The University of Oxford is calling for small-scale proposals to support the establishment of new research collaborations, or the continuation and advancement of existing collaborations, within the context of its research partnership with the Berlin University Alliance (comprising Humboldt Universität Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, the Technische Universität Berlin and the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin).
The call is intended to provide seed-funding for small projects, as well as for workshops and conferences, and for visits between Oxford and Berlin to enable researchers to work jointly with colleagues in the other location. The aim of the scheme is to build further on the considerable success, in terms of attracting third-party funding, enjoyed by joint projects undertaken within the earlier rounds of workshop and seed funding under the auspices of the Oxford-Berlin Research Partnership.
Applications should be made by Oxford researchers who have identified and gained the agreement of a research partner at one of the four institutions within the BUA (applications involving colleagues from more than one BUA institution are especially encouraged). The involvement of additional external researchers (from German, British or international research or government institutions or companies) is welcome, although they will be expected to cover their own expenses for the project in all but exceptional circumstances.
In general, Oxford applicants should be salaried members of faculty or their equivalent (such as fully funded post-doctoral fellows), who have the necessary institutional infrastructure to enable them to hold the award. An applicant’s position should be securely funded over the full course of the project.
Successful awards will be held by and administered through the applicant’s department or faculty.
Funding
The maximum size of award is expected to be no more than £5,000, although some larger applications may be considered. The period of award is anticipated to be from 1 February 2023 until 31 December 2023.
Recipients of the funding and their research partners in Berlin or elsewhere will be required to abide by the policies and practices of their respective institutions regarding the ethical conduct of research and reporting, as well as with regard to any Covid-related restrictions that may obtain during the course of the award.
A short report on activities funded will be required at the end of the award period.
Application documents
The application should include a narrative project description of no more than 2 pages addressing:
- details of the planned activity (including budgetary costs); pre-existing documentation (such as workshop timetables etc) may be submitted in support of the application
- goals of the planned activity
- benefits of the planned activity in relation to the applicant’s own research, the wider benefits to society, and to the Oxford-Berlin Research Partnership
Eligible claims
- consumable costs (services needed or materials for prototypes)
- travel, accommodation and other associated costs (for joint workshops or exchanges)
Evaluation
All proposals will be considered by the joint Academic Liaison Committee (or a sub-section thereof) of the Oxford-Berlin Research Partnership, taking into account:
- a clear description of the proposed research topic, and of its impact, importance and timeliness
- a coherent collaborative work or workshop programme, and an analysis of the added value of the collaboration
- the potential to lead to further collaborative work, including joint grant applications to other bodies
- the track record and competency mix of the principal investigators
- considerations of gender and ethnic diversity, both for the named investigators and for the students and early and mid-career researchers taking part
Submission and reporting
- application window: 01 November 2022 to 18 December 2022 at 11:59pm GMT
- outcome notification: by mid-January 2023
- funding activity: 1 February 2023 to 31 December 2023
- a brief final report will be required at the end of the award period, or, if applicable, following any one-off workshop
- payment of the grant: all grants will be set up in and administered through the University’s Research Accounts section
The application should be submitted in English as a PDF via email to info@oib.ox.ac.uk. Any questions regarding the application process can be directed to Mr Alasdair MacDonald at alasdair.macdonald@admin.ox.ac.uk.
