RF471 PDF

Updated daily at www.ResearchProfessional.
com
Founded by William Cullerne Bown
27 January 2016
Green paper responses signal

resistance to TEF-REF split p4
Robots Rage against the machines p21

Ian Young Health CSA has vision of a
nimble Northern Ireland p6
Research councils eye

global challenges fund
Academies say fund needs independent chairperson
The chief executives of the research councils are discussing the possibility of making contributions from
their individual budgets to the Global Challenges
Research Fund, Research Fortnight has learned.
It is thought that their contributions, which would
be in addition to the 1.5 billion that the government
has committed to the fund up to 2021, would help the
councils gain more control over the funds governance.
Philip Nelson, chairman of Research Councils UK,
says that the councils contributions would depend
on their budget settlements. As such, a decision
will not be made until the Department for Business,
Innovation and Skills reveals the councils budgets for
2016, expected in mid-February. Budget increases,
Nelson says, would allow the councils to contribute to
the fund more generously. As core councils we would
be able to make a contribution to the target of helping
the developing world, he says. The capacity is there
to do that across all councils.
However, it is thought that the move has not been
welcomed by the national academies, which will
work with the councils, BIS and the Department for
International Development to manage the fund. The
academies are said to be concerned that the councils
are trying to make sure that they have more say in how
the fund is managed, and possibly in who is chosen to
chair the funds governing body.
The management of the fund, as well as the research
councils separate fund for interdisciplinary research,
was discussed at a meeting on 20 January. The government is thought to be leaning towards a single umbrella
body that would oversee both funds. However, there
would need to be separate accounting channels for the
two funds, as projects that win grants from the fund for
global challenges must comply with the OECDs criteria
for Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding.
British Academy chief executive Alun Evans says
that he wants to see the fund chaired by an independent expert supported by an advisory group of
representatives from the partners. This, Evans says,
is similar to the approach used for the Office for the
Strategic Coordination of Health Research, which aims
by Cristina Gallardo
cgnews@ResearchResearch.com
to coordinate the efforts of public funders of health

research, and is chaired by John Bell, a regius professor of medicine at the University of Oxford.
But Kieron Flanagan, senior lecturer in science and
technology policy at the University of Manchester,
says that the academies should be in charge of a smaller share of the fund, proportional to their share of the
UK science budget. It is not immediately obvious to
me what need there is for the academies to play a large
role in this, he says.
The plan for the councils to contribute to the
fund also raises more concerns for some councils
than others, as the money would be in addition to
their contribution to the interdisciplinary research
fundexpected to be around 5percent of their budgetsand they may not have equally flexible budgets.
For instance, John Womersley, chief executive of the
Science and Technologies Facilities Council, says that
his council also has to pay for UK membership of international projects such as Cern out of its budget. We
would hope to contribute to the Global Challenges
Research Fund in an intelligent way, he says.
In addition, because the fund is only for ODAcompliant research, not all disciplines would
benefit equally. Jonathan Butterworth, a physicist at
University College London, says that in the case of the
STFC, diverting grants intended for blue-sky research
to the fund would probably be a disservice to both
sides of that equation.
Butterworth says that a different approach is needed for each of the councils, and suggests that the
STFC could contribute in kind by
making its facilities accessible to
Every new opportunity
researchers in the developing world.
for research funding
Applying a uniform levy without
from every sponsor in
looking at the content of the prothe UK, EU, US & beyond
gramme and its applicability would
be unfair, he says. It wouldnt be
Every discipline
the right way of running the proEvery fortnight
gramme properly.
Issue No. 471
2 editorial
Research Fortnight, 27 January 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
Project Fear
Why the PM cannot afford to wait for his EU ballot
We now know that prime minister David Cameron will lead the campaign
to keep the UK in the European Union. He would like the referendum
to happen sooner rather than later, potentially this summer. We also
know that the pro-EU campaigns core message will be a variation on the
so-called Project Fear that the unionist side used to devastating effect
during the referendum on independence for Scotland.
Project Fear was what pundits called the tactic of frightening voters by
constantly repeating the claim that jobs and therefore livelihoods were
at risk if Scotland voted for freedom. In advance of the EU referendum,
businesses have already begun singing this same tune.
In the coming weeks we should expect many Whitehall departments to
follow suit, claiming that EU membership is better for defence, education,
health and so on.
Camerons reasons for firing an early starting gun are very much tactical. His anti-EU opponents are in some disarray, in part because they lack
a leader. Cameron is taking advantage and denying the other side the
time needed to organise and start to get its message across.
The anti-EU side is banking on picking up votes from the deteriorating
security situation around the world. More images of refugees arriving on
European shores is what the anti-EU side needs to bolster its claim that
the UK is better off in control of its own borders.
At the same time, with cabinet colleagues being permitted to campaign
for a Brexit, an early referendum also lessens the risks of lasting damage to Conservative party unity. At least 40 Conservative MPs plus four
cabinet ministers, perhaps more, are sympathetic to the UK leaving the
union. They include home secretary Theresa May and business secretary
Sajid Javid. In contrast to the prime minister, Javid has berated businesses for appearing pro-EU. He has also saidmuch to the annoyance of
researchersthat UK science will be largely unaffected by an exit.
But Cameron cant hold the referendum without agreement from his
fellow EU leaders on at least some important UK demands. Camerons
problem with his European peers is that one of his demands, to restrict
UK welfare payments for EU citizens, has almost no chance of success.
He also needs cooperation from the leaders of the other Westminster
parties. There, of most concern for Cameron could be the Scottish National
Party and its 54 MPs. As the chief victim of the original Project Fear, the
party is not consenting to its deployment in the EU campaign. SNP leader
Nicola Sturgeon also opposes an early poll, which will clash with elections
to local and regional assemblies in May.
And, while Cameron sees an early referendum as the best way to keep
the UK in the EU, Sturgeon wants Scotland to remain part of the EU, but
as an independent nation. It may be that the best option for her party is
a delayed poll that precipitates a Brexitwhich could in turn re-open the
debate on Scottish independence.
Whatever each leader does next will be in furtherance of two irreconcilable objectives. That is why the prime minister wants to go for his
referendum sooner, rather than later.
elsewhere
A second concern held by some is that a
new class of research person will emerge
people who had nothing to do with the
design and execution of the study but use
another groups data to their own ends.
A controversial editorial by Dan Longo and
Jeffrey M Drazen says that some researchers
are concerned that data sharing could lead
to a take over of research parasites. New
England Journal of Medicine, 21/1/16.
Ordinary people are often suspicious of or
downright hostile to international meetings like Davos. Persuading scientists to
take on a greater role in such discussions
is critical to changing these perceptions.
Lee Howellthe World Economic Forum
managing board member responsible for its
annual meeting in Davos, Switzerlandsays
that this is the first WEF summit at which
Nobel laureates in science outnumber those in
economics. New Scientist, 20/1/16.
Our history is not a blank page on which
we can write our own version of what it
should have been, according to our contemporary views and prejudices.
University of Oxford chancellor Chris Patten
speaks out against removing the statue of
colonialist Cecil Rhodes from one of the universitys colleges. Reuters, 13/1/16.
We are not going to stop making progress, or reverse it, so we must recognise
the dangers and control them.
Humanity must be aware of the threats that
come with advances in science and technology, and think about how to overcome them,
says Stephen Hawking ahead of his Reith
Lecture. Guardian, 19/1/16.
Grants for poorest students abolished.
Doesnt feel any better being beaten on
student finance on the inside than it did
on the outside.
Wes Streeting, Labour MP for Ilford, expresses
his disappointment that MPs voted against
Labours opposition day motion to annul
the governments plan to scrap maintenance
grants. Twitter, 19/1/16.
decade
Institutes cant expect
handouts. In the past they
have not always delivered;
they need to deliver.
Howard Dalton, chief scientific adviser
to the Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs, says that
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences
Research Council institutes need to realise that block funding isnt guaranteed.
whats going on 3
whats going on
Ministerial spending committee not yet a done deal, says Javid
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is still considering former Royal Society
president Paul Nurses recommendation to create a ministerial committee to oversee science
spending across the research councils and government departments. Giving evidence to the
House of Commons Science and Technology Committee on 19 January, business secretary Sajid
Javid said that there were perhaps other options of achieving the same objectives.
Technopolis hired to look into research-assessment models
The research policy consultancy firm Technopolis Group has won a government tender to review
the available evidence on research assessments, which will feed into the Stern review of the
Research Excellence Framework. The firm confirmed to Research Fortnight that it had been
awarded the contract, but could not comment further until the review is published in the summer.
Industry calls for more public funding to tackle antibiotic resistance
More than 80 international drug and biotech firms, including GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca and
Novartis, have urged governments to increase funding for research to combat drug-resistant
infections. In a declaration signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos on 21 January, the
companies say this should include changing drug prices as well as investing more in research.
Welsh university budgets barely balance
An analysis by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales has shown that Welsh
universities had a total deficit of 67 million in 2013-14. Although this is less than the 2012-13
deficit of 85m, HEFCW says that the sector is not in a position to provide for a fully sustainable
future and calls for an increase in government investment.
Johnson to reaffirm commitment to open access
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is expected to publish a review of the
governments open-access policies and priorities on 11 February, Research Fortnight has learnt.
Universities and science minister Jo Johnson is expected to respond to the review, written by
Adam Tickell, chairman of the Universities UK open access inplementation group, at the same
time. A BIS spokeswoman confirmed the review had been commissioned and said that it would
be published in due course.
Medical journals to make sharing trial data compulsory
The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors has said that authors who want
to publish clinical trial reports in its member journals, which include The Lancet and PLOS
Medicine, will have to share the underlying data. The proposals, which are under consultation,
say that authors will have to share the relevant de-identified individual patient data no later
than six months after publication.
CaSE calls for research-friendly immigration policy
The UK government needs to stop its anti-immigration rhetoric and adopt a more welcoming
attitude to overseas researchers and engineers, the Campaign for Science and Engineering has
said. In a report published on 21 January, CaSE also recommends fast-tracking the peer review
of applicants using the Tier-1 route and abolishing the arbitrary cap of 20,700 for those
entering through the Tier-2 route.
4 news
news
Dont split TEF and REF

Responses to the governments green paper on higher education say that the reforms
could create an artificial divide between teaching and research. Rachel Hall reports.
Fifteen institutional responses seen by Research
Fortnight warn of a range of unintended consequences of the governments proposed higher education
reforms, such as the risks associated with separating the
Teaching Excellence Framework from its research counterpart. Several of the responses say that the schedule
for implementing the reforms is unfeasibly tight.
The green paper proposes that the first stage of the TEF
be rolled out in 2017-18, which would allow universities
with a recent successful quality assurance review to raise
their fees in line with inflation. A subsequent iteration
of the TEFto be based on a basket of metrics including
degree outcomes, student retention rates and student
satisfactionwould lead to a four-tier fee system.
However, the vice-chancellors group Universities UK
(UUK), says that the exercise will be a complex challenge that requires more piloting and evidence than
the governments schedule will permit. The group wants
to see at least three years between the first and second
iterations of the TEF.
The Royal Society says that the proposed metrics are
not robust or valid measures of teaching quality and
that the government should consider delaying the award
of TEF levels until better measures are available.
This view is echoed by the Million+ group of post-1992
universities, which says that there is a risk that the TEF in
its proposed form will rely on imperfect proxy measures,
many of which refer to the broader university environment
and not specifically to teaching. Million+ wants to see the
TEF take a more qualitative, narrative approach, to avoid
creating league tables that skew students decisions. The
Russell Group of research-intensive universities says that
the TEF could add a significant new burden on universities, noting that such institutions already assess teaching.
UUK also says that the exercise should be UK-wide,
but this could be a problem due to differences in higher education in the four devolved nations. The Royal
Society of Edinburgh says that it would welcome adaptations to allow Scottish universities to take part, but if
this were not possible there could be significant and
adverse consequences, if students begin to take TEF
scores into account when choosing where to study.
Some respondents to the green paper, including UUK
and University Alliance, say that a discipline-specific
TEF could be overly complicated to implement, but the
Royal Society disagrees. In its response, the society says
that the exercise must be discipline-specific as soon as
possible to inform student choice and improve teaching

at the departmental level.
M eanwhile , there are concerns that the plans are
being implemented without proper consideration of
their effects on research. For instance, many of the
responses warn that a TEF overseen by the mooted Office
for Studentswhich would replace the Higher Education
Funding Council for Englandcould be pitted against
a Research Excellence Framework run by the proposed
Research UK umbrella organisation for the research
councils, recommended in the Nurse review last year.
In the Higher Education Policy Institutes response,
its president Bahram Bekhradnia says that the government lacks an understanding of how the research
obligations of academics conflict with their teaching
duties. The day has only so many hours, and as more
effort is put into research it is not surprising that teaching has suffered, he writes.
The British Academy says that separating the TEF
and the REF in this way risks creating a regulatory and
policy-making function that does not reflect the way
universities operate. The Wellcome Trust adds that
such a separation could force teaching and research into
competition for university resources to manage grant
applications. It could also hold back cross-cutting functions such as knowledge exchange, public engagement
and sustainable infrastructure.
While responses to the green paper broadly welcome
the proposed Research UK, they hold mixed views on
whether this body should be responsible for the distribution of quality-related funding. Research Councils
UK says that rolling in extra responsibilities would significantly change functions and could compromise the
countrys research base. UUK adds that the government
would need to maintain a clear commitment to the dual
funding system if Research UK were to manage both
streams. University Alliance echoes these concerns, and
suggests creating a completely separate body called
Research Excellence England to run the REF.
Moreover, the Royal Society notes that Research
UK will not be fully operational for a number of years
and such a delay would pose a serious risk to the UK
research system. To reduce this risk, the government
must be transparent and consultative with researchers
and their institutions, it says, including on the forthcoming Stern review of the REF.
news 5
Researchers welcome plans for Ross Fund

for infectious diseases
The government has revealed the details of the 1-billion Ross Fund, a joint effort by the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation and the UK government to support
research into infectious diseases.
Details of the fund, which was first announced in
the governments 2015 spending review, were revealed
by the Department of Health and the Department for
International Development on 25 January.
Almost 200 million will be directed to preventing
and responding to future disease outbreaks. This will
be seen as going some way to address criticisms levelled
at the government in a report by MPs published on the
same day as the Ross Fund announcement. The report
said that the UKs response to the Ebola crisis had been
poor and that research had been underprepared and
underfunded.
The government says that the Ross Fund will support the development of a UK Rapid Response Team to
respond to outbreaks within 48hours. Anne Harmer,
programme manager at Enhancing Learning and
Research for Humanitarian Assistance, which supports
partnerships between researchers and practitioners, says
that developing such a team shows foresight on the governments part. Establishing a unit that can instantly be
deployed will help contain outbreaks, she says.
More than 350m of the fund has been set aside to
by Anna McKie
amnews@ResearchResearch.com
develop and deliver a range of vaccines, drugs and diagnostics, and 200m has been earmarked for research
into neglected tropical diseases. Poppy Lamberton, a
senior lecturer in medicine at the University of Glasgow,
says that funding for improved diagnostics is urgently
needed for several tropical diseases. Although a cash
injection wont counterbalance the historical lack of
funding in the area, she says, it will go a long way to
improving the situation.
In addition to details on the Ross Fund, the government also announced that it would spend 2.5bn
on fighting malaria. This moneyto be spent evenly
throughout the next five yearswill come from the UKs
aid budget, and will be boosted by 200m a year from the
Gates foundation.
Brian Greenwood, a professor at the London School
of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, says that this is not
much more than the government has spent on malaria
research in recent years. However, he welcomes the indication that malaria is still high on the governments list
of priorities. Thats one thing weve learned with malaria: if you stop your control then malaria comes back very
quickly. It is going to take a long time eradicate the
disease, he says, so the money has to keep coming.
Nuclear scientists ready to play for overseas cash

