We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.
The project lead is responsible for completing the application process on the 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.
To apply
Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.
- Confirm you are the project lead.
- Sign in or create a 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
Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service.
- Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
- Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
- Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
- Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.
Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. You should:
- use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words
- insert each new image onto a new line
- provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)
- ensure files are smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format
Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service.
For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:
References
Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. You should use your discretion when including reference and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.
Reference should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019).
You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.
Deadline
STFC must receive your application by 6 August 2024 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.
Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.
Personal data
Processing personal data
STFC, 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.
Publication of outcomes
The nature of STFC consolidated grants means we cannot show them in board and panel outcomes, as they are ranked by the constituent scientific themes rather than by the grants themselves. Instead, we will contact applicants individually to provide written feedback and let them know how their application did compared to others.
If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.
Summary
Word limit: 550
In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.
We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:
- opinion-formers
- policymakers
- the public
- the wider research community
Guidance for writing a summary
Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:
- context
- the challenge the project addresses
- aims and objectives
- potential applications and benefits
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
- project lead (PL)
- project co-lead (UK) (PcL)
- specialist
- grant manager
- professional enabling staff
- doctoral student
- research and innovation associate
- technician
- visiting researcher
- researcher co-lead (RcL)
Only list one individual as project lead.
Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.
Categories of staff
Consolidated grants have three categories of staff: academics, core staff and non-core staff. All staff posts in your application should be assigned to one of these categories, and this should be recorded within your Vision and Approach document, as well as Form X.
New posts may be requested in either the core or non-core categories, or a change in categorisation may be requested, so a post assigned as non-core in the 2020 round may now be requested as part of the core group and vice versa. It is not expected that core posts would represent a high proportion of the non-academic total grant costs.
Definition of core posts
‘Core posts’ are defined as underpinning research activity that is, to a great extent, not contingent on the specific details of the group’s future programme of work. It is not normally expected that RA posts would be defined as core posts. Ultimately, the grants panel will make judgements on a case-by-case basis, but the following may be used as a guide:
- expertise in the areas of experimental development and construction;
- expertise in the development, maintenance and operation of experimental computing infrastructure;
- expertise in the maintenance and operation of experiments;
- engineering and technical expertise, for example, electronic engineers, mechanical designers; and
- senior research posts (typically, these post holders are expected to have at least five years postdoctoral research experience). These staff would only be identified as core staff if their role is essential to the scientific success of the group and they possess unique or critical expertise with skills that would be difficult to replace.
The senior research posts would only be identified as core staff if their role is essential to the scientific success of the group and they possess critical expertise with skills that would be difficult to replace. Pool staff and general secretarial or computing support staff would not be considered to be core staff.
Making a case for core posts
If requesting core posts, each group must make a case as part of their proposal, stressing the areas of expertise of the post(s), over the last four years. The proposal should also give a plan of work for the next three years (meaning from 1 October 2025), and explain the contribution of the core post(s).
Posts requested as core may be awarded as non-core posts by the panel, if it is felt that the scientific case does not require the long-term continuity intended for core posts, but that the case is strong enough to justify funding.
Non-core posts
Non-core posts will be allocated in response to strong physics cases. A competitive allocation procedure will be used for them, comparing cases for continuation of existing, and for new posts. Requests may also be made for support staff, which includes administrative effort as well as general computing support. These posts are considered as non-core posts. Support staff should be identified on Form X as Non-core (NC) in the staff category and support (SU) in the ‘Staff Type’.
Application questions
Vision and Approach
What are you hoping to achieve with and how will you deliver your proposed work?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
A single PDF document that provides:
- section one: a high-level overview of your application, including a list of all the themes covered and resource requested
- section two: a detailed case-by-case breakdown for each of the scientific themes included in the application
- section three: details of any requested support for Advanced LIGO operations
Please use the GW Vision and Approach template (DOCX, 47KB) to structure your document, and take note of the Vision and Approach assessment criteria.
In addition to providing financial details of each theme within the Vision and Approach document, you should complete and return the financial requirements form (XLS, 39KB), to provide a detailed overview of all the costs requested within your application. See ‘Resource and cost justification’ section.
Assessment criteria
For the Vision, explain how your proposed work:
- 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 need
- impacts world-leading research, society, the economy or the environment
The following can be included to support your response, and shows how your application:
- meets the definition of STFC’s particle astrophysics gravitational waves remit (including LIGO collaboration)
- fits with STFC’s wider strategic science objectives and priorities, and responds to changes and future opportunities within the community
- articulates the rationale of the scientific themes and how they fit together as a coherent group
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, and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work
The following can be included to support your response:
- a clear outline of the collaboration, governance and management arrangements that will be put in place to ensure the project meets its goals
- a group overview report summarising the scientific progress of the group since the last review, and setting out proposals for the future programme. This should include a summary of the group’s activities, achievements and the strategy for the future programme
- an indication of any future Project Peer Review Panel (PPRP) proposals expected to be submitted over the next grant period
- justification for the high-level costs of your project
Scientific themes
Please provide information for each of the scientific themes within your application, with detailed justification, costs and resource requests for each. Please use the Theme Vision and Approach assessment criteria provided in the GW Vision and Approach template.
