This post contains information about the proposal development process the University of Edinburgh is following for the 2011-12 Leverhulme Research Programmes competition. Last year, the same process supported a bid which made it to the final four in Leverhulme’s selection process. If you plan to apply to this competition, which has a deadline of 11th January 2012, please read down.
Overview
The Leverhulme Trust has recently announced its Research Programmes call (http://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/funding/RP/RP.cfm) for the academic year 2011-12. Research Programmes are prestigious awards that are worth up to £1.75 million each. For 2011-12, proposals are invited on the following themes:
- Conspiracies
- Patronage
- Value
Further information about the themes is in the Leverhulme Programme call 2012.
Step 1: Leverhulme Research Programmes Long Lunch
This will be an opportunity for researchers interested in being involved in an application to any of the three themes to get to know others with cogent interests and, hopefully, establish research teams. Attendees will be asked to give, either individually or in groups, a very brief (5 minutes max.) summary of the interests and expertise they think they could bring to an application to one or more of the themes. There will then be time for break-out discussions. We’re pleased to say that Prof Steve Yearley will be present to speak about his own experiences of getting a proposal shortlisted.
- Date: Friday 30th September 2011
- Time: 12:00-15:00
- Venue: G.07, Informatics Forum, Crichton Street
(http://www.ed.ac.uk/maps/buildings/informatics-forum) - Booking: Attendees must indicate their attendance in advance by emailing emma.gliori@ed.ac.uk
Step 2: University-level Review
The purpose of this review is to finalise how many proposals are going forward from Edinburgh to Leverhulme and from whom – it is not a competitive process. University-level review will be conducted by College Deans of Research. Given the interdisciplinary nature of Leverhulme Research Programmes, two or three Deans are likely to review any one proposal.
- Deadline for receipt of proposals for internal review: 5pm, Friday 28th October 2011
- Proposals to be emailed to Emma Gliori (emma.gliori@ed.ac.uk)
- Required format for proposals for internal review: 3 pages draft proposal (2 pages describing the project; 1 page describing the strengths of the research team, the timeline up to submission to Leverhulme and the reasons why Leverhulme will fund the bid over any others submitted to that theme)
Step 3: Completion and Submission of Proposals
Preparation of proposals will require the involvement of academic colleagues, school research administrators and ERI staff. Leverhulme’s deadline is in early January 2012, meaning that, in practice, proposals need to be complete before Christmas 2011. (Minor changes can, of course, still be made over the Christmas break.)
- University of Edinburgh deadline for completion of proposals: 4pm, Wednesday 30th November 2011
- Deadline for submission of proposals to Leverhulme: 11th January 2012
Throughout
All applicants are strongly encouraged to have drafts of their applications reviewed by colleagues throughout the proposal development process. It is up to applicants to make suitable peer review arrangements by consulting with their school’s Director of Research and research administration staff. Proposals should be peer reviewed against the call specifics set out by Leverhulme at http://www.leverhulme.ac.uk/funding/RP/RP.cfm.