The UK should align its national nuclear research so
that it is attractive to international companies who
want to improve their own nuclear R&D capabilities,
researchers have said.
There has been an increase in international investment in the nuclear industry in the UK in recent
months, such as China General Nuclears 6-billion
investment in the proposed power station at Hinkley
Point in October 2015.
Martin Freer, director of the Birmingham Energy
Institute, says that the UK needs to position itself to
benefit from this interest. I think there is plenty of
room for being strategic; recognising that China will be
setting the agenda for the next 40 or 50 years in nuclear
power, how do we take best advantage of that?
He says that the UK should develop a series of facilities to encourage overseas companies to launch joint
research initiatives in the UK as they invest in the
country. The UK-China Joint Research and Innovation
Centreannounced in September 2015 and funded
by the National Nuclear Laboratory and the Chinese
by James Field
jfnews@ResearchResearch.com
National Nuclear Corporationis one example, but Freer

says that more should be done.
Timothy Abram, professor in nuclear fuel technology
at the University of Manchester, says that the UK needs
to play to its strengths. The countrys stringent safety
requirements are particularly attractive to overseas
firms, he says. If you can achieve design approval from
our regulatory regime then that will carry a lot of weight
around the world.
Some researchers are concerned that the government
will focus on easy targets to attract quick investment at
the expense of developing areas of strength, but Tom
Scott, a reader in materials science at the University
of Bristol and a member of the governments Nuclear
Innovation and Research Advisory Board, says that academics might have to accept that nuclear R&D will be
driven by international money. I think were approaching the point where we can no longer have control over
the direction of nuclear research, he says.
6 news
i n t e r v i e w i a n y o u n g
Making it count
Three months into his role as chief scientific adviser at Northern Irelands
Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, Ian Young tells Anna
McKie how the small nation plans to make an impact on a global scale.
Ian Young has a clear goal: he wants to help researchers in Northern Ireland show that they can punch above
their weight. The country is the smallest nation in the UK
and is geographically separated from it, and from continental Europe, by an expanse of sea. This, he says, means
Northern Ireland has more to prove.
But, Young continues, the countrys size means that
it has to focus on being excellent in a smaller number of
specific fields. We cant have world-class research across
the full breadth of work that is carried out, he says. But
in our key areas we want to be recognised at a global
level, such as our contributions to a superior health system. When he offers some examples, the list isnt short:
cancer research, respiratory medicine, vision science,
public health and nutrition. We lead major, significant
research programmes in all these areas.
Being small offers the nation some advantages over its
larger neighbours, he says. Northern Ireland has a nimble
system that can respond quickly to research priorities.
But Youngs sights are set not solely on Northern
Ireland; he intends to have regular meetings with his
counterparts from the UK and also from the Republic of
Ireland. The two nations collaborate well, he says, but this
is something he would like to develop further through
funding from the European Union and the US-Ireland
Partnership, a three-way fund between the United States,
Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
Young, who is a professor of medicine at Queens
University Belfast, started in his role as chief scientific
adviser to the Department of Health, Social Services and
Public Safety in November 2015. He was faced with a blank
slate, as the position had been vacant
for more than a year by the time
Ian Young
he was appointed. His predecessor
2015-present CSA,
Bernie Hannigan, who left in August
Department of Health, Social
2014 and is now director of R&D at
Services and Public Safety
Public Health England, oversaw a shift
2008-present Director,
Centre for Public Health,
in funding in the country that moved
Queens University Belfast
it resolutely towards clinical research.
2007-present Associate
Now its Youngs turn to make
medical director, Belfast
his own mark on research policy in
Health and Social Care Trust
the nation. Research should be at
1999-2000 Professor,
the heart of health care, informing
patient and client care, and I hope
1993-present Consultant,
Royal Group of Hospitals,
to make a major contribution to
Belfast
that, he says.
*
*
*
*
*
However, he has just three days a week to do this, and

his role in government is split in two. The first is the more
traditional role of a chief scientific adviseroffering advice
to the department when requestedwhile the second is to
act as director for research for health and social care.
Young plans to split his attention evenly between the
two roles, and will spend the three days a week working
within the department, meeting with ministers on a regular basis. The rest of the time he will be at the university,
which will allow him to remain embedded in the clinical
and research communities.
But the time he spends in the department is certain to
be busy, with the Northern Ireland Assembly elections
set for May. Young says it will be important for him to
carry on his work while the assembly is dissolved, and
adds that he is likely to spend this time preparing to
respond to any change in priorities of a new government.
And before that, the department is expected to publish a health and social care R&D strategy, which will set
out its research priorities for the next 10 years. Young
says that he will be working closely with the health minister, Simon Hamilton, to implement the strategy, which
was out for consultation for three months at the end of
2014. The strategy will focus on how the nation can win
more funding and how to use that funding to deliver economic and social benefits. It is likely to recommend that
researchers make a strong push to increase links with
industry and also to recognise research areas relevant to
the local population. Unlike the rest of the UK, Northern
Ireland does not have a dedicated biomedical research
facility; the strategy sets out plans to create one to help
drive health and care service and academic collaboration.
Young also points to recent large-scale investments in
medical research in the nation as an area of continued
interest for researchers. In October, Hamilton announced
that the government was investing 3.3million to create a Northern Ireland Genomics Medicine Centre, based
at the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, which will
participate in 100,000Genomes Project. Additionally, in
July Belfast was chosen to host a hub for Innovate UKs
Precision Medicine Catapult Centre.
We have a clear ambition to be a world leader in
research, Young says. So its important for me to promote the work we do and the many advantages of doing
research here.
More to say? Email comment@ResearchResearch.com
funding opportunities
Research Fortnight
27 January 2015
every new opportunity every discipline
deadlines
focus points
Issue no. 471
EPSRC energy research

The Engineering and
Physical Sciences
Research Council invites
applications for its call on
advanced materials for
energy generation and
transmission. The budget is
worth up to 6million [4].
NERC/DFID El Nio event
The Natural Environment
Research Council and
the Department for
International Development
invite proposals for their
call on understanding the
impacts of the current El
Nio event. Grants are
worth up to 300,000 [6].
DFID conflict impact
The Department for
International Development
invites tenders for foreign
economic aid-related
services. The contract is
worth 6.7million [7].
ESRC/AHRC crime
The Economic and Social
Research Council and
the Arts and Humanities
Research Council invite
applications for their
transnational organised
crime call. Awards are
worth 100,000 each [21].
AHRC public policy
The Arts and Humanities
Research Council invites
applications for its highlight notice call public
policy in the leadership
fellows scheme. Grants are
worth up to 250,000 [46].
not to be
ph o t o c o pie D
For subscriptions call +44 20 7216 6500
Opportunities from previous issues of

Research Fortnight, listed by closing
date. European Commission and
associated funders marked EU.
Each entry is followed by a Web id
February
Cure Parkinson's Trust research

funding 1162652
EU Directorate-General for Internal
Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship
and SMEs study on the legal aspects
of supplementary protection certificates 1188129
EU European Food Safety Authority
literature review on alternative neurotoxicity testing methods 1188211
EU H2020: Societal Challenges/Single European Sky ATM Joint Undertaking H2020-CS2-CPW03-2015-02
clean sky 2 call for core partners
wave 3 1187345
EU H2020: Spreading Excellence
and Widening Participation H2020WIDESPREAD-02-2016 support to
joint programming initiatives in
urban Europe topic 2 1187222
EU H2020: Societal Challenges
H2020-CO-CREATION-2016 cocreation for growth and inclusion
topics 2,3, 8 and 9 1184873
H2020-CULT-COOP-2016 understanding Europe promoting the
European public and cultural space
topics 8 and 11 1184885
H2020-REV-INEQUAL-2016 reversing inequalities and promoting
fairness topics 1 to 8, 10 1184878
Leverhulme emeritus fellowships
258628
STFC particle physics and particle
astrophysics consolidated grants
191496
Centre for Research and Evidence
on Security Threats research
for understanding, mitigating
and countering security threats
1187927
EU Directorate-General for Justice
and Consumers study to support the
fitness check of EU consumer law
1188250
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control HAI-Net mortality
review validity and reproducibility
study 1187903
European Union Agency for Network
and Information state of the art in
applied online data protection and
security 1188169
Online Funding Search

For full details of every funding opportunity, visit
www.ResearchProfessional.com
Online subscribers can view full details of any funding opportunity by
simply searching for the Web id number as free text in a funding search.
Funding search
Free text: 1234567 x
Research UK network
10 Alzheimer's
support scheme 1184309

11

Iolanthe Midwifery Trust Jean

Davies award 1188312
Iolanthe Midwifery Trust midwives
award 207776
Juvenile Diabetes Research
Foundation International strategic
research agreements 1159205
EU Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion
study to collect updated information of carcinogenic substances
with a view to analysing the health,
socio-economic and environmental
impact in connection with possible
amendments of Directive 2004/37/
EC 1188185
EU European Environment
Agency services supporting the
implementation of cross-cutting
activities for coordination of the insitu component of the Copernicus
programme 1188170
EU European Foundation for the
Improvement of Living and Working
Conditions detailed look at key
jobs in European manufacturing
1188298
European Molecular Biology
Organisation long-term fellowships
212427
Farmers Club agricultural educator
awards postgraduate bursaries
1174168
Institut Mittag-Leffler research
programme grants 260411
Multiple Sclerosis Society innovative grants 202691
Multiple Sclerosis Society PhD
studentships 202690
Multiple Sclerosis Society project
grants 202693
Wellbeing of Women/ScotGov Chief
Scientist Office research grants
202472
EU Consumers, Health and Food
Executive Agency structural and
investment funds support in the
area of health building knowledge
and capacities for monitoring
and implementation, supporting
innovation and effectiveness
1188107
EU Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency
behavioural survey for HIV/Aids
and associated infections, and a
survey and tailored training for
community-based health workers
1186154
EU ERA-Net BONUS research and
innovation call 1185616
European Union Agency for Network
and Information a framework on
appropriate security measures for
the processing of personal data
1188167
12

14

15

Search
British Academy international

partnership and mobility scheme
1165189
EU Education, Audiovisual and
Culture Executive Agency Erasmus+
capacity building in the field of
higher education 1176974
Rank Prize Funds vacation studentships 1174072
Anatomical Society research grant
1187680
EU Directorate-General for Energy
preparatory studies, review studies and technical assistance on
ecodesign, energy labelling, tyre
labelling and energy star 1188241
EPSRC systems change towards a
circular economy 1188042
EU ERA-NET EuroNanoMed II joint
transnational call for proposals
253323
Rothschild Foundation Europe
doctoral fellowships in archival
research 257129
postdoctoral fellowships 210007
doctoral fellowships 1177306
Britsh HIV Association research
awards 253156
Competition and Markets Authority
tender for a framework agreement
for the provision of economic and
social research services 1187876
CRUK grand challenge awards
1186936
EU European Centre for Disease
Prevention and Control developing
methods to improve the accuracy of
HIV estimates in EU/EEA countries
1188143
European Respiratory Society grant
for best abstract in bacterial pneumonia 1183127
for best abstract in noninvasive
ventilation support 261090
for best non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis abstract 1177173
People's Trust for Endangered
Species conservation insight grants
1165284
Royal College of Physicians Thomas
Watts Eden paediatric fellowship
1183559
Society for Latin American Studies
conference grants 212961
Society for Latin American Studies
postgraduate travel grants 200450
Wellcome engagement fellowships
1171700
European Society of Cardiology
travel grants for ESC congress
1157973
European Wound Management Association travel grants 1165252
Bermuda Institute of Ocean
Sciences grants-in-aid 186355
British Council Ukraine mobility
and partnership grants one- and
two-year grants 1188156
British Council/Newton Fund researcher links workshop on building
information modelling and collaboration for retrofit for resilient
housing and sustainability 1188297
8 funding opportunities
uk
highlights
New opportunities from UK-based funders.
ESRC US-UK collaboration

The Economic and Social Research Council, in collaboration with the National
Science Foundation, under the Research
Councils UK and the Social Behavioral and
Economic Sciences Directorate (RCUKSBE) lead agency agreement, invites
collaborative proposals. This call encourages US and UK researchers to submit a
collaborative proposal that will undergo
a single review process, and thus, reduce
the barriers to working internationally.
Web id: 1188533
Email: sbercuk@rcuk.ac.uk
No deadline [1]
ESRC programme evaluation