Each theme should consist of a clearly defined, cohesive, scientific programme of work. Where there are strong synergies between themes within a proposal, you should consider if it would be more appropriate to combine themes in order to create a cohesive programme. References may be included within this section.
Academic time commitment
Academics should apply for the amount of their time they expect to spend on research, taking into account other commitments (for example, teaching, other funded research activity). The typical amount of time is 0.6 FTE per year. Academics are entitled to request 0.6 FTE and will not be disadvantaged relative to those requesting less time.
If a proposal is only requesting a particular investigator’s time for part of the grant duration (for example, if an academic has fellowship funding for the first two years of the grant and so only seeks funding for the last two years), this needs to be made clear in the text as the Funding Service does not have the facility to enter this information.
Similarly, if an academic is requesting variable levels of FTE support during the grant this also needs to be made clear, with the different amounts of FTE and exact start and end dates of the changes specified. If no salary costs are requested for a particular investigator but estates and indirect costs are requested for that investigator, please make this clear in the Vision and Approach document.
Please note that it is imperative that the correct level of time is sought, because it is likely that scaling of some kind may be applied to the academic positions.
Support for Advanced LIGO operation
Requests for support for Advanced LIGO operations should be made as a discrete theme within your Vision and Approach document (using the template provided). If required, this theme can be split into work packages. If there is cross-over between this theme and others (especially in relation to descriptions of physics results and exploitation activities) then please refer to other themes if appropriate, rather than duplicate information. Should UK institutes participating in operations support wish to provide a joint case rather than individual cases, this is advisable.
The Advanced LIGO operations theme should contain:
- a brief overview of the facility used, the status of the detector, and a summary of the data taken
- brief highlights of the physics results with major UK involvement, and a description of the UK contributions, including a list of UK personnel in coordinating roles since 1 October 2021
- the status of UK-funded items (hardware and software) and how these items are performing
- a summary of the support awarded in the previous operations round, and how this was spent
- a brief overview of the future programme of the detector, highlighting physics goals and future UK exploitation activities
- the requirement to fulfil detector operation and maintenance obligations
- the implications of future upgrades on the request for resources
An additional 10 pages may be used to cover the Advanced LIGO operations theme within your Vision and Approach document. The request for resources and justification should be made as per the instructions given above for all themes.
The maximum page extent of your Vision and Approach document will be determined by the total full time equivalent (FTE) staff requests:
- the application overview section should not exceed five pages
- the maximum page limit for each theme section is two pages per FTE. FTE is defined as per-head for an academic or fellow, and the actual proportion of time for a researcher (including postdoctoral research associates (PDRAs)
- an additional 10 pages may be used to cover the Advanced LIGO operations theme
- you may include images, graphs, tables and workplans/Gantt charts
- the document should be single-spaced in paper in 11-point Arial (or equivalent sans serif font) with margins of at least 2cm
For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, your institution name followed by the words ‘vision_approach’:
- [ref number]_[your institution name]_vision_approach.pdf
Save the completed document as a single PDF file, no bigger than 8MB. Unless specifically requested, please do not include any sensitive personal data within the attachment.
If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected.
The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply.
Applicant and team capability to deliver
Word limit: 2,000
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
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the service.
The word count for this section is 2,000 words: 1,500 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) 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 (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help 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. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole 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 you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).
Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.
References may be included within this section.
UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new Funding Service.
For full details, see Eligibility as an individual.
Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)
Word limit: 1,000
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
Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:
- the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations
- how you will manage these considerations
You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.
Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)
Word limit: 100
Does the proposed work involve international collaboration in a sensitive research or technology area?
Demonstrate how your proposed international collaboration relates to Trusted Research and Innovation, including:
- list the countries your international project co-leads, project partners and visiting researchers, or other collaborators are based in
- if international collaboration is involved, explain whether this project is relevant to one or more of the 17 areas of the UK National Security and Investment (NSI ) Act
- if one or more of the 17 areas of the UK NSI Act are involved list the areas
- is this application part of an experiment at an international facility? If yes, please indicate which facility
If your proposed work does not involve international collaboration, answer ‘n/a’ here.
We may ask you to provide additional information about how your proposed project will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help manage these risks.
Research involving the use of animals
Does your proposed research involve the use of vertebrate animals or other organisms covered by the Animals Scientific Procedures Act?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you are proposing research that requires using animals, download and complete the Animals Scientific Procedures Act template (DOCX, 74KB), which contains all the questions relating to research using vertebrate animals or other Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 regulated organisms.
Save it as a PDF. The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
If you are not proposing research that requires using animals, please mark this section as ‘Not applicable’.
Resources and cost justification
Word limit: 25
You are required to input financial information for all the staff requested and provide high level information for the non-staff costs within this section of the Funding Service.
In addition, we require you to:
- complete a detailed breakdown of all costs using the GW financial requirements form (XLX, 39KB). This should be saved as an Excel file and emailed to STFC
- provide resource and cost justification for each scientific theme. This should be included within your Vision and Approach document
You will need to confirm you have submitted this additional information within the Funding Service by writing ‘Additional financial information provided’ in the textbox.
