A researcher looks at a petri dish through a microscope

When an external funder restricts the number of applications that may be submitted per institution, an internal process is coordinated and put in place by the Funding Strategy team in the Research Office. Each process is defined by the particular restrictions of the call and is communicated to Imperial staff via an email cascaded through relevant Faculties and added to the list below.

Institutional letters of support may also be required for an external bid. Where the call requires this to be from the President, Provost, or Vice-Provost (Research), the Funding Strategy team in the Research Office will coordinate its provision. Find out more on the Institutional letters of support webpage. 

Managed External Calls

Open and Recurring calls

Open Calls

 

AHRC have recently published a preannouncement of the next round of their design partnerships scheme. The College will be permitted to submit two applications to this opportunity once the call is released in the summer, however, each application must be substantively different in both partnership team and project objectives.

Parties interested in this call are asked to complete  the brief AHRC Design exchange partnerships EoI Proforma and return to researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk by Thursday 25 April 2024. Once the call is released, assuming there is more interest than places available details of the internal process will be communicated to those who have submitted an Expression of Interest Proforma.

The timeline for this opportunity will be as follows (this timeline may be subject to change depending on the finalised dates of the AHRC Application Development Surgeries):

Expression of Interest Opens

12 March 2024

Expression of Interest Closes

25 April 2024

AHRC Programme Launch Event

2 May 2024 (TBC)

Internal Selection Process Communicated

6 May 2024

Deadline for Internal Submissions

4 June 2024

Selected Candidates Informed

27 June 2024

AHRC Application Development Surgeries

3 and 4 July 2024 (TBC)

AHRC Submission Deadline

12 September 2024

 

Please contact Mark Bambury with any queries.

 


RAEng Research Fellowships

The Royal Academy of Engineering have launched this year’s Research Fellowships scheme. The Academy welcomes applications from early-career researchers worldwide who have been awarded their PhD in the last four years.  Each application is capped at a maximum contribution from the Academy of £625,000 over the five-year period, at 80% of full economic costs. Applicants must have a PhD, which was awarded (or the PhD has been unconditionally approved) no more than four years before the submission deadline: Wednesday 18 September 2024.

Please note, there are two changes this year:

  • Unlike previous rounds, the 2024/25 round would only include the Research Fellowship scheme and the Engineering for Development Research Fellowship (EDRF) scheme has been removed. However, they will continue to accept applications under the EDRF umbrella in the current round and they would be treated no differently to Research Fellowship applications.
  • Applicants can now apply if they hold a permanent academic position, previously, holding a permanent academic post would make a candidate ineligible.

 

The College is permitted to submit up to 4 applicants to RAEng, but 2 of those must be from an under-represented group.

Departments are permitted to submit 2 applications each to the internal process (to be submitted by the HoD or their delegate) to researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk by Tuesday 14 May at 1700.

Applicants should include the following papers:

 

Please note that Worktribe costings ARE NOT REQUIRED at this stage, they will only need to be completed by candidates selected to submit to RAEng.

 

Timeline for this opportunity:

Process Announced

12 March 2024

Departments select their two candidates

12 March – 14 May 2024

Departments Submit candidates to RO

14 May 2024

Central Shortlisting

14 May – 18 June 2024

Final Selection Interviews

Provisionally 2 and 3 July 2024

RAEng Deadline

18 September 2024

 

If any prospective candidates have further queries regarding the opportunity, please contact Mark Bambury 


Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard Scheme

The Academy of Medical Sciences has launched their Springboard Scheme for this year. The Springboard scheme provides support for early career academics at lecturer level, or equivalent, within the first three years of starting their post and who had not yet obtained significant funding.

Applicants should submit:

The timeline and key steps are as follows:

What

When

Eligibility Assessment opens

8 March - 1 April 2024

Internal call for proposals released

8 March 2024

Eligibility questionnaire closes

1 April 2024

Deadline for internal submissions

4 April 2024

Candidates informed of outcome of internal process

19 April 2024

AMS application portal open

26 April 2024

Submission deadline to AMS

June 2024

 

 

Please contact Mark Bambury with any queries

 


RAEng Research Fellowships

The Royal Academy of Engineering have launched this year’s Research Fellowships scheme. The Academy welcomes applications from early-career researchers worldwide who have been awarded their PhD in the last four years.  Each application is capped at a maximum contribution from the Academy of £625,000 over the five-year period, at 80% of full economic costs. Applicants must have a PhD, which was awarded (or the PhD has been unconditionally approved) no more than four years before the submission deadline: Wednesday 18 September 2024.

