To: Heads of Research England-funded higher education providers
Reference: RE-CL-2024-03
Publication date: 16 May 2024
Enquiries to: researchpolicy@re.ukri.org
Dear Vice-Chancellor or Principal
This letter confirms Research England’s allocations of £21.1 million of International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) Institutional Support Grant (ODA) funding for financial year 2024 to 2025.
Allocations are made to higher education providers (HEPs) that received ISPF Institutional Support Grant (ODA) funding in 2023 to 2024, as described in the eligibility section below.
This is the second year of a two-year allocation arising from ISPF, received from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Information about this fund was initially communicated in our 24 November 2023 circular letter.
Eligibility
HEPs are eligible for this funding if they meet all of the following criteria:
- participated in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021)
- are registered with the Office for Students in the category ‘approved (fee cap)’
- confirmed acceptance of this funding in late 2023 as required under our November 2023 circular letter
Allocation basis
This funding has been allocated to eligible HEPs in line with historic official development assistance (ODA) funding received by HEPs, including:
- Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and Newton Fund amounts
- UK Research and Innovation research council competitive grants not originally designated as ODA that were subsequently found to meet ODA eligibility criteria (also referred to as ‘other ODA’)
Use of funding
The grant must only be used to fund activities that are ODA compliant as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). To be ODA compliant, all funded activity must:
- have as its main objective the promotion of the economic development and welfare of developing countries on the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee list
- be concessional in character
Activities funded through ISPF Institutional Support Grant (ODA) funding must also adhere to the legislation governing UK ODA funding:
- the International Development Act 2002 as amended
- the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014. This requires that aid must be “likely to contribute to reducing poverty in a way which is likely to contribute to reducing inequality between persons of different gender”
This funding provides flexible institutional grants that can be used strategically to support ODA eligible activity, including:
- underpinning ISPF activity funded through other delivery partners
- directly supporting research that addresses the problems faced by developing countries that are not funded through the ISPF grants of other delivery partners.
As directed by DSIT, the ISPF Institutional Support Grant (ODA) shall not be used to deliver activities within, in partnership with or that otherwise benefit China.
The funding allocated in this letter is for financial year 2024 to 2025 and so must be spent in full between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.
Use of this funding in a non-compliant manner will be considered to breach Research England’s terms and conditions of grant, and may result in funds being recovered by Research England.
Monitoring
HEPs in receipt of ISPF Institutional Support Grant (ODA) allocations:
- are required to include it in their routine annual accounting reporting
- may be subject to monitoring spot checks by Research England on behalf of DSIT in quarters two, three and four of financial year 2024 to 2025. This would require HEPs to provide programme level examples of how they have spent this funding in line with ODA compliance requirements
In summer 2024 we will provide further information on monitoring requirements to HEPs in receipt of funding.
Allocation amounts and payment
The ISPF Institutional Support Grant (ODA) allocations for each HEP in receipt of these funds are in Annex A.
These grant allocations will be paid in full in June 2024.
