Research Fortnight - 23/03/2016

Updated daily at www.ResearchProfessional.
com
Founded by William Cullerne Bown
23 March 2016
Paul Nurse on why Research UK

should be led by a scientist p4
Interdisciplinary research Money alone
isnt enough to make it work p21
Devolution Universities regional role p6
BIS chastised for rushed

capital investments
Former head of research funding says it was a turbulent time
Pressure is mounting on the Department for Business,

Innovation and Skills to learn from the mistakes it
made when deciding on science-capital investments
in the previous spending-review period, following a
damning report from the National Audit Office.
The report, published on 10 March, said that BISs
decisions on capital investments between 2010 and
2014 lacked crucial analysis. The NAO said that in
November 2011, BIS told the research councils to
take a lighter approach when assessing the business
cases for proposed projects. This led to a decline in the
quality of the evidence included in the 15 business
cases that were approved between then and the end of
2014, the NAO said.
Graeme Reid, chair of science and research policy at
University College London, was head of research funding at BIS during the period covered by the report. He
concedes that the NAO has made reasonable observations, but stresses that it was a turbulent time for
research funding. This was primarily due to a 45 per
cent cut in capital expenditure following the financial
crisis, he said, which was not helped by the complications of having a coalition government in power and
the fact BIS had been created only a year earlier.
We were dealing with a big problem, Reid said.
The decision to protect recurrent expenditure and cut
capital almost in half at short notice was not ideal. It
meant that our response to the 2010 spending review
wasnt as orderly as it wouldve been in a more stable
funding environment. But we did secure much-needed capital investment for science.
Although the NAO report acknowledges these
pressures, it is critical of business cases for several flagship investments, including the National
Graphene Institute and the Alan Turing Institute for
Data Science. Issues raised include a lack of analysis of
running costs or calculations of return on investment,
and in some instances, the NAO said, investments were
announced before business cases had been developed.
However, a spokesman for the graphene institute
told Research Fortnight that the institute has already
leveraged significant external funding in its first
by Cristina Gallardo
cgnews@ResearchResearch.com
year and that its running costs were fully met by the
University of Manchester.
One of the main issues raised in the report was that the
research councils stopped producing a road map of priority projects, which had previously been used for awarding
capital funding, instead listing only their priority areas.
Kieron Flanagan, senior lecturer in science and innovation policy at the University of Manchester, said that
he would like to see a full map again, so that BIS can
react quickly when funding becomes available. This, he
said, would stop decisions being taken on the basis of
politicians whims, needs and prejudiceshe added
that, in recent years, some choices had been made in
order to promote Englands regional development.
James Wilsdon, director of impact and engagement at
the University of Sheffield, agreed, saying that it would
be important to develop a transparent process to address
concerns that investments only go to a very small number of institutions and individuals who are perceived to
pursue favourite topics at favourite places.
But Reid said that it would also be necessary to ensure
that any future decision-making process balanced a
well-informed administrative process with the need to
be agile and react quickly to unexpected opportunities.
Sarah Main, director of the Campaign for Science and
Engineering, said that no one wanted to look a gift
horse in the mouth in the previous period but that capital funding pressures have now lessened. She said that
it was now time to ensure decisions were based on merit.
But Wilsdon said that it was necessary to consider how
budget pressures elsewhere might affect the process;
severe cuts to budgets and staff could
further erode BISs capacity to make
Every new opportunity
informed decisions on investments.
for research funding
The reports findings have piqued
from every sponsor in
the interest of the Public Accounts
the UK, EU, US & beyond
Committee, which has said it plans to
hold an inquiry, with 27 April given as
Every discipline
a provisional date for the hearing, and
Every fortnight
witnesses have yet to be named.
Issue No.475
editorial
Research Fortnight, 23 March 2016

Edited by Ehsan Masood
news@ResearchResearch.com
Tel: 020 7216 6500
Fax: 020 7216 6501
Unit 111, 134-146 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3AR
Altogether now
Vulnerable people are losing their safety net. Science
leaders can remain silent no more
As this editorial went to press, the sudden resignation of work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith remained the talk of Westminster. The
chancellors hastily withdrawn decision to cut disability benefits by some
1.3 billion, and increase benefits to higher-rate taxpayers by a similar
amount was not something that the now ex-minister felt able to defend.
The last line in his resignation letter was perhaps the most cutting.
Duncan Smith asked the prime minister to look again at the balance of
government cuts and wonder if enough has been done to ensure we are
all in this together.
That, as we know, is a dig at chancellor George Osborne and his now
much-mocked pet phrase, We are all in this together. Yet here is the paradox. For the past six years, Duncan Smith has been no innocent bystander
in his chancellors plan to shrink the states safety net for those with disabilities or living on low incomes. He was one of its chief architects.
This plan has contributed to more than a million people* seeking emergency three-day supplies from food banks, up from 25,000 in 2008-9. And
that is what makes Duncan Smiths assessment so damning: if the latest
proposed cuts are not even palatable to the base of the Conservative
party, then we know that this is a government at risk of losing touch.
In an interview with the BBC, Duncan Smith said the governments
actions were risking worsening social divisions. What he didnt say was
that the process started much earlier and it was also, dare we say, something in which we in the research world are, to some extent, complicit.
Although public spending has been cut repeatedly since 2010, the
research budget hasnt been cut to the same degree. So, several times
a year, research leaders are given the opportunity to offer their eternal
gratitude that Osborne, the second most powerful politician in the land,
is there to guard their interests. In return, the chancellor knows that
they will faithfully back his policies, even when he cuts benefits for
disabled people.
But this cannot go on indefinitely. To a degree, UK university campuses are starting to simmer, through campaigns for fossil-fuel divestment,
no-platforming and, more recently, against statues of former colonialists
like Cecil Rhodes. It will only be a matter of time before students and staff
start to turn their attention to yet more weightier matters.
UK research leaders are often generous to praise the government for its
stewardship of science. They must surely know that research and higher
education are not isolated from society. As thinkers and scholars, but
above all as citizens, they have a duty to speak up if vulnerable communities are hurting. And that does mean having the courage to pronounce
against those who protect their budgets.
The path to criticism, it seems, is beginning to light up. In recent
months, leading Conservative politicians, including Nicola Blackwood
and now Duncan Smith, have been prepared to question the chancellors
policies. If they can, surely others can too.
*Data from 2014-15 courtesy of the Trussell Trust
elsewhere
If food waste were a country, it would be
the third largest producer of greenhouse
gases in the world, after China and the
United States.
Wasting food isnt just morally wrong, says
author and journalist Elizabeth Royte; thanks
to the related wastage of fertilisers, seeds,
land and fuel, it also has a major environmental impact. National Geographic, March 2016.
It is high time for an independent
analysis of the factors that influence
ministers taking advice on policy.
Ruth Levitt, visiting senior research fellow
in the department of political economy at
Kings College London, writes about her project to see how reliable are the governments
claims that it uses external advice. Civil
Service World, 8/3/16.
Its difficult to get back into it, but after
a little while, the beauty of mathematics
lures you back in.
Andrew Wiles, mathematics professor at the
University of Oxford and recipient of this
years Abel prize for his proof of Fermats last
theorem, says that it was hard to shift his
attention after being obsessed with the problem since he was 10. The Guardian, 15/3/16.
Non-evidence based, populist pandering
that doesnt address any public-health
issues. Well done indeed.
The anonymous @gimpyblog takes Jamie
Oliver to task for celebrating his part in getting government to introduce the sugar levy
in the 2016 budget. Twitter, 16/3/16.
He has managed to piss everyone off,
which is quite a feat. This has not done
him any favours.
An unnamed cabinet minister says that Sajid
Javids decision to campaign to remain in
the European Union alongside his heavy
criticism of the union has aggravated Tories
on both sides. The Financial Times, 26/2/16.
decade
Faced with a lack of real
commitment from the
Department for Education
and Skills, Research Councils
UK has decided to fill
the vacuum.
Peter Cotgreave, director of the Campaign
for Science and Engineering, says that it
is not RCUKs job to take responsibility
for increasing undergraduate numbers in
less popular subjects, but welcomes that
it has decided to anyway.
whats going on
whats going on
PhD loans and data-research boost announced in budget
The government has said that PhD students from England who are not supported by a research
council will be eligible for a loan of up to 25,000 from the 2018-19 academic year. The 2016
budget, published on 16 March, also set out a range of science and research investments,
including 15 million for a National Institute for Smart Data Innovation in Newcastle, and 20m
for a competition for an Institute for Coding.
Modernise economic measurement, says Bean
The government is to invest more than 10 million in the creation of a data-science hub and
centre of excellence in economic measurement. The proposal was made in Charles Beans review
of economic statistics, published on 11 March, and accepted in the 2016 budget announcement
on 16 March. The review calls on the Office for National Statistics to move towards becoming a
service provider, helping users answer their questions about the economy.
HEFCE to boost QR funding by 20m
The Higher Education Funding Council for England has said that it will award 1.07 billion in
quality-related funding in 2016-17, 20 million more than the year before. The council said that
its 3.7bn budget for 2016-17 would comprise: 1.58bn for research, 1.36bn for teaching, 498m
in capital funding, 160m for knowledge exchange and 98m for national facilities and initiatives.
Councils encourage academics to think globally
The research councils want to see academics make their work relevant to the developing world
and build long-lasting international networks. A document on the strategic priorities of the seven
councils and their parent body Research Councils UK up to 2020 said that the councils would work
to speed up their responses to challenges. The councils will run a consultation this summer to help
inform priority areas and build research and innovation capability in the UK and internationally.
Institute for Government director to step down
Peter Riddell, who has led the Institute for Government since January 2012, has said he plans to
leave the influential think tank in the summer. The institute is recruiting for a replacement with
a demonstrable understanding of government who will be able to build high-level relationships
while maintaining the institutes independence. The closing date for applications is 30 March.
Could do better, says report on Nuffield bioethics
The Nuffield Council on Bioethics makes an impact on policymakers but needs to work faster
and be more transparent, an evaluation review carried out by strategy consultants Firetail
has said. It found that although some progress had been made on the objectives in Nuffields
strategy, they were neither measurable nor particularly ambitious. The councils director Hugh
Whittall said that the review highlighted some important challenges for the council.
MPs join call for research exemption to anti-lobbying clause
The chairwoman of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee has written to
business secretary Sajid Javid to ask for a clear and simple exemption for researchers from the
anti-lobbying clause, which will prevent organisations using public funds to lobby government. In
the letter Nicola Blackwood said that without an exemption the clause, due to come into force on
1 May, would have unintended effects and create a barrier to evidence-based policymaking.
news
interview
paul nurse
Nurse stands by call for

scientist to lead Research UK
Former president of the Royal Society Paul Nurse has
said that he stands by his recommendation that a natural scientist would be the best choice to lead the research
councils proposed umbrella body, Research UK.
Since the publication of his review of the research
councils in November, Nurse has been succeeded at
the Royal Society by Venki Ramakrishnan. Nurse is now
focusing on the launch of the Francis Crick Institute in
London, which is expected to open formally in October.
In an interview with Research Fortnight, Nurse looks
back on the review, now that the dust has settled.
One of the recommendations that came in for the
most criticism was Nurses proposal that a scientist be
appointed as the chief executive of Research UK. Was this
a generic catch-all, or was he discounting academics from
humanities, the arts and social sciences? Nurse is bullish
in his response. I wouldnt change what I said. The natural sciences receive most of the research funding in the UK,
so Nurse argues that it would be naturally more relevant
to have a natural scientist at the helm of Research UK.
He adds that he would like to see a researcher leading the organisation, rather than a civil servant or
businessman. When the review was published, there
was speculation that the job might suit one or two vicechancellors, which Nurse says could work as long as they
were experienced at both doing research and running a
lab, and could show the managerial and administrative
abilities that are not always found among scientists.
Another subject of much debate was the extent of
government chief scientific adviser Mark Walports
influence over the reports proposalssomething Nurse
roundly rejects. Markwho I know very well and I talk
a lot withwas barely involved in the review. Nurse
says that he shared his results with Walport shortly
before he spoke to the ministers and we had conversations, but it was my review. However, Nurse adds that,
from my conversations with him, I doubt his position
was very far away from mine.
Nurse stresses that he enjoyed complete freedom
to write what he wanted throughout the process, saying
that he received no pressures from Whitehall to adjust
his wording. I would not have done it otherwise.
Indeed, officials in the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills have not met all of his recommendations with enthusiasm. Both science minister Jo
Johnson and business secretary Sajid Javid have given
lacklustre responses to his proposal to create a Cabinetlevel ministerial committee to advise on science spending
across government. Giving evidence to the House of
by Cristina Gallardo
cgnews@ResearchResearch.com
Commons Science and Technology Committee at the

start of the year, Javid said there were other options to
achieve the same objectives without such a body.
Nurse acknowledges that his proposal might be
uncomfortable for the department, but says that there
is a need to discuss science policy matters beyond BIS,
which nonetheless would remain the epicentre. It is
sort of a balancing act. The committee could be the
right place to discuss future capital investments in science, he says, decisions on which have been the subject
of much criticism in recent weeks.
Another of his recommendations was to improve the
councils joint work, and in his report he stresses the
importance of separate funding for interdisciplinary
research. The government has now created the Global
Challenges Research Fund, which will have an interdisciplinary stream, but will require projects to comply with
Official Development Assistance rules. This reduces some
of the flexibility of the fund, Nurse says, but it is a practical solution. In an ideal world, I would have preferred
a completely unfettered budget, but I think this can be
made to work.
Nurse is not involved in the implementation of his
report at present, but says he is watching its progress
closely, and considering accepting an invitation to
listen to BISs blueprint for action. If he were to manage the process, though, he says that he would ask the
councils to develop their own implementation plan. This
should then be discussed at the Council for Science and
Technology and should be subject to public debate. All
this should take place before the department made any
executive decisions, he says.
We should have a proper debate about how the report
can be implemented, what the community and the political masters think is good in it and what isnt. Nurse is
in favour of such a debate rather than trying to appoint
a chief executive of Research UK before we even know
what it is and what it will do.
Asked whether he fears that the government might
use his report to carry out a much more radical restructuring of the research system, Nurse says he had been
given no hint that was likely to happen, but that he
would publicly debate changes that didnt reflect what
he had proposed.
However, he is clearly keen for his recommendations
to be implemented quickly. There is a need for change
because you can never stand still.
news
Biomedical publishers failing to meet

open-access obligations
Academic publishers receiving article processing charges from a group of six charities are failing to meet their
open-access obligations up to 50 per cent of the time,
the Wellcome Trust has said.
In a blog post on 23 March, Wellcome said that unless
publishers started to meet their obligations, its next step
would be to label some journals as non-compliant, meaning researchers would not be able to use money from the
Charity Open-Access Fund to pay APCs for those journals.
Wellcomes analysis found that compliance with the
open-access requirements of the fund has increased overall, with 70 per cent of 2,942 articles being fully compliant
in 2014-15, up from 61 per cent of 2,556 articles in 201314. However, by 6 January, Wiley had fully complied with
the requirements for just 50 per cent of the 333 articles
that it was paid for out of the fund in 2014-15.
Elsevier did not meet full compliance for 30 per cent of
articles, Nature Publishing Groupnow part of Springer
Naturefor 25 per cent of articles, and Oxford University
Press for 15 per cent, Wellcome said. PLOS met full compliance for 100 per cent of articles.
The fund, which also pays APCs for Arthritis Research
UK, Breast Cancer Now, Bloodwise, the British Heart
Foundation and Cancer Research UK, spent 5.6 million
on APCs in 2014-15. This was about 14 per cent more
than in the previous yearsimilar to the overall increase
in the number of APCs paid. In return for payment, pub-
by Craig Nicholson
cnnews@ResearchResearch.com
lishers are required to make articles freely available

through the Europe PubMed Central database with a
Creative Commons attribution license.
Publisher non-compliance was much higher for hybrid
journals, which publish a combination of open-access
and pay-to-access content, than for fully open-access
journals, at 35 per cent and 4 per cent respectively. This
discrepancy was greatest at Wiley, where there was noncompliance for 54 per cent of articles in hybrid journals
and 14 per cent in fully open-access journals.
Wellcome said that it had had meetings with Wiley and
Elsevier to put an end to non-compliance, and that it
would be developing a more detailed set of requirements.
It said that if there was no improvement in the first six
months of 2016 then it would consider further action,
including delaying payment of APCs until articles have
been deposited in Europe PubMed Central, or seeking
compensation from publishers for non-compliant papers.
However, the blog post stressed that unless publishers
agreed that they could meet the requirements and significantly improve the quality of the service then an
inevitable next step would be classifying those publishers hybrid journals as non-compliant.
Neither Wiley nor Elsevier had responded to requests
for comment before this article went to press.
Social science essential to fight infectious diseases

