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.

Multi-omics Based Research for Precision Medicine Research Initiative 2019

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/uk-korea2/multi-omics-based-research-for-precision-medicine-research-initiative-2019/

Deadline: 24^th April 2019 (EoI deadline 10^th April 2019, please see below)

Amount: Up to £9 million: up to £2 million of MRC (UK component); up to £7 million from MSIT/NRF (Korean component)

This initiative will provide funding for one high-quality collaborative research consortium focusing on multi-omics based research for precision medicine.

This initiative will provide significant funding for a UK-Korea precision medicine consortium focused on addressing a disease for which there is a strong case for scientific advancement and major unmet clinical need, with the aim of:

• supporting large-scale, interdisciplinary, multi-ethnic, multi-omics based collaborative research
• providing new insights into disease mechanisms that will enable better tailoring of existing treatments and pave the way for the development of new treatments, diagnostics and care pathways
• enhancing existing partnerships and developing new partnerships between the UK and Korea in the area of precision medicine.
• strengthening the strategic relationship between the UK and Korea.

Applications from any disease area are welcomed including, but not limited to, cancer, metabolic diseases, immune or inflammatory diseases, heart diseases, degenerative brain disease, neurological, sensory and mental health disorders.

Applicants should make a strong case for scientific advancement within an area of major unmet clinical need (full objectives and scope detailed through link above).

This call will fund partnerships between UK and Korean based researchers working in the area of multi-omics based precision medicine. It is important to note that:

• the proposal should be developed by a UK principal investigator (PI) and a Korean PI
• the UK and Korean PIs may only submit one application to this scheme as PI
• the Korean PI cannot be involved as co-investigator (Co-I) in other applications submitted to this call
• the Korean PI must commit at least 50% of their time to the research project
• the UK PI may be involved in other applications if listed as Co-I
• UK Co-Is may be involved in more than one application.

Online networking database

MRC, MSIT and NRF will create an online networking database to compile a list of UK and Korean researchers who are interested in finding possible collaborators for this call. Participation in the online networking database is optional.

If you would like to share your details with the research community in the UK and Korea, please complete the online networking template form in English. Researchers completing the form should be aware that these details will be made public.

A copy of the online networking database will be made available online on this page from Monday 11 March (UK time) and will be updated once per week until Monday 1 April (UK time) with all the networking information received before 9:00 GMT+1 on the date of the update.

Expression of interest

Researchers planning to submit to this scheme are asked to submit a short expression of interest (EoI) online form by 10 April 2019.

Please note, this step does not form part of the review process and the MRC will not undertake eligibility checks at this point; applicants should not await a response from the MRC following EoI submission, but continue with the development of the full proposal, deadline 24 April 2019.

The MRC will use the expression of interest to help prepare for the review process.

Applicants are not expected to submit an expression of interest to MSIT/NRF.

On the UK side, projects must start on 1 January 2020. Projects must be three years in duration and have completed by 31 December 2022.

On the Korean side, projects must start on 1 September 2019. The project will be divided into two stages:

first stage: 1 Sept 2019-1 Dec 2022

second stage: 1 Jan 2023-31 Dec 2024

after the completion of the first stage, the Korean team can move to the second stage subject to satisfactory assessment of the first stage outcomes. However, the proposal should clearly outline the entirety of the research plans across both stages.

Although the UK component of the consortium will not receive funding for the full duration of the project through this initiative, the expectation is that the proposal should clearly outline the entirety of the research plans for both stages, and clearly detail roles and responsibilities within the full project period.

Please ensure that you read the call text document and full details through the link above.

UKRI GCRF Health and Context call 2019 – outline

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/ukri-gcrf/ukri-gcrf-health-and-context-call-2019-outline/

Deadline: 2 April 2019

Summary

The UKRI GCRF Health and Context call is seeking proposals for interdisciplinary research addressing wider contextual factors contributing to the burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

These factors may include social, cultural, historical, and religious beliefs and practices, or wider biological, ecological and environmental factors. We want to fund consortia conducting ambitious research that:

• goes beyond description to determine causal relationships between contextual influences and health
• develops or tests feasible interventions that are sensitive to or mitigate contextual influences on health.

Via the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), UKRI will support impactful, three-year research projects of value between £1-2 million (at 80% FEC for UK costs, 100% FEC for overseas costs).

