To support collaborative endeavours, Imperial College London will provide seed funding to build research and education collaborations with partners at the African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) and/or members of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA). 

RESEARCH STREAM ACTIVITIES

Funds under this stream can be requested to support one or more of the following activities:

• Exploratory research, travel costs and other activities that often do not receive financial support at the earliest stages. Imperial funds can also be used to support small-scale experiments or the development of prototypes;
• Outward/inward visits for academics, research staff and students to investigate the potential for, initiate, follow-up, or work on a collaborative project or training opportunity, and for other stakeholder engagement;
• ‘Hackathon’ or other collaborative day or week-long events involving staff and students from both institutions to explore new risky and ‘blue skies’ research directions and ideas;
• Longer stays for students or research staff (up to maximum 2 months) to learn new techniques, analyse results or undertake other activities;
• Set up of new networks to promote the exchange of ideas, best practice, and other research goals;
• Networking events such as workshops and seminars to bring together researchers to foster new links or strengthen existing collaborations.
• Facilitation fees for online workshops (to encourage innovative ways of online interaction)
• Payment for student assistance (to encourage student engagement in projects)

The goal is for these collaborations to support Imperial, AIMS and ARUA member academics to initiate and pursue collaborations that ideally lead to new science and to future applications for external funding or new innovations in education. 

ONLINE EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION STREAM ACTIVITIES

This stream supports the pursuit of new applications for digital technologies to develop innovative, inclusive and impactful online experiential learning opportunities for the future. Projects which support development in the following areas are encouraged:

• online delivery of practical labs/fieldtrips and other experiential learning opportunities
• flexible lifelong learning/practitioner education
• multidisciplinary, global challenge topics
• project-based teaching
• student entrepreneurship

All projects are expected to incporporate digital innovations appropriate to achieving their project goals. 

Budget requests should not exceed £10,000 per project (this includes dual stream projects).

Funds can only be spent on activities that fit the purpose of either the research and online eperiential education streams within this call.  Applicants should itemise their budget using the tables in the application form.  

All expenditure should be completed by 31 July 2023.

Please refer to the list of fundable/ non-fundable items in the call guidance documents. 

 Proposals must be submitted to  globalseedfunds@imperial.ac.uk. Only applications submitted to this e-mail address and before the deadline, will be considered.

One proposal per Principal Applicant per call is permitted.

Each application should have one Principal Applicant based at Imperial and one Principal Applicant at either AIMS or an ARUA member instiution.

Applications must be completed on the template provided (please downlaod from this webpage) and within the page limit stated.

Deadlines

• Deadline for the submission of applications : 16 September 2022 (Fri)
• Release date of the results : 10 October 2022
• Start date of the awarded projects : 11 October 2022
• All awarded projects must end by : 31 July 2023