Further information
Questions about ISPF Institutional Support Grant (ODA) allocations should be directed to researchpolicy@re.ukri.org
Yours faithfully
Professor Dame Jessica Corner
Executive Chair, Research England
Annex A
| UKPRN | Higher education provider name | ISPF Institutional Support Grant (ODA) allocation financial year 2024 to 2025 (£) |
|---|---|---|
| 10007759 | Aston University | 22,535 |
| 10007850 | University of Bath | 188,612 |
| 10000571 | Bath Spa University | 11,993 |
| 10007152 | University of Bedfordshire | 3,708 |
| 10007760 | Birkbeck, University of London | 11,177 |
| 10006840 | University of Birmingham | 490,972 |
| 10007140 | Birmingham City University | 2,148 |
| 10000824 | Bournemouth University | 2,853 |
| 10007785 | The University of Bradford | 14,428 |
| 10000886 | University of Brighton | 18,004 |
| 10007786 | University of Bristol | 543,004 |
| 10000961 | Brunel University London | 63,206 |
| 10007788 | University of Cambridge | 838,974 |
| 10001478 | City, University of London | 31,083 |
| 10001726 | Coventry University | 320,225 |
| 10007822 | Cranfield University | 134,192 |
| 10001883 | De Montfort University | 50,755 |
| 10007851 | University of Derby | 780 |
| 10007143 | Durham University | 358,402 |
| 10007823 | Edge Hill University | 5,373 |
| 10007791 | The University of Essex | 25,309 |
| 10007792 | University of Exeter | 315,091 |
| 10002718 | Goldsmiths, University of London | 57,567 |
| 10007146 | University of Greenwich | 74,675 |
| 10007147 | University of Hertfordshire | 26,076 |
| 10007148 | University of Huddersfield | 70,152 |
| 10007149 | University of Hull | 13,643 |
| 10003270 | Imperial College London | 1,093,628 |
| 10007767 | Keele University | 118,289 |
| 10007150 | The University of Kent | 160,834 |
| 10003645 | King’s College London | 789,173 |
| 10003678 | Kingston University | 2,787 |
| 10007768 | Lancaster University | 255,730 |
| 10007795 | University of Leeds | 922,332 |
| 10003861 | Leeds Beckett University | 2,923 |
| 10007796 | University of Leicester | 103,787 |
| 10007151 | University of Lincoln | 51,345 |
| 10006842 | The University of Liverpool | 596,359 |
| 10003956 | Liverpool Hope University | 768 |
| 10003957 | Liverpool John Moores University | 44,632 |
| 10003958 | Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine | 871,383 |
| 10007769 | London Business School | 4,643 |
| 10004063 | The London School of Economics and Political Science | 573,625 |
| 10007771 | London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine | 2,707,426 |
| 10004113 | Loughborough University | 183,085 |
| 10007798 | The University of Manchester | 575,176 |
| 10004180 | Manchester Metropolitan University | 13,475 |
| 10004351 | Middlesex University | 6,772 |
| 10007799 | Newcastle University | 614,764 |
| 10001282 | Northumbria University | 19,262 |
| 10004797 | Nottingham Trent University | 12,548 |
| 10007154 | University of Nottingham | 271,386 |
| 10007773 | The Open University | 115,089 |
| 10004930 | Oxford Brookes University | 46,337 |
| 10007774 | University of Oxford | 2,274,518 |
| 10007801 | University of Plymouth | 52,037 |
| 10007155 | University of Portsmouth | 19,116 |
| 10007775 | Queen Mary University of London | 354,628 |
| 10007802 | University of Reading | 265,030 |
| 10007776 | University of Roehampton | 5,668 |
| 10007816 | The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama | 337 |
| 10005553 | Royal Holloway, University of London | 79,099 |
| 10007779 | The Royal Veterinary College | 342,945 |
| 10007156 | The University of Salford | 64,173 |
| 10007780 | School of Oriental and African Studies | 228,253 |
| 10007157 | The University of Sheffield | 290,613 |
| 10005790 | Sheffield Hallam University | 14,414 |
| 10007158 | University of Southampton | 416,543 |
| 10007782 | St. George’s, University of London | 196,326 |
| 10007160 | The University of Surrey | 90,648 |
| 10007806 | University of Sussex | 218,720 |
| 10007161 | Teesside University | 1,295 |
| 10007784 | UCL | 1,328,642 |
| 10007141 | University of Central Lancashire | 41,701 |
| 10007789 | University of East Anglia | 196,045 |
| 10007164 | University of the West of England | 11,136 |
| 10007163 | The University of Warwick | 207,388 |
| 10007165 | The University of Westminster | 6,361 |
| 10007166 | University of Wolverhampton | 931 |
| 10007167 | University of York | 514,860 |
| Total | 21,073,922 | |