The Economic and Social Research Council invites tenders to evaluate the new
dynamics of ageing programme. The
tenderer is expected to build on and
complement earlier evaluation activities.
The total budget is worth up to 40,000.
Web id: 1188448
Email: research@uksbs.co.uk
Deadline: 15 February 2016 [2]
ScotGov social workers

The Scottish Government's Scottish
Social Services Council invites tenders
for its five-year research study on newly
qualified social workers. The tenderer will
scope, design and deliver a study that will
enable the council and stakeholders to
develop a national picture of how newly
qualified social workers experience their
first years in practice.
Web id: 1188509
EPSRC energy research

The Engineering and Physical Sciences
Research Council invites applications
for its call on advanced materials for
energy generation and transmission. This
encourages multi-institutional and multidisciplinary centres to form a national
network of energy materials research
groups, with the aim of forming a coherent UK community of energy materials
researchers. The total budget is worth
up to 6million to support up to three
centres over four years.
Web id: 1188392
Email: neil.bateman@epsrc.ac.uk
Defra environment assessment

The Department for Environment, Food &
Rural Affairs invites tenders to develop an
assessment of best available technique
reference documents. The tenderer will
develop a framework or methodology
for assessing the economic and environmental impacts of the best available
technique documents. The contract is
worth 250,000 over three years.
Web id: 1188512
Email: julia.medd@defra.gsi.gov.uk
NERC/DFID El Nio event

The Natural Environment Research Council and the Department for International
Development invite proposals for their
call on understanding the impacts of the
current El Nio event. Grants support

projects on the current El Nio event
in low- and middle-income countries,
in order to increase preparedness and
resilience for future events. Grants are
worth up to 300,000 per project.
Web id: 1188369
Email: elnino@nerc.ac.uk
DFID conflict impact

The Department for International Development invites tenders for foreign
economic aid-related services. The tenderer will conduct operationally-relevant
research on how donors can effectively
reduce the risk and impact of violent conflict in developing countries. The contract
is worth 6.7million over 48 months.
Web id: 1188527
Contact: Aine McGowan
Email: a-mcgowan@dfid.gov.uk
Innovate UK school finance

Innovate UK, on behalf of the Department
for Education, invites applications for its
competition on the health of schools
finance. Funding supports phase two
projects that aim to develop and evaluate
prototypes or demonstrators, which offer
practical solutions to enable improved
financial health and efficiency savings
in schools, without harming outcomes
for pupils. Each project may receive up
to 100,000 over one year.
Web id: 1188389
Email: support@innovateuk.gov.uk
Cancer scholarships
Tenovus Cancer Care, via Bangor University's knowledge economy skills scholarship programme, invites expressions of
interest for research projects. Funding
supports collaborative projects, such as
research master's and PhDs, that are
linked with a local company partner and
related to the charitys aims.
Web id: 1188398
Email: research@tenovuscancercare.
org.uk
Newton fellowships 1
The Academy of Medical Sciences, in
partnership with the Royal Society and
the British Academy, invites applications
for the Newton advanced fellowships for
Brazil, South Africa and Turkey. These
enable early- to mid-career international
researchers to conduct clinical or patientoriented research at an institution in the
UK. Fellowships are worth up to 110,000
each over three years.
Web id: 1188342
Email: kimberly.hutchings@acmedsci.
ac.uk
Deadline: 2 March 2016 [10]
The Royal Society invites applications
for the Newton advanced fellowships
Brazil, China, Malaysia, Mexico, South
Africa, Thailand and Turkey. These enable
international researchers to establish and
develop collaborations with the UK, in
order to transfer knowledge and research
capabilities. Fellowships are worth up to
110,000 each over three years.
Web id: 1188359
Email: newtonadvancedfellowships@
royalsociety.org
DFID governance networks

The Department for International Development invites tenders to evaluate the
Strengthening African Networks for Governance, Accountability and Transparency Programme phase II (SANGAT II).
The tenderer will design and deliver an
evaluation tailored to the work of three
regional governance networks.
Web id: 1188391
Contact: Robert Salisbury
Email: r-salisbury@dfid.gov.uk
Philosophy of science award

The British Society for the Philosophy of
Science invites applications for its doctoral scholarship. This supports doctoral
work in the philosophy of science at a UK
university. The scholarship covers fees
and includes a maintenance grant.
Web id: 1188403
Email: oliver.pooley@philisophy.ox.
ac.uk
partnership with the Royal Society and
the British Academy invites applications
for the Newton international fellowships for India and China. These enable
early-career international researchers
to conduct clinical or patient-oriented
research at a host university or research
institution in the UK. Fellowships are
worth up to 66,000 over two years, plus
up to 33,000 over two years for the UK
host institution.
Web id: 1188330
Email: kimberly.hutchings@acmedsci.
ac.uk
The Royal Society invites applications
for their international fellowships. These
enable early-career researchers from
Brazil, China, India, Mexico and Turkey to
undertake research at an institution in the
UK. Fellowships are worth up to 66,000
over two years, plus up to 33,000 over
two years for the UK host institution.
Web id: 1188363
Email: info@newtonfellowships.org
Arthritis research
Arthritis Research UK invites applications
for the following opportunities:
health services research grants, worth
up to 300,000 each over 36 months.
Web id: 1187969
Pfizer, the Scottish Governments
Chief Scientist Office, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Charitable Trust
and NHS England partnership grants
for research to improve health services,
worth up to 300,000 each.
Web id: 1188045
Contact: Gil Shalom
Email: research@arthritisresearchuk.org
NERC fellowships
The Natural Environmental Research
Council invites applications for the following opportunities:
environmental risks to infrastructure
knowledge exchange fellowship, worth up
to 40,000. Web id: 1188238
Marine Management Organisation
knowledge exchange fellowship, which

covers salary, national insurance and
allowances for up to three years.
Web id: 1188323
ScotGov supranuclear palsy

The Scottish Government's Chief Scientist
Office and the Progressive Supranuclear
Palsy Association invite applications for
their clinical research fellowship. This
enables researchers to lead development
in their discipline by undertaking a PhD
related to progressive supranuclear palsy.
The fellowship covers personal salary,
research costs of up to 30,000, fees for
registration, and research training costs
of up to 2,000 for up to three years.
Web id: 1188009
Email: alan.mcnair@gov.scot
ESRC/AHRC organised crime

The Economic and Social Research Council
and the Arts and Humanities Research
Council, under the partnership for conflict, crime and security research programme, invite applications for their
transnational organised crime call. This
funds innovative research and networking activities that address transnational
organised crime. Awards are worth
100,000 each over 18 months.
Web id: 1187934
Email: tnoc@esrc.ac.uk
Plastic surgery award

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, in partnership with the British
Association of Plastic Reconstructive and
Aesthetic Surgeons, invites applications
for the Sushruta-Guha professorship.
This recognises a distinguished scholar
in plastic surgery and wound healing.
The professorship is worth US$1,500
(1,100), plus up to US$2,000 towards
travel costs.
Web id: 1188465
Contact: Cathy McCartney
Email: c.mccartney@rcsed.ac.uk
Brewing industry grants

The British Beer & Pub Association, via the
Worshipful Company of Brewers' Research
and Education Fund, invites applications
for its research grants. These support
research and education projects that
support the UK brewing industry.
Web id: 1188466
Contact: Stephen Livens
Email: slivens@beerandpub.com
Cardiovascular PhDs
The British Heart Foundation invites
applications for its four-year PhD studentships in cardiovascular research.
These enable UK universities to recruit
students into the cardiovascular research
programme. The studentship includes a
stipend, PhD tuition fees, and consumable
costs of up to 14,000 per year.
Web id: 1188331
Email: lazarec@bhf.org.uk
Laboratory animals 1
Laboratory Animals Limited invites applications for its smaller bursaries. These
support the organisation of events or
funding opportunities 9
ISSN 1358-1198
Published every two weeks with
breaks at Christmas, Easter and in
the summer. The next edition will
be published on 10 February.
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,
Eloise Johnston, 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, Louise
Jensen, Lotte Krause, Iqbal
Makboul, Sam Marberg, Monika
Pallenberg, 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.
A ll righ t s reser v ed
Reproducing Research Fortnight by

photocopying, electronic or other
means in any language without the
permission of the publisher is illegal.
Please recycle after use.
N OT TO B E P H OTO C O P I E D
projects, and enable applicants to attend

training courses in laboratory animal
science and welfare. Bursaries may also
cover travel expenses to enable international experts to speak at conferences.
Each bursary is worth up to 5,000.
Web id: 1188070
Email: labanimalltd@gmail.com
Gambling-harm PhD research

The Responsible Gambling Trust invites
proposals for its PhD funding. This supports PhD research that offers practical
solutions to minimise gambling harm, and
that enhances treatment and education
or prevention services. Funding includes
a student stipend, grants for conference
travel, research expenses and overseas
fieldwork for a period of three years.
Web id: 1188064
Email: phd@responsiblegamblingtrust.
org.uk
Breast cancer prize

Breast Cancer Now invites abstracts for
its UK breast cancer research symposium
poster or oral presentation prize. This
recognises the best presentation at the
conference. The prize is worth 500.
Web id: 1188499
Email: conference@breastcancernow.
org
Deadline: 1 April 2016 [27]
Histopathology grants
The Pathological Society of Great Britain
and Ireland invites applications for the
following grants:
consultant's pump-priming small
grants, worth up to 10,000 each for one
year. Web id: 1188503
postdoctoral collaborative small
grants, worth up to 15,000.
Web id: 1188502
Email: admin@pathsoc.org
NIHR obesity research

The Department of Health's National
Institute for Health Research invites
proposals for the following calls:
prevention and treatment of obesity
call, under its efficacy and mechanism
evaluation and health technology assessment programme. Web id: 1187993
call, under its health services and delivery
research programme. Web id: 1188000
call, under its health technology assessment programme.
Web id: 1188001
prevention and treatment of obesity,
under its invention for innovation (i4i)
programme. Web id: 1188019
call, under its programme for applied
research. Web id: 1188017
call, under its public health research programme. Web id: 1187999
Email: info@eme.ac.uk
Hellenic research
The British School at Athens invites applications for the following opportunities:
early-career fellowship.
Web id: 1188439
the Richard Bradford McConnell studentship. Web id: 1188436
visiting fellowship. Web id: 1188438

Contact: Tania Gerousi
Email: school.administrator@bsa.ac.uk
Nutritional epidemiology
The World Cancer Research Fund International invites applications for its
international fellowships. These enable
postgraduates to attend the 6th International Course in Nutritional Epidemiology.
The fellowship covers the course fees.
Web id: 1187901
Email: info@wcrf.org
Clinical pharmacy research

Pharmacy Research UK invites applications for its clinical pharmacy research
grants. These enable pharmacy practitioners to conduct clinical research in the
UK. Grants are worth up to 20,000 each.
Web id: 1188190
Email: yen.truong@rpharms.com
Deadline: 4 May 2016 [40]
Comparative pathology
The Journal of Comparative Pathology
Educational Trust invites applications for
its travel bursaries for junior scientists.
These enable scientists working in the
field of animal pathology to present at
a scientific conference, or visit another
institution in order to learn a new technique or skill. Grants are worth up to
3,000 each.
Web id: 1188074
Email: m.j.day@bristol.ac.uk
Deadline: 1 June 2016 [41]
Endodontic research prize

The British Endodontic Society invites
submissions for its general dental
practitioner prize. This recognises the
best project on an endodontic case or
endodontic-related problem that was
successfully overcome, or on the development of an original technique, or item or
equipment suitable for use in endodontic
treatments. The prize is worth 1,000.
Web id: 1187974
Email: asst.honsecretary@
britishendodonticsociety.org.uk
Deadline: 30 June 2016 [42]
Marine engineering award

The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology invites applications
for its student scholarship. This supports
students studying for qualifications in the
marine and related sectors who are committed to marine engineering, science
and technology. Up to six scholarships,
worth 1,000 each, are available.
Web id: 1188381
Email: technical@imarest.org
Deadline: 31 July 2016 [43]
Mechanical engineering
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers
invites applications for the James Clayton
award. This enables a member to undertake postgraduate studies in mechanical
engineering. The award is worth up to
6,500.
Web id: 1186286
Deadline: 1 August 2016 [44]
paper published in a mineralogical journal

within three years of the lead author's
PhD award. The award is worth 1,000.
Web id: 1188257
Email: kevin@minersoc.org
Deadline: 1 September 2016 [45]
AHRC public policy leadership

The Arts and Humanities Research Council invites applications for its highlight
notice call public policy in the leadership fellows scheme. This supports the
contributions that arts and humanities
can make to public policy by stimulating proposals under relevant themes or
strategic priorities. Grants are worth up
to 250,000 over two years.
Web id: 1188016
Email: enquiries@ahrc.ac.uk
Optometry research
The College of Optometrists invites applications for the following opportunities:
collaborative research awards, worth
up to 15,000 each. Web id: 1187879
travel bursaries, worth up to 1,000
each. Web id: 1177198
Email: researchteam@
college-optometrists.org
UK/Africa chemistry exchange

The Royal Society and the Royal Society
of Chemistry invite applications for their
international exchanges award. This supports collaborations between UK and
sub-Saharan African researchers in the
field of chemistry. Awards are worth up
to 12,000 each.
Web id: 1188206
Email: international.exchanges@
royalsociety.org
Deadline: 18 October 2016 [49]
Socio-legal studies grants

The Socio-Legal Studies Association
invites applications for its PhD fieldwork
research grants. These support work for
which other funding sources are not
available, and encourages socio-legal
research initiatives. Each grant is worth
up to 3,000.
Web id: 1188121
Email: admin@slsa.ac.uk
Deadline: 31 October 2016 [50]
Laboratory animals 2
Laboratory Animals Limited invites applications for its larger bursaries. These
support the organisation of events or
projects, and enable applicants to attend
training courses in laboratory animal
science and welfare. Bursaries may also
cover travel expenses to enable international experts to speak at conferences.
Each bursary is worth at least 5,000.
Web id: 1188071
Email: labanimalltd@gmail.com
Deadline: 1 December 2016 [51]
uk
other
Renewed opportunities from funders based
in the UK.
Mineralogical paper prize
Anatomy grants
The Mineralogical Society invites nominations for the RA Howard memorial

lecture award. This recognises the best
The Anatomical Society of Great Britain

and Ireland invites applications for the
Symington bequest. This supports ana-
tomical research projects, such as setting
up of the human embryo database or contributing costs associated with presenting
at scientific meetings.
Web id: 1178584
Email: maryanne.piggott@kcl.ac.uk
Orthopaedic travel grants