This call is being led jointly by the Medical Research Council, Economic & Social Research Council, Arts & Humanities Research Council, Natural Environment Research Council, and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and applications may fall within the remit of any of, or across, these councils.

Understanding the mechanistic links between nutrition and non-communicable diseases in low and middle-income countries

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/mrc-gcrf/mechanistic-nutrition-research-in-lmics/

Deadline: 4 April 2019

Summary

GCRF funding call: ‘Understanding the mechanistic links between nutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in low and middle-income countries (LMICs)’ is part of the MRC’s suite of strategic activities in global nutrition and health research.

The overarching aim of the call is to develop new programmes of research and partnerships between UK and LMIC-based researchers.

The purpose of the research is to link mechanistic understanding of disease to populations in a context-specific manner (that is, a focus on problems and health challenges that are specific to LMIC countries or regions within, LMIC populations or segments of the population).

The specific remit is to unpick the mechanistic links between nutrition/diet and NCDs (see detailed Aims and remit).

To support the research community in developing new and innovative research plans – including coordinating interest, data, expertise and resources – towards building equitable partnerships for more substantial programmatic research.

The funding call will be phased in two stages: an obligatory development stage and a full application stage.

Successful applicants at the development stage will be awarded funds (£50,000 maximum MRC contribution for up to 10 months, see application process) to develop full applications for new programmes of research with a duration of three to five years (up to £2 million MRC contribution, this figure is subject to confirmation at the full application stage). Only proposals successful at the development stage will be eligible for the full application stage.

Please note that more established groups and partnerships that may already be well placed to apply for competitive funding should consider applying to research funding in response-mode through the MRC’s Population and Systems Medicine Board.

The research supported through this call will contribute to the UK’s commitment to Official Development Assistance (ODA) to LMICs. Applications must demonstrate the research to be primarily relevant to near-term or long-term benefits to the health or prosperity of people in LMICs.

Global Maternal and Neonatal Health 2019 – outlines

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/global-maternal-and-neonatal-health/global-maternal-and-neonatal-health-2019-outlines/

Deadline: 24 April 2019

Summary

The Global Maternal and Neonatal Health funding call is a joint initiative between the Medical Research Council (MRC; part of UK Research & Innovation, partly funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF)), and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

The purpose of the call is to address the burden of maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in low and middle income countries (LMICs), by funding high-quality proposals across the spectrum of basic to applied research.

Awards will support multidisciplinary approaches, build and strengthen research partnerships, and promote capacity building in global maternal and neonatal health research.

Applications are particularly encouraged from principal investigators based at organisations in LMICs, as well as from eligible research organisations based in the UK working in equitable partnership with LMIC colleagues.

This is the first of three annual calls. Up to £10 million will be made available for this call to support research grants up to three years in duration and seed-funding grants up to one year’s duration.

For the first call we particularly encourage proposals focusing on the period of pregnancy and birth, although pre-conception and postpartum applications will be considered.

Please contact Gwen Averley and Darren Airey if you would like any assistance in applying for any of these funding calls.

Dear Colleagues,

Please see below for the latest research funding related information and event updates. In summary, these include:

Item 1: Opportunity to inform the future direction of research area strategies – EPSRC Call for Evidence

Item 2: Fellowship February Training Day  – Helping you to prepare for Fellowship success!

Item 3: Fellowship Seminar – Real Life Experiences (fellowships and fellowship panels)

Item 4: Creating a Research Data Management Plan (EPSRC, NERC and STFC) Training Sessions

Item 5: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Workshop

Item 6: REMINDER EPSRC Transformative Healthcare Technologies for 2050 (call pre-announcement and information day)

If you have any questions about the items below please contact a member of the Research Funding Development Team.

Item 1: Opportunity to inform the future direction of research area strategies – EPSRC Call for Evidence

What is the EPSRC Balancing Capability exercise?

Balancing Capability is a core strategy for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), as an approach to setting strategic priorities aligned to UK strength and national importance, and to maintain and develop the UK’s world leading position in engineering and physical science research within a finite budget. In July 2018 it was announced that EPSRC would be delivering its Balancing Capability strategy through an ongoing process of portfolio monitoring and evidence collection, in order to enable a more dynamic and responsive approach to managing its portfolio and setting strategies.

