Information for research staff

Preparing external funding applications

The LLC offers a helpful set of guidelines on meeting deadlines, completing cost request forms, and identifying commitments for research applications. More detailed information is available in the LLC Research Handbook. Please also see the University of Edinburgh's Policy on Applying for External Funding.

LLC Research Handbook

Finding Funding

Research Professional is a useful tool which allows you to search funding schemes by a variety of criteria including keywords and/or closing dates. You must register to use the service.

Alternatively, ERI can assist with finding the most suitable sources of funding for your project. Contact Catherine Burns (tel. 514025 Email: c.burns@ed.ac.uk).

Research Professional

The Application Process

Take note of the deadline for your chosen scheme and be aware of any publicised internal deadlines. In most cases it is recommended that you submit to ERI at least 48 hours before the official deadline in order to allow for checking and amendments.
Contact CHSS as early in the process as possible with proposed start and end dates of your project. One of the CHSS team will provide the costs and will remain your ERI contact thought the application stage. Upon sending the initial cost request, you will receive an automatic email notification containing a reference number. You must quote this in the subject line of all subsequent correspondence to aid speed of response.
Find out about the application method for your chosen scheme. If applications are to be submitted electronically via the Je-S system, please note the following:

Ensure that you are fully registered on the system as early as possible.
When creating your application, please grant access/edit rights to both Eve Equi and your named ERI contact
Ensure that any collaborators or reviewers involved in the project are fully registered on the system

Identify any additional commitments required by School Office - such as Head of School statement of support or financial implications for the School - and inform Eve Equi as soon as possible as it may be necessary to arrange a meeting with Head of School. We cannot guarantee to be able to provide supporting documents with less than one week’s notice before submission.
Submit your application for Peer Review - see section below
Ensure that your Head of Subject Area/local Research Adviser is aware of your project and that you have discussed all implications for staffing cover and/or employment of staff (RAs etc) during the project.
Please do discuss employment costs with the School office to ensure that any staff employed on a grant are paid at an appropriate rate and with all related costs taken into consideration.
Complete an IRG Form and send this to the School Office for Head of School’s approval before submission on your application. If you require assistance with the completion of the IRG Form, contact Eve Equi. The IRG Form is a vital step in the application process as it confirms HoS support and without this in place applications may not be fully submitted to sponsors.
If your application is to be submitted by post to the Funding Body, please note that this is your responsibility. You must ensure that all necessary authorisations are in place and the form returned to you with sufficient time to send it onwards. Neither the School office nor ERI will take responsibility for items gone astray in the mail. We recommend that such documents are sent by registered mail.
You must provide School Office with a copy of your application form once complete.
Once notified of the outcome of your application you MUST inform School Office and ERI of the result in order that files can be updated and, if successful, we can arrange for payment to be made.

Internal Peer Review

LLC has introduced a Peer Review System for grant applications and colleagues are strongly encouraged to make use of the system to improve applications to funding bodies.

Colleagues are expected to submit for peer review, all large grant applications - including all FEC projects; applications to Research Councils and those which will involve recruitment of research staff. At this stage it is not anticipated that smaller applications (e.g. travel grants and other small awards of £3000 unless these include the provision of a Research Assistant and/or other staff) need go through this process but the panel will be willing to look over any applications which you feel would benefit from the review process.

A School review panel has been appointed as below.

It is expected that applicants will first discuss their proposal with their Subject Area Research Adviser, who as the most 'local' person, i.e. in the applicant's field, would be aware of the discourse in the field and therefore the significance of the proposed project. It would be hoped they could offer comments on the proposal from that vantage point.

Once a final draft of the proposal is available, this should be passed to Eve Equi, who will contact the Review Panel members for input. At this level, the panel would be looking for what might be missing on a more generic basis, with less interest in the details of the proposed advance(s) to be made in the applicant's specific field. For example, there might be special attention paid to such 'boxes' as KE/'Impact'.

The applications may also be checked by ERI, and they might look at the latter but also check facts and figures of budgets, etc., as submitted.

Please note that a minimum of three weeks prior to the official deadline is required to turn this process around and as always, the earlier a proposal is received, the more assistance can be offered. Within a minimum of 7 days of receipt, a nominated panel member might meet with the applicant and/or offer email comments. There would be some time for revision and then the application could go to the HOS for authorisation by way of the IRG form.

Members of the LLC School Peer Review Panel (2012/13)

Prof Peter Dayan
Prof Jean Duffy
Dr James Loxley
Dr Wilson McLeod
Dr Andrew Newman
Prof Jeremy Robbins
Dr Marion Schmid
Prof Greg Walker
Dr Gary West
Prof Peter Davies
Dr Katherine Campbell
Prof Matthias Zachmann
Dr Penny Fielding
Dr Michelle Keown
Dr Laura Bradley

Note - applications to the Carnegie Trust

Carnegie Trust application forms do not require institutional authorisation before submission. It is nevertheless important that you continue to keep the School Office and ERI informed of such applications and declare any awards granted by this funding body. Please note that Carnegie offer the option of paying by personal cheque or payment through the University. Whilst the School will not enforce either method, grant recipients should be aware that only money paid to the University will count towards RAE.

Carnegie Trust

Useful Links to External Funding Sources

This article was published on Mar 4, 2013