Research Funding and Impact

Claire Higgitt, EPSRC Impact Co-ordinator

Sharon Saunders, PPD

Research Strategy Office

Programme

• How is University research funded?

• Tips on how to get your research funded

• Exercise – Heilmeyer Catechism

• Pathways to Impact

• Reviewing Exercise

• Impact Support at Cambridge

Research funding at top UK universities

Cambridge research spend 2012-13 £469M

Strategic Research Initiatives & Networks

• Bringing together researchers

• to address large-scale multi-disciplinary research challenges

• to increase our capacity to influence national and international research, policy and funding agendas

• to strengthen internal cross-disciplinary research collaborations

• to provide a platform for large-scale funding applications, recruitments and international research partnerships

• Energy, Big Data, Cancer, Cardiovascular, Conservation, Global Food Security, Infectious Diseases, Language Sciences, Neurosciences, Stem Cells, Synthetic Biology, Public Policy

Major sources of research funding

• Formula –based: HEFCE QR (REF2014)

• Grants awarded by competition

• RCUK - Research Councils ww.rcuk.ac.uk

• Charities/trusts

• European Union (Horizon 2020)

• Collaborations with industry

Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014)

Area of assessment: weighting

Outputs: 65%

Impact: 20%Impact case studies: 80%Impact statement: 20%

Environment: 15%

Why the REF matters

• REF outcomes enable us to demonstrate the excellence of our research, essential if we are to continue attracting the very best students and staff to Cambridge

• Cambridge University receives £120 million QR funding over 5 years. £70 million goes directly back to departments. The rest goes to the chest (for facilities etc.)

• Inclusion in the REF could improve career prospects

Research Councils UK

• A group of seven individual Councils which fund research from UK tax payer revenue

• Applications made using the “Joint Electronic Submission” JeS system

• Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)Medical Research Council (MRC)Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)

Major research charities

Health/Medical Research

• British Heart Foundation

• Cancer Research UK

• Leukaemia Research

• Wellcome Trust

• Others

• John Templeton Foundation

• Leverhulme Trust

• British Council

• travel, international links

• Royal Academy of Engineering

• Royal Society (science)

• The British Academy (humanities/social science)

UK/international government research funders

• Innovate UK (previously Technology Strategy Board

• DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

• Department of Health

• Department for Education

• DFID (Department for International Development)

• Home Office

• National Institute for Health Research

• N.I.H. (National Institutes of Health), USA

• NSF (National Science Foundation), USA

Horizon 2020

• European Union research funding

• £70BN 2014-2020

• From basic research to innovation

• ERC - European Research Council

• Peer-reviewed research in all disciplines

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

• Individual cross-border Fellowships

Top tips for grant funding applications

• Don’t forget it’s a competition not an exam!

• Read the instructions – link what you want to do to what they want to fund

• Ensure you are eligible to apply and your research is in scope for the funder

• Start early – it can take months

• Avoid acronyms and jargon

• Get an experienced colleague to read it

• Build your networks

• Respond constructively to referee feedback

• Take part in funding panels

• Grow a thick skin

Defining your project

• What are you trying to do? Articulate your objectives using absolutely no jargon.

• How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice?

• What's new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?

• Who cares?

• If you're successful, what difference will it make?

• What are the risks and the payoffs?

• How much will it cost?

• How long will it take?

• What are the midterm and final "exams" to check for success?

The Impact Agenda

So what is research impact anyway?

HEFCE: impact is defined as an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia

Impact and the University’s mission

The mission of the University of Cambridge is to contribute to society through the pursuit of

education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence

CompetitivenessEmployment

Workforce skills Tax revenues

Social• Environment

al• Health and

wellbeing• Public

services• National

security

Cultural• Public

engagement• Social

cohesion• Cultural

enrichment

Types of Impact

AcademicImpact

Cambridge research spend 2012-13 £469M

REF – 25% impact

Pathways to Impact – must be acceptable

HEFCE impact requirements

• REF2014

• Impact case studies database

• 25% of score for each “Unit of Assessment”

REF Impact: reasons to be cheerful

• Inclusive definition

an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia

• Historic, not predictive

• Drawn from a portfolio of work

• Permits “diffuse and non-linear” link between research and impact

• Peer-assessed

REF 2020 – what do we know now?

