Call for proposals
The Innovative electronics Manufacturing Research Centre (IeMRC) is seeking proposals from eligible UK academics to launch a number of IeMRC research projects from March 1st 2010 that align or deliver to the Centre’s vision:
The IeMRC addresses the needs and challenges of the UK electronics-manufacturing sector and has received funding over five years from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to support research of significance to industry. Renewed for a further five-year period (2010-2015) the IeMRC shall prioritise a number of projects to commence in Spring 2010 by means of this managed call.
Scope of this call
The scope of this call is open with regard to specific application areas, sectors and research issues that the proposed research projects should be addressing. However, it is essential that any proposed research will:
§ deliver to the vision of the IeMRC in supporting high value added manufacturing, innovative and exploitable ideas and be in support of UK industry;
§ align with the IeMRC’s research themes (found at www.iemrc.org/themes.html)[1].
Subsequent calls from 2010 onwards shall be informed by the initial portfolio of supported research and may result in more targeted calls for proposals.
Research awards
Research funding from the IeMRC shall be in the form of fixed awards under the EPSRC’s Full Economic Costing model and shall be available to successful proposals from March 2010.
The application and selection process
The prioritising of proposals for funding shall occur by means of a staged selection process.
1. Outline Proposal
An Outline Proposal shall be used as the basis for prioritisation for progress to the full proposal stage. Applicants are welcome to discuss their ideas with the IeMRC to assist in formulating these Outline Proposals and support is also available to fund workshops or proposer days. The outline proposals are to be submitted on the IeMRC Outline Proposal form (attached, or available from http://www.iemrc.org/downloads.html).
Deadline for submission of Outline Proposals: 3pm October 30th 2009
Decisions on Outline Proposals by: 1200pm November 23rd 2009
2. Full proposal and peer review
A shortlist of Outline Proposals shall be invited and supported in preparing a full proposal that will be subject to international peer review.
Applicants shall have the opportunity to respond to peer review of their research proposals ahead of the final prioritisation panel.
Deadline for submission of full proposals: 3pm December 21st 2009
Selection criteria
Criteria / Assessment stageOutline
proposal / Full
Proposal
a. Fit to scope of this call for proposals
Potential to deliver to IeMRC vision / • / •
Alignment with IeMRC research themes / Gateway criteria1 / •
b. The business case
Potential economic impact of the proposed research / • / •
Contribution to sustainability of electronics manufacturing sector / • / •
Timeliness of proposed research / • / •
Impact / Exploitation strategy / • / •
Synergy or potential to develop such with UK/EC R&D schemes / •
c. Quality of proposed research
Novelty, Knowledge generation / advancement / • / •
International excellence / standing or potential to develop such / •
Risk mitigation strategies / •
Proposed work plan and deliverables / • / •
d. Viability and strength of the research team
Collaboration (academic and industrial) / Strength of proposed collaboration / Strength of delivered collaboration
Industrial leadership, support and relevance
Strategy for building capacity (i.e. training/CPD) of researchers / •
e. Value for money?
1Gateway criteria: satisfaction of this criteria required for consideration of the submission
Eligibility
UK academics that are eligible to be grant holders of funding from EPSRC are thereby eligible to apply for funding from the IeMRC. The IeMRC shall disburse funding directly to the institutes at which the applicants are based. IeMRC funds are not available to industry or international collaborators.
How to apply
Interested parties are invited to submit an outline proposal consisting of a completed IeMRC Outline Proposal application form (attached and also available at www.iemrc.org/downloads.html and www.iemrc.org/proposals.html).
Applicants must adhere to the page and space limits and a minimum font size of 10 point.
Proposers are encouraged to engage industry appropriate to their case for support and research programme. At the Outline Proposal stage we do not require Letters of Support confirming the participation and contributions from industry. Rather, the IeMRC expect to see a proposed research consortium and indicative contributions from industrial collaborators. Letters of Support from collaborating industrial partners will be required at the full proposal stage.
A prioritisation panel will review the Outline Proposals in October 2009 and a number will be invited forward for development into full proposals.
Summary schedule
Deadline for submission of Outline Proposals:
/3pm October 30th 2009
Decisions on Outline Proposals:
/November 23rd 2009
Deadline for submission of full proposals:
/3pm December 21st 2009
Prioritisation Panel:
/January 14th 2010 (provisional)
Announcements:
/January 21st 2010 (provisional)
Submission instructions
Outline Proposals must be submitted as both hardcopy and an email softcopy to Dr Darren Cadman at the address below.
