Applications are: 

• Open to individuals or teams and can be led by research staff, academic staff, technical or professional services colleagues.   

• Encouraged to comprise teams which reflect the diverse staff community at the University of Manchester.  

• Encouraged to involve members of the intended beneficiary group (e.g. technicians, postdocs, staff returning from parental leave) at all stages of the project.  

• Expected to have a lead applicant whose contract end date is no earlier than the end date of the project. 

The lead applicant is expected to take responsibility for checking the availability and capacity of the members of the proposed team to undertake the project. 

Postgraduate researchers and honorary members of staff are not eligible to apply to be project leads but may apply as part of a team.  

Projects are invited for funding of £50,000 to £80,000 to start from 1 August 2025 and are expected to be for a period of 12 months. Projects of a duration longer than 12 months should be clearly justified.  

At the application stage estimated costs are to be provided in the application form. Successful applicants will be requested to work with the panel to finalise budgets ahead of the project start date.  

Eligible Costs (reimbursed at 100%)

• Staff time required to deliver the specific aims of the project which may include: 
  • The time of the lead applicant to recognise their contribution to the project.
  • Salary costs of staff appointed to conduct the specific activities of the project.  
• Travel, subsistence, networking and events costs.   
• Consumables including small pieces of equipment (defined as less than £10,000).
• Costs of any external collaborators or providers (for example consultancy) contributing to the project.   

Ineligible Costs

• These awards do not cover Full Economic Costs (fEC) and should not be costed according to fEC principles.  

• Overhead costs (this includes estates, indirect and technician infrastructure costs).   

• Large pieces of equipment (over £10,000).  

• Building and refurbishment costs. 

• PhD related costs (fees and stipends).   

All applicants are requested to: 

• Download and complete the application form and submit by 4pm on 14 May 2025 to rst@manchester.ac.uk. 

• Check the availability and capacity of the team members outlined in the application form to undertake the project. 

• Submit an anonymised EDI form at the time of application. This is to enable a comparison to be made between the profile of the applicant pool with those selected for award. 

Proposals will be assessed on the following criteria:  

• Clear articulation and evidence of the research culture challenge the project proposes to address. 

• Strength of the description of the project and rationale of the proposed solution(s) to be tested or existing proven practice to be scaled to address the identified research culture challenge. 

• Feasibility of the project timescales and deliverables.   

• Strength and clarity of the approach to evaluation with measurable outcomes and likely impacts identified. 

• Clear demonstration of how the proposed outcomes could be implemented across the University of Manchester and will enhance the University's research culture and environment.  

• Strength, appropriateness and diversity of the research team.  

• Clear and realistic costed plan of activities that represent value for money. 

Applications received by the call deadline will be 

• Checked for eligibility by the Research Strategy Team. 

• Reviewed, assessed and ranked by a panel of academic and PS colleagues, including representatives from research and equality, diversity and inclusion. The panel will be chaired by Professor Melissa Westwood, Associate Vice President Research.  Melissa leads, on behalf of Research Strategy Group, on initiatives to enhance our institutional research culture and environment by collaborating with colleagues across the University to amplify the great work already taking place locally.  

Applicants will be informed of the outcome by the end of June 2025. 

Questions about Applicants

Who can be a lead applicant? Applications can led by research staff, academic staff, technical or professional services colleagues.

I have an honorary appointment with UoM, can I be the lead applicant? No. Applications must be led by a UoM member of staff. Colleagues with an honorary/visiting contract may be a member of the team.

Can a member of professional services lead a project? Yes. 

Can I submit multiple proposals? You can only submit one application as a lead. If you are named as a member of the team on another project then the projects must be distinct.

Questions about the Project

How do I know if my proposal fits into one of the themes? You can read more about the themes of the research culture and environment framework at the research culture and environment hub and you can book a slot to have a short discussion about your project with a member of the Research Strategy Team. 

Can I include external partners? Yes you can include external partners, their role in the project should be clearly outlined in the application form.

When should the project start? Successful projects are expected to start on 1 August 2025. 

Questions about the Costings

How do I work out the salary costings? Please see the guidance on indicative salary costs.

Can I include my time as lead applicant in the costings? Yes the time of the lead applicant may be costed to recognise their contribution to the project.

Can I include overheads? No. Only directly incurred costs are eligible.

Can I include the costs of new staff? Yes the cost of staff appointed to conduct the specific activities of the project may be included.  

Questions about the Application Process

Do the word counts specified in the application form include references? No, references are not included in the word count. 

How are the applications being assessed? Applications are being assessed against the criteria outlined in the call guidance by a panel of academic and PS colleagues. The panel will including representatives from research and equality, diversity and inclusion and will be chaired by Professor Melissa Westwood, Associate Vice President Research.    

What approval do I need before I submit the application? Lead applicants are expected to confirm that they have checked the availability and capacity of the team members outlined in the application form to undertake the project. 

When will I know the outcome of my application? Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by the end of June 2025.