We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. 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. Applicants should use their discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.
References 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 4:00pm UK time on 17 October 2024.
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
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
Please add the following text to this box: The funds awarded will be used to pay for travel and subsistence costs associated with observing runs on telescopes around the world.
Core team
List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:
Only list one individual as project lead
Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.
Application questions
Purpose
Word limit: 3,000
Why is the travel needed?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Give details of:
- who will be making use of the proposed award
- how the proposed award will be used
Within the Purpose section, we expect you to provide:
- a list of academic and research staff who you expect to use the proposed funding
- how the funds compare to the previous award (if applicable)
- how you used funding last time and what other observing trips you made in the last two years (if applicable). All applicants who hold an existing travel grant must download and complete the Expenditure breakdown template (XLSX 13KB). The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. If a trip is not yet finalised but is expected to be carried out before the end of the current grant, give estimated costs. List the total PATT-funded expenditure at the bottom of the table
Resources and cost justification
Word limit: 1,500
What will you need to complete your activity and how much will it cost?
What the assessors are looking for in your response
Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular:
- travel and subsistence
- details of the expected number of future trips and destinations, and the requested costs for the period of the application
- details of the use of, and costings for, any telescope not on the list of PATT approved telescopes. If appropriate, you may make a request in the application for a facility to be added to the approved list.
- any data collation or reduction visits where an observer is not required
Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all observing runs.
If an existing grant is held, provide justification for any change to the requested amounts relevant to the amount awarded on the existing grant. You should explain the rationale behind such request, for example group expansion, increased observing time and so on.
Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:
- are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
- represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