The British Hip Society invites applications for its European travelling fellowships. These enable surgeons to visit
an orthopaedic centre of their choice.
Awards are worth 1,500 each.
Web id: 258102
Contact: Stephen Jones
Email: sajones@doctors.org.uk
Rome fellowship
The British School at Rome invites applications for the Giles Worsley Rome fellowship. This enables an architect or
architectural historian to spend three
months in Rome studying an architectural topic of their choice and carry out
research in and around the city. The fellowship includes a travel grant of 180,
accommodation and board, and a monthly
stipend of 700.
Web id: 260356
Email: bsr@britac.ac.uk
Food animal welfare

The Humane Slaughter Association
invites applications for the Dorothy Sidley memorial award. This enables students
or trainees to carry out a project aimed at
improving the welfare of food animals in
markets, during transport or at slaughter.
Each award is worth up to 2,000.
Web id: 260535
Email: nathan@hsa.org.uk
POST bioethical fellowship

The Parliamentary Office of Science and
Technology, in partnership with the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, invites applications for its fellowship. This enables
a PhD student to work with POST on a
three-month placement to produce a
short briefing note on an area of public
policy that raises bioethical issues.The
fellowship is worth up to 6,000.
Web id: 1176841
Email: tinklerj@parliament.uk
Medical science travel

The Royal Society for Asian Affairs invites
applications for the JPT Family Trust medical science award. This enables students
to travel to a country or countries in Asia
to conduct a medical research project.
Awards are worth up to 1,500 each.
Web id: 1170357
Email: sec@rsaa.org.uk
Endocrinology prizes
The European Society of Endocrinology
invites nominations for the following
prizes:
the European Journal of Endocrinology prize. Web id: 193980
the Geoffrey Harris prize.
Web id: 192708
Contact: Hans Romijn
Email: j.a.romijn@amc.uva.nl

Physiology grants
The Physiological Society invites applications for its research grants. These enable
physiologists in their first permanent
position, or returning after a career break,
to undertake current research or a new
project. Grants are worth up to 10,000
each over one year.
Web id: 1171619
Email: edufunding@physoc.org
English language awards
industry sponsors, academics and the

NC3Rs to support the development of marketable products or improved business
processes. The total budget is worth up to
1million for up to three years, whereas
the single phase challenges budget is
worth up to 100,000 for up to one year.
Web id: 1164486
Email: enquiries@nc3rs.org.uk
of Physicians, invites applications for its

starter grants for clinical lecturers. These
enable research-active clinical lecturers
to gather data in order to strengthen
future applications for longer-term fellowships and funding. Grants are worth
up to 30,000 each.
Web id: 255041
Email: clinicallecturers@acmedsci.ac.uk
Modern languages fellowship
Breast cancer pilot grants
The Modern Humanities Research Association invites applications for its research
associateships. These support the completion of projects through the provision
of part-time research assistance. Awards
are worth up to 23,000 each.
Web id: 208933
Contact: Chloe Paver
Email: funding@mhra.org.uk
The Institute of Modern Languages

Research at the School of Advanced Study,
University of London, invites applications
for the Sylvia Naish postdoctoral fellowship. This enables investigators resident
in the UK to spend at least one month
researching at the institute. The fellowship is worth up to 1,000.
Web id: 188495
Email: jane.lewin@sas.ac.uk
Posture and mobility
Rock garden exploration
The Posture and Mobility Group invites

outline proposals for its small research
study funding scheme. This supports projects that promote best practice, provide
training, collate information and advise
stakeholders on posture and wheeled
mobility services. Grants are worth up to
7,500 each.
Web id: 259862
Email: olwen.ellis@pmguk.co.uk
Addictions scholarships
Lung cancer research

The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation
invites applications for the following
opportunities:
pilot grants, worth up to 25,000 each
over one year. Web id: 1171019
project grants, worth up to 150,000
each over two years. Web id: 1171020
Email: grants@roycastle.org
Anglo-Danish scholarships
The Anglo-Danish Society invites applications for its scholarships. These support
UK students who are undertaking postgraduate studies or research at HEIs or
universities in Denmark related to the
built environment, or Danish postgraduates who are studying at universities or
HEIs in the UK in the same field. Scholarships are worth at least 1,500 each.
Web id: 208771
Email: scholarships@
anglo-danishsociety.org.uk
Endocrinology fellowships
The European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology, supported by Novo Nordisk
A/S, Denmark, invites nominations for its
research fellowships. These enable young
paediatricians or scientists to undertake
research training in a paediatric endocrinology centre of excellence.
Web id: 174830
Email: espe@eurospe.org
Animals in research
The National Centre for the Replacement,
Refinement and Reduction of Animals
in Research (NC3Rs), in collaboration
with Innovate UK, invites applications
for its CRACK IT challenges competition.
This encourages collaborations between
The Scottish Rock Garden Club invites

applications for its exploration fund
grants. These support undertaking of
trips related to rock garden plants. Grants
Web id: 1177575
Contact: Carol Shaw
Email: findhorncarol@icloud.com
Breast Cancer Now invites applications for

its pilot grants. These enable researchers
to test new hypotheses in order to generate preliminary data to support a full
project grant application in the field of
breast cancer research. Grants are worth
up to 25,000 for up to one year.
Web id: 255713
Email: grants_admin@
breastcancernow.org
Optometry awards
The College of Optometrists invites applications for the following opportunities:
postgraduate scholarships, worth
18,609 outside London and 20,609
within London. Web id: 1177197
research fellowships, worth up to
30,000 each. Web id: 1177196
Email: researchteam@
college-optometrists.org
The Society for the Study of Addiction

invites applications for its travelling
scholarships. These enable younger members of the society to travel to international meetings, laboratories or clinics
in order to further their training. Scholarships are worth up to 2,500 each.
Web id: 212842
Contact: Graham Hunt
Kidney disease
Newton mobility grants 1
Women's health research
The British Academy invites applications

for the Newton mobility grants. These
enable researchers, based in a country
covered by the Newton Fund, to establish and develop collaboration with UK
researchers around a research project.
Grants are worth up to 10,000 for one
year for researchers in Brazil, Mexico,
South Africa, Turkey and Malaysia, and
up to 20,000 for researchers in Thailand.
Web id: 1186800
Email: newtonfund@britac.ac.uk
RAEng Newton exchanges

The Royal Academy of Engineering invites
applications for the Newton research
collaboration programme. This facilitates exchanges between engineering
researchers in the UK and their counterparts in Brazil, Turkey and Malaysia for a
duration of three to 12 months. Awards
are worth 2,000 per month.
Web id: 1181861
Contact: Sarah Plumb
Email: sarah.plumb@raeng.org.uk
Clinical lecturers grants

collaboration with the Wellcome Trust,
the Medical Research Council, the British
Heart Foundation, Arthritis Research UK,
Prostate Cancer UK and the Royal College
Kidney Research UK invites applications

for its research project grants. These
support projects that advance knowledge
of kidney disease and refine current treatments or lead to new advances. Grants are
Web id: 210675
Email: grants@kidneyresearchuk.org
Wellbeing of Women, in association with

the Royal College of Midwives and the Burdett Trust for Nursing, invites applications
for the following opportunities:
entry-level research scholarships,
Web id: 260835
international fellowship for midwives,
Web id: 1175061
Contact: Philip Matusavage
Email: pmatusavage@
wellbeingofwomen.org.uk
Newton mobility grants 2

The British Academy, via the Newton fund,
invites applications for their international
fellowships. These enable early-stage
postdoctoral researchers from Brazil,
Mexico, South Africa and Turkey in the
fields of social sciences and the humanities to work at UK research institutions
with the aim of fostering long-term international collaborations. Fellowships are
worth up to 66,000 each over two years.
Web id: 1186801
Email: newtonfund@britac.ac.uk
Sculpture study grants

The Henry Moore Foundation invites
applications for the following grants:
conferences, lectures and publica-
Jobs
Policy, Management & Support plus Expert Committees
Highlights
Departmental Research
Coordinator 41,844-49,362
Wellcome Trust Centre for
Neuroimaging,
UCL Institute of Neurology
Closing date: 31/01/2016
Email: ion.hradmin@ucl.ac.uk
jobs 11
27 January 2016
In the spotlight: the drama of patient

involvement in research
Most researchers will have faced rejection by by Lindsay McKenzielmnews@ResearchResearch.com

grants panels, but its unlikely that many will
have seen a play depicting the process.
playwright, an advisory board of experts, members
But thats a core theme of People Are Messy, a of the public, patients and carers.
comedy drama for school children aged 14 and up,
Louise Locock, director of applied research for
Director, Institute for Global
which explores the practical, ethical and social issues the Health Experiences Research Group at the
Food Security
NS
of involving patients and the public in research.
Nuffield Department of primary care health sciences
Queen's University Belfast
The play begins with a consultant who is rejected at the University of Oxford, sat on the plays advisory
for a research grant after failing to demonstrate a board. She was asked to be involved after she had
Email: j.woodside@qub.ac.uk
sufficient commitment to public engagementthis carried out studies on researchers and patients
is a condition of funding for National Institute for take on public involvement in research. She found
Programme Manager Research
Health Research. Determined to succeed next time, that a major issue, which is reflected in the play,
Funding
the consultant asks two boys with a rare blood is the tendency of researchers to think about the
37,024-43,520 (plus LW)
disorder to get involved, and the play follows the issue too late in the process or in a superficial way.
NC3Rs
boys vastly different reactions.
Some researchers are really enthusiastic about
The
point
is
not
to
present
a
particular
viewpoint
public
and patient involvement, while others are
Email: recruit@nc3rs.org.uk
on patient involvement but rather to try to set out less so, says Locock. As a researcher herself, she
Principal Research Scientist
the debate around this area so that young people says that she understands that it can be burdensome
(Smart Cities)
c. 45,000
can understand it and perhaps think through what and tricky to do well. And, as the play shows, its not
Ordnance Survey
it could mean for them, says Sophie Petit-Zeman, always easy to find people to take part.
the director of patient involvement at the NIHR
However, she thinks that the play could be one
Email: jeremy.morley@os.uk
Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, which is part- way to reach out out. Enabling people to think
funding the play with the Wellcome Trust.
about the process of medical research is really
Research Manager
The process of creating the play was quite a important, she says. Its about empowerment,
50,481-58,069 (inc LW)
journey, says artistic director Nigel Townsend. and by understanding health and medicine better, I
School of Oriental and African
It began with discussions between his company, hope people will realise they can have a stake in it.
Studies (SOAS)
Theatre of Debate, and the Oxford research centre,
Two public performances of People Are Messy
which came up with the main topic. To get the will take place on 10 and 12 February at the John
Details: www.soas.ac.uk/jobs
full script, the team held a workshop with the Radcliffe Hospital in Headington.
Research Excellence Manager
41,576-49,094 (inc LW)
Leadership initiative takes women to Antarctica
SOAS
Seventy-eight female scientists from across the by Lindsay McKenzielmnews@ResearchResearch.com
globe have been selected to take part in intensive
Contracts Manager (0.5 fte)
leadership training on a 20-day trip to Antarctica. Institute; and Andrea Fidgett, a nutritionist at
41,576-49,094 (inc LW)
The Homeward Bound project, which couples Chester Zoo.
SOAS
leadership training with climate research, is the
Pardo says that when she took maternity leave
brainchild of Australian entrepreneur Fabian she asked herself a lot of questions. Did I want to
Research Information Systems
Dattner. She had the idea for after training a group drop out of research or did I want to keep fighting,
Manager
41,576-49,094
of academics from the University of Tasmanias like the few role models that we see around us? She
(inc LW)
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies.
hopes that the expedition group will gain the skills
SOAS
Theres a joke in polar science that you have to to become role models for the next generation of
have a beard to get promoted, but it can be true, female scientists.
she says. There was one woman I met who was a
But the expedition comes with a hefty price tag:
Group Leader/Senior Research
massively experienced Antarctic researchershes each participant must raise 10,000 to cover travel,
Scientist Primary Liver Cancer
been there 20 times and is a specialist in penguin training and the production of a TV documentary
NS
populationsbut a guy has been promoted above about the trip. Pardo says fundraising is a challenge,
Foundation for Liver Research
her whos never even been there.
but one she enjoys. Im already networking and
Dattner says that, although the endless stories learning how to communicate better.
Email: n.day@researchinliver.
of female researchers being overlooked were
Miller says that in addition to polar science
org.uk
frustrating, she found them motivational.
the group will be working on a range of research
Group Leader/Senior Research
Her aim is to build a 1,000-strong network of projects, such as how women influence global
Scientist Mechanisms of Liver
leading women in science in the next 10 years that climate change policy.
Cell Injury 49,230-57,047
will also help protect our home, studying the
This is the first round of the scheme and Miller says
Foundation for Liver Research
effects of climate change on the planet.
that it can sometimes feel a bit like leaping into the
Three scientists based in the UK were chosen void, but that it has been incredibly inspiring. I do
for
the expedition: Deborah Pardo, a postdoc at think this will have a huge impact on my career, even
For more details and the complete
the British Antarctic Survey; Raeanne Miller, a just in terms of self-belief, she says. Luckily I dont
list of jobs, please visit:
www.researchresearch.com/jobs
knowledge exchange fellow at the Scottish Marine get too seasick, so I think Ill be OK.
12 jobs
Director, Institute for Global

