Call specification for ESRC/NRF International Centre Partnerships

Background

ESRC/NRF International Centre Partnerships

Proposed support

Eligibility

ESRC Eligible applicants

NRF Eligible applicants

Application Process

Important information for applicants

Evaluation process

Assessment Criteria

Timeline

National Contact Details

ESRC

NRF

Annex I – Broad Thematic Areas

Higher Education

Social Science of the Food, Energy, Environment Nexus

Research Infrastructure

Urban Transformations

Background to the Funders

The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) is an international leader in the social sciences. It fosters international collaboration with a wide range of international partners and, through joint schemes, enables United Kingdom (UK) social scientists to collaborate on challenging global issues with the very best international researchers from around the world.One of the ESRC’s major strategic investments are the Research Centres and Large Grants, pursuing ambitious programmes of research addressing many of today’s major global economic and societal challenges. Funded for terms of up to 5 years, and with budgets of between £2million to £10million they are expected to drive forward innovations in social science theory, methods or proposal and become international centres of excellence for social science research, where researchers can collaborate on long-term projects. They are expected to actively involve potential users in the co-production of research and support an active career development programme aimed at building research capacity.Proposals to the International Centre Partnership call are restricted to members of research teams in the UK already in receipt of major ESRC funding (in excess of £2m) and the aims of the call are designed to help award holders become international centres of excellence for social science research.

The National Research Foundation (NRF) is an independent government agency that promotes and supports research in all fields of knowledge. It also conducts research in specific national strategic areas and provides access to National Research Facilities. The NRF provides services to the research community especially at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Science Councils with a view to promote high-level human capital development and the production of internationally competitive knowledge. Its aims are to uphold excellence while at the sametime transforming the system in all its investments in knowledge, people and infrastructure. Principal applicants (PI) and co-investigators (Co-I) to the International Centre Partnership call are restricted to members of research teams/individuals inSouth Africa who are established researchers. Students or postgraduate fellows are not permitted to submit applications as PIs of Co-I, however in the effort of addressing the transformation agenda and human capacity development, emerging and the next generation of researchers may be included and participate as members of the team.

ESRC/NRF International Centre Partnerships

The ESRC and NRF recognise that the very best research can be fostered by working with, and benchmarking against the best researchers internationally. To this end, both parties wish to develop collaborative activities bringing together UK and South African researchers to share expertise and develop new research agendas.

ESRC and NRF wish to support a number of South Africa/UK International Centre Partnerships with the following aims:

  • Enable excellent international research collaboration between UK centres of excellence and existing and emerging centres of excellence, research chairsand research teams in South Africa;
  • Support the development of ambitious joint research agendas and stimulate the development of international and interdisciplinary collaborative research proposals;
  • Promote mobility and develop capacity, thus contributing to the development of an internationally networked cohort of researchers who have the skills to work globally;
  • Develop science and innovation partnerships that promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries;
  • Enhance pathways to impact internationally.

The ESRC and NRF therefore invite proposals for International Centre Partnerships pursuing these aims between major UK research centres and groups supported by the ESRC and eligible NRF researchers, addressing the following broad thematic areas:

  • Higher Education
  • Research Infrastructure
  • Social Science of the Nexus
  • Urban Transformations.

We recognise that there are overlaps between the thematic areas, but for funding purposes one main priority area should be highlighted in theproposal. Brief outlines of these areas can be found inAnnex I.

The objective of this call is to strengthen research in the social sciences between the UK and South Africa by providing additional funding for joint activities between internationally excellent researchers in identified areas. Successful proposals willinvolve existing groups and partnerships already in receipt of funds, possibly with some already established connections and joint collaboration, who wish to build on this to enhance their collaborative activities over the next three years by working closely with other leading or potentially leading players globally.

Activities to be undertaken with an existing centre might include (but are not limited to):

  • visiting fellowships;
  • scholar exchanges;
  • seminars and workshops;
  • summer schools;
  • knowledge exchange activities.

The ESRC funding for this initiative is coming from the Newton Fund which is aimed at developing science and innovation partnerships that promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries. As the fund forms part of the UK’s official development assistance (ODA), the partnerships must clearly demonstrate that they will support the development of research collaborations which will address issues concerning the economic development, welfare enhancement and alleviation of poverty in South Africa and/or developing countries.

The NRF funding for the initiative comes from the core parliamentary grant. It is generally aimed at supporting and/or enhancing the production of internationally competitive research, its uptake and the development of the related human capacity.