Animal health scientists, human health scientists and
environmental scientists at an interdisciplinary health
conference have stressed the importance of including
the social sciences from the outset of projects.
At the One Health for the Real World conference, held
in London on 17 and 18 March, speakers and attendees
stressed the importance of working with social scientists
to understand the wider context of diseases they work on.
The goal of the One Health Initiative is the coordinated effort of several disciplines working at local, national
and global levels to improve the health of people, animals and the environment. Researchers are usually from
the veterinary, medical and environmental fields.
Delegates repeatedly returned to the need to involve
social scientists in such work, saying that understanding
a diseases transmission pattern, for instance, could help
stop its spread. The outbreaks of Ebola and Zika were used
as examples of when researchers needed to understand
social factors such as poverty as well as the virus itself.
Jakob Zinsstag, head of epidemiology and public
health at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute,
by Anna McKie
amnews@ResearchResearch.com
said that it was important not to dismiss social scientists

when searching for medical breakthroughs in epidemics.
For example, social scientists can help collect and analyse data about why people travel during particular times
and how this affects the spread of disease.
Salome Bukachi of the University of Narobi, said that
it was important to look not just at the culture of the
communities being studied, but also of the researchers
themselves. A number of speakers echoed this opinion, saying that academics needed to be more upfront
about their own values. David Waltner-Toews, founding
president of Veterinarians Without Borders, said that
scientists should be upfront about their values and perspectives as they can affect the way data is interpreted.
Beside the benefit of working with social scientists, delegates said that working with biodiversity experts would
encourage conservation in the areas in which they work,
and working with engineers would help to develop the
technologies needed to bring diagnostics to remote places.
news
analysis
Local institution
Rebecca Hill assesses how universities are preparing for regional freedom.
Devolving more powers to Englands regions is not a new
idea, nor is it the preserve of any one party. Last year, the
Conservative government offered regions the chance to
pitch ideas for devolution and received 38 bids. But the
groundwork for this was laid by the last Labour government. Still, as confirmations of deals trickle in, momentum
is building ahead of the roll-out of devolution in 2017.
As anchor institutions in their local regions, universities have an obvious role to play. Universities have an
enlightened self-interest in the local area, says Neil Lee,
lecturer in economic geography at the London School of
Economics. They benefit local areas but also benefit from
being in a successful local economy. They have to recognise they need to have a role in the devolution process.
John Goddard, emeritus professor of regional development at Newcastle University, agrees. Devolution
deals need proposals to have universities involved, not
just around the science and technology agenda, but in
collaboration with businesses, local government, Local
Enterprise Partnerships and civil society.
Universities also get the chance to boost their institutions profile and to engage with new partners, particularly
businesses, which are becoming ever more powerful actors
in local governance. This focus on industry and local
engagement should suit the newer universities, which
already tend to look beyond the funding sources and
partners dominated by their red-brick counterparts. John
Shutt, a regional economic development professor at
Leeds Beckett University, says that newer universities are
better rooted in the local and regional agenda. This is the
chance to show their strengths and make sure the devolution plans are able to deliver their agenda.
But older institutions are upping their game, too.
Richard Jones, pro vice-chancellor for research at the
University of Sheffield, stresses that the university has
had a local conscience for years. But discussions about
the future economy of the city have perhaps taken us out
of the comfort zone of a Russell Group university. This
has shown local partners it is serious about the city. We
havent had this influence by saying, Were the university
and we do important thingstheres
an understanding that the university
has done different things in recognition of the regions needs.
Universities involvement benefits local players, too. Whats been
interesting about being involved in
the N8 group of universities is that
we have provided a forum to join up
This is the chance

for universities
to make sure the
devolution plans
can deliver.
across the north, Jones says. We have those links with

Manchester, Leeds, York and Newcastle that the Local
Enterprise Partnerships dont. And, Goddard adds, the
local authorities are desperate for supportthey dont
have capacity to do this stuff.
There is, though, a risk that universities will be seen
primarily as providers of skills. We have to work to demonstrate we drive the economy in so many more ways,
says Koen Lamberts, vice-chancellor of the University of
York. John Flamson, retired partnerships director at the
University of Liverpool, says that the simple idea of graduate retention is a red herring anyway. You cant contrive
thatyou cant force them to stay in an area or force
businesses to take them. Instead, he argues for more
interactions between undergraduates and businesses.
At the sAme time, the majority of policies affecting universities arent likely to shift with devolution. Decisions on
tuition fees and research funding, for example, will continue to be set at national and international levels. And,
with those structures facing the biggest overhaul for more
than a decade, universities are arguably more preoccupied
with changes in their own back yards than ever before.
Moreover devolution deals dont come with any research
fundingas Lamberts says, universities cant expect
anything special in that sense. Instead, its about the
opportunities that come with more infrastructure investment, greater regional control and a closer focus on local
expertise, such as digital technology, transport and health.
But beyond this, Alan Harding, chief economic adviser
at the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, argues
that changes to core funding structures call for greater
local awareness. As funding becomes scarcer, he says
that universities will have to look to local money.
A further consideration for all the partners is the
messy landscape of national policies for the regions
that government has created. Its science and innovation audits, the Northern Powerhouse agenda and the
devolution drive should, ideally, tie in well. But they are
overseen by different Whitehall departments and some
feel that the government has made the environment hard
to navigate. There are all these parallel processes but
very little systematic thinking about the interconnections, both at a local and Whitehall level, Goddard says.
Nonetheless, he stresses that universities shouldnt
see league tables as in conflict with civic engagement.
Universities need to step up to the plate, start intensifying their dialogue and become key actors in local regions.
More to say? Email comment@ResearchResearch.com
funding opportunities
Research Fortnight
23 March 2016
every new opportunity every discipline
deadlines
focus points
Opportunities from previous issues of

Research Fortnight, listed by closing
date. European Commission and
associated funders marked EU.
Issue no. 475
MOD climate modelling

The Ministry of Defence,
under the Met Office and
as part of the Newton
Fund, invites proposals to
tender for the evaluation
and verification of
convective scale numerical
weather prediction,
using the unified model
over southern Africa.
The total budget is worth
275,000 [15].
Neurodegenerative disease
The Reta Lila Weston Trust
invites letters of intent
for its microbiome and
neurodegenerative disease
programme. Grants are
worth up to 200,000
each over a period of
three years [17].
NERC ecosystem stocks
The Natural Environment
Research Council, under
the valuing nature
programme, invites
applications for its call on
understanding ecosystem
stocks and tipping points.
The total budget is worth
up to 1.1 million. Each
project may receive up to
370,000 at 80 per cent
full economic cost [20].
EPSRC cyber security
The Engineering and
Physical Sciences
Research Council invites
applications for its call
on human dimensions
of cyber security. The
budget is worth up to
5 million [26].
NOt tO bE
PhOtOCOPiED
For subscriptions call +44 20 7216 6500
Each entry is followed by a Web id
31
March
AHRC anniversary essay competition
the way we live now, debates four to
10 1185415
Anglo-Norse Society Dame Gillian
Brown postgraduate scholarship
1170313
Antarctic Science career development bursaries 202571
AO Foundation CID clinical research
fellowship programme for surgeons
1173199
Archives and Records Association UK and Ireland international
engagement bursaries 257616
Association for the History of Glass
research grants 254653
Association of Anaesthetists of
Great Britain and Ireland personal
development grant 1183661
Baden-Wrttemberg Stiftung
programme for university students
1180067
Bayer Grants4Targets novel targets
for drug development 254984
British Association of Critical Care
Nurses grants and scholarships
251192
British Beer & Pub Association
brewers research & education fund
1189058
British Beer & Pub Association/
Worshipful Company of Brewers,
Brewers' Research and Education
Fund research grants 1188466
British Council/Newton Fund
researcher links workshop on
developing legal research networks
around agritechnology in Brazil and
the UK 1189111
British Ecological Society Parliamentary Office of Science and
Technology fellowship 211926
British Elbow and Shoulder Society pump priming research grants
1170234
British Heart Foundation four-year
PhD studentships 1188331
British Infection Association clinical
exchange award 198140
British Infection Association
research project grants 179165
British Infection Association travel
awards 204736
British Pharmacological Society

AstraZeneca prize for women in
pharmacology 1157789
Bill Bowman travelling lectureship
181493
Gaddum memorial award 180257
British Society for Middle Eastern
Studies/AbdullahAl-Mubarak
Al-Sabah Foundation scholarships
1157791
British Society for the History of
Science research grants 208340
British Society for the History of
Science special project grants
1171883
Canada-UK Foundation conference
support programme 1171925
CRUK future leaders in cancer
research prize 1158600
CRUK lifetime achievement in
cancer research prize 1158597
CRUK translational cancer research
prize 1158599
Children's Liver Disease Foundation
small grants research programme
254770
Core/British Society of Gastroenterology trainee research grants
1188799
Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
awards 207788
Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
small grants 199439
Defra English vessel engine power
monitoring 1189020
Defra/Rural Payments Agency/
Rural Development Programme for
England Network European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural
Productivity and Sustainability
grant (EIP-Agri) 1184075
EU Directorate-General for Regional
and Urban Policy urban innovative
actions first call for proposals
1188105
EU Directorate-General of Maritime
Affairs and Fisheries interoperability improvements in member states
to enhance information sharing for
maritime surveillance 1183416
Eaga Charitable Trust master's
bursaries 1166480
cole Franaise d'Extrme-Orient
field scholarships 1161626
EU Education, Audiovisual and
Culture Executive Agency Erasmus+
strategic partnerships in the field of
education and training 1176971
EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing in Large-Area Electronics
pathfinder call 1185278
Online Funding Search

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European Association of Social

Psychology research knowledge
transfer scheme 250965
European Association of Social Psychology seedcorn research grants
250960
European Association of Social
Psychology travel grants 210704
European League Against Rheumatism educational visits in rheumatology 187640
European League Against Rheumatism scientific training bursaries
254719
European Oncology Nursing Society
novice dissemination award
1188693
European Oncology Nursing Society
nursing leadership summit grant
1188694
European Society for Translation
Studies book purchase grant
1165753
European Society of Endocrinology
small meeting grant 1179002
European University Institute
Srensen grants 1177578
Forum Vergabe international public
procurement award 1163747
Foundation for Canadian Studies in
the UK outreach awards programme
196353
German Historical Institute London
scholarships 207631
Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation
project grants 206685
Hockerill Foundation grants for
individuals 1160691
Hockerill Foundation grants for
organisations 1160692
Human Frontier Science Programme
young investigator grants 194734
Independent Social Research
Foundation essay competition
organisation studies 1187812
Institute of Historical Research/
Past & Present Society fellowships
211537
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
award for risk reduction in mechanical engineering 252816
James Clayton prize 252788
Verena Winifred Holmes award
252829
International Association of Sedimentologists postgraduate grant
scheme 1168721
International Society of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology
1188289
Australian Federation of Graduate
Women/Japanese Association of
University Women international
fellowships 1188751
Laboratory Animals Limited bursaries up to 5,000 1188070
Max van Berchem Foundation
research grants 1174114
National Institute of Academic
Anaesthesia John Snow anaesthesia
intercalated BSc awards 1187700
NERC Arctic research station 209468
NIHR dental academic clinical fellowships 1187361
Palaeontological Association Hodson award 206217
uk
highlights
New opportunities from UK-based funders.
ESRC data service

The Economic and Social Research Council's Business and Local Government Data
Research Centre invites proposals for
its support for using data services. This
call enables researchers and analysts to
access a variety of data in full accordance with legislative requirements and
data owners' stipulations in a safe and
controlled way. The service includes open,
safeguarded or controlled data.
Web id: 1189312
Email: blgdataresearch@essex.ac.uk
No deadline [1]
Optics lecture grants

The Institute of Physics and the International Commission for Optics invite
applications for their travelling lecturer
programme. This enables scientists of
international reputation to promote
lectures on modern aspects of optics
in interested territories. Each grant is
typically worth up to US$1,000 (710).
Web id: 1189129
Contact: James A Harrington
Email: jaharrin@rci.rutgers.edu
No deadline [2]
ScotGov displaced birds

The Scottish Government invites tenders
for a research project on the fate of displaced birds. The tenderer will estimate
the cost to individual seabirds, in terms
of changes in adult survival and productivity, of displacement or barrier effects
resulting from marine licensed activity.
The contract is worth up to 40,000.
Web id: 1189243
Contact: B McGee
Deadline: 7 April 2016 [3]
Video survey of teaching

The Department for Education invites
expressions of interest for its teaching and learning international survey
(TALIS) 2018 video study. This aims
to provide policy-relevant knowledge,
understanding and analysis about effective teaching practices and the relationship between teaching practices
and pupils' outcomes, in a timely and
cost effective manner. The research will
take place in three main phases: study
development, implementation, and data
analysis and reporting.
Web id: 1189310
Email: talis.enquiries@education.gsi.
gov.uk
Osteoporosis prize
The National Osteoporosis Society invites
applications for its young scientist prize.
This recognises a young scientist's or
clinical researcher's contribution to the
field of osteoporosis and fragility fractures. The prize is worth 4,500.
Web id: 1180045
Email: research@nos.org.uk
bracken control methods

