Guidelines

Aims and objectives

• Engender a culture change across Keele University;
• Initiate new, long-term collaborations between cross disciplinary researchers;
• Stimulate innovative approaches to collaboration between disciplines;
• Increase the cross-fertilisation of ideas and the take up of advances across the boundaries between disciplines;
• Encourage and embed multi-disciplinary research between departments
• Alleviate barriers to collaboration.
• To provide early support for cross-disciplinary research with the potential to lead to externally-funded projects with significant impact.

Eligibility

• There must be at least two applicants, representing at least two disciplines (which could be within the same Faculty).
• Applicants must be Keele University academic or research staff.
• Priority will be given to applications from new collaborations and to those who have attended a Bridging the Gaps event.

Available funding

• Up to £3,000 per project.
• Additional funds are available for travel and cross-disciplinary events/meetings.

Submission process

• Applicants should submit a BTG Funding Application form to Maria Kyriacou.
• Applications may be submitted at any time.
• For advice on the process, or help with identifying possible collaborators in other disciplines, contact Maria Kyriacou, or a member of the project’s Executive Board.

Guidelines

Applicants must provide details of their proposed activity and its aims in layman’s terms, stating clearly why the activity is novel, how it will initiate or develop cross-disciplinary collaboration and the expected outcomes and benefits. A brief work plan should be provided, including when the activity is planned to start and finish. The end date should be within 3 months of funding or by the end date of the BTG project of 20/06/12, whichever is sooner. Any funds unspent at this time will be returned.

The application should list expected outcomes, with the expectation that support will usually lead to an application for external funding.

Funding may be used in a variety of ways and may be requested, for example, for directly incurred staff time, travel and subsistence, equipment, consumables or workshop costs. Funding will not be provided for academic salaries, studentship fees, use of Faculty facilities or indirect costs. A breakdown of specified costs must be provided with a clear justification of how each of the requested resources will be used. If you have a question about costing, please contact Mark Smith or Pauline Weston.

Applicants may request part-funding for activities for which some funding can be secured from other internal or external sources.

Applicants should list others whom they expect to involve in the activity and how it will lead to long-term collaboration in the future.

If requesting a Researcher in Residence post, it is the responsibility of the lead applicant to ensure that arrangements have been made to cover any teaching and/or administrative duties. Please confirm whether a one or two-way exchange is requested.

Application assessment criteria

• Potential for initiating or developing long-term multidisciplinary collaborations (priority will be given to requests to form new collaborations).
• Potential to lead to a successful application to an external funder.
• Quality, novelty and level of engagement with world-leading research.
• Feasibility and likelihood of achieving stated aims.

Monitoring

Successful applicants should provide a two-page report within 1 month of the end date of their project to explain:

• how funds have been used;
• the outcomes of the project and the proposed aims achieved;
• how the funding will initiate/develop multidisciplinary collaboration through future grant funding;
• whether the funding has led, or will lead to, an application to an external funder; and
• who was involved in the project.

Award holders will be required to contribute to Bridging the Gaps events.