Research Culture Catalyst Fund

A £1M Culture Catalyst Fund widening access to funding to, and driving the emergence of, new ideas from new leaders to test and developing the co-created framework.

The Culture Catalyst Fund is a £1M fund which aims to improve collegial research leadership and research culture through innovative, collaborative projects. Open to colleagues within the research ecology of the University of Glasgow, the University of St Andrews, and the University of Edinburgh, we are looking for projects which have the potential to disrupt long standing institutional hierarchies in order to build leadership opportunities. We will fund innovative, collaborative projects that focus on how research is led, and the behaviours, roles, contributions and impact of those who lead.

We aim to have equality, diversity and inclusion embedded through these projects, and by doing so we hope to widen the definition of what a “research leader” looks like. If you have a vision for changing research culture, the fund will allow you to drive and expand these ideas, while also becoming part of a community of emerging leaders.

Projects can last 12 months, but we encourage you to pitch shorter projects too. Funding will be up to £50k, with projects starting in Spring 2025.

Our call will support projects that investigate:

  • Putting policy into practice: meaning practices that improve implementation of, awareness of, trust in, and engagement with, provisions already in place.
  • Changing what counts: meaning practices that, in research/researcher assessment, recognise, and value a wider range of activities and contributions.
  • Setting the tone: meaning practices that promote more positive cultures now and into the future, and interrupt the 'passing on' of less positive cultures.

1st Catalyst Fund Call

  • Open: Friday 1st November 2024
  • Deadline: 3pm Friday 17th January 2025
  • Launch Event: If you missed our InFrame Culture Catalyst Fund launch event on Tuesday 22nd of October or wish to watch it back, a recording of the event is available as are the slides from the event.  

Call details & Application Forms

How to submit a bid from University of Edinburgh (UoE)

Are you a UoE applicant wondering how to prepare the formal costings for your application? 

Please contact your School Research Office for assistance with preparing the formal costings of your application. Please also Cc in Emma Giles (emma.giles@ed.ac.uk, Senior Research Funding Specialist at the Edinburgh Research Office) and inframe@ed.ac.uk.

If you do not know what the best contact for your local School Research Office is, please contact Emma Giles (emma.giles@ed.ac.uk) with inframe@ed.ac.uk in Cc, and we will help you find the best person to contact.  

Are you a College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine UoE applicant? 

CMVM applicants must submit the CMVM Grant Submission: Intent to Submit Form (sharepoint.com) to secure research office support and allow the budget to be finalised. Please submit those Intents ASAP and no less than five working days before your Culture Catalyst Fund application submission.  

Drop-in Session

We will be holding an in person drop-in session for potential applicants to the catalyst fund call on Tuesday 12th November 2024, 12noon - 2pm, in G42 Paterson's Land (Holyrood Road, EH8 8AQ).

The drop-in session is to allow you the opportunity to discuss your project idea 1-2-1 with a Community Knowledge Analyst or Project Coordinator. These meetings will allow us to help give guidance and advice to support you in submitting a high-quality application to the fund.

Register for Drop-in Session | Edinburgh

Ideation Workshop

We are also hosting an Ideation Workshop on Thursday 21st November from 1:30pm – 3:30pm in Edinburgh. This workshop is for anyone interested in applying for the Fund and wants further support with developing an idea or discussing their idea with others.

Register for Ideation Workshop

Collaboration Opportunities

We know there is a pool of people who want to support the Culture Catalyst Fund applicants by offering their time, expertise and support, but who do not necessarily want to lead a project themselves. We have also had requests for applicants to be able to connect with other applicants who may be looking at a similar area of work at one of the other institutions and come together to progress the project collaboratively.

We have created a Connection & Collaboration Padlet to help you do just that. Please join and share your offer or ask so we can help connect those who want to create a better culture for research.

Community Knowledge Hub

Our Community Knowledge Hub provides bespoke pre- and post- award support, community building, knowledge-sharing, and critical cross-linking of proposals and funded projects.

Meet the hub team

Email the InFrame Community Knowledge Hub team

Inframe@ed.ac.uk

Join our Mailing List

Join our mailing list and stay up to date with the work of the InFrame project as well as hear about future funding and partnership opportunities from the Culture Catalyst Fund. 

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