Historic England invites tenders to
conduct survey work on the monitoring
of bracken control methods and their
impact on the historic environment. The

tenderer will continue and extend ongoing research into the effectiveness and
archaeological impact of a variety of
mechanical and chemical bracken controls. The contact is worth up to 60,000.
Web id: 1189234
Contact: Claire Driver
Email: hpcptenders@historicengland.
org.uk
Urban marginality workshop

The British Council, via the Newton
Fund, invites applications to attend its
researcher links workshop on producing and contesting urban marginality
speculation, public space and social
movements in the neoliberal city. Funding enables UK and Mexican early-career
researchers to attend a workshop on producing and contesting urban marginality
in Mexico City and other world cities, to
be held from 12 to 15 July 2016 in Mexico
City. Grants cover travel expenses of up
to 1,000 plus accommodation costs of
up to 320.
Web id: 1189260
Email: julie.cupples@ed.ac.uk
train safety
The Rail Safety and Standards Board
invites tenders for the following contracts:
optimising door closure arrangements to improve boarding and alighting.
The contract is worth 100,000.
Web id: 1189315
trial of variable rate sanders, sand laying rates and effects on track circuits. The
contract is worth up to 300,000 for lot 1
and 180,000 for lot 2. Web id: 1189183
Social technology grants

The Nominet Trust invites applications
for its social tech seed programme. This
enables entrepreneurial organisations to
develop a digital prototype into a more
robust product or service, and demonstrate its value to intended users and
other stakeholders. Grants are typically
worth up to 50,000 each for a period of
up to 12 months. A discretionary fund of
up to 5,000 may also be provided.
Web id: 1184404
Email: enquiries@nominettrust.org.uk
ScotGov seabirds colonies

for a research project on attributing
seabirds at sea to appropriate breeding
colonies and populations. The tenderer
will use existing information to produce
a tool capable of apportioning birds at sea
to their appropriate breeding colony. The
contract is worth up to 100,000
Web id: 1189241
Contact: Bridget McGee
Energy and environment

The British Council and the National
Science Foundation of China, via the
Research and Innovation Partnership
Fund and the Newton Fund, invite applications to attend their workshop on energy
and environment. Funding enables UK
and Chinese early-career researchers to
participate in a workshop on energy and
environment, to be held from 8 to 10 July
2016 in Xi'an, China. Grants cover travel,
accommodation and meals.
Web id: 1189308

Email: o.efremova@hull.ac.uk
Companion animals
The Waltham Foundation invites applications for its early career grant. This
supports research on companion animal
nutrition, with application to dogs or
cats. Grants are worth up to US$25,000
(17,700) each.
Web id: 1189271
Email: richard.butterwick@effem.com
ScotGov bird species habitat

for a research project on the sensitivity
of bird species during the non-breeding
season to marine activities in Orkney
and the Western Isles. The tenderer will
quantify the sensitivity, including the
degree of habituation, of key bird species in Orkney and the Western Isles to
relevant licensed marine activities during
the non-breeding seasons. The contract
is worth up to 150,000.
Web id: 1189238
Contact: B McGee
MOD climate modelling

The Ministry of Defence, under the Met
Office and as part of the Newton Fund,
invites proposals to tender for the evaluation and verification of convective scale
numerical weather prediction, using the
unified model over southern Africa. The
tenderer will improve understanding of
how such models represent high-impact
weather and the physical processes which
lead to high weather impact events.The
total budget is worth 275,000.
Web id: 1189222
Email: mel.staton@metoffice.gov.uk
Osteoporosis conference
The National Osteoporosis Society invites
applications for its bursary. This facilitates attendance at the osteoporosis
conference. The bursary is worth up to
500 to contribute towards registration
fees, travel costs and accommodation.
Web id: 1180044
Email: research@nos.org.uk
Neurodegenerative disease
The Reta Lila Weston Trust invites letters of intent for its microbiome and
neurodegenerative disease programme.
Funding supports research related to the
microbiome, with respect to neurological
conditions in the ageing population.
Grants are worth up to 200,000 each
over three years.
Web id: 1189273
Email: microbiome2016@
retalilawestontrust.com
Cartography award
The British Cartographic Society invites
applications for the John C Bartholomew award. This supports excellence
in the field of thematic cartography,
with emphasis on effective communication of the intended theme. The award
is worth 500.
Web id: 1186606
Physics in Africa
The Institute of Physics invites applications for the Virdee Africa grant. This
enables members of the physics community based in the UK and Ireland to
undertake activities in support of science
and technology development in subSaharan Africa. Grants are worth up to
5,000 each.
Web id: 1189127
Email: international@iop.org
Deadline: 2 May 2016 [19]
NERC ecosystem stocks

The Natural Environment Research Council, under the valuing nature programme,
invites applications for its call on understanding ecosystem stocks and tipping
points. This supports interdisciplinary
research that aims to improve understanding of the links between ecosystem stocks, ecosystem service flows and
benefits that are delivered as a result,
to enable identification of critical levels
of ecosystem stocks that avoid abrupt
and damaging change in the delivery of
benefits tipping points. The total budget
is worth up to 1.1 million. Each project
may receive up to 370,000 at 80 per cent
full economic cost.
Web id: 1189180
Contact: Rachel Leader
Email: valuingnature@nerc.ac.uk
NERC poverty alleviation

The Natural Environment Research Council, under the Ecosystems Services for
Poverty Alleviation programme, invites
applications for its research synthesis
projects grants. These aim to advance
global understanding of ecosystem services contribution to poverty alleviation.
Grants are worth up to 200,000 each. The
total budget is worth up to 1 million.
Web id: 1187695
Email: espa@nerc.ac.uk
Reproductive science essay

The Society for Reproduction and Fertility
invites submissions for the Stewart Rhind
science writing prize. This recognises an
undergraduate or postgraduate essay on
reproductive biology. Two prizes, worth
500 each, plus one year's free membership of the society are available.
Web id: 1189224
Email: srf@conferencecollective.co.uk
Endocrinology equipment
The Society for Endocrinology invites
applications for its equipment grants.
These enable principal investigators wishing to establish a lab to acquire pieces of
equipment, part pieces of larger equipment or basic lab items. Grants are worth
up to 10,000 each.
Web id: 1189265
Email: grants@endocrinology.org
Vascular anaesthesia
The Vascular Anaesthesia Society of Great
Britain and Ireland invites applications
for its departmental awards. These support research and audit projects in the
field of vascular anaesthesia undertaken
by anaesthetic trainees. Awards are worth
up to 5,000 each for up to two years.
Web id: 1188010

Contact: Simon Howell
Email: s.howell@leeds.ac.uk
Obstetrics/gynaecology
iSSN 1358-1198
Published every two weeks with
breaks at Christmas, Easter and in
the summer. The next edition will
be published on 13 April.
Letters to
Research Fortnight
Unit 111, 134-146 Curtain Road,
London EC2A 3AR
news@researchresearch.com
Enquiries to
info@researchresearch.com
Tel +44 20 7216 6500
Fax +44 20 7216 6501
Editor Ehsan Masood
Associate Editor Colin Macilwain
Comment and Analysis Editor
John Whitfield
News Editors
Rebecca Hill, Research Fortnight
Laura Greenhalgh, Research Europe
Reporters
James Field, Cristina Gallardo,
Lindsay McKenzie, Anna McKie,
Craig Nicholson, Amanda
Stringfellow
Chief Sub Editor Kris Pedder
Sub Editor Martha Henriques
Data Analyst Gretchen Ransow
head of Funding Content
Maya Berger
Funding Operations Manager
Yael Moscou
Funding Content Managers
Charlotte van Hek, Mikael Jrvelin,
Sanja Vlaisavljevic
Editorial Researchers
Claire Braun, Sofia Capel, Ricki
Enghoff, Marion Galley, Grace
Harrison, Gladys Hellgren, Louise
Jensen, Lotte Krause, Iqbal
Makboul, Sam Marberg, Marcia
Rato, Mirella Rosenstrm, Dalia
Saris, Simon Svendsen
Production Manager
Katherine Lester
Deputy Production Manager
Rebecca Blease
technical Director Steve Potter
Publisher William Cullerne Bown
Sales Director Nicky Cooper
Sales Managers
Jon Thornton, Alison Warder
Subscriptions
+44 20 7216 6500 or email
info@researchresearch.com
Advertising London
Trishita Shah
+44 20 7216 6528 or email
advertise@researchresearch.com
Published by Research. Copyright
Research Research Ltd 2016.
ALL RiGhtS RESERVED
Reproducing Research Fortnight by

photocopying, electronic or other
means in any language without the
permission of the publisher is illegal.
Please recycle after use.
NOt tO bE PhOtOCOPiED
The Royal College of Obstetricians and

Gynaecologists invites applications
for the Florence and William Blair Bell
research fellowship. This stimulates clinical or laboratory-based research in the
field of obstetrics and gynaecology, and
encourages clinicians to acquire extra
skills in order to manage patients more
efficiently. The fellowship is worth up
to 5,000.
Web id: 1188490
Email: awards@rcog.org.uk
EPSRC cyber security

The Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council invites applications for
its call on human dimensions of cyber
security. This supports collaborative,
international and problem-driven projects which address the human dimensions of cyber security. The budget is
worth up to 5 million.
Web id: 1188547
Email: alex.hulkes@epsrc.ac.uk
Deadline: 8 June 2016 [26]
Micropalaeontology
The Micropalaeontological Society, under
the TMS educational trust, invites applications for its studentships and scholarships. Thiese support postgraduate
training in micropalaeontolgy at the
individual and institutional levels. Funding may cover tuition fees, equipment and
other teaching-related resources.
Web id: 1188833
Email: matthew.wakefield@bg-group.
com
uk
other
Renewed opportunities from funders based
in the UK.
industrial archaeology awards

The Association for Industrial Archaeology invites applications for the Peter
Neaverson travel bursary. This supports
the education or training of individuals
studying, working or volunteering in
fields related to industrial archaeology or
industrial heritage. The bursary is worth
up to 1,500.
Web id: 209664
Email: secretary@
industrial-archaeology.org
No deadline [28]
Perioperative practice
The Association for Perioperative Practice
invites applications for its education
and research fellowship fund. This aims
to advance the study of, and promote
excellence in, perioperative practice. The
award is worth up to 2,000.
Web id: 258175
Email: stephanie.oates@afpp.org.uk
No deadline [29]
heart research infrastructure

The British Heart Foundation invites
outline proposals for its infrastructure
grants. These assist with the costs of pro-
viding essential infrastructure to support

cardiovascular science in any academic
institution. Grants are worth up to 1 million each. Cost-sharing is required.
Web id: 182269
Email: research@bhf.org.uk
No deadline [31]
Knossos research
The British School at Athens invites applications for the Knossos research fund.
This encourages research into Knossos, in
all aspects and across all periods, by supporting specific projects and contributing
to the research infrastructure at Knossos.
Web id: 197642
Contact: Tania Gerousi
Email: school.administrator@bsa.ac.uk
No deadline [32]
EPSRC standard grants

The Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council invites proposals for
its standard research grants. These support engineering and physical sciences
projects, ranging from small-value, shortterm travel activities to multi-millionpound research programmes. Grants have
no limit on value or length.
Web id: 203064
Email: grants@epsrc.ac.uk
No deadline [34]
Spinal cord injury

The Inspire Foundation invites letters
of intent for its research grants. These
support projects on the development of
practical systems for people with damage
to the spinal cord that make use of the
latest advances in electronic, mechanical
and medical technology.
Web id: 204873
Contact: Rory Steevenson
Email: ntrs@inspire-foundation.org.uk
No deadline [36]
Leverhulme projects
The Leverhulme Trust invites proposals for
its research project grants. These support
innovative and original projects where the
choice of research theme and design lies
entirely with the applicant. Grants are
worth up to 500,000 each.
Web id: 213812
Contact: Matt Dillnutt
Email: mdillnutt@leverhulme.ac.uk
No deadline [37]
Psychical survival research

The Society for Psychical Research invites
applications for grants under its survival
research fund. These support scientific
research into whether some aspect of
consciousness or personality survives the
death of the body. Grants are worth up to
1,000 each.
Web id: 1176580
Email: secretary@spr.ac.uk
No deadline [39]
Dental anaesthesia
The Society for the Advancement of
Anaesthesia in Dentistry invites applications for its research grants. These
support research on pain and anxiety
control in dentistry. Grants are worth up
to 5,000 each.
Web id: 1160186
Contact: Fiona Trimingham
Email: fiona@saad.org.uk
No deadline [40]
Addiction bursaries
The Society for the Study of Addiction
invites applications for its bursaries.
These facilitate training in the addictions field for individuals experiencing
difficulty in funding a course of study.
Bursaries are worth up to 1,500 each.
Web id: 1184087
Email: graham.hunt@nhs.net
No deadline [41]
Archaeology and history

The Surrey Archaeological Society invites
applications for its archaeology and history grants. These promote the study of
archaeology and antiquities, including
the prehistory and history of the County
of Surrey within the boundaries existing
in 1854 and as later enlarged. Grants are
Web id: 1171502
Email: info@surreyarchaeology.org.uk
No deadline [42]
Mammography awards
Symposium Mammographicum invites
applications for the following awards:
educational awards, worth 2,500
each. Web id: 1170582
research awards, worth 2,500 each.
Web id: 1170583
Email: andrew.tillbrook@sympmamm.
org.uk
No deadline [43]
Wellcome awards
The Wellcome Trust invites applications
for the following opportunities:
capital grants for learned societies,
normally worth above 200,000 each.
Web id: 1165047
society and ethics small grants, worth
up to 10,000 each. Web id: 196983
principal research fellowships.
Web id: 191444
small grants, worth up to 10,000
each. Web id: 1170635
Email: grantenquiries@wellcome.ac.uk
No deadline [47]
Microbiology prizes
The Society for General Microbiology
invites nominations for the following
prizes:
the Fleming prize lecture, worth
1,000. Web id: 202478
the Marjory Stephenson prize lecture,
worth 1,000. Web id: 202476
the Peter Wildy prize lecture, worth
1,000. Web id: 1189249
prize medal, worth 1,000.
Web id: 1189250
the Unilever Colworth prize lecture,
worth 1,000. Web id: 167330
Email: appointments@
microbiologysociety.org
Librarian travel
The Chartered Institute of Library and
Information Professionals and the English
Speaking Union invite applications for
their travelling librarian award. This enables candidates to undertake a study tour
in the US or a Commonwealth country, in
order to build professional relationships
between library and information professionals in the UK and their counterparts.
The award is worth 3,000.
Web id: 1184104
Email: guy.daines@cilip.org.uk
10
Childhood cancer grants