The NRF’s investment in this initiative though initially modest, will promote and improve international engagement, networking and research collaborations between the South African and UK social science research communities. The experience gained from these in terms of international collaborative working and research outcomes intend to inform the development of new international research initiatives, and at the same time contribute to solving multifaceted and complex problems that might otherwise not be addressed by one country.

While modest research costs can be included for example: small scoping studies, pilot studies and data exploration), the partnerships may also support the development of research proposals for substantive new collaborative research activities arising from existing mechanisms of the research funders or feed into responses to calls under the Newton Fund. For the UK side, some modest management, co-ordination and administrative support costs can be included within the support requested. For the South African side, normal NRF conditions apply. For instance, general operating costs can be covered, but salaries will not normally be funded through this initiative.

Excellence and impact must lie at the heart of the partnerships. An important component of the partnerships will be to facilitate mobility by developing training and exchange programmes, building alumni networks to create an internationally networked cohort of researchers who have the skills and expertise to work together globally. Successful partnerships will clearly demonstrate the added collaboration and will offer both research and broader societal and economic impacts.

Strong leadership will be essential to ensure that the partnerships develop and remain true to a compelling joint vision and are equipped with the right governance and administrative support to achieve their aims. The partnerships will also be expected to put in place collaborative agreements, including arrangements relating to any intellectual property generated and the sharing of data generated from joint activities (if outside the UKData Service).

Proposed support

It is expected that the ESRC funding will be used to support the UK component of the partnershipand that NRF funding will support the South African component.

Each proposal may request up to £150,000 at 80 per cent fEC, over 3 yearsand NRF will pay up to RAND 400,000over three years onthe South African side.

The ESRC have allocated up to £750,000 andNRF has allocated RAND 2 million; we expect to fund up to five international centre partnerships through this joint call.

We expect to fund a balanced portfolio; however quality remains the priority criteria for evaluation, and there is therefore no commitment to funding a centre in all thematic areas.

For the UK side, the funding will cover limited salaries, and will provide top-up resources to allow established research groups in these areas to work more closely together in order to develop and complete internationally advanced collaborative research andoutputs. UK salaries are limited to 25 percent of the total UK costs.

The costs for any international co-investigators (excluding those from South Africa or those being paid for by NRF)should be costed according to the ESRC’s international co-investigator policy

For the South African side, funding will cover the regular items such as; operating costs, international and local travel; short period student-exchange support. Normal salary support and student bursaries for part-time or full-time degree studies will not be funded through this funding instrument. South African PIs and Co-Is (with partners located in the UK) will be required to cost their activities as per policy and present them in the‘Summary of Resources Required for Projectform’ adapted from the ESRC and available at

International Centre Partnerships are encouragedto seek additional co-funding from a variety of other sources to further enhance and develop their collaborations and help sustain them long-term. This could include a monetary contribution from the applicant’s institution or department of an in-kind contribution such as venue hire or accommodation costs.

Eligibility

ESRC-eligible applicants

Proposals must be submitted by research organisations recognised for funding by the ESRC.

Proposals are restricted to members of research teams in the UK in receipt of major ESRC funding, as such defined:

  • ESRC Research Centres and Large Grants – as supported via the ESRC annual Large Grant and Centres Competition.
  • ESRC Resources and Infrastructure Investments - as supported and managed by its Methods and Infrastructure Committee.
  • Research groups and clusters located at institutions eligible for ESRC funding with a significant portfolio of ESRC grants (eg responsive mode grants) and from other funders addressing the broad challenges above. It is expected that this portfolio will be of at least £2million in value (ie the minimum support that can be requested from an ESRC Large Grant).

In the case of institutional research groups and clusters the proposal should be accompanied by a letter from the Head of Department or equivalent. This should set out how the proposed partnership fits within the group’s overall research strategy and the portfolio on which it will build, listing grant details (reference numbers, title, funder andamount). In the case of an ESRC Research Centre of Large Grant or Resource andInfrastructure Investments, the proposal should be supported by a letter from theDirector/ Principal investigator, indicating their support for the proposal.

NRF-eligible applicants

Full time employees at an NRF-recognised research institution in South Africa, who are eligible to apply according to the general NRF regulations and conditions, are invited to apply.

Part-time employees on contract at an NRF recognized research institution (as defined above) in South Africa are invited to apply, but on condition that their appointment at the South African institution is for (at least) the duration of the project applied for in the submission. The length of the contract should be stated in the proposal form. Salaries must be paid by the research institution, and the primary employment of the individual concerned must be at that institution. A contract researcher appointed at a research institution on behalf of a third party to fulfil a very specific function for the latter does not qualify for support.

