The Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe (CHANSE) is a joint initiative of 27 research funding organisations from 24 countries.
The main goal of the CHANSE programme is to deliver an opportunity for international research projects on ‘Transformations: social and cultural dynamics in the digital age’.
The knowledge exchange facilitator will support knowledge exchange for projects funded under this opportunity. The full list of funded projects (PDF, 197 KB) is now available.
UKRI is administering the recruitment of the knowledge exchange facilitator on behalf of the CHANSE consortium.
The CHANSE programme has been co-created by Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA) and New Opportunities for Research funding Agency Cooperation in Europe (NORFACE).
HERA is a network of 26 national funding agencies committed to leading and developing funding opportunities for humanities researchers in Europe.
NORFACE is a partnership of national funding agencies in Europe dedicated to leading and developing opportunities for scientists in the areas of social and behavioural sciences.
Scope
The knowledge exchange facilitator’s role is to strengthen the overall cohesion of the CHANSE programme and coordinate knowledge exchange efforts and activities at the programme level.
As the knowledge exchange facilitator, you are expected to be an internationally well-positioned researcher with relevant expertise and knowledge of the programme themes, and supported by a research assistant.
The knowledge exchange facilitator will create added value, increasing the impact of the programme and the projects funded within it.
Knowledge exchange facilitator key objectives
Strengthen the overall cohesion of the CHANSE programme
The knowledge exchange facilitator will do this by:
- bringing together the various teams from the transnational research projects to work synergistically, and to gain a greater holistic understanding of contributions to the broad transformations theme
- developing sub and meta themes across the transnational research projects and facilitating the cross-pollination of research perspectives and outputs.
Coordinate knowledge exchange efforts and activities
The knowledge exchange facilitator will do this by:
- inspiring and encouraging the various teams of the research projects into using new, effective ways of reaching out and knowledge uptake, and to stimulate the exchange of good examples to facilitate best practice
- stimulating and facilitating knowledge exchange between the various teams of the research projects both within academia and non-academic stakeholders. This will include engaging stakeholders in events where appropriate. Stakeholders include, for example:
- related professional organisations in government
- policy makers
- business
- the voluntary sector
- the wider general public.
- encouraging the highest quality of outputs from the research both in terms of outputs targeting academia (for example, scholarly articles in appropriate or highly regarded peer-reviewed journals, and monographs) and non-academic stakeholders (for example, policy briefs, non-technical summaries and podcasts) to enhance the visibility of the programme.
CHANSE governance structure
The knowledge exchange facilitator will be expected to regularly report to CHANSE governance structures about the recent activities and progress of the programme. This includes:
- engaging with project monitoring and impact assessment activities not led by the knowledge exchange facilitator
- attending meetings of the CHANSE programme committee, steering group and knowledge exchange group to discuss this progress.
The following are key groups within the CHANSE consortium organisational structure, with particular respect to knowledge exchange activities.
Your application should explain how you will work within this structure and take account of the input of the consortium.
Steering group (SG)
The SG is the overall decision making body of the CHANSE consortium. It is comprised of all CHANSE consortium members and chaired by the coordinator.
Programme committee (PC)
The PC is the programme’s advisory body. It has six delegates, each from the HERA and NORFACE boards.
Coordination group (CG)
The CG is responsible for successful implementation of the tasks. It comprises all work packages and task leaders.
Coordinator
The coordinator is in charge of overall coordination of the programme. It is supported by the coordination office (CO). The CO is the National Science Centre (NCN) in Poland.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
UKRI is task leader for knowledge exchange strategy and activities.
Knowledge exchange group (KEG)
The KEG is an executive and advisory body for all knowledge exchange activities. It is chaired by UKRI, and is comprised of:
- the coordinator
- representatives from the SG and PC
- the knowledge exchange facilitator
- key stakeholders from the area of transformations.
As task leader, UKRI has ultimate responsibility for knowledge exchange, which encompasses the work of the knowledge exchange facilitator and the KEG.
