Guidance Notes for Completion of Application for Research Contract from Hgca

Guidance Notes for Completion of Application for Research Contract from Hgca

AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds

Guidance Notes for Completion of APPLICATION FOR RESEARCH CONTRACT from AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds

With links to further information for web users

The current AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Research and Knowledge Transfer (R&KT) Application Forms are all available on the website at

If further information is required in connection with research contracts, please contact the AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds R&KT office on 024 7647 8860, or e-mail:

AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds R&KT projects are awarded on the basis of information contained in the application form and it follows, therefore, that questions must be answered fully and appropriately. Any subsequent contract will be based on the information in the form. Applications for research contracts are treated as confidential documents and remain so irrespective of the Committee’s decisions on funding. AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds does, however, reserve the right to send applications for expert evaluation but all evaluators must agree to confidentiality terms and you will always be notified of our intention to employ expert evaluation.

Deadlines for submission

The R&KT Advisory Committee meet at regular intervals throughout the year. A list of deadline dates for submission can be found on the main AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Funding and Awards web page

Submission of EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Prospective applicants are encouraged to discuss their EoI with the relevant AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds staff member managing the call. All discussion will be treated confidentially. Applicants must use the EoI form ( which must be submitted before the call deadline and via email the address above.

Contractual arrangements

In projects being carried out by a number of collaborating (partner) organisations, AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds will award a single multi partner contract that each partner will be required to sign up to. Each partner organisation receiving funding from AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds will make individual financial claims directly to AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. Claims for reimbursement will be made quarterly in arrears.

All contracts are subject to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board RESEARCH FUNDING AGREEMENT (available at You are strongly advised to familiarise yourself with the Contract at the application stage.

Completion of the Application Form

GENERAL APPLICATION PROCESS

A two-stage submission and evaluation process is followed:

  • Stage 1 requires completion of Part A ‘Expressions of interest’.
  • Stage 2 requires completion of the Part B ‘Full project proposal’.

Only those applicants who’s EoI (Part A) are successful will be invited to proceed to stage 2 and complete the full project proposal form (Part B).

Forms should be completed in 10pt Arial font and emailed to Please note that there is no longer a requirement to submit a signed hard copy of an application.

PART A: EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

Section 1: Overview of project

1.1Full title of project: The title should give a clear indication of the objectives of the project. Where an AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds project will be a component of a larger project, the title should be identical to that of the larger project. AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds reserves the right to alter the project title prior to issuing a contract. This will normally be published if the proposal is successful. Acronyms should be avoided.

1.2 Short title of project: An abbreviated version of the full title, which should be no more than one line.

1.3 Project summary: Summarise in non-technical terms, and in no more than one page, the main aim and objectives of the proposed work. This summary may be published on the web in whole or in part if the proposal is successful.

1.4 Background and purpose: This section relates to the scientific/technical aspects of the proposed work. Describe the background leading to the proposed project, and in no more than two pages, critically evaluate the current state of knowledge on the topic and specifically identify gaps in knowledge that the proposed project intends to fill. Key references should be included (and may be outside of the two page limit).

1.5 Importance and relevance: This section consists of three separate parts in the following order (please limit to two pages in total):

(a) A summary of the importance and relevance of the proposed work to the UK cereals and oilseeds sector and more specifically to AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds.

(b) R&KT priorities (applicants should refer to the current AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds R&KT strategy for details).

(c) A list of the proposed outputs of the project.

Outputs are the results of the project’s activities (e.g. an improved crop variety, a decision support tool, a systematic research review).

(d) A summary of the outcomes, impact and the likely timeframe for realising the benefits.

Outcomes are the results gained by using the project outputs (e.g. increased crop yield, more efficient use of fertiliser, better targeted research). Impacts are the longer term economic, social, cultural, political and/or environmental consequences of the project outcomes (e.g. more stable yields in variable climates, more stable farming incomes, more competitive arable industry).

1.6 Duration of project: State when you wish the project to commence, bearing in mind availability of research staff and other constraints. Projects should always commence on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the month.

1.7 Budget requested from AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds: Give the total sum requested from AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. The amount should be in whole pounds sterling.

1.8 Total budget: State the entire cost of the project, including cash and in-kind contributions from co-funders. The amount should be in whole pounds sterling.