Children with Cancer UK invites applications for its grants for conferences and
specialist meetings. These support the
organisation of conferences, specialist
meetings and workshops in the field of
childhood cancer. Grants are worth up to
10,000 per event.
Web id: 1186137
Email: neil.meemaduma@
childrenwithcancer.org.uk
NihR clinical lectureships

The National Institute for Health Research
and Health Education England invite
applications for the following opportunities under the integrated clinical
academic programme:
clinical lectureship. Web id: 1182928
senior clinical lectureship.
Web id: 1182927
Email: tccawards@nihr.ac.uk

per project. Web id: 1161892
research and development grants,
Web id: 1160062
Email: admin@academyofmarketing.org
bbSRC future leaders

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council invites applications for its future leader fellowship.
This enables early-career researchers to
undertake independent research in any
area within biotechnology and biological
sciences, and to gain leadership skills.
The fellowship is worth up to 300,000.
Web id: 1178195
Email: postdoc.fellowships@bbsrc.ac.uk
Paediatric cancer fellowships
The British Institute at Ankara invites

applications for its postdoctoral research
fellowship. This supports postdoctoral
research at the institute in Ankara, Turkey, that focuses on Turkey or the Black
Sea littoral and that falls within the arts,
humanities or social sciences. The fellowship is worth 20,000 over one year.
Web id: 182700
Contact: Lutgarde Vandeput
Email: lvandeput@biaatr.org
Children with Cancer UK invites proposals for its clinical PhD and training
studentships. These enable clinicians to
study towards a PhD or MRes research
foundation qualification in the field of
solid tumours, as well as to take their
first steps towards becoming leaders in
clinical research and education. Studentships are worth up to 250,000 each over
three years and MRes research foundation qualification grants are worth up to
CA$75,000 (39,900) each over one year.
Web id: 1185159
Contact: Neil Meemaduma
Email: research@childrenwithcancer.
org.uk
Aphasiology grants
Law scholarships
The British Aphasiology Society invites

applications for its initiatives in aphasia
seed fund. This supports activities that
involve and benefit people with aphasia
and their family members or carers, including support for new events, new initiatives
in aphasia, focus groups or pilot research.
Grants are worth up to 1,000 each.
Web id: 1172692
Email: seedfund@bas.org.uk
The Modern Law Review invites nominations for its scholarships. These support
students engaged in doctoral research on
any subject within the publishing interests of the Review. Awards are generally
worth 5,000 each. The total budget is
worth up to 90,000.
Web id: 1164446
Contact: Amanda Tinnams
Email: a.tinnams@lse.ac.uk
Safe water competition
NihR clinical awards
The RELX Group invites applications for

its environmental challenge. Funding
encourages innovative ideas that aim to
advance access to safe water or sanitation
where access is presently at risk. First
prize is worth US$50,000 (35,500) and
second prize is worth US$25,000.
Web id: 1171951
Email: london@relx.com

and Health Education England invite
applications for their clinical doctoral
research fellowship, under the integrated
clinical academic programme. This enables non-medical or dental healthcare
professionals to obtain a PhD whilst
developing their research and clinical
skills. The fellowship covers salary costs,
tuition fees, and the costs of an appropriate research project, and training and
development programme.
Web id: 1182926
Email: tccawards@nihr.ac.uk
turkey/black Sea fellowship
MRC grants
The Medical Research Council invites
applications for the following opportunities:
research grants for scientists wishing
to work in the new research complex at
Harwell. Web id: 209065
programme grants in molecular and
cellular medicine. Web id: 256548
research grants in molecular and
cellular medicine, worth up to 1 million
over five years. Web id: 257871
Marketing research
The Academy of Marketing invites applications for the following opportunities:
research funding, worth up to 5,000
Oxford humanities networks

The University of Oxford's Research Centre in the Humanities invites applications for its research network scheme.
This enables researchers to establish, or
consolidate, multi- or interdisciplinary
research networks to be based at the
Radcliffe humanities building. Awards
are usually worth 2,500 over one year.
Web id: 1187824
Email: victoria.mcguinness@humanities.ox.ac.uk
Oncology nursing travel

The European Oncology Nursing Society invites applications for its research
travel grants. These enable oncology
nurses to spend time with an established
researcher or research group in another
country, in order to build collaborations
and facilitate research proposal development related to their own area of practice.
Grants are worth 3,000 (2,400) each.
Web id: 1172256
Email: eons.secretariat@cancernurse.eu
Arthritis fellowships
Arthritis Research UK invites applications
for the following fellowships:
career development fellowship.
Web id: 251185
foundation fellowship.
Web id: 257041
Contact: Clare Farmer
Email: research@arthritisresearchuk.org
Optometry grants
The College of Optometrists, under the
Innovation in Practice-based Research
for Optometrists service, invites applications for its small grants. These enable
members to conduct small-scale research.
Web id: 252213
Email: researchteam@
college-optometrists.org
Nursing research
The General Nursing Council for England
and Wales Trust invites proposals for its
nursing research grants. These support
research on nursing policy, practice or
education, with a specific focus on patient
experience to enhance the physical and
mental wellbeing of patients and families.
Web id: 1171622
Contact: Alan Haddon
Email: secretary@gnct.org.uk
hand surgery bursary

The British Society for Surgery of the Hand
invites applications for the Stack travelling fellowship. This enables candidates
to visit centres of excellence in order to
further develop skills in hand surgery. The
fellowship is worth 12,000.
Web id: 256403
Email: secretariat@bssh.ac.uk
Deadline: 31 July 2016 [88]
Networking project grants

The European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition invites proposals for its networking
project grants. These enable members to
undertake research activities and networking at centres of international level,
such as interactive educational events
and clinical networks, that promote
clinical excellence and the furtherance
of knowledge. Grants are worth up to
25,000 (19,600) each over two years.
Web id: 1169289
Email: office@espghan.org
Poultry diseases grants

The Houghton Trust invites applications
for its small project research grants. These
support research into diseases of avian
species, and domestic poultry in particular. The total budget is worth 10,000.
Web id: 1175405
Email: jonesrc@liverpool.ac.uk
Civil engineering grants

The Institution of Civil Engineers invites
applications for its research and development enabling fund. This promotes the
technical development of civil engineering by encouraging research in its early
stages. Grants are worth up to 25,000
each.
Web id: 1170004
Email: susanna.somogyi@ice.org.uk
Equitation grants
The International Society for Equitation Science invites applications for its
student research grants. These enable
students to undertake supervised projects
in equitation science. Grants are worth
750 each over nine months.
Web id: 1169218
Email: secretary@equitationscience.com
Astronomy and geophysics

The Royal Astronomical Society invites
nominations for the following awards:
Fowler awards, worth 500 each.
Web id: 1166627
the Winton Capital awards, worth
1,000 each. Web id: 1166633
Email: awards@ras.org.uk
Mechanical engineering
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers
invites applications for its postgraduate
research scholarships. These enable graduate students from accredited mechanical engineering degree programmes to
undertake further research in the field,
leading to the award of a doctorate such
as a PhD, EngD or DPhil. Scholarships are
Web id: 252796
Email: enquiries@imeche.org
Deadline: 1 August 2016 [96]
british and irish history

The Marc Fitch Fund invites applications
for its grants for individuals and organisations in the UK and Ireland. These assist
with the costs of publishing scholarly work
in the fields of British and Irish national,
regional and local history, archaeology,
antiquarian studies, historical geography, the history of art and architecture,
heraldry, genealogy and surname studies,
archival research, artefact conservation
and the broad fields of the heritage, conservation and the historic environment.
Web id: 251045
Contact: Christopher Catling
Email: mail2016@marcfitchfund.org.uk
NihR commissioned calls

invites proposals for its commissioned
research calls under the public health
research programme. Proposals may
address one of the following subjects:
interventions to reduce negative health
effects associated with noise in the living
environment; outdoor green and blue
spaces; loneliness and unwanted social
isolation; and community engagement.
jobs
Jobs
Policy, Management & Support plus Expert Committees
HigHligHts
Senior Research Fellow in
Gender and Water Governance
47,808-59,058
Coventry University
Closing date: 27/03/2016
Contact: Michel Pimbert
Email: michel.pimbert@
coventry.ac.uk
Research Development Team
Lead (Engineering and Physical
Sciences)
38,896-46,414
University of Birmingham
Details: www.hr.bham.ac.uk/jobs
Head of Strategic Research
Projects and Partnerships (Life
Sciences)
47,801-55,389
University of Birmingham
Details: www.hr.bham.ac.uk/jobs
Behavioural Lab Manager
Competitive
Research and Faculty Office,
London Business School
Details: http://bit.ly/1UIVnXR
Director of Research and
Academic Strategy
73,565-86,223
The Open University
Details: www.perrettlaver.com/
candidates
Project Accountant (Research
& Knowledge Transfer)35,786
Middlesex University
Closing date: NS
Details: www.mdx.ac.uk/jobs
Head of Field Projects
Competitive package
NatCen Social Research
Contact: Shahidul MiahTel
Tel: 07581 230 171
Marie Skodowska-Curie
COFUND Doctoral Programme:
INNOVATIVE The Integration
of Novel Aircraft Technologies
12 positions 17,929-19,258
per annum in accordance with
Marie Curie Scholarship
University of Nottingham
Details: www.nottingham.ac.uk/
jobs
For more details and the complete
list of jobs, please visit:
www.researchresearch.com/jobs
11
23 March 2016
Mission possible: striking a work-life

balance in academia
A campaign at the Royal Society is challenging
negative perceptions about careers in science by
sharing the stories of 150 scientists who have
successfully managed to juggle work in the lab
with life at home.
Led by Ottoline Leyser, director of the Sainsbury
Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, the
Parent-Carer-Scientist project aims to encourage
and inspire young men and women to succeed in
their research careers, whatever their commitments
outside of work.
We wanted to provide some positive stories,
debunk some myths and dispel the negativity that
seems to have set in about the nature of the science
career path, says Leyser. Yes, it is absolutely a
competitive career path, but that doesnt mean
that to pursue the ideas you want to pursue you
cant focus on anything else in your life.
The project, which uses the Twitter hashtag
#AndAScientist, is based on an earlier report that
Leyser wrote called Mothers in Science. The original
booklet was very well received, but I was excited
about updating it, she says. Her latest work looks
at mens as well as womens experiences and maps
them onto the emerging diversity agenda.
Michael Morrissey, a research fellow at the
University of St Andrews, is one of the scientists
profiled in Leysers latest campaign. During
by Lindsay McKenzie lmnews@ResearchResearch.com
his PhD, Morrisseys wife Sheena suffered two

serious strokes. With a young son, Morrissey
has to contribute substantially to their home
life. The senior staff at St Andrews have been
very supportive, he says. Its really just about
flexibility: in academia nobody is watching you
24/7, but my colleagues are understanding when
I have to disappear in the middle of the day to pick
up my son from nursery.
His advice to others in a similar situation is to
speak up. You shouldnt expect the message to
get to your supervisors just by word of mouth.
Morrissey says. I think it would be rare for them
not to welcome a meeting with you so you can
explain your situation.
As for Leyser, she says its down to researchers to
find out how best to organise a work-life balance.
There arent really any rules about how to weave
your professional life in with your personal life,
she says. You have to do it in a way that works for
you. Careers in science give you a lot more control
over your time than many other careers, and you
have a lot of choices.
The important thing, she says, is to continually
ask yourself am I having a good time? and do
something about it if youre not.
Multitasking: making MOOCs work for research

For universities, Massive Open Online Courses
are a way of sharing knowledge and promoting
their brands to a worldwide audience. But whats
in it for researchers?
Jonathan Pitches, professor of theatre and
performance at the University of Leeds, says that
the opportunity to create his own MOOC helped
him further his own research into teaching actortraining methods. I put forward a proposal for a
three-week MOOC that tried to do something quite
ambitious, which was to present a particular actortraining approach that I was trained in 20 years
ago by a Russian master, says Pitches.
In actor-training circles, he says, the idea of
a MOOC was heresy; it suggested that you could
deliver online training for something that is
traditionally taught in a studio.
The approach Pitches planned to teach
biomechanicswas devised by a Russian director
called Vsevolod Meyerhold in the 1920s. It involves
repeated physical studies, called tudes, which
Pitches says look a bit like Tai Chi or yoga, but in
a very Soviet style.
In his MOOC, Pitches taught tudes using
animated videos, then asked students to upload
videos of themselves performing the movements to
a Facebook group. This is where the benefit for his
own research came in, allowing him to ask what the
by Lindsay McKenzie lmnews@ResearchResearch.com
tudes looked like in a Brazilian body compared

with someone from Australia or Iran.
Although these videos helped Pitches write
research papers, he says that it was difficult to get
enough people to join in. The quality of the data was
there, but not the quantity Id hoped for, he says.
But running the MOOC also gave Pitches
professional exposurehe was subsequently offered
consultancy work, invited to speak at a number of
conferences and asked to write an introduction for
a new edition of a textbook on Meyerhold.
Pitches now hopes to create a whole suite of
MOOCs on different actor-training approaches,
with the help of other leading academics. I think
that would need a large European grant, and
possibly an international approach.
But when asked whether he would advise others
to launch their own MOOCs, Pitches is more cautious.
You are unlikely to be given any time off teaching or
research to run it, which for some has been a bone
of contention, he says. But if you do, he has three
pieces of advice: have a specific target audience
in mind; make sure that the course has a research
component so that you can benefit from it; and
finally, seek support. Dont even attempt to go it
alone, he says.
12
jobs
POliCY MANAgEMENt &

sUPPORt VACANCiEs
Director, Research and
Innovation Development Office
NS
Research, Development and
Commercial Services,
Anglia Ruskin University
Email: recruitment@anglia.ac.uk
Tel: 0845 196 4778
Research Coordinator (0.6-0.8
fte) 25,023-30,738 pro rata
Cardiovascular and Diabetes
Medicine, School of Medicine,
University of Dundee
Contact: Human Resources
Email: hr-sass@dundee.ac.uk
Tel: 01382 385589
Engineering and Physical

Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC)
Details: Please submit your CV
and covering letter online, at
www.topcareer.jobs
Tel: 01793 867000
Enhancement Office,
University of Bath
Details: Applications should be
submitted via the University of
Bath website
Email: jobs@bath.ac.uk
Tel: 01225 386924
Knowledge Exchange Officer

23,138-25,793
Research and Innovation Office,
Cranfield University
Email: hr@cranfield.ac.uk
Tel: 01234 750111
Research Analyst
28,982-37,768
Academic Division,
University of Cambridge
Closing date: 12 midnight,
29/03/2016
Contact: Academic Division
Recruitment Team
Email: acd.jobs@admin.cam.
ac.uk
Head of Business Development

and Strategy 56,695-63,810
National Foundation for
Educational Research
Contact: Recruitment
Email: enquiries@nfer.ac.uk
Tel: 01753 574123
Business Development Manager

NS
ThinkSpace,
Imperial College London
Email: rb.recruitment@imperial.
ac.uk
Senior Public Affairs and Policy

Officer
32,132
Medical Research Council (MRC)
Details: To apply please visit
www.topcareer.jobs and search
for reference IRC221868
Tel: 01793 867000
Research Partnerships and

Impact Manager
38,896-46,414
Research and Innovation
Services, University of Sheffield
Email: e-recruitment@sheffield.
ac.uk
Research Grants Administrator

25,023-28,982
Cancer Research UK
Cambridge Institute
Email: mailbox-hr@cruk.cam.
ac.uk
Contracts Manager
34,576-46,414
Research Operations,
Email: hrenquiries@admin.cam.
ac.uk
EU Project Administrator
22,224
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology,
Natural Environment Research
Council (NERC)
Details: To apply please visit
www.topcareers.com and search
for reference IRC221310
Research Development Manager

(maternity cover)
from 38,896
Research and Innovation
Services,
University of Bath
Details: Applications should be
submitted via the University of
Bath website
Email: jobs@bath.ac.uk
Tel: 01225 386924
Senior Policy Manager, Global

Challenge Research Fund
37,213-43,164
Researcher Development
Administrator
from 18,212
Learning & Teaching
UK News Editor, Research Fortnight

Published daily online and fortnightly as a printed magazine
Research Fortnight is essential reading in universities, funding
agencies, governments and parliaments.
At the interview, applicants will be asked to demonstrate:

Knowledge of the workings of universities, science,
government and parliament.
We have an opening for a talented editor to join our 20-strong

editorial team based at the Shoreditch head office of our
growing, London-based company.
Evidence of at least two original, published stories, either

written or commissioned.
You will have responsibility for running our online daily news
service and fortnightly magazine news coverage, working with
a team of reporters who regularly break stories at the heart of
political establishments in the UK, the EU and around the world.
High standards of rigour, accuracy and attention to detail.
You can expect to analyse government initiatives and the

policies of funders and universities, interview academics and
policy wonks, and interpret datasets.
Knowledge of one or more academic disciplines.

