Close
The UCL Environment Domain newsfeed is under construction and will be added soon. If you would like to add an event to our list please get in touch with Becca on environment@ucl.ac.uk
Funding News
New ESRC Executive Chair announced
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan has selected Mr Stian Westlake as the next Executive Chair of ESRC.
https://www.ukri.org/news/new-esrc-executive-chair-announced/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Transition from Je-S to UKRI Funding Service - Briefing and Q&A webinar
12:00-13:00 | 24 February | Teams
UKRI is changing the platform that it uses for applying for funding from the current Je-S system to the new UKRI Funding Service. The new Funding Service will use a digital question and answer format, and there will be more consistency across Councils, with revised application questions and assessment criteria.
More information about the transition and the timelines is available on the UKRI website. If you intend to submit a Je-S application to a call that closes in March, please let your Pre-Award contact know so that they can plan workload accordingly. If you would like to discuss further what the changes might mean to a proposal already in development, please contact the BEAMS RCO.
UKRI Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI)
The Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) guidance has now been published. UKRI is rolling out R4RI, a flexible narrative CV template, across funding opportunities that require track record information. The R4RI it’s designed to help applicants and their teams evidence a wider range of skills and experience (than a traditional academic CV) when applying for UKRI funding opportunities. It is part of a wider UKRI ambition to create a more inclusive and supportive research and innovation culture. If you have used R4RI, as an applicant or assessor, UKRI welcomes your feedback.
Please contact your research co-ordination office with any queries regarding the new R4RI. Find out more here: https://engagementhub.ukri.org/community/d5e071ee/
2022 Independent Research Fellowship Call (IRF)
NERC are changing the way they are reviewing applications received to the 2022 Independent Research Fellowship Call (IRF) with the aim of streamlining the process and reducing the burden of peer review. Proposals submitted to this call will not undergo peer review followed by moderating sift panel, but will go direct to reviewing sift panel, with panel members drawn from the NERC Peer Review College. The interview panel stage of the IRF process will continue as normal. Each application will be reviewed at the panel by multiple NERC College panel members. The panel members will ensure that panel feedback covers each aspect of the IRF call criteria: Suitability of the Applicant, Research Excellence, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Choice of Host Institute.
January 2023 deadline of the Pushing the Frontiers of Environmental Science call
NERC will be piloting a modified approach for assessment of proposals submitted to the January 2023 closing date of the Pushing the Frontiers of Environmental Science call. Proposals submitted to this call will not undergo expert review followed by moderating panel, but will go direct to expert panel review, with panel members drawn from the NERC Peer Review College and supplemented with additional experts to ensure remit coverage.
Assessment panels will meet twice. At the first meeting the panel will agree scores for proposals, using the criteria described in the announcement of opportunity. Proposals meeting the agreed quality threshold will progress to the next stage and Investigators will be invited to submit a response to review comments from the panel. Proposals falling below the agreed quality threshold will not progress further and feedback will be provided. At the second meeting panels will agree final scores, considering the response to initial comments from investigators.
Funding will be allocated by grade, but panels will not be asked to rank proposals within a score band, and funding will be allocated from the highest score band down. Where the threshold for funding falls within a score band, proposals equally graded by the panel (i.e. those within the same score band) will be allocated funding through a randomised process until the budget is exhausted.
Recruitment for the NERC Peer Review College is now open
Recruitment for the NERC Peer Review College is now open. NERC are seeking to refresh its membership of the peer review college. This includes:
widening the pool of members
building the core members who assist in panel assessment and moderation panels
widening the panel chair base to support expert review processes
NERC are looking for members and chairs with experience in all types of environmental science, members who work at the interface with other councils or who consider themselves to work across disciplines and who are happy to peer review multi-disciplinary proposals.
NERC are pleased to discuss concerns a potential applicant might have about whether they can actively participate in the college, and to consider reasonable adjustments that enable individuals to apply.
The closing date for applications is 9th January 2023.
Any queries should be directed to the NERC College Team