Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Action: Climate, environment and health – Improving understanding of climate, environment and health pathways to protect and promote health

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/belmont-forum/climate-environment-and-health/

https://nerc.ukri.org/research/partnerships/international/belmont/ceh/#xcollapse4

Deadline: 6^th May 2019, Expressions of interest

Amount: €10.59 million for up to 10-12 projects. UKRI has committed £3m to the total

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) partners: NERC, MRC & ESRC are participating with international partner organisations through the Belmont Forum in a new collaborative research action (CRA) in ‘Climate, environment and health’.

12 funders from 8 countries.

Expressions of Interest for multilateral, inter and transdisciplinary research projects that will investigate where significant uncertainties exist that are barriers to action; address complex climate, ecosystem and health pathways to determine processes underlying causal links; and foster the use of scientific information and climate-related decision support tools to better inform planning and enhance resilience. Such research will improve understanding of the pathways between climate, environment and health to support resilience and readiness of the health sector to respond to climate challenges.

The following themes are within the call remit:

• food systems and nutrition
• heat and health
• climate-sensitive infectious diseases.

This is an international, transdisciplinary call for proposals with the aims to:

• foster global transdisciplinary teams of natural (including climate), health and social scientists and stakeholders to co-produce world-leading research;
• increase knowledge of the complex linkages and pathways between climate variability and change and associated impacts on the environment, on exposure pathways for health, and on human behaviour and well-being; and
• provide useful information, scientific evidence and effective tools to support policy and decision-making for planning across various timescales related to climate, environment and health.

The intended outcomes and impacts are to improve planning, preparedness and response to health impacts that are climate driven.

Additionally, research outputs should be used to target prevention, adaptation or development measures that provide significant population health benefits.

Projects should employ a transdisciplinary, stakeholder-based participatory approach across a wide range of relevant disciplines to co-design and co-deliver research that meets the needs of users and bridges the knowledge gaps of climate impacts on health, particularly in relation to under-studied environmental exposure pathways. Projects are not restricted in their geographic focus- applicants should justify their choice according to the research challenges and needs of stakeholders.  Projects that seek to address the knowledge gaps and challenges in LMICs are welcome.

This CRA call is a two-stage process:

Expressions of interest will be assessed for eligibility according to the transnational criteria and against the scope of the call.

Participating funding agencies will also verify suitability for national funding according to their respective criteria.

Expressions of interest which fail at this stage will be notified that they are ineligible to submit a full proposal (deadline 23^rd July).

Proposals must be eligible to receive funding from at least three participating partner organisations established in three different countries and should include researchers from the natural sciences (including climate), health/medical sciences, social and economic sciences or humanities, as well as societal partners (such as public health organisations and civil society organisations). Researchers from countries not supported by any of the partner agencies can participate in the research project at their own expense.

Further details on eligibility and how to apply are provided within the ‘call text’ on the Belmont Forum: Grant Operations website.

The EoI form and guidance is available on the BFGO site: https://bfgo.org/opportunity/index.jsp#ceh2019

Please ensure to read the full call guidance documents, accessed via the links above.

180525 UB19 RFA v10

Holly Davidson (RFDM, SAgE) and Craig Clark (ARFDM, HaSS) will be running RESEARCHconnect training sessions, starting on 14 May (details here).

Newcastle University subscribes to RESEARCHconnect, an extensive database used by staff to identify funding opportunities.

We are running training sessions to provide staff with:

• Knowledge of what RESEARCHconnect is
• An understanding of the importance and usefulness of using RESEARCHconnect
• How to find funding opportunities relevant to their research interests using RESEARCHconnect
• A demonstration of RESEARCHconnect
• How to use various bespoke aspects of RESEARCHconnect, including how to set up ‘saved searches’, which send latest funding opportunities direct to a user’s email address
• An opportunity to ask questions about RESEARCHconnect

The workshop programme consists of:

• An overview of what RESEARCHconnect is
•   A demonstration on how to use RESEARCHconnect
• A question and answer session

You can access further details and sign up by clicking here.

Anyone who cannot attend this event but would like to know about RESEARCHconnect can find a webinar here: https://internal.ncl.ac.uk/medical/research/grantguide/

If you are in FMS and do not have an account or have problems accessing your account, please contact Gwen Averley or Darren Airey.

2019-03-11_Turing-AI-Fellowships_Briefing-Note_F

This will be of interest to those working with AI in the Humanities and Life Sciences.

Please note the internal deadline is Sunday 17th and interested parties should contact elena.gorman@ncl.ac.uk to discuss their suitability and next actions.