All costs associated with the research proposal must be justified, with the exception of estates, indirects, and infrastructure technician costs, and the unit cost of the Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) determined elements such as investigator salary costs or research facility charge-out costs, although the amount of resource required does need to be justified.
Assessors want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work show the following:
- are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
- represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
- maximise potential outcomes and impacts
Please add equipment costs to the ‘Directly incurred cost’ heading (at 80%) on the understanding that STFC will only supply 50% of the total equipment cost for items in excess of £10,000.
To complete and return the Financial Requirements form, create and save an Excel file.
For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the name of your institution and ‘Financial_Requirements’:
- [ref number]_[your institution name]_financial_requirements .xls
Please note that as it is not currently possible to upload Excel files to the Funding Service, you must email your completed financial requirements form (as an Excel document) to particle.astro@stfc.ukri.org
Please ensure you include ‘Grav waves CG24’ in the subject line.
A link to the Finance Requirements form can be found in the ‘Additional information’ section below.
Form X
Word limit: 25
Form X should provide a detailed breakdown of the staff requests for your application.
Please use the Form X template (XLS, 714KB) provided and upload the completed document (as a PDF) to this section.
Form X should provide a detailed breakdown of the staff requests for your application. It is divided into three parts.
Part one: group and theme information
A list of all the experimental, theoretical and research and development (R&D) programmes or themes in which members of the group will be involved over the period of the grant. This should also include construction projects and other programmes in which group members are involved, or plan to be over the same period.
Part two: post-holder information
An indication of how the focus of effort for each staff post will change through the period of the grant. Some pre-set layouts will be provided on the spreadsheet, which should be duplicated to allow entry for each staff member (existing and requested) in the group including non-STFC-funded members of staff. Further information on adding more rows for additional themes is shown in Part three.
Part three: adding more lines to a post-holder
Provides an option to add additional lines for further information on additional themes.
Please note that effort should be given as a percentage of full time equivalent (FTE). The typical values for an academic in a full financial year are 60%, and 100% for a core or responsive post.
Additional guidance is available on the Form X instructions tab.
Details of staff resource requests in Form X should correspond with information provided in ‘Case for the themes’ and ‘Resources and cost justification’ sections.
Upload Form X as a single PDF ensuring it is no larger than 8MB.
For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the name of your institution and ‘FormX’:
- [ref number]_[your institution name]_formX.pdf
If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected.
Unless specifically requested, please do not include any sensitive personal data within the attachment.
In addition to uploading a PDF copy of Form X to this section, please email a copy in Excel format to: particle.astro@stfc.ukri.org
Please ensure that you include ‘Grav Waves CG24’ in the subject line of this email.
Your organisation’s support
Word limit: 1,000
Provide details of support from your research organisation.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Provide a Statement of Support from your research organisation detailing why the proposed work is needed. This should include details of any matched funding that will be provided to support the activity and any additional support that might add value to the work.
The committee will be looking for a strong statement of commitment from your research organisation.
STFC recognises that in some instances, this information may be provided by the Research Office, the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) or equivalent, or a combination of both.
You must also include the following details:
- a significant person’s name and their position, from the TTO or Research Office, or both
- office address or web link
Upload details are provided within the service on the actual application.
Project partners
Add details about any project partners’ contributions. If there are no project partners, you can indicate this on the Funding Service.
A project partner is a collaborating organisation who will have an integral role in the proposed research. This may include direct (cash) or indirect (in-kind) contributions such as expertise, staff time or use of facilities.
Add the following project partner details:
- the organisation name and address (searchable via a drop-down list or enter the organisation’s details manually, as applicable)
- the project partner contact name and email address
- the type of contribution (direct or in-direct) and its monetary value
If a detail is entered incorrectly and you have saved the entry, remove the specific project partner record and re-add it with the correct information.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.
Project partners: letters (or emails) of support
Upload a single PDF containing the letters or emails of support from each partner you named in the ‘Project partner’ section. These should be uploaded in English or Welsh only.
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Enter the words ‘attachment supplied’ in the text box, or if you do not have any project partners enter N/A. 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
The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If you do not have any project partners, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.
Ensure you have prior agreement from project partners so that, if you are offered funding, they will support your project as indicated in the ‘Project partners’ section.
For audit purposes, UKRI requires formal collaboration agreements to be put in place if an award is made.
Upload as a single PDF ensuring it is no larger than 8MB.
For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘PP_LoS’.
If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected.
Unless specifically requested, please do not include any sensitive personal data within the attachment.
Data management and sharing
Word limit: 1,000
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 that clearly details how you will comply with UKRI’s published data sharing policy, which includes detailed guidance notes.
Facilities
Word limit: 1000
Does your proposed research require the support and use of a facility?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
If you will need to use a facility, follow your proposed facility’s normal access request procedures. Ensure you have prior agreement so that if you are offered funding, they will support the use of their facility on your project.
For each requested facility you will need to provide the:
- name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 35KB)
- proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list
- confirmation you have their agreement where required
If you will not need to use a facility, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.