Curiosity, listening and mentoring skills.
If you can run a busy daily newsroom and value teamwork and
collaboration, please email a CV and a covering letter to
Ehsan Masood, Editor, Research Fortnight on
editor@researchresearch.com
The ideal applicant will be an experienced daily news editor,

or a senior reporter looking to make the transition to editing.
You will have worked on a newspaper or website; on a
magazine or journal read by scientists, or on a publication
read by other professionals, for example in engineering,
financial services, IT and law.
Please paste your covering letter into the body of the email.
This is a full-time position, however, flexible working

arrangements will be considered.
First interviews will take place in London on Tuesday

5 April 2016.
If you would like to have an initial discussion about the job,

please feel free to call Ehsan on +44 20 7216 6500, or contact
him by email at editor@researchresearch.com
The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 1 April 2016.
jobs
Research Contracts Specialist
28,982-37,768
Research Operations,
06/04/2016
Email: hrenquiries@admin.cam.
ac.uk
Head of Research
from
59,000
Information Services,
Canterbury Christ Church
University
Recruitment
Email: hr.recruitment@
canterbury.ac.uk
Research & Impact Coordinator
32,600-37,768
Faculty of Science and
Engineering,
University of Liverpool
Closing date: 5pm, 08/04/2016
Email: jobs@liv.ac.uk
Tel: 0151 794 6771
Research Projects Managerfrom
31,656
College of Science Executive
Office,
University of Lincoln

Email: jobs@lincoln.ac.uk
Tel: 01522 886775
Research Facilitator (part-time
0.5 fte) 30,738-37,768 pro
rata
Department of Statistics,
University of Oxford
Closing date: 12 noon,
13/04/2016
Contact: Sarah Parkin,
Departmental Administrator
Email: parkin@stats.ox.ac.uk
Tel: 01865 272869
Grants Administrator
29,800-33,860
Joint Research Office,
Faculty of Medicine,
Imperial College London
14/04/2016
Email: rb.recruitment@imperial.
ac.uk
Chair in Economics
61,431-112,583
School of Economics,
Finance and Management,
University of Bristol
Contact: Sarah Smith, Head of
Department of Economics
Email: sarah.smith@bristol.ac.uk
Policy Research Programme

Call for Applications
The Department of Health Policy Research
Programme invites Expression of Interest
applications in the following area:
1. Evaluation of the Integrated Personal
Commissioning Programme
Please visit the Policy Research Programme

Central Commissioning Facility website at
www.prp-ccf.org.uk to access the research
specifications, application form, guidance notes
and closing date for the above call.
Daphne Jackson
Fellowship Opportunities
Daphne Jackson Fellowships are unique they offer STEM
professionals, wishing to return to a research career after
a break of 2 or more years, the opportunity to balance an
individually tailored retraining programme with a challenging
research project.
Current sponsored fellowship opportunity:
University of Leicester - Fellowships hosted and half
sponsored part-time over 2 or 3 years including at least
100 hours retraining per year in any STEM subject within
departments in the following Colleges:
ollege of cience and ngineering
ollege of edicine, iological ciences and s cholog
ollege of ocial ciences, rts and umanities
*The scheme is open to those with STEM qualifications returning to research
in STEM topics hosted in Departments such as Economics, Sociology,
Management and Criminology
The remaining funding will be secured by the

Daphne Jackson Trust from an additional sponsor.
Closing date for applications 29 April 2016
Contact the Daphne Jackson Trust office on 01483 689166,
or email djmft@surrey.ac.uk
Call for proposals

The microbiome and
neurodegenerative disease
The Reta Lila Weston Trust is delighted to issue a request
for proposals for novel research on the microbiome that
will accelerate the development of therapeutics, identify
preventative strategies for neurodegenerative diseases and
neurocognitive decline or understand the resilience against
such conditions or decline in elderly individuals as a result of
microbiome activity.
* Up to 200,000 per project per annum for up to 3 years
is available.
* The programme is open to UK institutes and charities only.
* Researchers should be at or above the level of
postdoctoral fellow or equivalent from registered
charitable institutions.
Application is a two-step process the first of which is a short
Letter of Intent. To register interest and receive materials
please email: microbiome2016@retalilawestontrust.com
or visit www.retalilawestontrust.com
13
14
jobs
C A L L F O R A P P L I C AT I O N S
EFIC-GRNENTHAL GRANT
RESEARCH GRANTS FOR CLINICAL AND
HUMAN EXPERIMENTAL PAIN RESEARCH
2016
These biennial grants totalling 200,000 from Grnenthal GmbH are

supporting young scientists early in their career to carry out innovative
clinical pain research in any member country of EFIC (see www.EFIC.org).
Individual research grants are valued at up to 40,000 per project for a
duration of up to two years.
Research grants are intended for clinical and human experimental pain
research. Research proposals on animals, computer simulations, cell lines
etc. will not be considered.
The decision of the awards is made independently by the Scientific
Research Committee of the European Pain Federation EFIC.
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: December 31st 2016

GUIDELINES, QUALITY CRITERIA,
ONLINE APPLICATION FORMS: www.e-g-g.info
CONTACT Mrs Gaby Erkens - E-G-G administration, c/o Grnenthal GmbH,
e-mail:admin@e-g-g.info, phone: +49 241 569-1304
Advertise your
vacancies or funding
opportunities
*Research Fortnight reaches thousands
of professionals in the academic research
community every issue.
As the leading publisher of UK research
funding opportunities, an invaluable source
of research policy news and an essential
resource for academic vacancies, *Research
Fortnight is an ideal publication for advertising
funding, jobs and events.
With a range of options to suit every budget,
we can help you find the right people in the
right places today.
For a no obligation chat around your

requirements, please contact:
sales@researchresearch.com
Where universities work together

*Unity is the new way to work with anyone in universities and research.
Its a simple place to form groups, share files and work on them together.
Built by universities, for universities, with some help from us at *Research
Try *Unity now at www.unity.ac

Web id: 1188699
Email: info@phr.ac.uk
Cardiothoracic award
The European Association for CardioThoracic Surgery invites applications for
its techno-college innovation award. This
recognises technological breakthroughs
related to thoracic and cardiovascular
research, particularly new surgical methods or devices. The award is worth 5,000
(4,000).
Web id: 1173590
Email: eacts@cyim.com
bbSRC awards
The Biotechnology and Biological
Research Council invites applications
for its flexible interchange programme.
This supports the movement of people
between different environments to further the exchange of knowledge, technology and skills in the field of bioscience
research and the council's strategic priorities. Projects may receive up to 150,000
each at 80 per cent full economic cost.
Web id: 1168139
Email: flip@bbsrc.ac.uk
human nutrition research

The Rank Prize Funds' nutrition committee invites applications for its new lecturer awards. These support research on
human nutrition or crop science. Awards
are worth up to 20,000 each.
Web id: 1172743
Email: enquiries@rankprize.org
Accounting research
The Chartered Institute of Management
Accountants invites applications for its
research initiative grants. These support
innovative research that challenges and
offers fresh perspectives on a range of
topics related to the science of management accounting. Grants are worth up to
40,000 each.
Web id: 1166048
Email: research@cimaglobal.com
Surgery fellowships
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow invites applications for
the following fellowships:
the David Murdoch memorial travelling fellowship, worth up to 2,000.
Web id: 1184401
the Ethicon Foundation Fund travelling fellowship, worth up to 900.
Web id: 257526
Contact: Shona McCall
Email: scholarships@rcpsg.ac.uk
europe
highlights
New opportunities from European funders,
excluding funders based in the UK.
EU ship-generated waste
The European Maritime Safety Agency
invites tenders for the provision of a study
on the management of ship-generated
waste on board ships. The tenderer will
provide a detailed review of waste prac-
tices and management on board ships

visiting EU ports, provide average quantities of different waste being generated on
board ships, and a comprehensive review
of the present technologies and methods being used to reduce ship-produced
waste. The contract is worth 90,000
(71,700) over five months.
Web id: 1189108
Contact: Brian Elliott
Email: open022016@emsa.europa.eu
EU data applications
The Joint Research Centre, through the
MYGEOSS project, invites submissions for
its call for innovative applications in the
environmental and social domains. This
supports the development of innovative
mobile or web-based applications using
openly available crowd generated data
in different domains addressing citizens'
needs. The award is worth up to 13,500
(10,700).
Web id: 1189223
Email: jrc-info@ec.europa.eu
Research leaders programme

Science Foundation Ireland invites applications for the President of Ireland future
research leaders programme. This aims
to attract emerging research leaders in
scientific and engineering domains to
Ireland. Funding is worth up to 1 million
(789,500) over five years, plus 250,000
for start-up costs.
Web id: 1189204
Email: frl@sfi.ie
EU fuel cells in shipping

The European Maritime Safety Agency
invites tenders for the provision of a study
on the use of fuel cells in shipping. The
tenderer will provide a technical study
on the use of fuel cells in shipping that,
supported by a technology overview and
risk-based analysis, will evaluate their
potential and constraints as prime movers and energy sources in shipping. The
contract is worth 80,000 (63,200).
Web id: 1189194
Contact: Ricardo Baptista
Email: open072016@emsa.europa.eu
Photonics research fellowship

The Institute of Photonic Sciences invites
applications for its student research
fellowships. These enable students to
accomplish final degree projects, masters
theses or participate in research stays
at the institute. Fellowships are worth
up to 600 (470) per month for up to
six months.
Web id: 1189185
Email: secretariat@icfo.es
EU chemical regulations
The European Defence Agency invites
tenders for a study on the impact of the
registration, evaluation, authorisation
and restriction of chemicals (REACH) and
the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (CLP)
European chemical regulations on the
defence sector. The contract is worth
250,000 (197,400) over six months.
Web id: 1189124
Email: procurement@eda.europa.eu
15
EU frozen hydrometeors
EU h2020 electronic systems
EUMETSAT invites tenders for a study on

scattering properties of frozen hydrometeors at microwave and submillimetre
wavelengths. The tenderer will generate
single scattering properties databases
for frozen hydrometeors at microwave
and submillimetre wave frequencies used
by the passive imagers that will be flown
on board of the EUMETSAT polar system
second generation satellites.
Web id: 1189137
Contact: Sandrine Foster
The European Commission Horizon 2020:

Industrial Leadership and the Electronic
Components and Systems for European
Leadership Joint Undertaking invite proposals for the following calls:
ECSEL-2016-1 research and innovation actions call. The total budget is
65 million. Web id: 1189279
ECSEL-2016-2 innovation actions call.
The total budget is 82m.
Web id: 1189281
Email: calls@ecsel.europa.eu
EU environmental footprints
EU Erasmus+ policy reform
The Directorate-General for Environment

invites tenders for the provision of support for potential policies implementing
the environmental footprint methods. The
tenderer will provide supporting analysis
for carrying out an impact assessment
in preparation of the European Commission policy proposals in the implementation of product environmental
footprint and organisation environmental
footprint. The contract is worth 100,000
(79,000).
Web id: 1189309
Email: env-tenders@ec.europa.eu
EU refugees integration
The Education, Audiovisual and Culture
Executive Agency invites applications
for its call on implementation of the
cross-sectoral strand support for refugees integration. This supports cultural,
audio-visual and cross-sectoral projects
aiming to facilitate the integration of
refugees in the European environment,
enhancing mutual cultural understanding
and fostering intercultural and interreligious dialogue, tolerance and respect for
other cultures. The total budget is worth
1.6 million (1.26m). Grants are worth
up to 200,000 each.
Web id: 1189218
Email: eacea-refugee-integrationprojects@ec.europa.eu
EU greenhouse gas
ERA-GAS invites proposals for its joint call
on monitoring and mitigation of greenhouse gases from agri- and silvi-culture.
This aims to strengthen the transnational
coordination of research programmes
and provide added value to research and
innovation on greenhouse gas mitigation
in the European research area and in New
Zealand. The total budget is approximately 13.9 million (10.97m). Funding
is worth up to 300,000 per project.
Web id: 1188324
Contact: Diane Drescher-Petersen
Email: ptj-eragas@fz-juelich.de
Neuro-oncology grants
The European Association of NeuroOncology invites applications for its travel
grants for nurse members. These enable
neuro-oncology nurses to attend the
2016 meeting, to be held from 12 to 16
October 2016 in Heidelberg, Germany,
in order to present an abstract or poster.
Grants include free meeting and nurse day
registration and up to 1,000 (790) for
travel and accommodation costs.
Web id: 1189294
Email: office@eano.eu
The Education, Audiovisual and Culture