A flyer is attached above with further details of the scheme and process.

The Alan Turing Institute recently launched its first call for Turing AI Fellowships. Approximately 3-5 Fellowships are available through this call.

To help us manage this activity within Newcastle University, I’ve produced a briefing note (attached). Please may you distribute this information however you see fit within your School/Department?

Key points to note are:

• The Turing has invited applications from disciplines including mathematical sciences, statistical sciences, computational sciences, and engineering, as well as life sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
• The University is able to support a maximum of 3 applications.
• The 3 shortlisted applicants will need to work with colleagues from the relevant faculties/schools to produce costings (please note the short timeframe for this).
• Each application must be accompanied by a letter of intent, to be signed by the head of the host school.
• The timeframes are very short (see the submission deadlines below).
• More details about the Fellowships are available in the Call Document and FAQs.

Key dates are:

Please see email below and the following web link: https://www.medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk/grants/emergingleadersprize

The Medical Research Foundation invites applications for the 2019 Emerging Leaders Prize in antimicrobial resistance.

The Emerging Leaders Prize is intended to celebrate the achievements of outstanding researchers who have made an impact in their field and demonstrated their potential to be a research leader of the future. The prestigious prize will be awarded to recognise the work of up to five emerging research leaders who have made significant contributions to research on antibacterial and anti-fungal resistance.

This funding opportunity is now open and details can be found on our website: Emerging Leaders Prize Antimicrobial Resistance Application.

The Medical Research Foundation will award up to £200,000; a top prize of £100,000 will be awarded and smaller prizes of various amounts.

To apply, please see the guidelines for applicants and application form on our website.  The completed application and any queries should be sent to: research@medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk

Key dates:

Deadline for Submission: 12:00 Friday 31 May 2019

Interview and Panel Review: September 2019

Funding Decision: September 2019

Feedback on Funding Decision: October 2019

Please pass on to relevant department and interested colleagues.

This information has been sent to you following an online search for interested parties. If you do not wish to receive updates or information from the Medical Research Foundation about any of our funding calls in the future, please do let us know.

https://epsrc.ukri.org/funding/calls/transformativehealthcare2050/

Deadline: 2nd May 2019 (outline stage)

Amount: Up to £25 million to fund 4 – 6 projects

The Healthcare Technologies Theme aims to invest in research to support the next generation of underpinning science and emerging technologies.

The focus of this call is Transformative Healthcare Technologies for 2050; technologies expected to have an impact within the next 30 years for the NHS, community or home care and an ageing workforce.

EPSRC are looking to support visionary projects which could create a step change in how healthcare is delivered.

EPSRC wishes to encourage new thinking and collaborations which will bring about the technologies to impact the healthcare sector within the next 30 years.

EPSRC particularly welcome projects and collaborations which address underrepresented parts of the portfolio.

As such, the Transformative Healthcare Technologies for 2050 call will focus on the needs of the following two Healthcare Technologies Grand Challenges:

• Transforming Community Health and Care
• Frontiers of Physical Intervention

Applications to this call are encouraged across the breadth of engineering, physical sciences, mathematical sciences and ICT.

EPSRC are looking for applications that do not just consider health treatment but also homecare, prevention and wellbeing with the overall goal of keeping people physically and mentally healthy.

EPSRC encourages new ideas, thinking and collaborations, in areas currently underrepresented in our portfolio, to address what could be routine in the NHS in 30 years’ time. EPSRC are keen to develop and help realise the potential of:

• Next-generation digital healthcare systems
• Engineering healthier environments where people live and work
• Future affordable and inclusive healthcare solutions
• Technologies to improve healthcare treatment

The call will follow a non-standard format for submissions and assessment, including an anonymous outline stage.

There will be an information day about this call which will be held on 27 March 2019.

For details and to sign up to attend please visit the EPSRC website: https://epsrc.ukri.org/funding/calls/transformativehealthtech2050infoday/.

Principal Investigators can only lead on a maximum of one application and may be named as Co-Investigator on one other.

Please ensure to read the full call documentation available through the link above.

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/ukrmp2/uk-regenerative-medicine-platform-ukrmp2-strategic-call/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

https://www.ukrmp.org.uk/latest/ukrmp2-strategic-call/

Deadline: Intention to Apply stage, deadline 11^th April 2019. Full stage deadline 9^th May 2019.

Amount: £300k – £600k (total budget = £3m)

Duration: Up to 3 years

Up to £3 million is available for translational research projects that will enhance the UKRMP investment to help further realise the exciting potential of regenerative medicine research.