Email softcopy must also be copied to
Confirmation of safe receipt of proposals will be sent by email.
Contacts
Applicants are advised to contact and discuss their proposals with the IeMRC Research Coordinator:
Dr Darren Cadman
Research Coordinator
Innovative electronics Manufacturing Research Centre (IeMRC)
Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
Loughborough University
Ashby Road
Loughborough
Leicestershire
LE11 3TU
Tel: +44 (0) 1509 227688
Fax: +44 (0) 1509 227615
Mobile: +44 (0) 7768 175950
Email:
Useful information to potential applicants
Proposers may wish to avail themselves of the following, or other publications, to support and demonstrate the business and strategic arguments for their research and its significance to the strategic direction of the UK electronics sector.
§ Electronics 2015, Making a Visible Difference, available from:
http://www.iemrc.org/downloads.html
§ Electronics, Photonics and Electrical Systems, Technology Strategy Board, available from:
http://www.innovateuk.org/_assets/pdf/corporate-publications/epes%20strategy.pdf
§ High Value Manufacturing, Technology Strategy Board, available from:
http://www.innovateuk.org/_assets/pdf/corporate-publications/tsb_highvaluemanu.pdf
§ Strategic Research Agenda of the European Technology Platform on Smart Systems Integration, available from:
www.smart-systems-integration.org
§ Information and Communication Technology, Technology Strategy Board, available from:
http://www.innovateuk.org/_assets/pdf/corporate-publications/ict%20strategy.pdf
§ Advanced Materials, Technology Strategy Board, available from:
http://www.innovateuk.org/_assets/pdf/corporate-publications/advanced%20materials%20strategy.pdf
§ Our strategy for ‘Digital Britain’, Technology Strategy Board, available from:
http://www.innovateuk.org/_assets/pdf/Corporate-Publications/TSB_DigitalBritainStrategy.pdf
§ Microelectronic design grand challenge roadmap, available from:
http://intranet.cs.man.ac.uk/apt/uElecCV/
§ Grand Challenges in Silicon Technology Roadmap, available from:
http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/ResearchFunding/Programmes/ICT/RC/GrandChallengesSiliconTech.htm
§ iNEMI, available from:
http://www.inemi.org/cms/roadmapping/2009_Roadmap.html
§ EPSRC economic impact:
http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/ResearchFunding/Changes/EconomicImpact.htm
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Project TitlePrincipal Investigator / Email
Institute / Telephone
Address / Fax
Mobile
Postcode
1. Gateway[2]: Fit to scope of this call for proposals (tick those that apply)
Manufacturing business processes / Agile enterprises
Sustainable manufacture, products and processes / Challenging environments
Materials, manufacturing processes and technology / Design or X (Df`X)
Briefly describe how the proposed research delivers to IeMRC Vision and fits to research themes.
2. Abstract (no more than 2000 characters)
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3. Business case and potential impacts (UK and international)Address areas such as:
the economic, technological, socio-economic impact of the proposed research
how does the research contribute to sustainability of electronics manufacturing in UK?
how timely is the research?
outline exploitation and impact strategies
synergies or potential to develop such with other R&D schemes
- DO NOT EXCEED THIS PAGE -
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4. The proposed research [do not exceed 2 pages for this section]4.1 Aims, objectives
Change spacing / size of these sub-sections to suit
4.2 Novelty and knowledge generation
4.3 Intended deliverables
4.4 Outline work plan / work packages / methodology
go no further than bottom of this page
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5. Research teamBriefly describe the academic research team – the lead academics and what they/their groups bring to the proposed research.
Briefly describe the industrial partners willing to support the research. We do NOT require letters of support, rather the identification of the proposed industrial partners.
6. Outline research budget
Summary heading / Fund heading / Full economic Cost £ / IeMRC contribution £ / % IeMRC contributionDirectly Incurred / Staff / 80
Travel & Subsistence / 80
Equipment / 80
Other Costs / 80
Sub-total
Directly Allocated / Investigators / 80
Estates Costs / 80
Other Directly Allocated / 80
Sub-total
Indirect Costs / Indirect Costs / 80
Exceptions / Staff / 100
Equipment / 100
Other Costs / 100
Sub-total
Total
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[1] This web page provides summaries of each theme area and a mapping of current projects mapping onto these themes. Abstracts for each project are also provided.
[2] Gateway criteria: Satisfaction of this criteria required for consideration of the submission