Executive Agency invites applications
via its Erasmus+ programme for key
action three support for policy reform
and social inclusion through education,
training and youth. Funding supports
projects in the fields of education, training and youth that aim to either prevent violent radicalisation and promote
democratic values, fundamental rights,
intercultural understanding and active
citizenship, or to foster the inclusion
of disadvantaged learners, including
persons with a migrant background, while
preventing and combating discriminatory
practices. The total budget is 13 million
(10.27m). Grants are worth up to 10m
each, depending on the strand.
Web id: 1189278
Email: eacea-policy-support@ec.europa.
eu
headache study
The European Pain Federation and the
Italian Society for the Study of Headaches
invite applications for the Enrico Greppi
award. This recognises an unpublished
paper dealing with clinical, epidemiological, genetic, pathophysiological or
therapeutic aspects of headache. The
award is worth 10,000 (7,900).
Web id: 1189274
theological writing
The University of Heidelberg invites applications for the Manfred Lautenschlaeger
award for theological promise. This recognises a doctoral dissertation or first book
on the broad topic of god and spirituality,
from any religious tradition or academic
field. Awards are worth 3,000 (2,400)
each.
Web id: 1189184
EU h2020 clean sky

The Clean Sky 2 Joint Undertaking invites
applications for its third clean sky 2 call.
This supports the development of key
technologies necessary to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, reduce perceived
external noise and improve the environmental impact of the life cycle of aeronautical products. The total budget is worth
approximately 58 million (45.3m).
Web id: 1188798
Email: info-call-cfp-2016-01@
cleansky.eu
EU receiver development
The European Global Navigation Satellite
Systems Agency invites proposals for the
following calls:
16
the development of high-end professional receivers and corresponding antennas, with funding worth up to 4.3 million
(3.4m) for one project over two years.
Web id: 1189117
the development of low-end receiver
core technology, with funding worth up
to 4.25m per project over two years.
Web id: 1189118
Email: gnss.grants@gsa.europa.eu
EU climate services
JPI Climate invites applications for its
joint call on user communities needs
and climate system science. This aims
to enhance national climate services
activities and enable the various disciplines to address research gaps between
the diverse needs of user communities and climate system science. The
total budget is worth up to 72 million
(56.9m).
Web id: 1188326
Email: patrick.monfray@
agencerecherche.fr
Digging into data

The Trans-Atlantic Platform invites
applications for its digging into data
challenge. Funding supports humanities
or social sciences research that uses
large-scale digital data analysis techniques and that demonstrates how these
techniques can lead to new theoretical
insights. Grants are worth up to 180,000
(142,300) per project.
Web id: 1188557
Email: t-ap@nwo.nl
Economics and finance grant

The UniCredit foundation invites applications for the Gianesini research grant.
This supports research in the field of
economics and finance. The grant is worth
15,000 (11,900) over one year.
Web id: 1189161
Email: unicreditanduniversities@
unicredit.eu
Medieval studies
The Zeno Karl Schindler Foundation invites applications for its medieval studies scholarships. These support
research in medieval studies or connected medieval research branches by
enabling researchers to conduct their
work abroad. Scholarships are worth
CHF2,500 (1,800) per month for up to
six months.
Web id: 1189151
Email: rene.wetzel@unige.ch
Deadline: 15 September 2016 [128]
Study in Austria
The Austrian Exchange Service (OeAD)
invites applications for the Ernst Mach
grant. This enables students and young
researchers in the natural sciences,
technical sciences, human medicine or
health sciences, agricultural sciences,
social sciences, humanities or arts to
undertake a research or study visit in
Austria. Grants are worth up to 1,040
(820) per month for a period of one to
nine months.
Web id: 1188760
Email: michael.schedl@oead.at
Deadline: 1 March 2017 [129]
europe
other
Renewed opportunities from European
funders, excluding funders based in the UK.
humboldt fellowships
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
invites applications for the following
opportunities:
the Humboldt research fellowship
for experienced researchers, worth up to
3,950 (3,100) per month.
Web id: 259147
the Humboldt research fellowship
for postdoctoral researchers, worth up
to 3,450 per month. Web id: 168240
Email: info@avh.de
No deadline [130]
interdisciplinary groups
Bielefeld University's Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF) invites
proposals for its funding and organisation of cooperation groups. Funding
supports interdisciplinary projects in
emerging fields, and offer the opportunity for visiting scientists to conduct
research at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research. Grants are worth up to
100,000 (79,000) each.
Web id: 1188656
Email: britta.padberg@uni-bielefeld.de
No deadline [132]
Nuclear physics meetings

The European Centre for Theoretical Studies in Nuclear Physics and Related Areas
invites applications for its project funding. This supports workshops and collaboration meetings in nuclear physics.
Web id: 1165321
Email: ectweb@ectstar.eu
No deadline [134]
Spine centre fellowship

Eurospine invites applications for its
observership short-term fellowship.
This enables a member to undertake
a fellowship of up to 14 days with any
Eurospine member organisation to gain
valuable experience. The fellowship is
worth 1,500 (1,200).
Web id: 1188915
Email: info@eurospine.org
No deadline [135]
Research and travel awards

The Fritz Thyssen Foundation invites applications for the following opportunities:
stipends, worth 1,800 (1,400)
per month plus additional payments for
material, travel and living costs and child
care for up to two years. Web id: 1161763
travel subsidies. In addition to reasonable travel costs, a monthly sum of up
to 1,500 will be paid. Web id: 1168402
Email: fts@fritz-thyssen-stiftung.de
No deadline [136]
EU mosquito infrastructure
INFRAVEC invites proposals for its call for
access. This enables researchers investigating the genetic control of mosquitos
transmitting diseases to humans to access
research infrastructure outside their own
countries. Access includes logistical,
technological and scientific support,
basic consumables and any specific training that is normally provided to external
researchers using the infrastructure.
Web id: 1173441

Email: help@infravec.eu
No deadline [136.1]
Arctic development
The Northern Periphery and Arctic Programme invites proposals for its preparatory project grants. These encourage
collaboration between potential partners
in order to expand the region's horizons,
build on concrete outcomes and enable the
programme area to be a first class region to
live, study, work, visit and invest. Grants
are worth up to 29,250 (23,100) each.
Web id: 1183736
Email: christopher.parker@
interreg-npa.eu
No deadline [138]
Cancer research fellowships
France, accompanied by other research

workers if they wish. Awards are worth up
to 174,800 (137,900) each.
Web id: 190337
Email: fondation-ens@ens.fr
Gastroenterology research
United European Gastroenterology invites
applications for its research prize. This
recognises excellence in basic science,
translational or clinical research. The
award is worth 100,000 (78,900).
Web id: 251345
Contact: Mika Nagl
Email: m.nagl@medadvice.co.at
international education
The Union for International Cancer Control invites applications for its global
education and training initiative. This
enables applicants to spend one month
at an institution abroad to facilitate rapid
international transfer of cancer research
and clinical technology. Awards are worth
US$3,400 (2,400) each on average.
Web id: 200278
Email: info@uicc.org
No deadline [139]
The European Association for International Education invites nominations for

the following awards:
the Bo Gregersen award, worth
1,000 (790). Web id: 1167176
the Constance Meldrum award for
vision and leadership, worth 1,000.
Web id: 1167183
transatlantic leadership award, worth
1,000. Web id: 1167182
Email: info@eaie.org
irish history
EU low carbon technology
The Royal Irish Academy invites expressions of interest for the RJ Hunter
postdoctoral fellowship. This supports
research on the history of plantation
and settlement in Ulster in the early
modern period, approximately from the
1550s to the 1750s, including patterns
of migration from and to Britain and
North America. The fellowship is worth
up to 91,790 (72,600) over two years.
Web id: 1181908
Email: grants@ria.ie
intensive care awards

The European Society of Intensive Care
Medicine invites applications for the following awards:
basic science awards, worth 20,000
(15,800) each. Web id: 196406
the Baxter-ESICM fluid management
award, worth 20,000. Web id: 1177493
the Bernhard Drger award for
advanced treatment of acute respiratory
failure, worth 15,000. Web id: 196533
clinical research awards, worth
20,000 each. Web id: 196405
established investigator award, worth
20,000. Web id: 196404
the Levi-Montalcini biomedical sciences award, worth 20,000.
Web id: 196399
the Nestl award for practice improvement in ICU nutrition, worth 20,000.
Web id: 1166350
NEXT start-up grant, worth up to
50,000 over two years. Web id: 1179163
young investigator award, worth
20,000. Web id: 196408
Contact: Guy Francois
Email: research@esicm.org
Science research chairs

The French State and Ile-de-France Paris
Region invite applications for the international Blaise Pascal research chair programme. This enables foreign scientists of
any discipline to visit higher education or
research institutions in Paris or Ile-de-
EUREKA invites proposals for projects

under its Eurogia2020 cluster. Funding
supports multidisciplinary, innovative
R&D projects on energy technologies
that aim to reduce the carbon footprint of
energy production, improve energy efficiency, and develop solar, wind, biomass
or geothermal technologies. Funding is
granted via EUREKA countries' national
programmes.
Web id: 1161448
Contact: Nil Atmaca
Email: contact@eurogia.com
Palliative care research

The European Society for Medical Oncology invites applications for its palliative
care fellowships. These enable oncologists or oncology fellows to conduct
observations or research at one of the
societys designated centres of integrated
oncology and palliative care. Fellowships
are worth up to 5,000 (3,900) each.
Web id: 209398
Email: esmo@esmo.org
Forestry research
Nordic Forest Research, in collaboration
with the North European Regional Office
of European Forest Institute, invites
applications for its grants in support
of networking activities. These aim to
increase the collaboration and establish
better contact between forest research
communities in the Nordic, Baltic Sea
and the North Atlantic regions. The total
budget is SEK1 million (85,400). Grants
are worth up to SEK200,000 per network.
Web id: 186044
Contact: Inga Bdeker
Email: bodeker.sns@slu.se
EU health programme
The Consumers, Health, Agriculture and
Food Executive Agency invites proposals
for its HP-PJ-2016 call within the third

health programme. Funding supports
collaborative projects that aim to promote health, prevent diseases and foster
supportive environments for healthy
lifestyles; protect EU citizens from serious
cross-border health threats; contribute
to innovative, efficient and sustainable
health systems; facilitate access to better and safer healthcare for EU citizens.
The total budget is worth 13.05 million
(10.3m), with each topic budget worth
550,000 to 4.5m.
Web id: 1180093
Email: chafea-hp-calls@ec.europa.eu
Diabetes research
The European Foundation for the Study of
Diabetes, the Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation and Lilly invite applications
for research grants under their European
programme in type 1 diabetes research.
These aim to promote basic and clinical
biomedical research, expedite the practical application of scientific advances,
encourage clinical translational research,
and increase awareness of type 1 diabetes. Grants are worth up to 400,000
(315,700) each.
Web id: 201616
Email: foundation@easd.org
Molecular biology courses

The European Molecular Biology Organisation invites applications for the following opportunities:
funding for global exchange lecture
courses, worth up to 20,000 (15,800)
per course. Web id: 1158877
funding for practical courses, worth
up to 30,000 per course.Web id: 212930
grants to support workshops, worth
up to 30,000 each. Web id: 212932
Contact: Anne-Marie Glynn
Email: courses_workshops@embo.org
biomedical fellowships
The de Duve Institute invites applications for its postdoctoral fellowships.
These enable young scientists to pursue
postdoctoral research within one of the
research groups in the institute. Fellowships are worth approximately 26,400
(20,800) each over one year.
Web id: 196049
Email: nathalie.krack@uclouvain.be
Deadline: 15 September 2016 [167]
Women in science award

The Federation of European Biochemical Societies, in collaboration with the
European Molecular Biology Organization, invites nominations for the women
in science award. This recognises a major
contribution made by a female scientist to
life sciences. The prize is worth 10,000
(7,900).
Web id: 258283
Email: wiseaward2017@weizmann.ac.il
Deadline: 1 October 2016 [168]
humanities innovation
The VolkswagenStiftung invites applications for its original, isn't it? new
options for the humanities and cultural
studies call. This encourages scholars
in the humanities and cultural studies
to carry out projects on anything that
contradicts the established knowledge or
generally accepted intuition, or the development of a new approach to research, a
new hypothesis, a new theory, observation of a new phenomenon, and discovery

of knowledge gaps. Grants are worth
up to 150,000 (117,100) each over a
maximum period of 18 months.
Web id: 1182471
Contact: Sebastian Schneider
Email: s.schneider@volkswagenstiftung.
de
Deadline: 27 October 2016 [169]
Visegrad group courses

The International Visegrad Fund invites
applications for its university studies
grants. These enable universities to
develop and launch courses or degree
programmes that relate to the Visegrad
Group countries, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. Grants are
worth up to 10,000 (7,900) per course
and 40,000 per degree programme.
Web id: 1169917
Email: visegradfund@visegradfund.org
Deadline: 10 November 2016 [170]
Regional anaesthesia
The European Society of Regional Anaesthesia and Pain invites applications for its
research grant. This supports research
and cooperation in regional anaesthesia
and pain medicine. Grants are worth up
to 10,000 (7,900) each.
Web id: 1170462
Email: office@esraeurope.org
Deadline: 31 December 2016 [177]
hypertension research
The European Society of Hypertension,
through the Talal Zein Foundation, invites
applications for the Talal Zein research
grant in hypertension. This supports a
young researcher's work in the field of
hypertension and cardiovascular prevention. The grant is worth 30,000
(23,700).
Web id: 1181791
Email: giuseppe.mancia@unimib.it
Deadline: 31 January 2017 [178]
Plastic surgery awards
Electrochemistry awards
The European Association of Plastic Surgeons invites applications for the following opportunities:
the American Association of Plastic Surgeons fellowship, worth 6,000
(4,700). Web id: 209839
young plastic surgeon scholarships,
worth up to 3,500 each. Web id: 209847
Email: office@euraps.org
The International Society of Electrochemistry invites nominations for the

following awards:
the Alexander Kuznetsov prize for theoretical electrochemistry, worth 1,000
(790). Web id: 1158201
the Frumkin memorial medal.
Web id: 212892
the Katsumi Niki bioelectrochemistry
prize, worth US$1,000.
Web id: 192881
Email: info@ise-online.org
Security and the state

The Gerda Henkel Foundation invites
proposals for the following calls under
its special programme on security, society
and the state:
projects on new security-related
issues that are prime examples of the
post-Cold-War era but have been largely
neglected in mainstream research. Scholarships include a monthly stipend of up
to 2,700 (2,100), travel and material
expenses plus a family grant award.
Web id: 1174534
projects relating to specific topic
focus areas within the fields of security,
society and the state.
Web id: 1166527
Email: info@gerda-henkel-stiftung.de
Plastic surgery prize