Section 2: Contact details

2.1 Name and title of project leader: Give full details of the person who will act as the main contact and will be responsible for the overall scientific management of the project. The lead scientist will normally be an employee of the lead organisation.

2.2 Name of lead organisation: Provide the full name of the organisation leading the proposed project.

2.3 Address of lead organisation: Give the full address of the organisation leading the project including telephone number and web address.

2.4 Details of collaborators: List the individual(s) and their organisation(s), other than the lead organisation, that will be involved in the proposed project. Provide the name of main collaborator, position and address. State the amount of funding being requested from AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds and indicate whether this amount is in cash or an in-kind contribution. The amount should be in whole pounds sterling.

2.5 Relevant experience and capability of project team: Provide a brief summary (one page maximum) of the overall project team’s relevant experience and capability in relation to its ability to successfully complete the proposed project. Highlight skills that have direct value to the project including any industry, research and/or knowledge transfer experience. Include key references that are highly relevant to the proposed work that have been produced by members of the project team and any measures of esteem.

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AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds

PART B: Full project proposal

Section 1: overview of project

1.1 Full title of project: The title should give a clear indication of the objectives of the project. Where an AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds project will be a component of a larger project, the title should be identical to that of the larger project. AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds reserves the right to alter the project title prior to issuing a contract. This will normally be published if the proposal is successful. Acronyms should be avoided.

1.2 Title of AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds R&KT call under which this proposal is submitted: Provide the full title of the call for expressions of interest as it appeared on the AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds website.

1.3 Duration of project: Give the expected start and end dates of the project (day/month /year), the duration of the project (months) and date that the full proposal was submitted to AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds (day/month/year).

1.4 Budget requested from AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds (excluding VAT): Give the total amount of funding requested from AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. The amount should be in whole pounds sterling.

1.5 Total cost of project: Give the total cost of the project including any funding other than AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds. The amount should be in whole pounds sterling.

1.6 Abstract: Provide a scientific/technical summary of the proposed project (one page maximum). This should include a summary of the rationale for the project, the hypothesis (if any), the objectives, methods to be employed and the potential impact.

2.0 SCIENTIFIC/TECHNICAL DETAILS

2.1 Aims and objectives: (a) Provide a clear statement of the aim(s) of the project, (b) state concisely, and in order of priority, the objectives of the proposed research and (c) for each objective, describe any risks that may prevent their achievement. Objectives should be achievable within the project duration, i.e. not through subsequent developments and they should be specific and timed i.e. state the date and/or milestone the objectives will be achieved. Objectives should be in line with the project activities schedule described in Section 3.2.

2.2 Methodology: Explain the main methods which will be employed to achieve the objectives (as defined in Section 2.1), giving justification as necessary. If the work requires the development of new methods, outline the steps to be taken and indicate where difficulties may be met.

2.3 Summary of current knowledge: Describe the state-of-the-art knowledge in the area concerned, and the advance that the project will bring about. Demonstrate how the proposed research will build on existing knowledge and understanding. Sufficient detail should be given to show awareness of previous and current work in the field;

2.4 references to published papers should be included as appropriate. The degree of background information provided should reflect the scope and complexity of the project and should not exceed five pages.

2.5 Has a similar proposal been, or about to be, submitted elsewhere? If so, give details: Details should include the name of the funding agency to whom the proposal has been submitted, the date of submission and when results are expected.

2.6 Are any other research groups in the UK or abroad currently working in the area? If so, how do you propose to interact with them? Give details of any other groups researching the problems/questions addressed in this proposal and explain how the project proposes to communicate and interact with them.

2.7 Has a statistician been consulted about the proposed project? It is recommended that guidance on the suitability of the experimental design and statistical methods is sought from a statistical advisor. Indicate if this has been sought at this stage, if not indicate when an advisor would be consulted. If statistical advice is not considered necessary briefly explain why.

3.0 OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES

3.1 Expected outputs and indicators of achievement: This table is an adaption of the logical framework matrix for project management and makes use of only the ‘outputs’ row. The three columns (Outputs, Indicators, Sources of Verification) should be completed where:

  • Outputs are the tangible results (products, good and services) that the project will deliver. Each output should be numbered in the order that they will be produced by the project.
  • Indicators are the means of measuring (quantitatively or qualitatively) whether the outputs have been delivered and they should include appropriate details of quantity, quality and time. Wherever possible, SMART indicators should always be used.
  • Sources of verification explain (i) how the data will be collected (e.g. project reports, databases, administration records, knowledge, attitude and practice surveys, etc), (ii) who will collect/provide the data (e.g. project staff, survey teams, etc.) and (iii) how often the data will be collected (e.g. monthly, quarterly, annually, etc.)