Whilst this means there will not be a large scale refresh exercise in 2020/21, continuous engagement enables EPSRC to regularly review and evolve strategies in response to a rapidly changing landscape. This approach maximises opportunities to advance new and emerging research areas that arise from challenge-driven and discovery-led fields, and provides clear routes for EPSRC stakeholders to engage with the EPSRC on a regular basis.

What is the call for evidence?

Building on the strength of the previous call for evidence gathering exercise the EPSRC has released a continuously open Call for Evidence to which stakeholders can input evidence about the current research environment at any time. Evidence will be gathered from stakeholders including industry, academic communities, learned societies, other research organisations and funders to help EPSRC manage its portfolio. The evidence is used to develop and monitor evidence informed research area strategies. It will provide a complementary and transparent route to input to EPSRC evidence base and strategy development, while enabling EPSRC to continuously evolve its knowledge and understanding of the landscape.

What counts as evidence?

Evidence that can be supported by facts is very important. This may be:

• Evidence that has been published in the form of a report or publication;
• Evidence where points made cite references that have not been misrepresented;
• Evidence focused on potential future opportunities e.g. horizon scanning;
• When submitting evidence, it is important to explain what the evidence demonstrates, relative to the quality, national importance and capacity of a research area or areas;
• EPSRC is particularly interested in evidence with an international perspective;
• Evidence should be timely and relate to the research area within the context of the last 5 years.

What if there is a lack of evidence to support my submission?

• Please bear in mind that EPSRC do not consider personal opinion as evidence.
• However, if you are aware of a research area that is highly important and requires additional investment, but there is currently lack of evidence to support it, the relevant EPSRC Portfolio Managers will be happy to discuss this with you.

How can you submit to the call?

EPSRC needs the community to help by evidencing changes and needs within the landscape through reports, discussions and other resources. To submit evidence please complete the survey. The next cut-off for the collection of evidence will be 19th March 2019. Evidence submitted after this date will not be considered until November 2019. More information can be found on EPSRC’s website here. Guidance on submitting evidence can be found here.

If you would like some support with developing your submission into a convincing case, please contact a member of the Research Funding Development Team.

Item 2: Fellowship February Training Day  – Helping you to prepare for Fellowship success!

Fellowship February Training Day

Thursday 28th February 2019

10:30am – 4:30pm

Room 2.022, Urban Sciences Building (USB)

This hands-on training session will be delivered by the Research Funding Development Team. It will help you to consider the following questions:

• What is an early career fellowship?
• Who are early career fellowships for? Is it right for me?
• How do I write a good fellowship application?
• How do I prepare for fellowship success?

This session is open to early career academic staff and research associates in all Faculties at Newcastle University. Please complete the application form (click here for link to registration) by midday on Monday 25^th February 2019 if you would like to attend.

Item 3: Fellowship Seminar  –Real Life Experiences (fellowships and fellowship panels)

Fellowship Seminar

Friday 8^th March 2019

2pm – 3:30pm

G21/G22 (ground floor) Devonshire Building

Come along on Friday 8th of March to hear real life stories from our resident experts Prof. Steve Bull, Prof. Frank Sargent and Dr Katarina Novakovic on getting a fellowship, holding one, and for inside information on what really goes on in a panel! After the presentations there will be a chance to ask those questions you have always wondered the answer to.

Please note this event is open to all researchers across all Faculties on a first come first served basis. The talks will be relevant to all researchers’ regardless of the funding body you may wish to apply to.

If you would like to attend please sign up here.

Item 4: Creating a Research Data Management Plan (EPSRC, NERC and STFC) Training Sessions  

Workshop overview: Research funders are increasingly requiring evidence of adequate and appropriate provisions for data management and curation in new grant applications. This workshop will introduce how to create a data management plan (DMP) to communicate a project’s approach to managing research data to the funder and collaborators.  This is also beneficial for the project as it establishes the framework and resources to support researchers and the data, which translates to better time management and lower costs during project work.