The European Association of Plastic Surgeons invites applications for the Hans
Anderl award. This promotes excellence in
the field of plastic surgery in Europe and
recognises outstanding achievements in
the field of plastic-reconstructive and
aesthetic surgery. The prize is worth
approximately 4,000 (3,200).
Web id: 209843
Email: office@euraps.org
Paediatric awards
The European Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
invites applications for the Charlotte
Anderson travel award. This enables a
young investigator to visit another unit
in order to learn a new technique, carry
out a short project or observe a different
system. The award is worth up to 3,000
(2,400).
Web id: 1169273
Email: info@espghan.org
history prize
The Austrian Academy of Sciences invites
nominees for the Richard G Plaschka
prize. This recognises outstanding
scientific work in eastern European,
east-middle European or southeastern
European history. The prize is worth
3,700 (2,900)
Web id: 1179714
Email: stipref@oeaw.ac.at
Deadline: 15 March 2018 [182]
rest of world
Opportunities from funders outside of the
UK, Europe and the US.
Surgical awards
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons invites applications for the Stuart
Morson scholarship in neurosurgery. This
enables neurosurgeons to undertake
further research or training overseas.
The scholarship is worth AU$30,000
(16,000) for up to six months.
Web id: 180107
Contact: Sue Pleass
Email: scholarships@surgeons.org
English language testing

IDP Education Australia, under the
International English Language Testing
System, and in collaboration with the
British Council, invites applications for its
research grants. These support research
relating to the IELTS. Grants are worth up
to 45,000 each over two years.
Web id: 1172047
Email: stephanie.bethencourt@idp.com
17
usa
nih
Opportunities from the National Institutes
of Health. Recurring NIH calls include the
next closing date only.
Physical activity and weight control

interventions among cancer survivors
effects on biomarkers of prognosis and
survival (R01): Aids-related
Nih ref: PAR-16-122
Web id: 1168639
Bioengineering research partnerships
(U01): Aids-related
Nih ref: PAR-16-116
Web id: 181697
Assessment of intersubject variability in
small airway delivery with oral inhalation drug products (U01)
Nih ref: RFA-FD-16-024
Web id: 1189300
Implementing population pharmacokinetic modelling algorithm in physiologically-based pharmacokinetic models
(U01)
Nih ref: RFA-FD-16-026
Web id: 1189301
Bioengineering research partnerships
(U01)
Nih ref: PAR-16-116
Web id: 181678
interventions among cancer survivors:
survival (R01)
Nih ref: PAR-16-122
Web id: 1168638
Early-stage preclinical validation of
therapeutic leads for diseases of interest
to the National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R01)
Nih ref: PAR-16-121
Web id: 1175562
Methods for prevention packages programme IV (R01)
Nih ref: PAR-16-124
Web id: 1175327
Collaborative supplements for cryoelectron microscopy technology transfer
Nih ref: PA-16-134
Web id: 1189303
interventions among cancer survivors
survival (R21)
Nih ref: PAR-16-123
Web id: 1168640
Accelerating research on intervertebral
disc (R21)
Nih ref: PA-16-096
Web id: 1188858
Drug discovery for nervous system disorders (R21)
Nih ref: PAR-16-042
Web id: 174903
18
funding news
usa
other
US funding opportunities available to UK
researchers.
Department of Defense breast cancer

research programme breakthrough
award level 3 and 4
Web id: 1178953
research programme distinguished
investigator award
Web id: 1188516
research programme innovator award
Web id: 1188515
Costume Society of America Stella Blum
research grant
Web id: 182748
Gilead grants programme for HIV cure
Web id: 1189101
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
accelerating availability and access to
typhoid conjugate vaccines
Web id: 1189126
Department of Energy development of
technologies for sensing, analysing and
utilising novel subsurface signals in support of the subsurface technology and
engineering crosscut initiative
Web id: 1189172
North American Spine Society clinical
travelling fellowship
Web id: 1170486
North American Spine Society research
travelling fellowship
Web id: 191117
design new analytics approaches for
Malaria elimination
Web id: 1188964
Develop novel platforms to accelerate
contraceptive drug discovery
Web id: 1188956
exploring new solutions in global health
priority areas
Web id: 1186852
Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's
Research improved biomarkers and clinical outcome measures programme
Web id: 1182232
Research target optimisation awards
Web id: 1183491
Research target validation pilot awards
Web id: 209121
Eppendorf/Science neurobiology prize
Web id: 205656
policy diary
April
12 London Book Fair, London. To
14. http://rsrch.co/1pOxPW6
14 WHEF: The Future of STEM
Subjects in HE, London.
http://rsrch.co/1HhJXXr
WSPF: Next Steps for the Northern Powerhouse Investment,
Infrastructure and Innovation,
Manchester.
http://rsrch.co/1nqYHJS
15 The UK EU Referendum: Would a
Brexit Matter to European Higher
Education? Paris
http://rsrch.co/1SWk42T
17 Royal Society: Future Directions
in STEMM for People with
Disabilities, London.
http://rsrch.co/1TpILnC
18 WHEF: Implementing the Teaching Excellence Framework, London. http://rsrch.co/1ZRYgH2
The EU Referendum: What Does
it Mean for Sheffield? Sheffield.
http://rsrch.co/1UDyJQF
20 PraxisUnico, ARMA and AURIL:
Directors Forum, London. To 21.
http://rsrch.co/1UMy8MG
21 CSaP: Behaviour and Health
Research Unit Annual Lecture
2016, Cambridge.
http://rsrch.co/1ParSMv
AUA Annual Conference:
Creativity, Collaboration and
Complexity, Leeds. To 23.
http://rsrch.co/1TDN9ld
22 AHRC: The Politics of Academic
Publishing 1950-2016, London.
http://rsrch.co/1Oj41ov
27 Universities UK: Universities,
Communities and Business:
Collaborating to Drive Growth
and Power Innovation, London.
http://rsrch.co/1S9mUjU
AHRC: Leading for Impact,
London. To 28.
http://rsrch.co/1QNg2EC
28 WHEF: The Future of Enterprise
and Entrepreneurship in HE, London. http://rsrch.co/1ZaB6cM
Vitae, Leadership in Researcher
Development, Glasgow.
http://rsrch.co/1PVrcYe
May
4 Universities UK: Innovation
and Excellence in Teaching and
Learning, London.
http://rsrch.co/1J7lQEC
17 Universities UK: The Prevent
Duty: Ensuring Complaince, London. http://rsrch.co/1UMxHCh
June
6 ARMA Annual Conference,
Birmingham. To 10.
http://rsrch.co/1Rpa6Sh
Too soon for strategic

funding for GM insects
There is not yet a compelling case for increasing targeted
investment in research on genetically-modified insects in
the UK, the government has said. In response to the House
of Lords Science and Technology Committees report on
GM insects, the government said that such research would
instead continue to be supported through responsive-mode
funding only.
British Academy to examine teaching excellence
The British Academy is offering 25,000 to a researcher
or a team of researchers to find out what makes excellent
teaching in the humanities and social sciences. They will
develop an analysis of excellence in humanities and social
science teaching, as well as producing between 10 and
15 case studies, to be written for a non-expert audience. The
deadline for applications is 24 March.
UK research benefits from EU law, says AMRC
The Association of Medical Research Charities has said that
Pan-European rules facilitate collaboration by harmonising
member countries approaches to research. In its submission
to a House of Commons inquiry, the AMRC said that
regulations can help raise standards in member states that
are lagging behind and added that collaboration is vital for
medical discoveries.
1m call for ecosystem research
A joint research programme focused on poverty alleviation
is inviting project proposals to improve the understanding
of links between ecosystems and human wellbeing. The
programme, which is funded by the Natural Environment
Research Council, the Economic and Social Research
Council and the Department for International Development
is offering between 50,000 and 200,000 for each
project, with a total budget of 1 million. The deadline for
applications is 17 May 2016.
HEFCE offers incentives for science conversion courses
The Higher Education Funding Council for England is spending
1.7 million to support students taking masters courses in
shortage subjects. The funding will enable more than 1,500
graduates to apply for 28 MSc courses at 32 universities and
colleges, which are due to start in the 2016-17 academic
year. Shortage subjects to be targeted include: engineering,
data science, computer science, cybersecurity and software
engineering.
BBSRC announces 2m for research into Britains trees
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
has said that two projects will share 2 million as part of
the third phase of the Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity
Initiative. The programme, which last year funded seven
projects with a total of 7m, aims to bring biologists and
environmental and social scientists together to research the
health of the UKs forests and woodlands.
europe
19
europe
Regulatory battle rages as member

states split on Roundup
The European Commission has shelved a critical vote on
the relicensing of glyphosate as a weedkiller ingredient.
Speaking at a meeting of environment ministers on
4 March, health commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis said
that the Commission had to assess the legal environment of chemical regulation but that it was crystal
clear we need to change todays situation.
His comments coincided with news of the postponement of a Commission-chaired standing committee
vote on whether the European Unions authorisation of
glyphosate, used in Monsantos Roundup and other weedkillers, should be extended for another 15 years. The vote,
which had been planned for 7 or 8 March, was postponed
due to disagreement among member states, he said.
The Green group of MEPs has clashed with Monsanto over
the reauthorisation, claiming that it would ignore major
risks. Monsanto has countered that glyphosate has a history of safe use, as regulators have repeatedly determined.
But regulatory bodies have also disagreed about the
safety of glyphosate: in March 2015 the World Health
Organizations International Agency for Research on Cancer
(Iarc) found that glyphosate was probably carcinogenic,
but in October 2015 the European Food Safety Authority
(Efsa) found that it was not likely to be carcinogenic.
europe
in brief
Fraud-office official
stripped of immunity
The European Commission lifted the diplomatic immunity of
Giovanni Kessler, director of the European Anti-Fraud
Office, OLAF, at a meeting of the Commission College on
9 March. This will mean that he can be questioned about his
2012 investigation of a former health commissioner, John
Dalli, who departed after a scandal over tobacco lobbying.
Neutron science at risk, expert panel says
Europe faces a marked reduction in its ability to do
research using neutron beams, an international panel on
neutron science has said. This is because the majority of
neutron sources in Europe will close in the next 10 years,
the Neutron Landscape Group said in a report. The findings
were published as part of the European Strategy Forum for
Research Infrastructures 2016 road map.
Academies to revise misconduct code
A working group on science and ethics set up by the
European Federation of Academies of Science and
Humanities, Allea, is to update its code of conduct on
research integrity. The working group will present its
proposed amendments at the fifth World Conference on
Research Integrity in Amsterdam in May 2017.
by Craig Nicholson
cnnews@ResearchResearch.com
Speaking to Research Europe in February, Sheila

Jasanoffa sociologist at Harvard University who has
researched regulatory risk and scientific decisionmaking for decadessaid that the glyphosate case
exemplifies how regulatory policymaking involves a
huge amount of interpretive flexibility about the right
way to go about doing the science.
Efsa has said that one reason for the different verdicts was access to industry studies: Efsa gained access
that was not available to Iarc, it said. But in a letter to
the campaign group Corporate Europe Observatory on
5 February, Efsa said that it could not release the studies as it would put at risk the commercial interests and
intellectual property rights of the owners.
Now the Commission is debating how to enforce its
assessment system, Andriukaitis said, including the
possibility of disclosing some industry studies. The idea
is to change the rules, keeping in mind the overriding
public interest, he said. In the case of glyphosate, he
said that the Commission was proposing shorter licences
and banning certain chemicals that were sometimes
used alongside it in weedkillers.
ERC applications drop
Applications to the core programmes of the European
Research Council fell by 14 per cent in 2015, the ERCs
annual report has said. A total of 6,924 proposals for the
ERCs starting, consolidator and advanced grants were submitted that year. The drop was mostly due to restrictions
on submissions introduced by the ERCs Scientific Council.
Commission adds up simplification savings
Changes to the way that research project costs were calculated in Framework 7 saved about 551 million (431m),
a European Commission study has said. The final report of
the study by the directorate-general for research found that
the changes to cost calculationssuch as clearer written
guidance and a web-based system for collecting financial
reportssaved about 8,700 per project coordinator.
Dementia group calls for long-term research plan
International dementia researchers have called for a coordinated European effort to tackle degenerative diseases
such as Alzheimers. The report, published by the Lancet
Neurology Commission, said that Europe is well-placed
to lead research on dementia, but that more long-term
funding, improved coordination and better infrastructure
were needed. Bengt Winblad of the Center for Alzheimer
Research at Swedens Karolinska Institute led the report.
20
view
view from the top
paul crowther
Research council allocations

promise four more years of pain
Last November, Research Councils UK greeted the comprehensive spending review by stating that the UKs research
base will be able to maintain its world-class outputs.
Earlier this month when the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills announced research-council
funding until 2020, its official response was that the
allocations may have an impact on some existing commitments [and] may necessitate some difficult decisions.
Its a stark contrast. Any residual optimism has now
evaporated; the outlook for research-council resource
budgets is pretty bleak, despite chancellor George
Osbornes spending-review pledge to maintain the science budget in real terms. Between 2016 and 2020, most
councils will receive flat cash or worse, meaning a continued erosion of budgets against inflation.
A comparison between the 2019-20 resource allocations and the 2010-11 baseline for the Engineering and
Physical Sciences Research Council, the largest council
by budget, reveals a 1 per cent increase in cash terms.
To keep pace with inflation, which so far this decade has
averaged 2 per cent a year, would have required a 20 per
cent increase, from 771 million to 920m a year.
Although commonly referred to as the science budget,
the annual resource budget, set at 4.7 billion in 2015-16,
comprises many components. These include the Higher
Education Funding Council for Englands quality-related
block grant, research-council allocations, funding for
the national academies and the UK Space Agency, plus
the newly established Global Challenges Research Fund,
part of the UKs commitment to spending 0.7 per cent of
GDP on international development.
The decision to tuck the global-challenges fund into
the research budget brought Osborne flattering headlines back in November, but the chief executives of
the research councils are left to face academics frustration over an ever-dwindling slice of the pie. Folding
the global-challenges fund into the
research budget let the government
claim that science spending would
be maintained in real terms, but the
requirement that this funds grants
contribute to overseas development
ties the research councils hands.
This spending round also sees a
decline in the discretionary capital allocations for research-council
institutes, campuses, as well as
national and international facilities. But by 2019-20, the capital
The potential
double whammy
of Brexit and
diminished
budgets may
be too much for
many academics.
award for directed grand challengesnot to be confused