UKRI takes a strategic role in steering the overall aims of the task, and a coordinating role for both the knowledge exchange facilitator and KEG.
The KEG will provide expert input to the work of the knowledge exchange facilitator, meeting regularly every six months to:
- steer the knowledge exchange facilitator
- input into key documents, such as the knowledge exchange strategy
- facilitate contact with other key stakeholders to support knowledge exchange facilitator activities, for example targeted workshops or conferences.
The KEG has overall responsibility for the work of the knowledge exchange facilitator and its outputs. The knowledge exchange facilitator will therefore report regularly to the KEG, and should be in regular contact with UKRI between KEG meetings.
Knowledge exchange facilitator example activities
The knowledge exchange facilitator is expected to propose their own knowledge exchange strategy and activities which would implement this.
Below are some example activities, given as an indication of how similar past roles in NORFACE and HERA programmes have been implemented. However, the knowledge exchange facilitator is under no obligation to provide these particular activities.
The funders appreciate that there may not be the budget to deliver all the example activities. A proposed initial strategy and activities should be set out in your application that you consider best delivers on the knowledge exchange facilitator objectives and against the assessment criteria.
If your application is successful, it would then be developed with input from the CHANSE consortium and in close collaboration with project leaders. You should expect to review and adjust it throughout the programme.
Work packages and tasks
Under the CHANSE structure, there is a distribution of responsibilities across the consortium under work packages.
Communication responsibilities do not sit with the knowledge exchange facilitator, but rather the National Science Centre (NCN) in Poland.
The knowledge exchange facilitator would be expected to work closely with other work package leaders to deliver on their own objectives.
Work packages of particular note are:
- work package 4: follow-up and monitoring of projects resulting from the co-funded opportunity led by the Danish Agency for Science and Higher Education (DAFSHE). The work will be organised under the following tasks:
- task 4.1 development of the CHANSE monitoring and impact assessment strategy
- task 4.2 monitoring of the CHANSE projects
- task 4.3 impact assessment of the CHANSE programme
- work package 5: communication, exploitation and dissemination of the results, led by NCN. The work will be organised under the following tasks:
- task 5.1 communication and dissemination
- task 5.2 CHANSE online presence (website and social media management)
- task 5.3 programme visibility and dissemination of projects’ results through events.
Where activities are led by other work package leaders, they will hold the budget for delivering this activity, not the knowledge exchange facilitator. For example, the website and key conferences (launch, mid and final) are led by NCN. This means NCN holds the budget for this and it would not be expected to be covered by the budget of the knowledge exchange facilitator.
In contrast, events led by the knowledge exchange facilitator would need to be costed into the knowledge exchange facilitator’s application. For example, stakeholder events and early career researcher-focused events.
Content activities
Example content activities are:
- working paper series: written by projects and disseminated by work package 5, but content stimulated by the knowledge exchange facilitator through regular project contact
- non-technical summary papers: content production led by the knowledge exchange facilitator in close collaboration with projects and dissemination leads on work package 5
- podcasts: content production led by knowledge exchange facilitator in close collaboration with projects and dissemination leads on work package 5
- policy briefs: content production led by knowledge exchange facilitator in close collaboration with projects and dissemination leads on work package 5
- website and social media: led by work package 5. Knowledge exchange facilitator activities will create and stimulate content which is then disseminated through these sources.
Event activities
Example event activities are:
- stakeholders events: such as EU stakeholder discussion events on DIAL and HERA. Led by the knowledge exchange facilitator. KEG can provide advice and work package 5 can advise on disseminating event and outputs
- thematic workshops: led by projects, with significant knowledge exchange facilitator involvement to identify the themes and bring projects together
- early career researcher-focused event: this may take the form of a PhD summer school or early career researcher conference linked to the aims and thematic scope of the programme
- launch, mid and final conferences: led by work package 5. Knowledge exchange facilitator activities will stimulate content for these events, meaning the knowledge exchange facilitator will take a significant role in agenda setting and identifying potential contributors, in collaboration with the agency responsible for organising the event and the CHANSE coordinator. The launch conference is expected to be an in-person event (if COVID-19 restrictions allow) in spring 2023.