In particular, this call is seeking to fund projects that address translational bottlenecks, such as safety science, and add value to the core programmes of the UKRMP.

This opportunity is also aimed at helping new groups connect to the Platform, and it is anticipated that the majority (60%) of funding will be allocated to principal investigators outside the current UKRMP Hubs.

The UKRMP2 strategic call will build upon the existing UKRMP investment and fund a small number of cutting-edge regenerative medicine research projects which extend and/or build on Platform capabilities in addressing the key challenges in translational regenerative medicine.

Overt connectivity to one or more of the Hubs, and complementarity to the UKRMP programme as a whole, is required for successful applications.

The challenge to be addressed, and the deliverable(s) from the project, must be clearly articulated.

This call will support pre-clinical research projects which focus on tractable challenges on the path towards translation.

While in-human studies are not anticipated under this call, bids should nevertheless clearly identify their place in the translational pathway towards clinical application.

Applications are welcome for projects which link and/or expand across core Hub science themes and/or provide interconnectivity between one or more cross-cutting areas.

The goal of the Platform is to unlock scientific knowledge and produce tools, reagents and approaches which are applicable to a broad range of diseases.

Organ or disease-based exemplars provide a necessary level of focus within the Hub programmes, and applicants under this call should similarly identify a clinical exemplar that will ultimately provide proof of concept.

In addition to current Hub exemplars (Parkinson’s disease, megakaryocytes, liver disease, cartilage, lung repair and eye disease) proposals with direct applicability to type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis are particularly encouraged, reflecting the key partnerships with JDRF UK and the MS Society in this call.

Supporting projects that address ‘safety’ considerations related to the development of regenerative therapeutics is a strategic priority.

Applications are particularly encouraged that focus on the development of analytical methods required for regenerative therapies relevant to the Hub and charity disease indications, for example potency assays that are credible and replicable, quantitative pre-clinical/clinical imaging technologies and marker technologies with the sensitivity and capability to answer key questions at the cellular level, cell bio-distribution, toxicity.

Additionally, bioinformatic approaches which unify or deconvolve currently available outputs to allow stop/go safety decisions are also welcomed.

The UKRMP2 strategic call includes a compulsory ‘Intention to Apply’ stage, deadline 11^th April 2019.

The Intention to Apply should be top level and a maximum of two sides of A4 (Arial 11pt, 2cm margins, no less than single line spacing).

This should briefly address the key strategic needs and challenges, setting out the proposal’s aims and objectives (using the information required for the full submission as a guide to critical issues) and identify the lead and key partners of the proposed research team.

Applicants who do not submit an Intention to Apply will be ineligible to submit a full application.

This is for administrative purpose only; feedback will not be provided other than confirmation that the proposed bid is within scope and can be submitted.

Early conversations with the Hub Directors and their teams are recommended in shaping proposals.

Please ensure to read the full call details available through the links above.

The Medical Research Foundation invites applications for the 2019 Emerging Leaders Prize in antimicrobial resistance.

The Emerging Leaders Prize is intended to celebrate the achievements of outstanding researchers who have made an impact in their field and demonstrated their potential to be a research leader of the future. The prestigious prize will be awarded to recognise the work of up to five emerging research leaders who have made significant contributions to research on antibacterial and anti-fungal resistance.

This funding opportunity is now open and details can be found on our website: Emerging Leaders Prize Antimicrobial Resistance Application.

The Medical Research Foundation will award up to £200,000; a top prize of £100,000 will be awarded and smaller prizes of various amounts.

To apply, please see the guidelines for applicants and application form on our website.  The completed application and any queries should be sent to: research@medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk

Key dates:

Deadline for Submission: 12:00 Friday 31 May 2019

Interview and Panel Review: September 2019

Funding Decision: September 2019

Feedback on Funding Decision: October 2019

Please pass on to relevant department and interested colleagues.

This information has been sent to you following an online search for interested parties. If you do not wish to receive updates or information from the Medical Research Foundation about any of our funding calls in the future, please do let us know.

A Combined Food Systems Approach to Scaling-up Interventions to Address the Double Burden of Malnutrition

https://bbsrc.ukri.org/funding/filter/2019-double-burden-malnutrition/

Deadline: 07^th May 2019

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Collective Programme, has announced an investment of up to £8.5 million to support interdisciplinary proposals that seek to work across the food system to reduce the global double burden of malnutrition.

This programme aims to consolidate existing evidence and synthesise new evidence for sustainable, multidisciplinary approaches that address the challenge of chronic global malnutrition.

This will encompass both under-nutrition (too few calories) and over-nutrition (too many calories), both of which are associated with inadequate micronutrient intakes, otherwise known as the ‘Double Burden of Malnutrition’.

The primary aim of this opportunity is to invite applications for new research that builds upon and scales up existing UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) investments in food systems, to maximise the potential for impact in addressing the double burden of malnutrition.

Proposals must be led by UK researchers normally eligible for UKRI funding, and partnerships with eligible Co-Investigators based in any of the DAC countries are required.

The call is funded from the UK government’s GCRF. As well as being scientifically excellent, research supported under it must meet the criteria for classification of expenditure as ODA.

Funds can be requested for up to three years and projects must start by mid-February 2020.

UKRI-BBSRC will upload additional resource describing the scope of the call with three weeks of the launch of the call.

This will be uploaded to the webpage in the format of a recorded webinar and will provide an audible description of the scope, thus enabling the information to be available to a wider audience across the whole community.

UKRI-BBSRC will also add an FAQ factsheet compiling common queries regarding the call.

Through this new funding opportunity, UKRI wishes to support new research that builds on previous investments through:

1. scaling up of research interventions to extend and consolidate evidence on the effectiveness of interventions that have already demonstrated positive but small-scale impacts
2. encouraging interdisciplinary collaborations that combine complementary approaches, such as

• fortification (the addition of micronutrients to foods during processing) and nutrient supplementation
• agronomic techniques (the addition of fertilisers to enhance nutrient density)
• biofortification (the breeding and selection of crops with traits that enhance their micronutrient contents)
• the study of livelihoods and socio-economic influences on whether interventions will work.

3. advocacy activities with key stakeholders, such as generating reports and publicising research findings for a non-academic audience, round table discussions with policy makers, and interactions with international networks such as the Scaling Up Nutrition or SUN network, and
4. funding new research that links the existing portfolio to overlapping concerns of the other GCRF portfolios of Education and Health.

Eligible projects must reflect elements of all three of the following:

• New research to enhance coherence and impact, including new combinations of approaches to tackle malnutrition along the food system chain from production to consumer, and evidence of strong partnerships through co-creation of research with partners in LMICs and stakeholder involvement in design
• Communication, including layperson- as well as policymaker-targeted publications in the form of reports, memos, and blogs, webinars, films, exhibitions, and workshops
• Stakeholder/end user engagement, including conferences, round-table discussions, high level meetings with government departments, policymakers, the private sector, and members of civil society.

GCRF – Cultures, Behaviours and Histories of Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition call

https://ahrc.ukri.org/funding/apply-for-funding/current-opportunities/gcrf-cultures-behaviours-and-histories-of-agriculture-food-and-nutrition-call/

Deadline: 16^th May 2019

UKRI has announced the first of two funding calls to support interdisciplinary, international research partnerships which seek to explore the intersection of culture, behaviours, history, and society with all stages of the food systems chain in Lower and Middle Income Countries (LMICs).

The activity should catalyse the creation of sustainable, balanced, equitable relationships and partnerships between UK based research organisations and researchers with those in developing countries.

Learning and knowledge exchange should be reciprocal with clear mutuality of benefit for all collaborators.

There are two scales of award that can be applied for under this call:

• Small Partnership Awards with total costs of no more than £50,000 fEC
• Large Partnership Awards with total costs of no more than £200,000 fEC

Funding of up to £2million is available to support up to 6-10 Small Partnership Awards and up to 6-10 Large Partnership Awards, depending on quality of applications received.

Funding requested should be commensurate with the activities intended for these projects.

The duration of these awards can be between 12 and 24 months.

A second call will be launched in autumn 2019, with up to a further £2million of funding available (£4million available in total divided between the two calls).

This second call will also be open to applications addressing any relevant theme and will offer similar levels of funding.

In order to facilitate inter-disciplinary innovation and co-design between UK and LMIC partners, the call is deliberately open in scope and broad in its remit with regard to food systems.

Applications on any relevant topic are welcomed.

Some examples of potential themes are provided below simply to illustrate some of the potential breadth. The call will not prioritise applications which address these themes nor will it de-prioritise those which do not.

All applications will be considered equally against the eligibility and assessment criteria.

• Gender dynamics of food and nutrition
• Community dynamics around food and diet
• Collective memories of food shocks and their impact on policy/practice
• Coping with climate, weather and environmental risks in food systems
• Non-communicable diseases related to food practices

Please ensure to read the full call documentation and FAQs available through the links above.