with global challengeswill have a bigger budget.
Money earmarked for those challenges will let the
government fund pet projects that circumvent the usual
process of peer review. But it will also put pressure on the
research councils existing programmes; any major project
comes with long-term commitments, necessitating a batteries-included approach to funding. The National Audit
Office highlighted these issues in a scathing report on BIS
science-capital investment published earlier this month.
Difficult decisions also lie ahead for the few councils,
such as the Science and Technology Facilities Council
(STFC), to receive modest budget boosts. Subscriptions
to international facilities such as Cern plus high operating costs for UK facilities at the Harwell campus could
lead to less beam time at X-ray and neutron facilities,
fewer grants for large, collaborative projects and less
investment in postgraduate training.
Council grants panels face unpalatable options: award
fewer grants or squeeze the budgets offered to researchers, which already poorly reflect investigators time.
In my own area of astrophysics, a significant volume
of excellent research cannot be supported, to quote the
2015 community report from the STFC Astronomy Grants
Panel. The discovery of gravitational waves this year was
the fruit of investments made several decades ago. Cuts
made now will be felt in the medium and long term.
Little wonder that UK academics are predominantly
europhiles. In astrophysics, cuts to STFC grants have been
partly offset by European Research Council awards, so much
so that European Union money dominates many institutions grant income. But support from the EU cant redress
the growing imbalance between exploitation grants and
capital, operating and subscription costs for large facilities.
The potential double whammy of Brexit and diminished research-council budgets may be too much for
many academics to bear. The hope of those few proBrexit academicsthat leaving the EU would see funds
redirected to sciencelooks especially nave.
In the face of wider economic cuts, the situation could
have been worse. Still, the outlook for the UK research base
is a cause for serious concern, as the decline in government
investment in research has worrying implications for productivity, innovation and international competitiveness.
Paul Crowther is professor of astrophysics and director of
learning and teaching in the department of physics and
astronomy at the University of Sheffield.
view
paul nightingale
21
view from the top
Interdisciplinary funding is
about people, not just projects
In early March the Department for Business, Innovation
and Skills announced funding for research on challenges that cut across the individual research-council
remits. What it didnt address was whether the UK has
the capacity to actually do this work.
Too often, funders in the UK fail to recognise that interdisciplinary research capability is a stock rather than a flow.
Once researchers leave, capacity is very hard to rebuild.
When disciplinary researchers see their funding cutas,
in real terms, has happened in the past five yearsthey
can fall back on teaching. Most interdisciplinary researchers dont have this option. The other traditional safety
netdepartmental research fundingis largely gone, and
there are many gaps in the industrial funding available.
When interdisciplinary researchers dont get paid, they
move to work outside the UK or leave academia altogether.
Postdocs with advanced quantitative, qualitative, writing
and project-management skills are highly sought-after in
academia and industry worldwide. UK taxpayers fund their
training and Swiss or American taxpayers reap the benefit.
Unfortunately, data on the extent of the loss is anecdotal and subject to biases: I am more likely to notice when
a friend moves abroad than when a research group comes
to the UK, for instance. Bibliometric studies could help,
but this area of interdisciplinary research has largely disappeared as funding has dried up, starving the main European
cluster of talent in London. The Medical Research Council
has tried to rebuild capability but is finding it hard going.
Once you lose capability, a lack of people, not money,
is the problem. There will always be unemployed PhDs
willing to do postdoc work outside their disciplinary area,
but without interdisciplinary training they tend not to do
good jobs. For many in this field, a disciplinary PhD is a
hindrance rather than a help, blinding a junior academic
to alternative ways of thinking about a problem.
Based on long experience of sitting on advisory boards,
my fear is that many of the multidisciplinary cross-council
challenge projectsthe terminology of interdisciplinary
research has been dropped in the post-Nurse-Review
worldwill end up with weaker PhD students. The value
of the research to society will suffer as a consequence.
This matters because the problems that researchers
are asked to address increasingly dont come in neat
disciplinary packages. Solving social problems in disciplinary areas reveals more problems at the boundaries.
Paul Nightingale is professor of strategy and deputy
director of the Science Policy Research Unit at the
University of Sussex.
Our ability to solve interdisciplinary problems can therefore have significant social and economic benefits. A major
reason for the superior technological performance of the
United States economy has been the ability of its research
system to develop and support interdisciplinary research
and training. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology
merged chemistry and engineering to become chemical
engineering in the 1880s; it took Imperial College London
until 1912 to follow suit. The fusion of biology and informatics into bioinformatics followed a similar pattern.
This merging of knowledge is what distinguishes
interdisciplinary from multidisciplinary research. The
latter brings two or more disciplines together, whereas
the former is defined by its problems. A disciplinary
researcher tends to ask what research can contribute to
theory. An interdisciplinary researcher asks what theory
can contribute to research.
The focus on real-world problems regardless of academic borders deprives interdisciplinary research of
the support structures associated with its disciplinary
counterparts, such as undergraduate teaching, journals,
peer-reviewers, as well as norms, prizes, departments and
graduate students. As a result, it is not surprising that the
quality of interdisciplinary research often suffers.
The US owes its lead in interdisciplinary work partly
to a plurality of funding sources, in contrast with the
disciplinary rigidity of UK fundingwith the exception
of medical research, where charity funding offers some
diversity. In the UK the strongest areas of interdisciplinary research are those associated with diverse funding
streams, such as international development, or specialist
PhD programmes that produce some stunning students.
What can be done? My personal preference would
be for UK PhD students to receive another two years of
classroom training to teach the skills for interdisciplinary research. This is probably impossible to fund today.
Alternatively, reviewers could refuse to
approve proposals if there isnt the capacity to deliver impact. BIS and the funding
councils could get their acts together and
recognise that the problem isnt going to be
solved by running workshops and hoping the
councils or universities will take up the slack.
Finally, Research Councils UK could recognise that if it wants high quality cross-council
research, it needs to provide proper training,
a proper career path and a level playing field.
Something to add? Email comment@
ResearchResearch.com
Once
you lose
capability,
a lack of
people, not
money, is the
problem.
22
view
view from the top
adams & gurney
Theres no longer any such thing

as UK research output
Researchers have been active in the debate over the UKs
membership of the European Union, with 150 fellows of
the Royal Society, Stephen Hawking among them, writing in The Times that Brexit would be a disaster for UK
science. But what do the numbers say about the importance of Europe as a research partner?
Research output is increasing across the worldthe
Web of Science publication database shows that the
established economies are producing more than twice as
many papers as 30 years ago. But since the mid-1990s,
the UKs domestic research outputthat is, journal
articles with no overseas authorshas held constant,
at around 47,500 papers a year. The number of papers
with UK and international co-authors, however, has
increased more than ten-fold.
In other words, almost all the growth in output reported for the UK in the past three decades has been produced
internationally. In 1981, about 10 per cent of UK publications were international; now more than half of them are.
Trends in quality mirror those in quantity. The UKs
domestic papers attract slightly more citations than the
global average. Internationally co-authored papers do significantly better and the gap between the two is widening.
UK research groups will have led many of the projects
that spawned these outputs. But overseas institutions must
have led others. The UKs research profile neededand is
becoming increasingly reliant onthese partnerships.
The United States, thanks partly to its huge domestic
research capacity, is the UKs most frequent partner. Of the
878,006 papers authored by UK researchers between 200413, about one in seven featured an American co-author.
Even so, while the number of UK-US collaborations
continues to rise, collaboration with leading European
economies is increasing still faster. Between 2000 and
2004, while total UK publication output actually dipped,
collaboration with Germany increased by 35 per cent.
Between 2000 and 2014, UK-Germany
collaboration rose threefold, from
3,370 co-authored articles and reviews
a year to over 10,000.
In total, European partnerships
now account for more than half of all
the UKs collaborative research output. The proportion of international
collaborations featuring co-authors
from EU countries rose from 43 per
cent in 1981 to more than 60 per cent
in 2011. This growth must have been
incentivised by the EUs Framework
Almost all the

growth in output
reported for the
UK in the past
30 years has
been produced
internationally.
programmes for research funding, which have significantly increased UK research opportunities.
Most collaborative papers are bilateral. Multi-country
partnerships are much rarer: less than 1 per cent of UK
publications have co-authors from the US, Germany and
France, its three leading partners, and only 1.5 per cent
have co-authors from France and Germany. US authors
are more common in UK collaborations with either
Germany or France, with about a third of the UK-German
and UK-French papers also featuring a US collaborator.
You would expect the partnerships of leading research
countries with long shared histories to intersect. But
research collaboration is of course a people thing, not
really a country thing, and collaboration has risen most
steeply for the most research-active institutions.
The University of Cambridge has more international
collaborations than any other UK university: about twothirds of its papers have an international co-author. Many
of them are located at other elite research-intensive institutions. Mike Thelwall, an information scientist at the
University of Wolverhampton, has shown that collaborative research between the top 100 universities in the CWTS
Leiden global ranking has increased more than with the
rest of the world. These elite universities also increasingly
cite research generated by their own network.
This all has interesting and complex implications. It
will be obvious that whatever else citation metrics might
show, when we look at the data for leading international
universities we are looking at the score for a crossborder talent pool, not the target institution. When the
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills looks
at the UKs profile it actually sees a mosaic of UK-US,
UK-Germany, UK-France, UK-Netherlands, and so on, all
adding up to more than half the papers and much more
than half the citations.
The UK benefits intellectually in many and diverse ways
from its partners. People choose to collaborate with the
best possible talent. If research links with Europe have
grown, it is because UK researchers chose European colleagues as those most likely to benefit their ambitions.
Each partnership makes a particular contribution to the
UKs net scientific benefit. If the structures facilitating one
part of the portfolio are taken away, some of the most fruitful links will survive, but forging new ones will be more
difficult. UK researchers may also readily find partners, but
they will not all replace the complementarity that is lost.
Jonathan Adams and Karen Gurney work for Digital Science.
view
jonathan grant
23
view from the top
Turbulence to transformation:
the NIHRs first decade
It is easy to forget how stormy the scene was for biomedical and health research funding just over 10 years
ago. A turf war was raging between the Medical Research
Council and the Department of Health. The incoming
director of R&D at the department, Sally Daviesnow
the chief medical officerwas upsetting the apple cart
with an ambitious programme for R&D in the NHS that
was seen to threaten the MRC.
The conflict prompted the then chancellor Gordon
Brown to commission the venture capitalist David
Cooksey to act as referee. His report, A Review of UK
Health Research Funding, was launched in March 2006
and published that December. Cooksey is often seen
as the catalyst for the National Institute for Health
Research. But in fact his report came after the health
departments strategy, Best Research for Best Health, was
published in January 2006, leading to the the NIHRs
formal launch on 3 April 2006.
For the NIHR to be credible it had to address the
apparent weaknesses of R&D funding by the NHS, which
was seen as too often resulting in poor research. These
perceptions were amplified by, as Cooksey put it, perverse incentives that value basic science more highly
than applied research. With hindsight, one of the most
important commitments in establishing the NIHR was
to what the health department called the principles of
transparency, fairness and contestability.
Making sure all NIHR research was peer reviewed gave
reassurance that it was equivalent to the MRC in terms
of process and quality of outcome. You no longer hear
arguments about the comparative merits of NIHR versus
MRC fundinga success in its own right.
The establishment of the NIHR spawned a number of
other science policy innovations. These include the outsourcing of administrative processes, such as peer review,
thus allowing the Department of Healths R&D directorate to focus on implementation; using bibliometrics to
inform peer review; association with patient-involvement
initiatives such as Involve and the James Lind Alliance;
and introducing a leadership-development programme
for NIHR faculty to manage transformational research.
These innovations have led to substantial benefits, as
captured by the impact case studies in the 2014 Research
Excellence Framework. A brief analysis reveals that nearly 250 case studiesabout 12 per cent of those submitted
Jonathan Grant is director of the Policy Institute at Kings
College London and has been involved in a number of
research policy projects for the Department of Health.
in the biomedical sciencescited NIHR funding as contributing to health and patient benefits.
Impacts ranged from the health benefits of singing
clubs for the elderly to newborn screening programmes
for blood disorders. Nearly half of the case studies showed
international impacts, such as the testing and roll-out of
the World Health Organizations Surgical Safety Checklist,
a tool to reduce life-threatening complications that is
now used by 1,790 healthcare organisations worldwide.
What about the next 10 years? The biggest challenge
is inevitably money, and the threat that the NIHR budget
will be raided for healthcare provision. The case for continued R&D spending is compelling. Mine and colleagues
recent work has shown that there are significant economic returns from biomedical and health research spending.
But the case will have to be made over and over again.
This raises two more challenges: the governance of the
NIHR and the need to maximise the returns from research.
The NIHR was set up as a virtual institute, but since its
inception there has been discussion as to whether it
should be spun out as a quango. There are good arguments on both sides but my sense is that the status quo
makes political and strategic sense in ensuring deep connectivity between the Department of Health and the NHS.
However, the impact of scarce R&D investment must
be maximised. That means a continued focus on translating research into policy and practice. This should involve
a broader contribution of other disciplines, such as informatics and social science, as recently illustrated by an
intriguing study coauthored by Sally Davies on using social
norms to nudge GPs into prescribing fewer antibiotics.
The thorniest challenge will remain identifying who
is accountable for using the knowledge and evidence
generated by NIHR funding. One study of NIHR-funded
trials suggested that the evidence generated would save
3 billion to 5bn, if only it were fully implemented.
But lets not let the future cloud
the past. In Whitehall the word
transformative is widely used
but seldom acted on. The NIHR,
however, has been truly transformative. This is thanks to all of those
who took up the challenge set out
10 years ago, to undertake highquality, patient-orientated research
in the context of the NHS and to
make sure it makes a difference.
Something to add? Email comment@
ResearchResearch.com
The thorniest
challenge is
identifying who
is accountable for
using evidence
generated from
NIHR funding.
24
interesting if true
interesting if true
t ime difference News of cuts at the Department for
Business, Innovation and Skills may not have reached
the departments overseas staff, or at least not those in
the United States. One UK Trade and Investment staffer
based in New York City was shocked to be asked about the
severe cuts by your correspondent when they bumped
into each other ordering Mexican food in the Lower East
Side. I havent heard of this, at all, he said, before
starting to look worried. Good job it was a cheap eat.
engineers rock Can you imagine a world where engineers
are cheered by crowds? Brian Cox can. The BBC science
presenter has launched a campaign to attract more
young people into the field, but we feel its tagline might
be trying a little too hard to appeal to the youth of today.
Engineers are rock starswithout them wed still be living in a cave, it proclaims. As much as we might agree
with the second part, were not sure they should brace
themselves for hoardes of fans just yet. With the exception of former D:Ream frontman Cox himself, of course.
shut uP And... wAit? Academics are constantly looking for motivation to write, but there is always the
temptation to procrastinate. To tackle this, a group of
researchers initiated a movement to focus on writing
for an hour a week. Their blog title, Shut Up & Write
Tuesdays, explains the idea. However, more than three

years after the launch, the page on the blog where participants can brag about the work theyve published as a
result lists a handful of papers, but no book chapters or
books. It seems that writing lengthy documents might
take more than just an hour of silence a week.
PolAr wAll In a week where the Natural Environment
Research Council was facing the reality of allowing the
public to name 200-million research ships, the Royal
Society joined the polar bandwagon. Apparently one
room in the society has had a facelift, with wallpaper
depicting vintage icebreakers at workwe wonder if RRS
Boaty McBoatface will get a spot there some day.
e ntrAnce exAm Earlier this month, The Sunday Times
ran an article saying thatamong other thingsthe
National Graphene Institute in Manchester was operating
well below capacity. Taking to Research Professional to
counter the accusations, the University of Manchesters
vice-president for research and innovation, Luke
Georghiou, suggests the reporters might have benefitted from a guided tour. We had the hilarious sight of a
reporter standing outside the institute trying to count the
people going in and out, he writes. No-one had the heart
to tell him that he was watching the visitors entrance.
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