Please note, there are two changes this year:

  • Unlike previous rounds, the 2024/25 round would only include the Research Fellowship scheme and the Engineering for Development Research Fellowship (EDRF) scheme has been removed. However, they will continue to accept applications under the EDRF umbrella in the current round and they would be treated no differently to Research Fellowship applications.
  • Applicants can now apply if they hold a permanent academic position, previously, holding a permanent academic post would make a candidate ineligible.

 

The College is permitted to submit up to 4 applicants to RAEng, but 2 of those must be from an under-represented group.

Departments are permitted to submit 2 applications each to the internal process (to be submitted by the HoD or their delegate) to researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk by Tuesday 14 May at 1700.

 

Applicants should include the following papers:

 

Please note that Worktribe costings ARE NOT REQUIRED at this stage, they will only need to be completed by candidates selected to submit to RAEng.

 

Timeline for this opportunity:

Process Announced

12 March 2024

Departments select their two candidates

12 March – 14 May 2024

Departments Submit candidates to RO

14 May 2024

Central Shortlisting

14 May – 18 June 2024

Final Selection Interviews

Provisionally 2 and 3 July 2024

RAEng Deadline

18 September 2024

 

If any prospective candidates have further queries regarding the opportunity, please contact Mark Bambury 


Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard Scheme

The Academy of Medical Sciences has launched their Springboard Scheme for this year. The Springboard scheme provides support for early career academics at lecturer level, or equivalent, within the first three years of starting their post and who had not yet obtained significant funding.

The timeline and key steps are as follows:

What

When

Eligibility Assessment opens

8 March - 1 April 2024

Internal call for proposals released

8 March 2024

Eligibility questionnaire closes

1 April 2024

Deadline for internal submissions

4 April 2024

Candidates informed of outcome of internal process

19 April 2024

AMS application portal open

26 April 2024

Submission deadline to AMS

June 2024

 

 

Please contact Mark Bambury with any queries

 


Philip Leverhulme Prizes

The Leverhulme Trust has recently released its annual call for nominations for the Philip Leverhulme Prizes which awards up to 30 prizes of £100,000 each to outstanding researchers in their field. Each year the Trust highlights subject areas to which it is inviting applications and this year the subject areas are as follows and the College is restricted to three nominations per subject area:

  • Classics
  • Earth Sciences
  • Physics
  • Politics and International Relations
  • Psychology
  • Visual and Performing Arts 

 Eligibility:

Applicants should be within ten years of their PhD and either have a permanent academic position or hold a long-term fellowship for which the post will outlast the term of the prize.

How To Apply:

To be considered as one of the College’s candidates to this scheme, applications should submitted, which include the following:

A current CV, and a document that addresses each of:

  • The applicants significant research achievements to date
  • Their future research plans,
  • How they would use the £100k
  • What they could accomplish with the £100k that they could not otherwise do.

With a limit of 400 words for each of the four items.

 

Applications should be submitted to researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk by 26 March 2024. In your email, please indicate which category you wish to be considered for.

 

Selected candidates will be confirmed by late April, the submission deadline to Leverhulme is 16 May 2024.

Please contact Mark Bambury with any queries

 


Schmidt Science Fellows 

The Schmidt Science Foundation has launched this year’s Schmidt Science Fellows competition. Successful applicants to the scheme receive a personal stipend of $100,000 a year (for up to two years, a total of up to $200,000 of support during their Fellowship) and are supported to develop the skills and perspectives needed to become future leaders in science and society. The College is permitted to nominate up to 7 candidates to the scheme, so an internal process has been put in place.