At the end of the workshop participants will be able to:

• Understand the wider research data management landscape
• Appreciate research council’s DMP requirements
• Define what to include in a DMP
• Be able to develop a project specific DMP
• Understand what tools the university provide to support research data management (particularly the new research data repository https://research.ncl.ac.uk/rdm/afteraproject/rdr/)
• Know where to find research data management support

To attend, please sign up here: https://elements.ncl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=876

Key details:

Time:  2- 3:00 PM

Date: Wednesday 13th March 2019

Location: G25, Devonshire

Two other sessions with a slightly different funder focus will also take place on Wed 20th March 10-11am (https://elements.ncl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=873)  and Wed 6th March 1-2pm (https://elements.ncl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=875).

If you have any questions please contact Chris Emmerson (rdm@ncl.ac.uk)

Item 5: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Workshop

Newcastle University will be hosting a workshop on ‘Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ organised by Dr Yana Wade, a former Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellow, and supported by the MSCA Alumini association. The event is open to all researchers.

Date and time: 26 March 2019, 13:00-17:00

Venue: Armstrong Building, Newcastle University

Registration (free of charge but registration is essential): here

Agenda: attached

Contact: Dr Yana Wade, wade.yana@gmail.com

Item 6: REMINDER EPSRC Transformative Healthcare Technologies for 2050 (call pre-announcement and information day)

EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) will shortly be inviting outline proposals for Transformative Healthcare Technologies for 2050.

The Healthcare Technologies Theme aims to invest in research to support the next generation of underpinning science and emerging technologies. The focus of the 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 is looking to support visionary projects which could create a step change in how healthcare is delivered.

EPSRC particularly welcomes projects and collaborations which address underrepresented parts of EPSRC portfolio and the two Healthcare Technologies Grand Challenges: Transforming Community Health and Care and Frontiers of Physical Intervention. It is expected there may be research cross over with other Grand Challenges. EPSRC is 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 EPSRC portfolio, to address what could be routine in the NHS in 30 years’ time.

EPSRC is 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

More information about the opportunity can be found here.

IMPORTANT: The EPSRC will be holding an information day for this call on 27 March 2019 in Birmingham. The purpose of the information day will be to:

• Provide information on the scope of the call and the types of projects that EPSRC are looking for;
• Provide a chance to ask questions about the call;
• Provide a chance to network and form new collaborations.

To register your interest in attending the Information Day, please complete the form by 21 February 2019. There are limited spaces available to attend the event so EPSRC will be sifting applications to ensure a range of organisations and research areas are represented.

I would be grateful if you could circulate this call aimed at mid-career researchers seeking their first grant (excluding fellowships) in lupus or lupus-related conditions

The Medical Research Foundation (MRF) is inviting applications from mid-career researchers who have the potential to be the research leaders of the future, to support research that will increase understanding of the disease mechanisms underlying Lupus.

https://www.medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk/grants/lupus

Researchers whose work may lead to better understanding of prevention, treatment or management of Lupus and Lupus-related conditions (such as vasculitis, myositis, Sjögren’s syndrome, autoimmune thyroid disease and serositis) are welcome to apply.

The Medical Research Foundation will make up to £900,000 available in this competition. Applicants may apply for up to £300,000 to support their research, over a maximum of a three-year period.

This competition is open to all UK researchers at eligible institutions (UK HEIs, Research Council research institutes, hospitals, and other independent research organisations). Applicants must hold a PhD, DPhil or MD and be in the process of, or be ready for, transition to research independence. It is expected that applicants will be seeking, as principal investigator, their first peer-reviewed grant of three years or longer from a funding body (excluding personal fellowships).

Timeline

–Deadline for submission: 12:00 Wednesday 10th April 2019

–Shortlisting notification: August 2019

–Interview: August/September 2019

–Funding decision: October 2019

UKRI GCRF Health and Context call 2019 – outline

https://mrc.ukri.org/funding/browse/ukri-gcrf/ukri-gcrf-health-and-context-call-2019-outline/

Deadline: Outline stage – 02^nd April 2019, Full stage (invited only) – 12^th September 2019

Amount: Minimum of £1m and maximum of £2m

Duration: 3 years

UKRI has made up to £20 million available for the UKRI GCRF Health and Context call.

The UKRI GCRF Health and Context call is seeking proposals for interdisciplinary research addressing wider contextual factors contributing to the burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

These factors may include social, cultural, historical, and religious beliefs and practices, or wider biological, ecological and environmental factors.

This call is being led jointly by the MRC, ESRC, AHRC, NERC, and BBSRC, and applications may fall within the remit of any of, or across, these councils.

