The College’s Strategy 2015-20 encourages us to act courageously and innovatively when pursuing new partnerships and opportunities and sets out our intention to invest funds and pursue the new and the risky. The Excellence Fund for Frontier Research has been established to support research ideas could be breakthrough programs that have the potential to put us in a leadership position, even if the ideas have not yet received outside funding. Frontier research is intrinsically risky, often characterised by the absence of, or ability to expand disciplinary boundaries, resulting in a new understanding of basic research.

This year we have added funding for an additional award to a group led by an early career researcher (an individual who is a lecturer at the time of application). This funding will be allocated in the same way as the other two grants.

Funding will be available to support three grants, up to £250K each, for a duration of three years. There are no limits on in any individual spend category. Funds can be used to support salary, consumables, professional services fees, travel and subsistence and equipment fees.

Two (unrestricted) awards are open to all permanent members of academic staff, while the new third award is only open to lecturers.

Applications will be largely forward looking, demonstrating an opportunity for 1) growth of an otherwise underdeveloped research area, 2) diversification into a new research area, or 3) new insight into a well-established research question.

The closing date for applications is 6 December 2018. Applications must be co-ordinated, shortlised and submitted by Academic Departments or Global Challenge Institutes. There is no restriction on the number of proposals that a department can be involved in, but each Department may submit no more than one application to each competition, i.e. one unrestricted and one early career application.

To learn more about how to apply please read the guidance for applicants and download an application form.‌

For any futher questions please contact Dr Mark Bambury at researchoffice.fundingstrategy@imperial.ac.uk