The UHI Research Office is a central facility sitting within the executive office which provides the main point of contact for research and research development throughout the UHI academic partnership. It provides the administrative support for grant applications through the research councils and monitors the progress of these applications whist disseminating funding opportunities to the appropriate research centres. It also provides guidance and administration for the RAE 2008 and is the first point of contact for the research groups involved in this exercise. Commercialisation of research is also supported from the research office with support for knowledge transfer, business liaison, technology transfer and commercialisation provided for all the academic partnership. The research office provides support to academic staff through conference support and provision of information concerning forthcoming conferences and research development courses.

1. Quality, Quantity and Cash
Turning Your Research Ideas Into
Reality
James Gibbs & Karen Furness, UHI Research Office

2. Research – what’s it all for?
The discovery of new knowledge
to inform teaching
for the advancement of society

3. Research activity – who is involved?
In this room:
Career Researchers
Lecturers engaging in research
Lecturers who wish to engage in researchLecturers who wish to engage in research
Postgraduate students
Administrative Staff and Management

4. Why are you here?
PhD students may be here because they are considering
research as their future career
Career researchers may be here to assist them in finding
funding and support for their research ideas
Lecturers may be keen to find out how administrative staff can
assist them in fitting research into their already busyassist them in fitting research into their already busy
schedules
Administrative staff may be here to discover more about the
researchers’ point of view
Management may be here to inform their overall view of
operational issues

5. What’s this workshop about?
'The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that
heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" ("I found it!")
but rather "hmm....that's funny..."'
- Isaac Asimov
‘Contrary to what Asimov says, the most exciting phrase in
science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not
“Eureka!” or “That's funny...,” it's “Your research grant
has been approved.'”
- John Alejandro King

6. Quality, Quantity, Cash!
Quality
Issues involved in producing research applications of the
highest quality so as to have a better chance of winning
funds
QuantityQuantity
The reasons why, even if your funding bid is of the highest
quality, you may need to make multiple applications in
order to score a hit
Cash
Potential funding sources; who to ask for what; why all this
admin?

7. Rules of the proceedings
This is an interactive session - please feel free to
interrupt at any point

8. Research Unit Business Plan
Research Unit Business Plan
KT
revenues
Teaching IP
Research
Grants

9. Quality
Know your funder – what are they looking for,
what’s their research strategy?
Application process – what are the rules and
regs? What can you ask for? When’s theregs? What can you ask for? When’s the
deadline?
Information you need but don’t have – who
supplies it?

10. Know Your Funder
Types of funder
Research Councils
Charities and Non-governmental organisations
(NGOs)(NGOs)
Super-national bodies e.g. EU & UN
Government Departments and Non-departmental
bodies
Industry & Private Companies
Internal Schemes

11. Application Process
Each funding stream - and each funder may have
several - will have its own application rules and
regulations
Some funders won’t even read your proposal if
these aren’t followed

12. Information you need but don’t have
Project costs
Yours
Project Partners
Agreement to submit the bid fromAgreement to submit the bid from
Your organisation
Project Partners
The institutional processes you must follow
which leads to…

13. … a Conundrum
“If you know what you're doing, how long it
will take, or what it will cost, it isn't
research.”
- Anon
“A possible research project? Lovely! Okay,
we need to know what you're going to be
doing, how long it will take, and what it
will cost.”
- University Administration

14. Quantity
“Research Councils receive more high quality
applications than they are able to support and
institutions submit more applications than are
likely to be funded.”likely to be funded.”
- RCUK

15. RCUK Research Grant Application Success Rates

16. Research Council Funds
Research Councils do consider the research
record of applicants. This can appear to favour
those organisations with greater research
experience.
Consider a collaboration strategy for your area
of research to get around this; who do you
want as partners?
In your business plans factor in the time it
takes to build networks and make applications

17. Partnership Strategy
Super-nationally
EU: Cross-border; Northern Periphery
Nationally
RegionallyRegionally
Intra and inter
discipline
Put effort in to forming networks and partnerships so
you are ready for the funding calls

18. Cash
Where’s my cash?
How much can I ask for?
Where can I find the rest?

19. Where’s my Cash?
First, find a funder (or funders)
“ResearchResearch” is now “Research
Professional”
http://www.researchresearch.com/http://www.researchresearch.com/
Access to funding opportunities via the Login
button
Any problems, contact Shirley Leckie

20. Where’s my Cash?
There may also be funding opportunities
accessible via
your local community
local authoritylocal authority
local businesses
local benefactors
your organisation e.g. seed corn
your wider professional networks

21. Where’s my Cash?
You have a better chance of finding it by
approaching funders most appropriate to your research
needs
knowing what they want (strategy)
knowing what they will fundknowing what they will fund
producing a high quality application
following the funder rules and regs
enlisting the help of colleagues (a ‘fresh eye’)
ensuring that your proposal demonstrates good value to the
funder
Outputs/Cash = Value

22. How much can I ask for?
As much as they are prepared to give you!
be guided by hints in the callbe guided by hints in the call

23. An Example
ERC Starting Grants – current call document states
total pot for 2011 = €661.4 m
BUT…
Each research domain has an indicative budget – a
Whoopee!
Each research domain has an indicative budget – a
percentage of the total pot
Physical Sciences & Engineering: 40%
Life Sciences: 35%
Social Sciences and Humanities: 15%
Cross-Domain: 10%

24. An Example
So for a Social Scientist, the pot is really €99.21m,
but it still looks good for your BIG idea
What the call paper doesn’t tell you but the ERC
Work Programme does
Maximum grant normally €1.5m for a five year project
Pro-rata for shorter projects
Therefore, for a 3 year project, the max to aim for would
be €900,000

25. How much can I ask for?
Depends upon the nature of the funding body,
but it is unlikely to cover 100% of the project’s
actual costs
So….

26. Where can I find the rest?
Match Funding
‘In kind’
What is ‘in kind’ …. It depends on who you are
dealing with – check the regs againdealing with – check the regs again
Private sector
Charities and NGOs
Businesses
Other government funds

27. Match funding
Other government funds
Regional Development Agencies (HIE and Scottish
Enterprise) – needs to be a strong economic
development dimension to the project, contribute
to:to:
New product or process
New policy
Rural Payments Directorate
Principally a rural development and SME focus
Some food and drink related areas e.g. FPMS
Significant funds to SAC, Rowett Institute and MacAulay
Institute

28. Match funding
Other government funds
Local Authorities
Economic development or policy development bias
NHS and CSO
Generally a medical/life science focus, but NHS alsoGenerally a medical/life science focus, but NHS also
interested in management knowledge

29. Maximising the project’s value
Are there KT/KE possibilities from the work?
Consultancy
More contract research
Is there potential for IP?Is there potential for IP?
Where are you hoping to publish (REF)?
How will the project enhance your academic
reputation and thus research career?

30. In the end
Successful applications require planning and
being prepared
Preparation requires research units to have
defined their business strategies
AND
WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU TOO
karen.furness@uhi.ac.uk james.gibbs@uhi.ac.uk