UKRI want to fund consortia conducting ambitious research that:

• goes beyond description to determine causal relationships between contextual influences and health
• develops or tests feasible interventions that are sensitive to or mitigate contextual influences on health.

Applications from across the spectrum of basic to applied research are eligible for this call.

Subject areas may comprise, but are not limited to:

• contextual drivers of non-communicable or infectious disease risk (such as contaminated drinking water, agriculture and food production, hygiene, sexual behaviours, air pollution, work practices, wider land-use and environmental changes)
• contextually driven barriers to management and treatment of infection/NCD, which may include altered diagnostic, vaccine or drug efficacy
• feasible interventions that take account of or mitigate contextual drivers of increased rates of infection/NCD
• identification and management of clusters of coexisting health conditions (multimorbidities) that are particularly prevalent in a particular community.

Projects may seek to determine the extent to which contextual factors influence rates of NCD/infection, and/or how this influence can be accounted for or mitigated through culturally-sensitive intervention.

UKRI encourage applications where the contextual factors identified are common to multiple locations within or across LMIC settings.

Where appropriate, applicants should engage with communities in the research planning process, and for applied research, engage with local, regional, and national stakeholders to maximise impact.

UKRI encourage the engagement of community stakeholders in the development and implementation of proposals to allow a deep understanding of context.

To help maximise impact, applicants should ensure that research questions, methods and outcomes are relevant to the communities in which they are working.

Successfully addressing the above challenges will require an understanding of:

• the influence that society, history, culture, religion, and the environment might have on risk behaviours and care seeking behaviour, and culturally sensitive approaches to addressing these
• community centred approaches to data collection and sharing to enable better management and prediction of infectious diseases and NCDs.
• The research team can be drawn from any relevant academic discipline. This call is open to UK-based PIs and applications directly from PIs at LMIC research organisations.

Given the scale of the awards and the need to demonstrate tangible impact, applicants are required to provide evidence of substantial, relevant preliminary work, existing relationships with stakeholders in the location where the project will take place, and existing partnerships with other named researchers. These existing partnerships may be added to by the proposed work to create a consortium of varied expertise.

Awards funded through this call will build and strengthen UK-LMIC partnerships and should incorporate research training and capacity building activities.

Please ensure to read the full call text, guidance, and FAQ available through the link above.

Anyone who would like to know more about GCRF, ODA or the work that Newcastle University is doing in this area is advised to contact Dr Elisa Lawson: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/work-with-us/support/people/profile/elisalawsonnclacuk.html#background

Further information on GCRF can be found here: https://newcastle.sharepoint.com/hub/fundingtoolkit/Pages/globalchallenges_funding_globalchallenges-researchfund.aspx

This currently is a one-off initiative but they tell me that it may become an annual call.

31^st March 2019

Rosetrees Trust 2019 Young Enterprise Fellowships (YEFs)

http://www.rosetreestrust.co.uk/young-enterprise-fellowships/

The vision: Young Enterprise Fellowships (YEFs) are aimed specifically at recently qualified postdoctoral researchers primarily in the fields of engineering, computer science, maths and physics who wish to develop a long-term programme of biomedical research.
Successful projects will be truly innovative and not merely an extension of your current research.
We expect you to apply your skills to address an important unmet clinical problem, to develop your scientific independence and establish new collaborations across disciplines in the field.
We’re looking for dynamic and motivated scientists who have the vision to address an important clinical problem with a novel and potentially transformative approach.
A key consideration will be the candidate’s likelihood of developing as an independent scientist.

We believe that Rosetrees anticipate funding 2 or 3 fellowships.

Eligibility: Applicants must either be in the final year of their PhD studies or be an early-career researcher with a maximum of 3 years post-doctoral experience (excluding career breaks).
Applicants must not yet have held a full-time permanent academic post in a UK university or be in receipt of another stipendiary fellowship.
All candidates must hold a doctorate by the time they take up the fellowship.

Funding: Awards are for 3 years and are for up to £60k per annum to include the salary of the fellow only and research expenses.

Please note that Letters of Support from the host supervisor and head of department are required.

Applicants should seek support from the Institute/School research support officer for costing and for the internal authorisation of submission process.

They should also seek support from their academic colleagues and the funding development team.

https://newcastle.sharepoint.com/hub/medical/Pages/fellowships.aspx