Travel and Networking

• Royal Academy of Engineering Distinguished Visiting Fellowship Scheme
• Royal Society International Exchanges Scheme
• EPSRC Network Grants
• Royal Society Scientific Seminars
• Daiwa Foundation
• Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorship
• Leverhulme International Networks
• Leverhulme International Academic Fellowships
• Warwick Internal Funding Schemes

The scheme provides funding to enable an academic engineering department in a United Kingdom (UK) university to be a host for up to a month to a Distinguished Visiting Fellow from an overseas academic centre of excellence.

Eligibility: Applications with distinguished, eminent visitors from overseas academic centres of excellence in engineering (including those from governmental research organisations) are accepted. Visitors from commercial centres of excellence are not eligible for this scheme.

Award Duration: Up to one month.

Funding Available: The maximum which could be awarded for each Fellow is £6000.

• Applications are usually due in late May and late November.

Full details visit: http://www.raeng.org.uk/grants-and-prizes/international-research-and-collaborations/distinguished-visiting-fellowships

This scheme is for scientists in the UK who want to stimulate new collaborations with leading scientists overseas through either a one-off visit or bilateral travel. This scheme is not intended to support continued research between a UK applicant and co-applicant who was a former colleague or PhD student or to support other existing or recent collaborations between the applicant and co-applicant. Rather, the scheme is intended to stimulate new collaborations between scientists in the UK and overseas.

If you intend to collaborate with partners in Taiwan, France, Ireland, China or Russia, your proposal can also be considered as a cost share application. This entails the UK applicant submitting a proposal to the Royal Society for up to £12,000 and the overseas applicant simultaneously submitting a proposal for an additional amount up to/equivalent to £12,000 to a partner organisation, with whom the Royal Society has a funding agreement. In the case of cost share applications, a relationship between both parties should already be established prior to making an application.

Eligibility: The scheme covers all areas of the life and physical sciences, including engineering, but excluding clinical medicine. Collaborations should be based on a single project and travel can only take place between the UK and a country where the overseas collaborator is based. Both the UK applicant and overseas applicant must:

• have a PhD, or be likely to have a PhD by the time the funding starts
• hold a fixed or permanent contract at an eligible organisation for the duration of the project (ineligible organisations include industrial, private and commercial organisations, university spin-out companies, government bodies and research institutes and research councils)
• be based in the respective countries at the time of the application

Award Duration: Up to 2 years

Funding Available: Up to £12,000

• Cost Share Applications are due as follows:
  • Russia - March
  • China - October
  • Ireland - October
  • France - June
  • Taiwan - October
• Applications for travel to other countries are usually due in February, June and October.

Full details visit: https://royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/international-exchanges/

The main objective of Networks is to create new interdisciplinary research communities and topics, by developing interaction between the research community and appropriate science, technology and industrial groups. The aims are to:

• Transfer experimental techniques, models and scientific insights
• Promote mobility between academe, universities and industry.

Eligibility: Each Network should:

• Be a new collaboration.
• Should normally have as its key objectives in the formation of a new interdisciplinary research community and identification of new interdisciplinary research topics.
• Involve a group of people with a range of expertise and experience.
• Be based in the UK, but may include collaboration with those overseas.
• Demonstrate the added value that EPSRC funding will bring.

Award Duration: Up to 3 years.

Funding Available: There is no limit on the funding that can be applied for under this scheme.

Deadline: There are no deadlines for this scheme - applications can be submitted at any time.

This aim of this scheme is to fund the organisation of a small 3 day scientific meeting to bring together groups of early to mid-career scientists from either India or South Africa and the UK for the purpose of scientific discussion, to promote collaboration and knowledge transfer by encouraging interaction within the wider research community.

Eligibility:

• Participants invited from the UK to the scientific meeting must hold a permanent or fixed term contract (provided it continues for at least the duration of the scientific seminar) at an eligible institution.
• All participants invited to the scientific seminar must have a PhD or equivalent research experience at the time the application is made.
• The Indian/South African and UK co-applicants may invite participants from the same department or institution as themselves. However, the maximum number of participants invited from the same department or institution should not exceed 5.
• The scientific seminar must be on a subject within the natural sciences, including: physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, engineering, agricultural and medical research. The Royal Society does not cover social sciences or clinical research.
• There are various eligibility criteria for the Indian or South African participants - please see above guidance for details.

