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ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) Pilot Programme: Invitations to Bid for Funding - Closing Date 31st October 2013

Applications are invited for support for impact activities which may be funded under the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) Pilot Programme. Please find attached an application form to the Impact Fund and a note of guidance to applicants.

The closing date for this round is 31st October. There will be a second round in the spring of 2014.

The set of activities which can be supported is widely drawn. It includes secondments and work shadowing with external organisations. If anyone is interested in accelerating policy impact through either of those two routes, then it may be possible to make connections via the Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP). If you think this may be of interest, then please let Dr Daniel Wunderlich know separately from any application you may make to the Impact Fund.

Social Science Impact Acceleration Account

The University of Cambridge has received funding from ESRC to pilot an Impact Acceleration Account (IAA) for research impact in the social sciences over 2013/14. The pilot is also run at the Universities of Oxford and Manchester. This email is a pre-alert to inform about upcoming funding calls, events and support available to departments and researchers.

Professor Alan Hughes (a.hughes@cbr.cam.ac.uk) has been appointed by the University to direct the IAA activities, and to promote and advise on impact and knowledge exchange linked to IAA with individual departments. He will also be responsible for the evaluation of the pilot activities.

The IAA programme agreed with ESRC will consist of 4 key components:

1. The Cambridge Impact Fund This will provide funding for innovative impact activities related to social science research including but not limited to user-led research projects and academic secondments to non-academic organisations such as NGOs, business or government.

The total funding available is £350,000. It is intended that depending upon the scale and quality of demand funding could be available for between 15 and 20 projects with a maximum funding scale of £40,000 and maximum duration of 12 months. ESRC are seeking new and innovative activities, and proposals will be expected to demonstrate significant additionality in relation to dissemination or impact activities currently already in place or funded under existing RCUK or other awards.

There will be at least two calls over the academic year 2013/14 with a first call to be announced in September 2013 with a second one following in early 2014. These will be evaluated by a small group chaired by Professor Hughes drawn from across the social science research community in Cambridge. For opportunities that emerge outside of this schedule and require urgent small-scale funding a small separate flexible fund will be administered by Professor Hughes to whom applications may be made direct at any time after October 1st.

2. Targeted training and advice These will be made available through the Public Engagement Team for social scientists interested in or already involved in knowledge exchange activities (contact: Nicola.Buckley@admin.cam.ac.uk).

3. Industry and NGO Engagement Fora These will facilitate interaction between social science researchers at different career stages, companies and NGOs, often organised with a particular thematic focus. When research projects emerge through this interaction then funding can be sought from the Cambridge Impact Fund. The Public Engagement Team and Cambridge Enterprise are in charge of this work package. For expressions of interest of departments and suggestions of thematic foci please contact Shirley.Jamieson@enterprise.cam.ac.uk (Cambridge Enterprise) and Nicola.Buckley@admin.cam.ac.uk (Public Engagement Team).

4. Policy Challenges The Policy Challenges Programme at the Centre for Science and Policy (CSaP) will enable government policy makers and industry leaders to work in collaboration with academic experts on five Policy Challenges.  Funded by the ESRC, this new initiative will address high-priority public policy issues identified by CSaP’s Policy Fellows. The Programme will provide access to a broad spectrum of leading academic expertise, and will aim to provide senior decision makers in government, such as the relevant Minister, with new perspectives on some of the key problems which they face (contact Jackie.Ouchikh@csap.cam.ac.uk).

Further details:

Dr Daniel Wunderlich

Research Facilitator for Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Schools of Arts and Humanities and the Humanities and Social Sciences

University of Cambridge

17 Mill Lane

Cambridge CB2 1RX

Tel.: +44(0) 1223 761365

https://www.ahssresearch.group.cam.ac.uk  

Posted on 25/10/2013