'. Within 'how we will assess your application', under the 'second stage panel' section, have edited the second paragraph to 'The grant assessment panels will agree the applications that it recommends for funding, and these will...'.
  • 28 September 2023
    New closing date added.
  • 31 August 2023
    Expression of interest template document updated under 'Supporting documents' in the 'Additional info' section.

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