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This workshop and the opportunity to apply for £59K feasibility project funding is aimed specifically at supporting the next generation of researchers who are in the final stages of their PhD.
An amazing opportunity for UK PhD students to apply for £59k feasibility project funding
TIDAL Network+ is running a funding call for £59k feasibility project funding, aimed at supporting the next generation of researchers who are in the final stages of their PhD in the UK (in their final year or will soon be approaching their final year). We are looking for early-stage research project ideas that relate to the development of assisted living technologies and devices, or have applications in such devices.
In order to apply for the funding, you first need to apply for a place on a workshop which is designed to help you write a successful grant application. You won't need to submit your actual funding application until 4 weeks after the workshop.
Please read all the information on the website below and the downloadable documents (at the bottom of this page) before applying, to ensure that you and your project idea meet the funding criteria.
Deadline for applying for the workshop has been extended to Thursday 15th June 2023 but we’d recommend you should start work on your application asap as you will need to get it signed off by your departmental / institutional authorities, and that may take longer than you expect.
About this funding call
- We want the TIDAL network to have a long-term impact and to be sustainable beyond the term of our EPSRC funding. This call is therefore aimed specifically at supporting the next generation of researchers – current, final year, PhD students. (Further details of eligibility are in the Information for Applicants. Download at the end of this page).
- We have £59K feasibility funding available for the winning proposal for a feasibility research project on one of the TIDAL themes. (See Information for Applicants for details of TIDAL themes.). There will be additional support for the successful funding applicant in the form of mentoring from the TIDAL team.
- The process for awarding this funding will be slightly different from previous calls. For this call, if you want to apply for funding you must first apply to attend the preparatory grant-writing workshop, to be held online on Wednesday 28th June 2023. The main aim of the workshop is to support applicants to write good applications, not only for this funding but also future funding applications in their post-doctoral careers.
- If you don’t get a place on the workshop, you can’t apply for funding. If you get a place on the workshop but don’t attend you can’t apply for funding.
- There will be 8 places on the workshop, so those attending the workshop will competing with a maximum of 7 others for the available funding.
You are strongly advised to start your workshop application as soon as possible. It will require some thought, and you will also need to get it signed off by your supervisor and others in your organisation (see Information for Applicants for details). This will take time – probably longer than you think!
The deadline to apply for a place on the workshop has been extended to Thursday 15th June 2023.
Who can apply
We are particularly keen to encourage those who currently lack support or lack opportunities to apply for support from their host institutions.
To apply:
- Your proposed project must align with one of the TIDAL themes (see Information for Applicants for details of TIDAL themes).
- You must be a PhD student who is enrolled for a PhD at a UK institution that qualifies for EPSRC funding.
- You must either be in your final year now or will be in you final year in January 2024 when the funded projects are expected to start. If you are doing your PhD part-time, you should be at least three quarters of the way through your PhD by January 2024.
- You must not expect to graduate and/or leave your host University until after the completion date for your proposed project (which we expect to be 30th June 2024). If you do expect to have graduated by then, but your institution would be willing to keep you on as a research assistant until the end of your project, paid for by your project grant, that would be acceptable.
- If you are an International applicant, you would need to complete your project within the period of your Right to Work and/or visa, so these should not expire before June 30th 2024.
The lead applicant would normally be the PI (Principal Investigator) for the project, but EPSRC does not allow PhD students to hold a grant in their own right. The lead applicant will therefore be listed as a Researcher Co-Investigator. There must also be a named PI (Principal Investigator) for the project who must be in the same institution as the lead applicant and meet EPSRC criteria for a PI. They will technically be the grant holder. Their role will be to support, supervise and guide the lead applicant during the project. The PI could be the applicant’s PhD supervisor or another eligible academic in the same institution. Their time will not be funded so they must be willing to donate their time in-kind, and your institution must approve this.
Process to apply for the workshop and available funding
The process is as follows. There is further detail in the Info for Applicants that you can download at the bottom of this page. Key dates and deadlines are below.
Apply to attend the preparatory workshop
- To be eligible to apply for funding, the lead applicant (PhD student) must first apply to attend an online workshop. Only those who are given a place on the workshop, and attend the workshop, will be eligible to apply for the funding.
- To apply for the workshop, complete a workshop application form (which you can download below). This will include questions about your PhD, your feasibility research project idea, and your experience of collaboration and collaboration skills. It will take time and thought to complete a good application.
Approvals required for your workshop application form
- You will be required to get approval and sign-off for your workshop application form from your PhD supervisor, your proposed PI and the appropriate financial authority in your organistion before you submit it.
- You should talk to these people as soon as possible so that they know what will be required, can ask any questions they have, and so that they can let you know the date when you will need to send them your application to review and sign off. Do not leave this to the last minute in case you miss the submission deadline! It will probably take much longer than you expect to get the approvals and sign-offs required.
Attend the workshop if you are granted a place
- If you are given a place on the workshop, you must attend in order to be eligible to submit a funding application after the workshop
- If you are not given a place on the workshop, you will not be eligible to submit a funding application
- If you are given a place on the workshop but do not attend, you will not be eligible to submit a funding application
Submit a funding proposal no later than 4 weeks after attending the workshop
- Those who have attended the workshop will have 4 weeks after the workshop to submit a completed funding application form, together with a budget, which must be presented on the template provided. The application form and budget template will be provided to all workshop attendees.
- During the 4-week period, the TIDAL investigator team will provide applicants with 2 x 30 minutes of coaching support online or in person to support the applicant to develop an excellent proposal.
Approvals required for your funding application form
- We will require similar approvals for your funding application as for your workshop application.
Review process
- Details of the review process and criteria are in the Information for Applicants (download at the bottom of this page).
Key dates and deadlines
Deadline for workshop applications - this has been extended to Thursday 15th June 2023
Review workshop applications - Friday 16th June to Weds 21st June 2023
Workshop - Weds 28th June 2023 – all day (9.30am to 5.30 am times t.b.c), online
Applicants write grant applications /TIDAL team provide coaching support - Thur 29th June to Thur 27th July 2023
Deadline for grant applications - Thur 27th July 2023
Review grant applications - Mon 31st July to Fri 11th August 2023
Applicants respond to reviewer comments - w/c 14th August 2023
Deadline to submit response to reviewer comments - 18th August 2023
Announce award - 21st August 2023
Contracting - 1st August to end Nov 2023
Project begins - Target date 1st Dec 2023. No later than 1st Jan 2024.
Project delivery date - No later than 30th June 2024