• Impact is likely to be weighted at 20-25%

• The impact period is likely to have commenced on 1 August 2013

• The University’s Impact repository can store information to be used in REF2020

• The Research Strategy Office is the first port of call for impact enquires

RCUK Impact

• Academic beneficiaries 4000 chars

• how the research will benefit other researchers in the field

• identify whether there are any academic beneficiaries in other disciplines and, if so, how they will benefit and what will be done to ensure that they benefit

• Impact summary 4000 chars – may be published

• Pathways to Impact 2 sides A4 attachment

How is P2I assessed?

• Criteria from EPSRC peer review form:

• How complete and realistic are the impacts identified for this work

• The effectiveness of the activities identified to help realise these impacts, including the resources requested for this purpose

• The relevance and appropriateness of any beneficiaries or collaborators

Impact Summary (1)Who might benefit from this research?

• government policy makers

• public service providers such as defence, health, education, local government

• businesses –identify the sector/s, supply chains

• trade organisations, intermediaries, standards bodies

• arts and heritage organisations

• medical charities and patient support groups

• Other charities

• individual citizens

Impact Summary (2)How might they benefit from this research?

• Wealth creation, economic prosperity and regeneration

• Commercialisation and exploitation

• Attracting R&D investment

• Enhancing the research capacity, knowledge and skills of organisations

• Changing organisational culture and practices

• Enhancing the effectiveness and sustainability of organisations

• Evidence-based policy making and influencing public policies

• Improving health and wellbeing

• Improving social welfare, social cohesion and/or national security

• Enhancing cultural enrichment and quality of life

• Environmental sustainability, protection and impact

• Increasing public engagement with research and related societal issues

Pathways to Impact: What will be done to ensure that potential beneficiaries have the opportunity to engage with this research?

1.Type of impact activities

• Communications and engagement

• Collaboration and co-production

• Application and exploitation

NB Not all projects expected to include all of the above

2. Impact activity deliverables and milestones

• Activity/output measures

3. Summary of resource (for impact activity)

• Brief information – refer to JeS form

• Eligible costs – employing specialist KT staff, consultancy fees, publication/marketing costs, public engagement, events, networking

A good P2I

• Is project specific and has very clear deliverables

• Good consideration of the relevant beneficiaries and user needs with specific targeting and tailored activities

• Clear description of how the applicant intends to reach and engage with the beneficiaries of the research, including clear deliverables and milestones.

• Co-production and involvement of beneficiaries and users from the outset (including research design).

• Briefly notes track record for knowledge exchange and impact generating activities in the context of the specific research project.

• Demonstrates clear commitment for realising both academic and non-academic research impacts.

Common problems with P2I

• Vagueness, lack of specificity or clear deliverables

• Repetition of Impact Summary information • Activities are not project specific, but routine activities for University research

posts

• Too much focus on academic’s track record rather than what will be done as part of this research project

• Lack of consideration of broader beneficiaries, likely impacts and appropriate mechanisms for realising the potential impacts

• Activities narrowly focused, end focused, and/or purely for academic dissemination purposes rather than knowledge exchange and impact generation.

• The “three Ws”: workshops, websites and waffle

Lessons from experience!

• Consider possible impacts, recording and evaluation when planning research

• Seek out advice/input on impact from

• Knowledge Transfer Facilitators, Cambridge Enterprise, Public Engagement, Communications Team

• Agreements with partners should cover

• Publication of research outcomes

• Disclosure of impacts on partner

• Collect information on user engagement in real-time

• User feedback/evaluation where appropriate

• Photos and video

• Exit interviews for staff leaving

Impact Support at Cambridge

Impact and knowledge transfer services

• Knowledge Transfer and Impact staff in Departments/Schools

• Engineering and Physical Sciences KTFs

• Clinical School - Office Of Translational Medicine

• School of Biological Sciences – impact page

• Public Engagement

• Public Engagement Team

• Policy Engagement

• Centre for Science and Policy

• Commercialisation

• Cambridge Enterprise

Enterprise and start-up services

Enterprise Tuesdays www.cfel.jbs.cam.ac.uk/programmes/enterprisetuesday

Entrepreneurship clubs and networks• Cambridge University Entrepreneurs http://www.cue.org.uk/• Cambridge University Technology and Enterprise Club http://cutec.org/• Cambridge Network www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/home/

Market Research information – UL/JBS

Student projects • iTeams http://iteamsonline.org/• eTech www.cfel.jbs.cam.ac.uk/programmes/etech

Start up support programme Accelerate Cambridge

Incubator space• Ideaspace www.ideaspace.cam.ac.uk/• Makespace makespace.org/

Thank You

claire.higgitt@admin.cam.ac.uk

www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/rso/iaa