Award Duration: The meeting should not exceed more than 3 days.

Funding Available: Up to £12,000

• Applications are usually due in February for the South Africa - UK scheme.
  
• Applications are usually due in June for the India - UK scheme

Full details visit: https://royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/india-uk-seminars/ (India - UK) and https://royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/south-africa-seminars/ (South Africa - UK).

The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation is a UK charity, established in 1988 with a generous benefaction from Daiwa Securities Co Ltd. The Foundation’s purpose is to support closer links between Britain and Japan. Daiwa Foundation Small Grants can cover all fields of activity, including educational and grassroots exchanges, research travel, the organisation of conferences, exhibitions, and other projects and events that fulfil this broad objective. New initiatives are especially encouraged.

Eligibility: As the Foundation’s purpose is to support links between the UK and Japan, applicants must be resident in either the UK or Japan and demonstrate a long-term commitment to UK-Japan relations.

Award Duration: Up to 1 year

Funding Available: Grants of £2,000-£7,000 are available to individuals, societies, associations or other bodies in the UK or Japan to promote and support interaction between the two countries.

• Applications are usually due at the end of March and the end of September

The objective of these awards is to enable distinguished academics based overseas to spend between three and twelve months inclusive at a UK university, primarily in order to enhance the skills of academic staff or the student body within the host institution. It is recognised that Visiting Professors may also wish to use the opportunity to further their own academic interests. The over-riding criteria for selection are first the academic standing and achievements of the visitor in terms of research and teaching, and secondly the ability of the receiving institution to benefit from the imported skills and expertise. Priority will be given to new or recent collaborative ventures.

Eligibility: Applications must be made by a member of academic staff, based in a UK university or other higher education institution, who will be responsible for co-ordinating the visit.

Award Duration: Visits should be for no less than three and no more than 12 months, although a Professorship may be spread over a number of visits and over a period of up to two years if such an arrangement is justified by the nature of the programme.

Funding Available: The sum requested should reflect the individual circumstances of the visitor and the nature and duration of the proposed activities. A maintenance grant up to a level commensurate with the salary of a professor in the relevant field at the receiving institution may be requested. Economy travel costs to and from the UK will also be met. Requests for associated costs, if justified by the programme, may include, for example, travel within the UK, laboratory consumables, and essential technical assistance.

• Applications are usually due in May

These collaborations enable a Principal Investigator based in the UK to lead a research project where its successful completion is dependent on the participation of relevant overseas institutions. A significant research theme must be identified at the outset which requires for its successful treatment international collaboration between one or more UK universities, and two or more overseas institutions (up to a maximum of seven institutions in total). Networks must be newly constituted collaborations.

• The applicant should be employed by an eligible institution. Applications can be submitted by those holding contract research posts provided that their appointment continues for a period at least equal to that of the requested award.
• Networks must be newly constituted collaborations.
• A minimum of two overseas institutions must be included.

Award Duration: Grants are made for periods of no more than three years.
Funding Available: Awards are normally made up to £125,000, although requests for higher amounts will be considered if an appropriate case can be made.

• There are no deadlines for outline applications
• Detailed Applications are due in September, December and March

Full details visit: http://leverhulme.ac.uk/funding/IN/IN.cfm

International Academic Fellowships provide established researchers with a concentrated period based in one or more research centres outside the UK. The intention of the scheme is to provide opportunities to develop new knowledge, skills and ideas, and perhaps to prepare the ground for future international collaboration of all kinds.

Eligibility: Applicants must -

• must be resident in the UK at the time of application;
• should have held an established post in a UK institution of higher education or comparable institution for at least five years;
• may not be registered for a degree, for doctoral studies, or for professional or vocational qualifications.

Award Duration: Fellowships are tenable for between 3 and 12 months.
Funding Available: The maximum value of a Fellowship is £30,000. Eligible costs include: reasonable replacement cover whilst the Fellow is overseas; travel to and within the overseas country or countries; a maintenance grant to meet the increased expense of living overseas; and essential research costs.

Deadline:

• Applications are usually due in November.

Full details visit: http://leverhulme.ac.uk/funding/IAF/IAF.cfm

There are a number of internal schemes which support travel and networking activities. Please see the internal funding page here for full details: http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/eng/ro/funding/uow/.