Food Security
Ref: 15/104302
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
Queens University Belfast is seeking an outstanding individual to lead its
Institute for Global Food Security.
Queens University is one of the UKs leading Higher Education Institutions.
A member of the Russell Group, it is a research intensive, international centre
of education. Founded in 1845, with over 17,000 students and 3,500 staff, it
is a magnet for inward investment and a global player across a wide range of
academic disciplines.
The Institute for Global Food Security is recognised nationally and internationally
for its research excellence as clearly demonstrated by its performance in REF2014.
The strategic importance of the Institute to the University has been demonstrated
by a 45M investment in infrastructure and new appointments to support its
further development as a global leader in food security research.
The successful candidate will lead a dynamic research environment at an exciting
time to further advance the Institute and the Facultys research
profile internationally.
The Director will report to the Faculty Pro Vice Chancellor and will play a key role
in providing effective and efficient leadership and management of the Institute in
the context of the Universitys corporate plan.
This is a permanent professorial position with the Director role undertaken for five
years with the possibility of reappointment for a further five year period.
For further information on the post please contact Professor Jayne Woodside,
email: j.woodside@qub.ac.uk or telephone: 028 9097 8942.
Anticipated interview date: will be held at the end of February 2016
Salary: The salary will be negotiable within the Professorial Salary Range,
commensurate with the responsibilities of the post and the qualifications,
experience and current salary of the successful applicant.
Closing date: Monday 1 February 2016
Please visit our website for further information and to apply online www.qub.ac.uk/jobs or alternatively contact the address below.
The University is committed to equality of opportunity and to selection on merit.
It therefore welcomes applications from all sections of society and particularly
welcomes applications from people with a disability.
Personnel Department
Belfast, BT7 1NN.
Tel (028) 90973044
E-mail on personnel@qub.ac.uk
A Russell Group university: one of the UKs leading

research-intensive universities.
CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND

EVIDENCE ON SECURITY THREATS
1.25m call for research on understanding, mitigating

and countering security threats
The Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST) is commissioning up to 1.25m
for research on understanding, mitigating and countering security threats.
CREST conducts, commissions and communicates unclassified research on a broad programme,
including on violent ideologies and actors, online behaviour, effective interviewing, and protective
security. CREST is funded by the UKs security and intelligence agencies in partnership with the UKs
Economic and Social Research Council.
Applicants are invited to submit proposals for activities that address areas of both theoretical and
practical importance, including workshops, and research projects of short and longer duration.
These projects could include high quality synthesis and communication of existing research, and
original empirical research involving all forms of qualitative and quantitative analysis, including case
studies, proof-of-concept studies, and methodological developments.
More details of CRESTs commissioning activities can be found at www.crestresearch.ac.uk/commissioning.
The deadline for applications is 5 February 2016.
jobs 13
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:
Job Opportunities in SOAS expanding

Research and Enterprise Directorate
SOAS is expanding its Research and Enterprise
Directorate (REO) and is looking for experienced
professionals in research award management, who will
lead on key aspects of the strategic development of the
team and its operations. The growing REO will provide a
cohesive, effective and proactive service across SOAS.
Job opportunities available are:
Research Information Systems Manager
Research Post-Award Officer
Contracts Manager (part-time, 0.5 FTE)
Research Excellence Manager
Research Manager
Visit www.soas.ac.uk/jobs for further information
sales@researchresearch.com
Research funding available

in health economics
The Health Foundation is seeking a provider to undertake
a programme of research into health and social care funding
trends, innovations and public acceptability in the UK.
300,000 available for research completed over two years.
Are you interested?
The closing date for applications is
Monday 7 March 2016.
www.health.org.uk/fundingoptions
HF funding advert AW.indd 1
13/01/2016 13:41
14 jobs
Programme Manager Research Funding

Salary 37,024 - 43,520, plus London allowances
London NW1
We are seeking an experienced individual to manage
and develop our research funding schemes, which
drive the creation of new research models, tools and
approaches with reduced reliance on animal use
and/or improved animal welfare (the 3Rs).
The role also involves monitoring the progress of
funded research and working collaboratively with
award holders to maximise dissemination and
uptake of 3Rs advances.
Application deadline:
Thursday 4 February 2016
Further information: www.nc3rs.org.uk/vacancies2015
Policy Research Programme:

Call for Applications
The Department of Health Policy Research
Programme invites applications in the
following areas:
1. Creating dementia friendly communities
a policy evaluation
2. Supporting a culture of openness in the
NHS a policy evaluation
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 dates for the above calls.
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

tions grants, worth up to 5,000 each.
Web id: 1157850
small research grants, worth up to
2,500 each. Web id: 1174482
Intensive care grants

The Intensive Care Society invites applications for its new investigator awards.
These are intended to be pump-priming
grants that will lead to more substantial
support from other grant-giving bodies. Equal weighting is given to clinical
research and laboratory-based projects.
Grants are worth up to 15,000 each.
Web id: 211290
Email: foundationics.ac.uk
Historical research awards

The Institute of Historical Research
opportunities:
the Scouloudi historical awards publication awards, worth up to 1,000 each.
Web id: 1170240
the Scouloudi historical research
awards, worth up to 1,000 each.
Web id: 211511
Email: ihr.fellowships@sas.ac.uk
Applied microbiology fund

The Society for Applied Microbiology
invites applications for its president's
fund. This assists members with presenting at scientific meetings or attending
workshops related to their area of work.
Web id: 202163
Email: julie@sfam.org.uk
Anaesthetics grants
The International Relations Committee of
the Association of Anaesthetists of Great
Britain and Ireland invite applications for
the following opportunities:
project grants. Web id: 1176027
travel grants, worth up to 1,000
Email: info@aagbi.org
BBSRC follow-on funding

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council invites outline
proposals for the following calls:
standard follow-on funding, worth up
to 200,000 per project. Web id: 259759
super follow-on funding, worth up to
1.6million per project.
Web id: 1165069
Email: mary.mcdonagh@bbsrc.ac.uk
Canadian studies
The Canada-UK Foundation invites applications for its awards for travel to Canada.
These enable faculty and doctoral students pursuing Canadianist research in
UK universities to make a research visit
to Canada. Awards are worth 1,000 each.
Web id: 1171924
Contact: Rick Bastiani
Email: rick@canadaukfoundation.org
NIHR NHS interventions

The Department of Health's National
Institute for Health Research invites
applications for its researcher-led work-
stream under the efficacy and mechanism

evaluation programme. This supports
research into interventions based in or
used by the NHS and its partners, including clinical trials and evaluative studies
of novel and repurposed interventions.
Web id: 260392
Email: info@eme.ac.uk
Leukaemia research
The Lady Tata Memorial Trust invites
applications for its international awards
for research in leukaemia. These support
studies on leukaemogenic agents, as well
as on the epidemiology, pathogenesis,
immunology and genetic basis of leukaemia, and related diseases. Awards are
tenable for one year. Each award is usually
worth up to 35,000 per year.
Web id: 202132
Space studies
The UK Space Agency invites applications
for the following oppportunities:
MSc in space studies programme
scholarships, with a total budget of
30,000. Web id: 1161740
nine-week space studies programme
scholarships. Web id: 1161739
Email: info@ukspaceagency.bis.gsi.
gov.uk
NERC marine renewables

The Natural Environment Research Council invites proposals for a knowledge
exchange fellowship in marine renewable
energy. This supports links between UK
academics and businesses within the
marine renewable energy community,
as well as with relevant regulators and
policy makers. The fellowship is worth up
to 40,000 over three years.
Web id: 1187385
Contact: Lynne Porter
Email: lyn@nerc.ac.uk
Alzheimer's fellowships
The Alzheimer's Society invites applications for its clinician and healthcare
professionals training fellowships. These
enable practising professionals, working
in dementia health and care services,
to undertake study towards a higher
research degree, usually a PhD. Fellowships are worth up to 225,000 each over
three years.
Web id: 1169483
Email: grantenquiries@alzheimers.org.
uk
Alzheimer's research
The Alzheimer's Society invites applications for the following fellowships:
junior fellowships, worth up to
225,000 over three years.
Web id: 1169481
PhD studentships, worth up to
85,000 over three years, or up to
91,000 for students in London.
Web id: 258082
project grants, worth up to 400,000
each over three years. Web id: 181121
senior fellowships, worth up to
400,000 over four years.
Web id: 1180716
Email: grantenquiries@alzheimers.
org.uk
Materials science prize

The Worshipful Company of Armourers
and Brasiers invites applications for its
venture prize. This supports the early
commercialisation of research in materials science, which has clear commercial
potential. The prize is worth 25,000.
Web id: 1170012
Email: charities@armourershall.co.uk
Radiology travel to India

The Royal College of Radiologists invites
applications for the Prafulla Kumar Ganguli professorship. This enables clinical
radiologists or oncologists to visit India to
provide local teaching and training, and
to participate in postgraduate meetings.
The professorship is worth up to 6,000.
Web id: 1165744
Email: qatraining@rcr.ac.uk
NIHR research for patients

The National Institute for Health Research
invites applications for its research for
patient benefit programme, including
themed calls. Funding supports research
that directly benefits users of the NHS in
England, as well as the themed call on
the prevention and treatment of obesity.
Web id: 1187889
Email: rfpb@nihr-ccf.ac.uk
Innovate UK low carbon tech

Innovate UK, the Advanced Propulsion
Centre and the Department for Business,
Innovation & Skills invite registrations
for the fifth round of their APC competition on driving UK capability through
low carbon propulsion technologies. This
supports collaborative R&D projects that
deliver significant reductions in vehicle
emissions compared to current best-inclass technologies, and aim to develop
the UK's supply chain in the field in order
to develop on-vehicle technologies for
either on-road or off-road vehicles. Projects may receive up to 40million each.
Web id: 1185083
Email: support@innovateuk.gov.uk
British theatre research

The Society for Theatre Research invites
applications for its research awards. These
support projects on the history and practice of British theatre. Awards are worth
up to 1,000 each.
Web id: 190455
Email: awards@str.org.uk
Child health projects

Action Medical Research for Children
invites outline proposals for its project
grants. These support medical research on
the prevention and treatment of disease
and disability in child health, including
problems affecting pregnancy, childbirth,
babies, children and young people. Grants
Web id: 259674
Email: info@action.org
Wellcome studentships
The Wellcome Trust invites applications
for its doctoral studentships in humanities and social science. These enable
individuals to undertake a humanities or

social science doctoral degree in any area
of human and animal health.
Web id: 200012
Email: hssgrants@wellcome.ac.uk
AHRC anniversary essays final

The Arts and Humanities Research Council
invites submissions for its anniversary
essay competition. This recognises essays
linked to a debate series focusing on the
theme of the way we live now. The prize
is worth 250 per debate. Each winning
essay will also be considered for the
overall prize of 500.
Web id: 1185415
Email: t.russell@ahrc.ac.uk
Critical care nursing awards

The British Association of Critical Care
Nurses invites applications for its grants
and scholarships. These aim to enhance
skills, knowledge and competence in critical care nursing to improve patient care
and outcomes. Grants of up to 500 and
scholarships of up to 2,000 are available
for attendance at conferences, practice
development and research.
Web id: 251192
Email: baccn@baccn.org
Shoulder and elbow

The British Elbow and Shoulder Society
invites applications for its pump-priming
research grants. These support clinical
projects on shoulder and elbow disorders.
Web id: 1170234
Email: office@bess.org.uk
Infection awards
The British Infection Association invites
applications for its travel awards. These
support travel to major national or international meetings in order to present
original research where an abstract has
already been accepted. Awards are worth
up to 1,000 each.
Web id: 204736
Email: scientificresearch@
britishinfection.org
Pharmacology awards
The British Pharmacological Society
invites nominations for the the following awards:
the AstraZeneca prize for women in
pharmacology, worth 1,000.
Web id: 1157789
the Gaddum memorial award, worth
1,000. Web id: 180257
the Rang prize, worth 1,000.
Web id: 1176491
Middle East scholarships

The British Society for Middle Eastern
Studies and the Abdullah Al-Mubarak
Al-Sabah Foundation invite applications
for their scholarships. These encourage
indivdiuals to pursue postgraduate studies in disciplines related to the Middle East
in British universities. Scholarships are
worth 2,000 each over one year.
Web id: 1157791
Email: a.l.haysey@dur.ac.uk
Canadian studies
The Canada-UK Foundation invites applications for the following opportunities:
conference support awards, worth up
to 1,500 each. Web id: 1171925
outreach awards, worth up to 5,000
Email: rick@canadaukfoundation.org
Paediatric hepatology
The Children's Liver Disease Foundation
invites applications for its small grants
research programme. This provides support for pilot studies, equipment and
social and nursing research in the field of
paediatric hepatology. Grants are worth
up to 5,000 each.
Web id: 254770
Email: info@childliverdisease.org
UK-Japan collaboration
The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation
opportunities:
awards, worth up to 15,000 each.
Web id: 207788
small grants, worth up to 7,000
each.Web id: 199439
Email: grants@dajf.org.uk
Fuel poverty bursaries

The Eaga Charitable Trust invites applications for its master's bursaries. These
encourage master's students to conduct
research and write dissertations related
to fuel poverty issues in the EU. Bursaries
are worth 2,000 each.
Web id: 1166480
Contact: Naomi Brown
Endocrinology meeting grant

The European Society of Endocrinology
invites applications for its small meeting
grant. This supports the organisation of
an endocrine-related meeting, such as
a symposium, workshop, conference or
training course. The grant is worth up to
2,500 (1,900).
Web id: 1179002
Email: info@euro-endo.org
Religious education research

