SOLAS

Knowledge Transfer, Synthesis and Dissemination

Announcement of Opportunity

The AO is now closed.

The UK SOLAS directed programme invites proposals from existing SOLAS award holders for activities involving Knowledge Transfer (KT), programme synthesis and dissemination of research results. The closing date is Tuesday 29 January 2008.

Introduction and aims

Support for science projects in the UK SOLAS programme has been allocated, and many have now collected substantial data sets. The need is now to enhance programmatic added value, through inter-project linkages and the transfer of programme products to the wider user community. In addition to KT activities involving public and private sector organisations, wider academic linkages are also in scope for this call. However, proposals should focus on deriving maximum benefit from existing awards, and are not expected to involve significant research not already approved, nor major additional staff effort.

Bids should focus on the following:

Workshops, special publications or other synthesis activities, preferably on a multi-project basis that may also involve research users and other stakeholders.
Other specific Knowledge Transfer, outreach or dissemination activities, mostly of a relatively short-term nature.

Budget

The UK SOLAS programme has allocated around £200k, to be spent preferably during the NERC financial year 2008 / 09 (ie 1 April 2008 - 31 March 2009). The earliest start date will be 1 April 2008. All awards must end by 31 December 2009.

Cost effective applications are invited from existing UK SOLAS Principal Investigators and Co-Investigators at a maximum limit of £50k (where this is 80% of Full Economic Costs). Any bids in excess of this will be rejected.

Eligibility and requirements

This call is open to UK SOLAS award holders, who are currently or who have been Principal Investigators or Co-Investigators for research grants, or Supervisors for research studentships supported by the programme.

Each applicant may submit no more than one proposal as Principal Investigator or Co-investigator and may be involved as Co-Investigator in one other (ie a maximum of two).

Evaluation

Evaluation of bids will be by the UK SOLAS programme Steering Committee. Proposal merit will primarily be assessed on the basis of maximising the overall outputs, impacts, and benefits of the UK SOLAS programme in a cost effective and timely manner.

Assessment criteria

The Committee will assess:

Excellence, with emphasis on outcomes and benefits (academic and non-academic)
Fit to programme priorities
Risk-Reward
Cost-Effectiveness

How to apply

Funding requests will be considered as new bids and should be submitted under a Full Economic Cost (FEC) basis through the Research Councils' Joint electronic-Submission system (Je-S - see external links).

On the form 'scheme' should be completed as 'directed' and the 'proposal call' as 'NERC SOLAS KT Call 2007'.

Supporting documents

A Case for Support of no more than two sides of A4, to include:
- A description of the proposed work, with justification as to why to the work is needed
- Aims
- Deliverables
- Timetable
A one page (single side) Track Record, to include a summary of the expertise available to the project
A one page (single side) Justification of Resources
Letters of support from Project Partners (if applicable), detailing any in kind support.

CVs will not be required

Timetable

The closing date for proposals is Tuesday, 29 January 2008 at 16:00. It is expected that applicants will be informed of the outcome by the end of March 2008.

Contacts

Queries relating to the Je-S procedure should be directed to the Je-S helpdesk (see external links). If you have any general queries, please contact:

Phil Williamson
UK SOLAS Science Co-ordinator
Tel: 01603 593111

Frances Collingborn
Programme Administrator
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411981

About the programme

External links

Joint electronic-Submission (Je-S)