An example of how to complete the table is given with dummy project information in Annex 1.

3.2 Activities and milestones schedule: Major activities should be listed and grouped under the output that they will be responsible for delivering (refer to the outputs listed above in Section 3.1). Fill in the Gantt chart providing a brief description of each activity, the organisation responsible for delivering it, the duration of the activity (see example) and completion date of activity.

An example of how to complete the table is given using dummy project information in Annex 2.

4.0 PROMOTION AND UPTAKE

4.1 Evidence of the demand for project outputs: Provide an outline of the evidence that exists to support the demand for the proposed project outputs. This should be expressed in terms of who, where and when the demand was articulated, supported by quantitative evidence where possible e.g. details of any initial research, previous evaluations, work or feasibility studies that have taken place. (Maximum one page).

4.2 Who are the target users or beneficiaries of the project outputs and how will they benefit? Explain who the target users or beneficiaries of the project outputs are and support any statements with quantitative evidence where possible (e.g. results from workshops, interviews, surveys, etc). If the intended users/beneficiaries have been involved in the preparation of this proposal, please provide details. (Maximum one page).

4.3 How will the outputs be made available to intended users or beneficiaries? This section should include details of any communication and knowledge transfer activities. Provide details of how the project will be managed to encourage the active involvement of relevant stakeholders during the design, execution and dissemination of the research. (Maximum one page).

4.4 Will any further research or development be needed before the benefits of the outputs are realised? Give details of what further work might be required following the completion of the project before the results can be delivered to the industry e.g. development of a product from a prototype. Please include an estimate of the likely timeframe.

4.5 Exploitable intellectual property (IP)

(a) Do you expect this project to generate any commercially exploitable IP? State yes or no, and if yes, give details.

(b) How would the exploitation be achieved? Following on from question 4.5a, state how IP arising from the project could be protected and exploited, noting that in most cases IP developed in a project will rest with AHDB (see terms and conditions).

5.0 ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

5.1 What is the potential economic benefit of the project? Provide an indication of the economic benefit(s) that this research will provide to the market. What money will this project save for farmers/the wider industry and/or what extra revenue will the research create? When attempting to quantify these things, please make use of all available data or contact AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds for guidance on where suitable data can be found. If data is unavailable, please make use of realistic scenarios or assumptions that allow calculations to be made. If you require guidance on which assumptions would be realistic, please also contact AHDB ().

5.2 Are there any environmental impacts associated with the outputs of the project? Give details of the anticipated impact on the environment upon the uptake of project outputs. The impact on the environment could be positive, neutral or negative.

6.0 APPLICANT DETAILS

6.1Lead scientist: This person will be responsible for the scientific management of the project (name previously provided in Section 2.3 of the EoI). The lead scientist will be employed by the applicant organisation. Please include their title and position held.

Email: Provide an email address to which general enquiries should be sent if applicable. Phone: Include an office and mobile number where available.

Organisation name: State the full name of the organisation and the abbreviation if applicable.

Address: Include the postcode.

Finance co-ordinator: This person will be responsible for financial management of the project at the applicant organisation. Ideally they will be the person to whom day-to-day enquiries relating to financial issues can be addressed. Please include their title.

Email: Provide an email address to which financial enquiries should be sent if applicable. Phone: Include the STD code.

Signee: This person will ultimately be responsible for delivery of the project and will sign the contract and other official project documents. Please include their title.

Email: Provide an email address to which contractual enquiries should be sent if applicable. Phone: Include the STD code.

What is the organisation’s contribution to the project? Provide details of what the organisation will be providing to the project for example trial sites, statistical expertise. You might wish to refer to specific activities/work packages as outlined in Section 3.2.

Justification of resources:

What staff will be employed on the project: State the name (where known) and grade/title of staff who will contribute to the project, specifying the amount of time which they will spend on the project in days for projects of less than a year and in months for projects of over a year in duration. Indicate whether AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds will fund the staff member; where staff costs will be met from elsewhere, please provide details.

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