The Hockerill Foundation invites applications for the following opportunities:
grants for individuals.
Web id: 1160691
grants for organisations.
Web id: 1160692
Email: info@hockerillfoundation.org.uk
History fellowships 2
The Institute of Historical Research and
the Past & Present Society invite applications for their fellowships. These enable
postdoctoral investigators to undertake
research in any area of social history at
the institute. The award is worth approximately 40,000.
Web id: 211537
Email: ihr.reception@sas.ac.uk
Mechanical engineering
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers
invites nominations for the following
awards:

award for risk reduction in mechanical
engineering, worth 1,500.
Web id: 252816
the James Clayton prize, worth up to
10,000. Web id: 252788
the Verena Winifred Holmes award,
worth 3,000. Web id: 252829
Contact: Karen Frost
Email: awards@imeche.org
Palaeontology award
The Palaeontological Association invites
nominations for the Hodson award. This
recognises a palaeontologist who has
made notable early contributions to the
science. The award is worth 1,000.
Web id: 206217
Email: secretary@palass.org
Scottish horticulture
The Scottish Rock Garden Club invites
applications for its grants via the Diana
Aitchison fund. This supports young people who are looking to make a career in
horticulture and further their knowledge
of alpine plants. Grants are typically worth
up to 2,000 each.
Web id: 1161355
Contact: Julia Corden
Email: grants@srgc.org.uk
Radiology grants
The Society for Radiological Protection
invites applications for its educational
project support grants. These support
candidates undertaking a project in the
field of radiological protection. Grants
are worth between 100 and 3,000 each.
Web id: 1174262
Email: admin@srp-uk.org
Study of addiction
The Society for the Study of Addiction
invites applications for its PhD studentships scheme. This enables candidates to
pursue a PhD in addiction science hosted
at an appropriate organisation which
furthers the aims of the society. Studentships are worth up to 22,915 each.
Web id: 1175799
Email: graham.hunt@nhs.net
Natural resources
The Tropical Agriculture Association
invites submissions for its master's
awards. These enable master's students
in natural resource subjects to undertake
overseas visits relevant to their studies.
Awards are worth up to 1,000 each.
Web id: 1173275
Email: secretary_taaf@taa.org.uk
to exchange experience. 75 per cent of

costs are covered by the agency.
Web id: 1188168
Email: empollex@emsa.europa.eu
No deadline [147]
Respiratory awards
The European Respiratory Society invites
applications for the following opportunities:
travel grants for best abstracts in
patient centred research, worth 1,500
(1,200) each. Web id: 1188498
grants for the best abstracts in allied
health professionals, worth 1,000 each.
Web id: 1188497
Orthopaedic congress awards

The International Society of Orthopaedic
Surgery and Traumatology rewards a
number of congress presenters at the
orthopaedic world congress. Awards vary
between free registration for orthopaedic
courses and cash prizes of up to 800.
Web id: 1188308
Email: congress@sicot.org
Cardiology conference grants

The European Society of Cardiology invites
applications for its congress educational
grants. These enable professionals who
have little or no access to funding, or
difficulties with obtaining financial assistance, to attend the European Society of
Cardiology Congress 2016 in Rome. Grants
are worth 1,000 (770) each.
Web id: 1188526
Email: congress@escardio.org
EU health and safety

The Directorate-General for Health and
Food Safety invites tenders for a study on
the management of occupational safety
and health in European workplaces. The
tenderer will further analyse the data on
management of health and safety that
were gathered through the second European survey of enterprises on new and
emerging risks (Esener-2). The contract is
worth 80,000 (61,800) over 19 months.
Web id: 1188334
Email: procurement-pru@osha.europa.
eu
EU migration and mobility
New opportunities from European funders,

excluding funders based in the UK.
The Directorate-General for Development

and Cooperation (EuropeAid) invites concept notes for the implementation of the
Rome programme Rabat process. This
aims to promote effective governance of
migration and mobility and to enhance
the positive impact of the increased
regional and global migration and mobility of people on economic, social and
environmental development. Funding
is worth up to 2million (1.55m) per
action over 24 to 36 months.
Web id: 1188452
Email: europeaid-150632@ec.europa.eu
EU marine pollution
EU neurodegeneration
The European Maritime Safety Agency

invites applications for its marine pollution expert exchange programme. This
enables experts in the field of at-sea
pollution preparedness and response to
visit foreign centres of expertise in order
The EU Joint Programme for Neurodegenerative Disease Research invites proposals

for its joint transnational call on harmonisation and alignment in brain imaging
methods for neurodegeneration. This
addresses issues of key relevance for the
europe
highlights
future use of brain imagingtechniques

in neurodegeneration research. Grants
are worth up to 50,000 (38,600) each.
Web id: 1187770
Email: constanze.hahn@dlr.de
EU nanoelectronics
EUREKA's cluster for micro and nanoelectronics, Penta, invites project outlines for
its first joint call. This supports research,
development and innovation in areas
of micro and nanoelectronics enabled
systems and applications, where there is
national and industrial interest.
Web id: 1185999
Email: penta@aeneas-office.eu
EU antimicrobial resistance
The Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance invites applications
for its joint call on transmission dynamics. This aims to combine the resources,
infrastructures and research strengths
of multiple countries in order to address
transmission of antibiotic resistance following a one health approach. The total
budget is worth 30million (23.2m).
Web id: 1186215
Email: barbara.junker@dlr.de
EU animal production
ERA-NET SusAn, with the support of the
European Commission, invites proposals for its joint call on sustainable animal production. This aims to mobilise
resources and motivate different actors
to cooperate in transnational research
consortia towards the development of a
more sustainable animal production sector in Europe. Total national contributions
are worth up to 16.9million (13.1m),
topped up with 4m from the Commission.
Web id: 1187900
Contact: Katerina Kotzia
Email: k.kotzia@fz-juelich.de
Orthopaedic fellowship
Surgery and Traumatology invites applications for its SICOT meets SICOT fellowship programme. This allows surgeons
to undertake a fellowship at a centre of
excellence. The fellowship is worth up to
2,500 (1,900).
Web id: 1188289
Email: fellowships@sicot.org
Sustainable energy
KIC InnoEnergy invites proposals for its
call on sustainable energy. This aims to
accelerate the route of new sustainable
energy concepts to market, by supporting
innovators in developing their business
concepts, strengthening their business
models and building expert teams.
Web id: 1188504
EU H2020 fuel cells

The European Commission Horizon
2020: Societal Challenges, and the Fuel
Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking,
invite proposals for their H2020-JTIFCH-2016-1 FCH2 JU call. Proposals may
address a variety of topics within fuel
cells and hydrogen technology, including transport applications, overarching

projects and cross-cutting activities. The
total budget is 117.5million (90.8m).
Web id: 1188514
Deadline: 3 May 2016 [161]
Multiple sclerosis grant
Renewed opportunities from European

funders, excluding funders based in the UK.
Merck invites applications for its multiple

sclerosis innovation grant. This encourages translational research projects to
improve understanding of MS for the
benefit of patients. A grant of 1million
(763,200) is available to fund one or
more projects.
Web id: 1182663
Email: gmsi@merckgroup.com
Respiratory awards
EU measure civil society
europe
other
The European Respiratory Society invites

best abstract grant for healthy lungs
for life, worth 2,000 (1,500).
Web id: 1183126
excellence grant in clinical physiology
and exercise, worth 1,500.
Web id: 1171467
grant for best abstract in bacterial
pneumonia, worth 1,500.
Web id: 1183127
grant for best abstract in noninvasive
ventilator grant, worth 1,000.
Web id: 261090
grant for best non-cystic fibrosis
bronchiectasis abstract, worth 1,500.
Web id: 1177173
interventional pulmonology travel
grants, worth 1,000 each.
Web id: 1157922
travel grant for best abstract in lung
transplantation, worth 1,000.
Web id: 261106
travel grants for best abstracts in
pulmonary rehabilitation and chronic
care, worth up to 1,250 each.
Web id: 1171470
young researcher grant in respiratory
infection aetiological diagnosis, worth
1,500. Web id: 261110
Diabetes mellitus prize

The European Association for the Study
of Diabetes invites nominations for the
Minkowski prize. This recogninses publications which contribute to the advancement of knowledge concerning diabetes
mellitus. The prize is worth 20,000
(15,300), plus travel expenses.
Web id: 209555
Email: simon.mueller@easd.org
Diabetes visits
The Danish Diabetes Academy invites
applications for its visiting scientist
scholarships. These encourage collaboration between Danish and international
research groups within the field of diabetes. Scholarships cover expenses of
visiting Denmark for up to six months.
Web id: 1177437
Email: tore.christiansen@rsyd.dk
Anaesthesiology network
The European Society of Anaesthesiology
invites proposals for its clinical trial network studies grants. These support studies
that aim to improve the care of patients
in the fields of anaesthesiology, intensive
care, perioperative medicine, emergency
medicine and pain medicine. Grants are
worth up to 30,000 (22,900) each.
Web id: 260961
Email: research@esahq.org
The Education, Audiovisual and Culture

Executive Agency invites proposals for
civil society projects under its Europe
for citizens programme. This call supports transnational partnership projects
promoting opportunities for solidarity,
societal engagement and volunteering
at union level. Grants are worth up to
150,000 (114,500) each.
Web id: 1183155
Email: eacea-c1-civilsociety@ec.europa.
eu
Spinal conditions award

The Spine Society of Europe invites applications for its full paper award. This
recognises the best paper that promotes
best practice in the management of spinal
conditions. The prize is worth 10,000
(7,600).
Web id: 183187
Email: info@eurospine.org
Theme group fellowships

The Netherlands Institute for Advanced
Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences and the Lorentz Center invite proposals for the NIAS-Lorentz theme group
programme. This enables members to collaborate on a research topic that bridges
the humanities or social sciences with the
natural sciences or technology.
Web id: 1177468
Email: nick.den.hollander@nias.knaw.nl
Humanities research retreats

The Paris Institute for Advanced Studies invites applications for its residency
fellowships. These enable established
scholars and scientists in the fields of the
humanities, social sciences and related
fields to work freely on a project of their
choice while benefiting from the scientific
environment of the institute and creating
contacts with researchers in Paris.
Web id: 1173016
Email: candidature@paris-iea.fr
Polio eradication
The World Health Organization invites
proposals through its global polio eradication initiative for research projects
that will significantly contribute to polio
eradication. Projects may receive up to
US$300,000 (211,300) each.
Web id: 1158074
Email: polioresearch@who.int
Rheumatology awards
The European League Against Rheumatism invites applications for the following
opportunities:
educational visits for health professionals in rheumatology bursaries, worth
up to 1,500 (1,100) each.

Web id: 187640
scientific training bursaries, worth up
to 7,000 each. Web id: 254719
Email: gabriela.kluge@eular.org
Gastroenterology awards
United European Gastroenterology invites
top abstract prizes, worth 10,000
(7,600) each. Web id: 1171402
travel grants for basic scientists,
worth 1,000 each. Web id: 251332
travel grants, worth 1,000 each.
Web id: 251330
Email: office@ueg.eu
Orthopaedic congress awards

Surgery and Traumatology invites applications for the Marcela Uribe Zamudio
awards. These encourage young female
researchers and clinicians. Two prizes,
worth US$1,000 (700) each, are available.
Web id: 1161102
Email: awards@sicot.org
rest of world
Opportunities from funders outside of the
UK, Europe and the US.
Anti-doping research
The World Anti-Doping Agency invites
applications for its research grants. These
support projects in the anti-doping field,
with priority given to projects with direct
and imminent applicability in the fight
against doping in sport.
Web id: 197942
Contact: Violet Maziar
Taxation and business law

The University of New South Wales' School
of Taxation and Business Law invites
applications for its research fellowships.
These support international academics
who are keen to further their research
in the field of taxation, business law and
related disciplines. Fellowships are worth
up to AU$5,000 (2,500) each.
Web id: 256315
Email: ataxfellows@unsw.edu.au
Maternal and newborn health

Grand Challenges Canada, together with
the Agency for International Development (USAID), the Government of
Norway, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Department for International
Development and the Korea International
Cooperation Agency, invites applications
for the sixth round of saving lives at birth
a grand challenge for development. This
supports innovations and approaches
that aim to reduce infant and maternal
mortality and prevent stillbirth around
the time of birth. Funding is worth up
to US$2million (1.41m) for two to
four years.
Web id: 1184000
Email: info@grandchallenges.ca
usa
nih
Opportunities from the National Institutes
of Health. Recurring NIH calls include the
next closing date only.
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research small research grants for
data analysis and statistical methodology applied to genome-wide data (R03)
NIH ref: PAR-16-070
Web id: 260703
Behavioural and integrative treatment
development programme (R03)
NIH ref: PA-16-074
Web id: 169452
Behavioural and integrative treatment
development programme (R34)
NIH ref: PA-16-073
Web id: 259053
Research using biosamples and subjects
from type 1 diabetes clinical studies
complications (DP3)
NIH ref: RFA-DK-15-019
Web id: 1187143
Effects of drugs of abuse on latent HIV reservoirs in the central nervous system (R01)
NIH ref: RFA-DA-16-014
Web id: 1187991
Novel assays to address translational gaps
in treatment development (UG3/UH3)
NIH ref: PAR-16-065
Web id: 1188209
Paediatric diagnostic biomarkers for active pulmonary TB disease (R01)
NIH ref: RFA-AI-15-057
Web id: 1187777
BRAIN initiative: early-stage research
for large-scale recording and modulation in the nervous system (R21)
NIH ref: RFA-EY-16-001
Web id: 1183577
Small-cell lung cancer consortium: innovative approaches to the prevention and
early detection (U01)
NIH ref: PAR-16-051
Web id: 1187965
Small-cell lung cancer consortium: therapeutic development and mechanisms of
resistance (U01)
NIH ref: PAR-16-049
Web id: 1187966
B cell immunology programme for HIV-1
vaccine development (R01)
Web id: 1187323
Systems biology approaches in HIV or
Aids and substance use (R01)
NIH ref: RFA-DA-16-013
Web id: 1188031
International centres of excellence for
malaria research (U19)
Web id: 1187426
18 funding news
usa
other
US funding opportunities available to UK
researchers.
Department of State global biosecurity