Eligibility

To be eligible for nomination to the Schmidt Science Fellows application process, candidates must meet the following requirements:

  • Studying for a PhD in natural sciences (Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences and Physics), Engineering, Mathematics, Computing – or any of the sub-disciplines, at a nominating partner institution. Individuals on clinical track MD-PhD or Veterinary-PhD programs are not eligible.
  • Expect to complete all of the requirements for the conferral of their PhD in one of these fields between 15 May 2024 and 30 June 2025.
  • Able to start their Fellowship in July 2025 or October 2025 and available from April 2025 to July 2026 to attend onboarding activities, the in-person Science Leadership Program convenings and the annual Schmidt Science Fellows Interdisciplinary Science Summit.

How to Apply

Candidates who are interested in this scheme should complete:

  • a 2 page statement describing the research they wish to pursue during their fellowship and how they meet all six Schmidt selection criteria: https://schmidtsciencefellows.org/selection/criteria/
  • A statement of support from the supervisor, which includes (max 1 page):
    • Why the candidate is suitable for the programme
    • How the candidate would utilise this opportunity
    • Key achievements of the candidate to date
  • A statement of support from two collaborators (max 1 page each)

 

Completed applications should be sent to researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk by 17:00 15 April 2024.

Please contact Mark Bambury with any queries

 


Recurring calls

AXA Chair and Fellowship

For further detail contact researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk

There is one opportunities per year to put someone forward for an AXA Chair or Fellowship position (note Fellowship calls are for specific research areas). Imperial is only permitted to submit one candidate per call, and the process is managed centrally. More information about these opportunities can be found on the AXA Chair position webpage or the Fellowships webpage

AXA Chair

2023 round completed. 2024 timing TBC; normally launched in Autumn

The Chair scheme is primarily to attract an individual to the College and Departments should initially approach researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk stating the individual that they wish to attract and the strategic benefit to the College of pursuing an application. If the Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) is convinced of the strategic need, and the College has not met its application limit, the department will be informed of the next steps to continue the process. 

AXA Fellowship

2023 round completed. 2024 round timing TBC, normally launched in April

Interested candidates' Departments should initially approach researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk stating the individual that they wish to put forward/attract, why AXA is the best route to support them, and the strategic benefit to the College of pursuing an application. If the Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise) is convinced AXA is an apropriate fit for the candidate, and the College has not met its application limit, the department will be informed of the next steps to continue the process.


NERC 'Pushing the Frontiers of Environmental Science Research' rounds (July and January closing dates)

For further detail contact researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk

In 2015, NERC introduced a Demand Management quota system, whereby institutions whose 6-round success rate for the former Standard Grants (response mode, including New Investigator grants) fell below 20% received a cap on the number of proposals they could submit for that financial year's rounds. Imperial is currently subject to this demand management quota, which is being applied to the new Pushing the Frontiers scheme. To manage the cap and increase the quality of proposals being submitted to avoid future restriction, an internal review group has been established to aid in the support (and selection where required) of bids. For more information view the NERC Demand Management webpage.

For further details of how to submit your proposal to the internal NERC Proposals Review Group and the key dates for the next upcoming round under Demand Management measures, please visit our dedicated NERC Internal Demand Management page.


EPSRC Strategic Equipment

For further detail please contact Mark Bambury.

EPSRC strongly encourages a strategic approach to the submission of business cases and therefore the College has agreed the following internal selection process, in an effort to manage the timing of bids for maximal success and to provide an opportunity for Professor Mary Ryan, Vice-Provost (Research and Enterprise), to offer institutional approval to bids.

Round 3:
  • Noon Tuesday 6 June 2023 – Candidates to submit their business case to researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk (attn. Mark Bambury)
  • End of June 2023 –Decisions announced as soon as possible
  • 31 August 2023 - deadline for outline submissions 
  • w/c 16 October 2023 -  EPSRC Outline Panel date
  • 20 December – EPSRC deadline for full applications
  • Tbc by EPSRC, expected March 2024 – EPSRC Interview Panel date (provisional)
  • April 2024 - EPSRC final panel

Additional information can be found on the EPSRC Strategic Equipment process webpage

Upcoming calls

Below are the calls that have been pre-announced and are expected to need management. A process for these calls will be announced as soon as possible.