Retired academics/researchers are invited to apply, provided that they meet all set criteria as stipulated below:

  • are resident in South Africa
  • are formally affiliated to a South African higher education institution (eg appointed as an emeritus professor, honorary research associate/professor, supernumerary/contract employee)
  • are active researchers with a distinguished track record in research and postgraduate student supervision
  • are actively mentoring/training postgraduate students/young research staff
  • the institution ensures that a minimum of reasonable time (sixmonths minimum) is spent at the facility for the purpose of research and research capacity development.

Application process

Applicants are invited to submit a proposal with their South African partners for an International Centre Partnership through theUK Research Councils’ grant submission system (known as ‘Je-S’). This proposal will set out the rationale for establishing the partnership and how the proposed support requested will contribute to the development of a long-term sustainable partnership between the collaborators. The proposal should also clearly define how the limited research will promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries.

In addition, South African applicantsare required to submit “duplicate” applications through the NRF Online submission system ( They are expected to submit proposals with the exact same titles submitted to the Je-S by the UK partners. This will ensure up-to-date record of applicants on the NRF system, facilitate disbursement of funds to the South African Researchers through the NRF grants management and systems administration, and ensure the reconciliation of applications between the UK and South Africa.

Important information for applicants

Please read the call’s accompanying Je-S guidance notesfor detailed instructions on how to apply via ESRC. The samenotes are reflected in the NRFcall and reflected on the NRF submission system. The funders will not accept proposals after 16.00h GMT on 23 April 2015.

As this is a joint proposal between the ESRC and NRF, applicants should ensure that identical ‘case for supports’ are submitted to Je-S and to NRF. This case for support will allow for the funders to obtain reviews of the same document, coming together in a single joint panel decision meeting.

An NRF financial form sourced from the NRF Submission system be included as part of the proposal. This should include all costs being applied from NRF and should also be submitted as an attachment to the RCUK JeS submission.

Evaluation process

Proposals will be analysed according to eligibility and adherence to the norms of this call for proposals by both funding agencies.Proposals will then be assessed by a joint international peer review panel established between the ESRC and NRF. Please note that there will not be an opportunity for applicants to respond to peer review in this commissioning process.

The funding recommendations of the joint panel will be subject to approval by each of the national funding agencies. There will be one review process and a single decision on each proposal, however please note that proposals will only be funded if both relevant funding agencies agree. Final funding decisions will be communicated to applicants in Mid-June 2015. The earliest start date for successful projects is from 1 July 2015.

Assessment criteria

Proposals will be assessed by a joint international peer review panel established between ESRC and NRF.

The criteria for the selection of proposals will include:

  • That the partnership meets the requirements of the Newton Fund in relation to ODA compliance
  • The international excellence of the proposed programme of collaborative work
  • The added value of the proposed international collaboration, and the potential for onward development of new research and research capacity
  • Scientific/research and scholarly standing and track record of the applicants in the area of research proposed
  • Dissemination and communication plans and the potential impact
  • Management and modus operandi of the proposed partnership, and how the applicants would ensure these were effective and good value for money.

Timeline

  • Announce call for proposals - March 2015
  • Closing date for proposals–23 April 2015
  • Individual assessment of proposals by Panel members - May 2015
  • ESRC and NRF Joint Panel–Mid June 2015
  • Decisions announced - End June 2015
  • Grants commence - July 2015.

Contact details

ESRC

  • Helen Dewberry:

Telephone: +44 (0) 1793 413073

Email:

NRF

  • Andrew M. Kaniki:

Telephone: +27 (0) 12 481 4260

Email:

Enquiries relating to technical aspects of the Je-S form should be addressed to:

  • Je-S Helpdesk

Email:

Telephone: +44 (0)1793 444164

The Helpdesk is staffed Monday to Friday 9.00 to 17.00 (excluding public and other holidays).

  • NRF Submission system
  • Email:

Annex I – Broad thematic areas

The following text is intended to indicate an overview of potential areas of emphasis for research investment, but it not intended to be prescriptive. We recognise that areas within these themes are overlapping and intersecting, rather than discrete areas of study.

Higher Education

To submit a research proposal for the higher education steer, prefix the title of the proposal with ‘HE: ’.

The ESRC and NRF are committed to continuing their support for investment into the area of higher education (HE).

ESRC scoping activities have led to the framing of the work under the umbrella heading of ‘The Future of Higher Education’ - how higher education is organised and funded and what it is for (its nature and purpose) - with the following themes:

  • organisation of higher education institutions (HEIs) and the HE system
  • equityand access in higher education participation
  • curriculum, pedagogy and modes of provision
  • higher education for the public good
  • HE and the labour market.

Organisation of HEIs and the HE system