engagement activities
Web id: 1187596
American Museum of Natural History
Theodore Roosevelt memorial grant
Web id: 197020
American Society of Mechanical Engineers Gustus L Larson memorial award
Web id: 199035
American Society of Mechanical Engineers Pi Tau Sigma gold medal
Web id: 199083
American Society of Pharmacognosy
D John Faulkner travel award
Web id: 1172374
Matt Suffness award
Web id: 1172375
research starter grants
Web id: 1172370
student research award
Web id: 1172378
BMI Foundation/Woody Guthrie Foundation Woody Guthrie fellowship
Web id: 173546
International Anesthesia Research Society mentored research awards
Web id: 1170932
International Union of Pure and Applied
Chemistry/Chemical Works of Gedeon
Richter prize
Web id: 1175577
Medieval Academy of America dissertation grants
Web id: 200570
Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort
Piece/Link
Foundation
graduate
research fellowships
Web id: 193623
Society of Economic Geologists Foundation Hickok-Radford fund
Web id: 194301
Society of Economic Geologists Foundation Hugh E McKinstry fund
Web id: 209467
Society of Economic Geologists Foundation Hugo T Dummett mineral discovery
fund
Web id: 209463
Society of Economic Geologists Foundation Newmont/Mining Corporation student grant contribution
Web id: 209464
policy diary
February
23 AMRC: Developing New Funding
Schemes, London.
http://rsrch.co/1UQIjMW
Universities UK: Developing
Your Access Agreement 201718, London.
http://rsrch.co/1FHV3hR
25 WBF: The Future for Biometric
Data and Technology in the UK,
London.
http://rsrch.co/1LeFGzQ
WHEF: Extending the Global
Reach of UK universities, London http://rsrch.co/1MOMiX9
March
1 AMRC: Research Managers
Working Group, London.
http://rsrch.co/1S9lRAj
HEFCE: UK Interdisciplinary
Research Landscape Workshop,
Manchester.
http://rsrch.co/1JoNdBi.
WHEF: The Future for the Catapult Network, London
http://rsrch.co/1LhAUG8.
EPSRC: Council Meeting,
London. To 2.
http://rsrch.co/1G7t0IJ
15 HEPI: Challenger Institutions
Useful Competition or Unhelpful Disruption? London.
http://rsrch.co/1SE8okJ
April
7 WHEF: Next Steps for Postgraduate Research: Funding, Student Experience and Transition
to Post-Doctoral Roles, London.
http://rsrch.co/1QZN0FO
12 WHEF: Improving Graduate
Employability, London.
http://rsrch.co/1QDrEia
14 WHEF: The Future of STEM
Subjects in HE, London.
http://rsrch.co/1HhJXXr
18 WHEF: Implementing the Teaching Excellence Framework, London. http://rsrch.co/1ZRYgH2
21 CSaP: Behaviour and Health
Research Unit Annual Lecture
2016, Cambridge.
http://rsrch.co/1ParSMv
27 Universities UK: Universities,
Communities and Business:
Collaborating to Drive Growth
and Power Innovation, London.
http://rsrch.co/1S9mUjU
28 WHEF: The Future of Enterprise
and Entrepreneurship in HE,
London.
http://rsrch.co/1ZaB6cM
May
4 Universities UK: Innovation
and Excellence in Teaching and
Learning, London.
http://rsrch.co/1J7lQEC
UK funders to align animal

and plant health research
UK government funders and research councils have agreed
to coordinate their funding for animal and plant health
research to reduce duplication and improve infrastructure.
In a joint strategy, the funders said they would align research
around three themes: improved understanding of current
and emerging pathogen and pest threats; novel technologies
to detect and control such pathogens; and an integrated
approached to monitor and model the problems identified.
UCL garners 50m for technology fund
Imperial Innovations and the European Investment Fund are
contributing a total of 50 million for a fund to commercialise
University College Londons research. The UCL Technology Fund,
managed by venture capital firm Albion Ventures in partnership
with UCLs technology transfer company UCL Business, will
invest in emerging research over the next five years.
Wellcome sets up panel to review clinical data requests
The Wellcome Trust has set up an expert panel to evaluate
researchers requests to access data from industry-sponsored
clinical trials. The clinicalstudydatarequest.com website was
created by GlaxoSmithKline in 2013 and now includes data from
13 other companies. Wellcome is responsible for administering
requests from scientists for anonymised patient data, which
will now be approved by a review panel of five members.
North-east gets 3m for digital skills development
The Arts and Humanities Research Council and five universities
in north-east England have launched a 3-million project to
look at how the creative, digital and IT sectors can play a
bigger role in the regions economy. The Creative Fuse North
East project will be led by Newcastle University.
Medicines Technologies Catapult appoints chairman
Graham Boulnois, a life sciences businessman and academic,
has been appointed chairman of the Medicines Technologies
Catapult, which is to have its headquarters at Alderley
Park in Cheshire. Boulnois is the founder of health care
consultancy B-V Life Sciences and has held chairman or nonexecutive director roles at AstraZeneca, Aventis Pharma and
the University of Leicester.
Converting innovation grants to loans sends wrong signal
The Scottish National Party has said that switching some of
Innovate UKs grants to loans will damage R&D investment from
businesses. In an Opposition Day debate at Westminster on 13
January, SNP members said companies would be less likely to
fund risky ideas if they knew they had a loan to pay back.
Government confirms 250m for genomes project
Life sciences minister George Freeman has confirmed 250
million of additional funding for the 100,000 Genomes
Project. The money, first announced in the spending review
in November 2015, will ensure the future of Genomics
England, which delivers the project, up to 2021.
europe 19
europe
European Innovation Council shapes up

A dual model for the proposed European Innovation
Council has been floated, coupling a body for high-level
innovation policy advice with a discrete funding stream.
An internal document circulated on 16 December
summarising talks on the EIC concluded that balancing the two functions would be the best way to improve
European innovation. A single funding programme
would unite the complex array of existing innovation
initiatives, while an advisory function would allow the
EIC to direct framework conditions in Europe on issues
from venture capital taxation to university reform.
The plan, which is being championed by research
commissioner Carlos Moedas, has the support of several
senior European Commission advisers and MEPs, who
say that it could act as a nucleus for political attention
and extra funding, as the European Research Council
has for basic research. It could be a practical tool but
also a political toolan important instrument to regain
momentum, says German MEP Christian Ehler, who is
involved in the Parliaments EIC working group.
One idea circulating is that the EICs funding arm could
work on the core principles of the ERC, of high competition and freedom. The administrative side should be as
simple as possible, says economist Luc Soete, chairman
of the Commissions main research advisory group. The EIC
could select projects for their potential to leverage external funding, he says, and mirror ERC grant mobility by
ensuring recipients have full access to national markets.
europe
in brief
Flagship European space

programme emerges
A satellite programme combining commercial communications
with more secure military transmissions is set to become
Europes next major space project. The design and governance of the Govsatcom programme have yet to be fixed, but
it is likely to remain under national control. The European
Commission, the European Defence Agency, the European
External Action Service, the European Space Agency,
industry, and member states are likely to share the costs.
Funders urged to share infrastructure plans
Greater cooperation on research infrastructure development is needed to ensure long-term sustainability, a report
from the research funders association Science Europe
has said. Countries, regions and institutions should pool
information on strategic priorities for infrastructure and
investigate opportunities for joint facilities, the report said.
Efsi said to mobilise 50bn
The European Fund for Strategic Investment generated
50 billion in 2015, the European Investment Bank has
claimed. Of the 42 projects approved by the European
by Laura Greenhalgh
lgnews@ResearchResearch.com
However, there is general agreement that the EIC

would need to be much more flexible than the ERC, due
to the greater complexity of innovation. You need a
very adaptive beast, a senior Commission official says.
Ehler suggests that the EIC could use challenge prizes
to fund solutions to technological problems and provide support for disruptive innovation. Jerzy Langer,
chairman of the Commissions Future and Emerging
Technologies advisory board, says that Horizon 2020s
FET programme could form the basis of EIC funding and
that this could be piloted in 2017, whereas other options
would take longer. The Commission needs to take visible and immediate action to maintain credibility in the
idea of an EIC, he says.
Supporters of basic research are voicing concerns
that the EIC could divert Horizon 2020 funds away from
researchers. Peter Tindemans, secretary-general of lobby
group Euroscience, describes the EIC as a bad idea, and
says that innovators should be securing venture capital
rather than public funds to support business ideas.
However, the Commission official says discussions on
the EIC should not become preoccupied with Horizon
2020 funding on the basis that it should be above all
about policy and strategy.
The Commission is scheduled to launch a consultation
in January, with a firm proposal due by the summer.
Investment Bank so far, five have been classified as R&D
and innovation. These include the modernisation of
Arvedi, a steel producer in Italy, and a project to improve
medical treatment for Alzheimers disease and cardiovascular surgery, headed up by Grifols biosciences in Spain.
Juncker shuns green groups
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker
did not meet a single environmental lobby group in
2015, despite one-on-one meetings with 18 business and
industry organisations, European Transparency Register
has shown. The European Environmental Bureau, which
represents 140 environmental organisations, said that it
and other associations requested several such meetings.
Germany targets small business R&D
A 10-point programme from the German federal research
ministry will support innovation at small and mediumsized businesses. It will begin with a two-year temporary
funding increase of 30 per cent for innovative companies,
to take spending to 320 million in both 2016 and 2017.
The ministry said the initiative would promote novel ideas,
applications and business models, and help to drive dissemination of research findings among small businesses.
20 view
v i e w f r o m t h e t o p s a r a h m a i n
Science campaign must inspire

voters as well as ministers
This month sees the 30th birthday of the Campaign for
Science and Engineering. Rejoining the CaSE team after
a year immersed in play groups, school gates and building work, the anniversary has given me an opportunity
to look with fresh eyes at the place of science and engineering in the nations affections.
On 13 January 1986, an extraordinary advertisement
appeared in The Times calling on the public to Ask your
MP to help save British science before it is too late.
It wasnt the result of a brand strategy or PR campaign, but it was a call from the heart. Long before the
notion of crowdsourcing became mainstream, a small
group of scientists concerned about the fate of British
science decided that they needed to get peoples attention. They passed the hat around for donations to fund
the advertisement and received contributions from
1,500 scientists and engineers.
A diminishing science budget, coupled with tight
finances in many universities, had fomented this
groundswell of political action. The text of the advert
conveys the mood of the time: British science is in crisis: opportunities are missed, scientists emigrate, whole
areas of research are in jeopardy.
The leaders of the campaign quickly realised that
they needed to provide a sustained voice for science
and engineering in parliament and, with the money
left over from the advert, founded Save British Science.
The organisation was later renamed the Campaign for
Science and Engineering and it continues to provide that
voice in parliament today.
Much has changed since then. Thanks to the combined
efforts of many organisations, there is a highly effective
science lobby, providing the government with evidence,
analysis and insight and making a united case for investing in science and research.
There is a very important audience of ministers,
shadow ministers and officials for such analyses. And
it works. We are told time and again how
evidence provided by the science lobby has
helped secure better financial outcomes
for science and engineering in the UK.
But I cant help wondering about the
role of people. Its probably the amount of
time Ive spent with builders recently, but
if you cant inspire people from all walks
of life and from up and down the country
about science, you cant expect a gear shift
in serious political backing.
Constituents
can generate
the political
heat to
engage MPs
on science.
For most MPs, science is not an obligatory part of their

brief. Their interest will be driven by personal enthusiasm or the priorities of their constituents. It is the
human response to science that can seriously shift the
political agenda.
For example, a senior government official recently
told me that political heat lay behind the recent commitment to spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence. How
nice it would be, he said, if there was that much political heat about science.
Surely it is people, constituents, who generate that
type of heat. If their voices were added to that of the science lobby, they would suddenly engage the attention of
many more MPs and then, perhaps, whole parties.
There is plenty for MPs and their constituents to be
enthusiastic about. A Briton in space, the UK leading the
ethical and scientific development of medical technologies such as gene editing, and scientist superstars on
prime-time TV.
In another 30 years, we can expect science and engineering to be integral to shaping life across the world.
Will the UK be a creator of knowledge and solutions to
the worlds problems, or a follower, waiting for other
countries lead the way?
CaSE will continue to stand up for science and engineering in parliament. We will provide strong, clear
messages backed up by evidence, a strategy that has
served us well and is welcomed by both government and
opposition.
I believe science and engineering are worth investing in, for our wellbeing and our future. But I have a
feeling that we will only achieve a significant upturn in
science investment with the support of people: voters,
constituents, scientists, engineers, architects, teachers,
playgroup leaders and builders.
The founders of Save British Science appealed to the
public to stand up for science by talking to their MPs.
They then sought a meeting with the minister. Their tactic was right, to call on targeted lobbying as well as media
exposure for public support. I wonder if we could build
momentum for an upturn in investment at the next spending review, by making sure parliament hears the call to
back the UKs outstanding science and engineering, not
just from scientists and engineers, but from everyone.
Sarah Main is director of the Campaign for Science
and Engineering.
view 21
sharkey & van wynsberghe view from the top
Laying the foundations for a

responsible robotics revolution
Throughout the 1980s, the internet was almost entirely
populated by academics. A decade later, it had broken
loose and was changing the world and being put to uses
that few of us could have imagined.
Robotics is close to a similar turning point. Robot
sales increased dramatically in 2014, rising to $32 billion
worldwide. The International Federation of Robotics
predicts even sharper rises in the years to come, with
sales of industrial robots expected to nearly double
between 2014 and 2018.
We must not rush into the robotics revolution without due caution. Of most concern is the surge in service
robots. They are now used for everything from cooking
to making and serving cocktails, from domestic cleaning to agriculture, from policing, security and killing in
armed conflict to monitoring climate change and protecting endangered species, in healthcare and for caring
for children and the elderly.
More than 4.7 million robots were sold for personal
and domestic use in 2014, including a more than fivefold increase in robots to assist the elderly and disabled.
At a conservative estimate, there will be 35 million service robots at work by 2018.
This figure does not include driverless technology for
cars and trucks; robotics will revolutionise our transport
and delivery services and change farming with automated tractors and threshing machines. Nor do the forecasts
include robots that join the internet of things, or convergence between advances in big data and machine learning.
The lure of massive emerging international markets
is driving corporations and governments to view robotics as a powerful economic driver. As they pour funding
into R&D, startups are mushrooming out of universities
to create a multitude of robot applications.
The highly competitive market together with consumer demand will drive innovation in ways that make
it hard to predict future applications.
The robotics revolution will have a disruptive impact
on our work places, streets and homes. Yet governments
and corporations are paying little more than lip service
to the potential societal and ethical hazards. The 2014
strategy proposal published by Innovate UK, RAS 2020:
Robotics and autonomous systems, makes just one menNoel Sharkey is emeritus professor of artificial
intelligence and robotics at the University of Sheffield;
Aimee van Wynsberghe is assistant professor of
philosophy of technology at the University of Twente.
See responsiblerobotics.org
tion of ethical and responsible innovation. There is no

joined-up thinking to mitigate the impact of robotics,
address issues around privacy, consent and human rights
in general. It is time now for action.
This is why we have co-founded the Foundation for
Responsible Robotics, together with more than 20 of
the worlds leading technology scholars, writers and
roboticists. Many members from different disciplines are
signing up to establish working groups to address specific issues and suggest ways forward.
Although much has been written about ethical and
societal issues in robotics in the last decade, it has
mainly been discursive and philosophical. The foundation was set up to bridge the gap between discussion and
concrete action. We aim to develop codes of conduct for
responsible and accountable research, design and manufacturing practices. We will assist in and advocate for
the formation of national and international policy and
for the generation of regulations and laws.
This enterprise requires an integrated multidisciplinary approach involving lawyers, social scientists,
philosophers, robotics researchers and designers, manufacturers, and policymakers and legislators, among
others. We will also give the public and specialist users
a voice in the conversation. This approach is essential if
we are to strive for responsible and accountable development and practice in robotics, without stifling innovation
or trampling on peoples research or businesses.
The foundation is concerned about maintaining progress and innovation in robotics research. If this is to be
sustainable, public trust must be built. The public needs
to be assured that developments will happen responsibly
and with due consideration of their rights and freedoms.
Early mistakes could impede research and set the
field back by many years. If researchers cant earn public
trust, robotics could see a backlash similar to that on
GM crops. A number of surveys have already shown poor
public perception of robotics.
It is difficult for policymakers and legislators
to keep up with the pace of robotics; our members can identify the areas of research most in
need of policy, work out the most prominent
issues and provide expertise for developing
policy. It is vitally important for the foundation
to promote ethical and societal principles of
fairness and justice to set robotics on the path
to a successful future.
Something to add? Email comment@Research
Research.com
Robotics
could see
a backlash
similar to
that on GM
crops.
22 analysis
v i e w f r o m t h e t o p n i c h o l a s g u y a t t
History beyond Europe is worth

more of our time and money
In 2008, I returned to the UK to teach at the University of
York after 10 years in North America. The history departments website featured an interactive map: when you
rolled over a researchers name, his or her country of interest was highlighted. This was neat but less flattering if,
like me, you worked on the United States: it was a map of
Europe. A handful of historians working on the wider world
were banished to a text box somewhere east of Turkey.
It got me wondering whether history departments in the
UK had been slow to embrace the world beyond Europe.
In 2012, working with Luke Clossey, a historian at Simon
Fraser University in Canada, I began to study the webpages
of thousands of researchers at the top 25 history departmentsranked by the Research Excellence Framework or
the local equivalentin the UK, US and Canada.
We found that more than 40 per cent of UK-based
historians studied British history. The corresponding
figures for historians both based in and focused on the
US was 33 per cent and for Canada the figure was 26 per
cent. In US departments, a total of 27 per cent of historians studied Asia, the Middle East, Africa or Latin
America; in the UK this figure was 13 per cent. British
universities seemed more inward looking and less
equipped to teach students about the modern world.
Things have moved on since 2012. British history
departments have expanded into African and especially
East Asian fields. The old argument against hiring a historian of China or West Africano one will take their
coursesdoesnt apply to todays students. A grounding in the history of, say, East Asia or the Middle East
prepares graduates for a world in which politics, culture
and employment are increasingly global.
But theres still work to be done. A central challenge
is to help students and early-career researchers escape
the constraints they experience before university. Only
49 per cent of GCSE students in 2014 sat a foreign language exam, for example, and children
from poorer areas are less likely to have
the option of studying a language.
Higher education can offer another
chance to learn a second language.
Several UK universities, including York,
have programmes to encourage undergraduates to take up a language alongside
their main degree. As UK universities
move towards a more modular degree
structure, we can integrate languages in
exciting and flexible ways, offering skills
that will enhance graduates CVs.
World history
should be
taught for
its abstract
value and
as an aid to
integration.
Life doesnt get easier for postgraduate researchers.

World historians must compete for UK posts against
graduates of top international universities. Students
in Chinese or Latin American history at US universities
take up to eight years to complete a PhD, and many tenure-track researchers get another six years to publish
their first book. Top US universities demand a glimpse
of a second book for tenure, but its paradise compared
with the UK. Here students have to finish their doctoral
dissertation in three or four years, and then face the
publication pressures of the REF.
These disadvantages make it still more important for
UK universities to make extra efforts. A starting point
would be to encourage early-career researchers to spend
as much time as possible overseas. Both the British
Academy and the Arts and Humanities Research Council
offer networking and mobility schemes to postdoctoral
researchers. The AHRC also supports placement schemes
that send UK early-career researchers to overseas institutions for up to six months.
B eyond material support , we can help by simply
acknowledging that wider-world history asks a great deal
of its practitioners. We need to give doctoral and earlycareer researchers the time and space to develop the basics
of the craft: superb language skills, familiarity with the
scholarship on their topics and experience in the archives.
The benefits of getting this right are considerable.
Just as London has become the capital of international
finance, the UK can be a beacon of extra-European history. Britains diverse population presents a prima facie
argument for Indian, Chinese, African or Caribbean history. The worlds history is our history, and it should be
taught in schools and universities both for its abstract
value and as an aid to integration, a practice that government often presents as a one-way street.
Some history graduates may build business links to Asia,
Africa or Latin America; others may go into teaching and
shape the debate over how to introduce children to the
diversity of the human past; a few may continue in academia, working to reveal the connections and divergences
that have made our world. Were more aware than ever of
these benefits, but we need to do morein our hiring decisions, our provision of language teaching, and our support
of early-career scholarsif were to realise them.
Nicholas Guyatt is a lecturer in American history at the
University of Cambridge. See also smallworldhistory.org
view 23
c h r i s t i a n c a t a l i n i v i e w f r o m t h e t o p
The value of negative citations

Science advances through researchers sharing their
work for others to extend or improve. As Isaac Newton
once said, he could see further by standing on the
shoulders of giants.
But what happens when those shoulders arent as
sturdy as we thought? Sometimes, citations are negative, pointing out a studys flaws or even disproving
its findings. What role, relevance and impact do these
negative citations have on a field as a whole?
There has been little research in this area, because
of the difficulty in identifying and classifying such
citations. Thanks to advancements in the ability of
computers to understand human language, known as
natural-language processing, and in the ability to sort
and analyse large bodies of text, this is changing. We
can now identify such citations and reconstruct the
context in which they were made to understand the
authors intentions better. Using such techniques,
my colleagues and I have found evidence to suggest
that negative citations play an important role in the
advancement of science.
We hypothesised that negative citations help science
progress through their role in limiting and correcting previous results. To test this idea, we looked at
762,355 citations from 15,731 articles in The Journal
of Immunology. Using a combination of natural-language processing and experts in the field, we identified
18,304 negative citations, or about 2.4per cent of the
total. We also found that about 7per centnot a trivial proportionof these papers received at least one
negative citation.
Several features of these negative citations support our hypothesis. A paper is most likely to receive
a negative citation in the first few years after publication. This is probably because this is when the science is
potentially newer and untested, and thus attracts more
attention and scrutiny.
We also found that negatively cited studies were of
higher quality and prominence, as captured by the overall number of citations received, a broadly used proxy
for scientific impact. This might be because scientists
pay more attention to recent, high-impact studies, and
so they are also more likely to provide criticisms, extensions, and qualifications to their results.
Christian Catalini is the Fred Kayne (1960) career
development professor of entrepreneurship and an assistant
professor of technological innovation, entrepreneurship
and strategic management at the MIT Sloan School
of Management. See also Proccedings of the National
Academies of Sciences v112, p13823-13826 (2015).
Further, negative and positive citations appear to

make equal contributions to a fields overall advancementthat is, those papers that contained negative
citations were similar to those that did not. Coupled
with the generally higher quality of negatively cited
papers, this suggests that fields with higher rates of
negative citations may have not only attracted more
interest from researchers, but may also have developed
more solid foundations through an ability to identify
incorrect results and to improve on the correct ones.
The authors of negative citations tend to be close
to the original scholars in terms of discipline and
co-authorship networks, but they also tend to be relatively remote geographicallyoften more than 150
miles away. This could be because it is socially costly to
criticise a neighbour, or because local authors convey
their criticism through other, less formal channels, or
because the area of research is so specialised that there
are no peers nearby.
Negatively cited papers do not suffer an immediate
penalty in terms of overall citation rate, although they
do show a slight decline, relative to papers with exclusively positive citations, after eight or more years. This
slow decline supports the idea that negative citations
may not diffuse rapidly enough, as it is currently difficult for a scientist to be aware of all papers that update
previous work in a specific body of knowledge.
Our understanding of the effect of different kinds
of citation is set to grow rapidly. If journals allowed
authors to use metadata to make citations more useful
and easier to classifywith tags, for example, authors
could explain why they are citing a particular paper
then online repositories could use this information to
improve their search and ranking algorithms.
Its also easier than ever to update published papers
and build on their findings in a collaborative fashion. There is a lot of potential to make the citation
process more interactive and to improve our research
techniques in this area, in particular as advances in machine learning
improve our ability to analyse large
bodies of text.
Well only get better at measuring knowledge, how it progresses,
and what kind of knowledge merits
attention. As we push out this methodology, my hope is that more people
will work on this question. Our work
may even get negative citations.
Something to Add? Email comment@
ResearchResearch.com
Fields with
higher rates
of negative
citations may
have developed
more solid
foundations.
24 interesting if true
interesting if true
Reviewer error It might not be long after the holiday
period, but peer reviewers havent lost their touch when
it comes to writing creative rejection letters. Why do
you have so many tables? Did you go to Ikea?, asks one
sarcastic academic in this months posts on the Tumblr
shitmyreviewerssay. Another choice pick is: You need
to learn how to think inside the box and stop smoking
whatever it is youre smoking.
Carbon level At a House of Commons Energy and Climate
Change Committee hearing on 20 January, academic
and industry witnesses were so unified in condemnation
of the decision to scrap the 1-billion carbon capture
and storage competition that one committee member
spluttered about what a good job the clerks had done
to provide such a standardised panel. Its not much of a
surprise to us that people werent queueing up to trumpet the decision to cut off the schemeand the UKs
investment in CCSjust months before the four-year
contest was due to close.
Rat love Cats may be the kings of social media, but their
natural enemies are climbing up the ranks. Glen Wright,
PhD candidate at the Australian National University and
author of the book Academia Obscura: The hidden silly
side of higher education, has set up a hashtag #academ-
icswithrats. Although the pictures are an interesting

take on what happens to lab rats, your correspondent is
yet to find something funnier than the YouTube videos
of cats and cucumbers.
Whats in a name? Youd think that, with the research
councils insistance that they excel at working together,
theyd know each others names. But perhaps not, given
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
chief executive Jackie Hunters tweet folllowing a celebration for the out-going Arts and Humanities Research
Council chief executive: Nice to celebrate Rick Reylands
term at RCUK. We wonder if Rick Rylance will be invited
to Hunters imminent leaving do.
Lazy Vaizey Ed Vaizey recently celebrated becoming the
longest-serving arts minister, after completing fiveand-a-half years in the job. The secret to his success?
Apparently, not doing too much. To a certain extent
I havent wanted to achieve too much, if that doesnt
sound too perverse, Vaizey said in an interview with
Conservative Home. In it, he also sheds some light on
his long-awaited white paper on culture, describing it as
rather policy-jargony and likely to be published in the
spring, which, he says, as you know in Whitehall runs
from February to November. Keep up the good work Ed.
*HE is a new service for your whole university that provides highly analytical, robust
and timely coverage of policy and markets in higher education. It cuts through the
information overload to make sense of what is happening.
Features include
8am Playbook
A weekday briefing on what to expect from the
day ahead in higher education, infused with the
insight of our experienced editors.
Parliamentary Monitoring
The latest intelligence from Westminster and
the devolved nations, updated each morning
and sifted to highlight important content.
Policy Watch
We monitor the institutions making policy and
provide objective briefings on what their outputs
mean for universities.
In-depth analysis
Experts provide rapid, in-depth analysis of
major events to inform your institutions
strategic thinking.
A subscription to *HE enables senior staff to make better-informed decisions and liberates their
advisers from the tyranny of monitoring policy and politics.
*HE is available as an upgrade to your Research Professional subscription.
To request a free trial, please contact: Alison Warder, 020 7216 6526, aw@ResearchResearch.com

RF471 PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

RF471 PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Updated daily at www.ResearchProfessional.

Green paper responses signal

Robots Rage against the machines p21

Research councils eye

to coordinate the efforts of public funders of health

Research Fortnight, 27 January 2016

Research Fortnight, 27 January 2016

Research Fortnight, 27 January 2016

Dont split TEF and REF

possible to inform student choice and improve teaching

Research Fortnight, 27 January 2016

Researchers welcome plans for Ross Fund

Nuclear scientists ready to play for overseas cash

National Nuclear Corporationis one example, but Freer

Research Fortnight, 27 January 2016

However, he has just three days a week to do this, and

every new opportunity every discipline

EPSRC energy research

Opportunities from previous issues of

Each entry is followed by a Web id

Cure Parkinson's Trust research

Online Funding Search

Iolanthe Midwifery Trust Jean

British Academy international

ESRC US-UK collaboration

ESRC programme evaluation

ScotGov social workers

EPSRC energy research

Defra environment assessment

NERC/DFID El Nio event

Research Fortnight, 27 January 2016

DFID conflict impact

Innovate UK school finance

DFID governance networks

Philosophy of science award

knowledge exchange fellowship, which

ScotGov supranuclear palsy

ESRC/AHRC organised crime

Plastic surgery award

Brewing industry grants

Research Fortnight, 27 January 2016

Reproducing Research Fortnight by

projects, and enable applicants to attend

Gambling-harm PhD research

Breast cancer prize

NIHR obesity research

visiting fellowship. Web id: 1188438

Clinical pharmacy research

Endodontic research prize

Marine engineering award

paper published in a mineralogical journal

AHRC public policy leadership

UK/Africa chemistry exchange

Socio-legal studies grants

Mineralogical paper prize

The Mineralogical Society invites nominations for the RA Howard memorial

The Anatomical Society of Great Britain

Orthopaedic travel grants

Food animal welfare

POST bioethical fellowship

Medical science travel

Research Fortnight, 27 January 2016

Most researchers will have faced rejection by by Lindsay McKenzielmnews@ResearchResearch.com