The knowledge exchange facilitator is required to operate within a specific budget, therefore activities which the knowledge exchange facilitator considers deliver the most impact and best value against the previously stated objectives, will need to be prioritised.
Projects will have their own individual knowledge exchange plans which will focus on their own specific projects. The knowledge exchange facilitator’s role is to operate at a programme level, pulling together the different projects to identify themes and complimentary threads which make the programme more than the sum of its parts.
There may be opportunity to capitalise on and adapt some of projects’ pre-existing plans to serve a programme level purpose, but the knowledge exchange facilitator should primarily be focused on developing their own programme level activities.
Team composition
You are encouraged to work with a self-appointed team that would assist in delivering the key roles of the knowledge exchange facilitator. For example:
- a research assistant
- junior researcher
- supplementary external expertise.
It is therefore possible to attribute part of the total budget for external expertise. Your Proposals to the knowledge exchange facilitator opportunity should describe:
- the skills and expertise required in the team
- a preliminary proposed composition of division of tasks
- names of potential candidates for the team (not mandatory at this stage).
If you are applying with a preliminary team already in place, the role of the knowledge exchange facilitator and associated personnel should be clearly set out, within the budget provision offered.
There would need to be one clear knowledge exchange facilitator identified, who is the named principal investigator on the application.
Only one grant will be issued and this will be to the institution of the knowledge exchange facilitator. This institution will then be responsible for distributing funds to the team as set out in their application.
This opportunity is funded by the CHANSE consortium, which includes a European Commission (EC) co-fund. The grant will therefore be subject to UKRI, CHANSE and EC reporting requirements.
Eligible costs and duration
The maximum cash contribution from the funders is £205,000. This is expected to support provision of the knowledge exchange facilitator role for three and a half years.
CHANSE will fund 100% of the full economic cost of your project, unless you are based in the UK. Projects based at UK organisations will be funded at 80% of the full economic cost in line with standard UK policies.
It is expected that the award be used for:
- the knowledge exchange facilitator salary: for a minimum of 0.20 full-time equivalent (FTE) for three and a half years
- supporting staff: other team members, for example a research assistant, to support the knowledge exchange facilitator in the day-to-day activities of the role. The budget is expected to provide for at least 0.20 FTE of a research assistant over three and a half years, and supplementary external expertise as needed (for example, expert in policy brief drafting or podcast production)
- travel and subsistence: including travel to the relevant meetings of the CHANSE consortium, which is expected to be twice a year in European locations
- estates and indirect costs, for example building and premises costs and basic services and utilities
- delivery of content
- delivery of events.
A requirement of this funding opportunity is that budgets include provision for a knowledge exchange facilitator (for example, a senior academic in the area) to spend a minimum of 0.20 FTE over three and a half years on this proposal.
You are allowed to vary the time commitment over the lifetime of the award if desired, so long as the total over three and a half years is at least 0.2 FTE.
It is anticipated the budget would be distributed approximately as follows:
- knowledge exchange facilitator salary 45% to 55%
- knowledge exchange facilitator supporting staff 15%
- travel and subsistence 5%
- delivery of events and content 25% to 35%.
This is entirely up to the applicant to propose the funding distribution which they consider best fulfils the objectives of the opportunity.
Timeline
Transformations research projects are expected to start in September to October 2022.
Projects will be 24 to 36 months in length.
Given the importance of planning for knowledge exchange from the inception of projects, and the knowledge exchange facilitator’s central role in building relationships between the projects, they are expected to start by 1 December 2022 at the latest.
This is to ensure they are in place as close to project start dates as possible.
The funders are also conscious that many outputs and much impact of a project cannot be fully realised until the end of projects. Therefore, the knowledge exchange facilitator’s role is expected to last a period of three and a half years, to allow for a six month tail after the end of projects.
Other policies
The knowledge exchange facilitator is required to ensure open access (free of charge online access for any user) to all publications of its outputs.
Read the:
