Applying for large grants & programme funding in an EU context

Transcription

1 CHARTING A CAREER PATH: SHARING THE LEARNING AND LESSONS RSA Student and Early Career Conference 2017, Newcastle, UK 3 rd November 2017 Newcastle, UK Applying for large grants & programme funding in an EU context Lisa De Propris, Professor of Regional Economic Development

2 Contents What I have done From small to big? What difference it made What I have learnt Brexit and new funding streams

3 What I have done CURRENT GRANT PI January 2016-December 2018 Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions- RISE MAKERS - Smart Manufacturing for EU Growth and Prosperity, 15 Partners in Europe, US and Singapore. Euro 1,000,000.

4 Non-EU September September 2003 The Nuffield Foundation Title: The local impact of inward FDI: A comparison of the UK and Italy Collaborative project jointly run with Dr. Nigel Driffield, Aston Business School. ( 5,800). pubs : Cambridge Journal of Economics and International Journal of the Economics of Business.

5 Completed successful grants EU EU - ESF INTERREG -DISTRICT-Project. Co-I ( 120,000) European Science Foundation (ESF) Grant (co-investigator). This funded an Exploratory Workshop. ( 13,500). Non-EU August 2007 University of Birmingham Dean s Funding Initiative Award - 1,040 - workshop series special issue January 2007 Advanced Institute of Management-Regional Studies Association - workshop - 2,200. May November 2005 British Academy Larger Research Grant Title: The Evolution of the Organisation of Production in a Marshallian Industrial District: The Birmingham Jewellery Quarter Collaborative research project with University of Florence (Italy). PI. ( 16,975). April April 2003 British Academy Small Research Grant Title: The pattern of economic development of a Marshallian industrial district: the case of Birmingham jewellery quarter from 1850 to today Collaborative research project with The University of Florence (Italy). PI ( 4950).

6 Completed successful grants EU September 2015-September 2017 Horizon 2020 MSCA- Individual Fellowships. Title: Skillup. Skill development and firm upgrading to sustain the competitiveness of the EU manufacturing sector. Euro 183,455 April 2012 June 2016 FP7 Large-Scale Integrating Project- Towards a New Growth Path: Welfare, Wealth and Work for Europe. The project involves 18 partners across the EU27. Co-I ( 164,000) December 2012-November 2015 FP7 Regions of Knowledge 2012, SmartCulture Scientific Coordinator. The project involves 13 partners across EU27. Co-I. ( 363, January May 2011 May 2013 DISTRICT+ (INTERREG - EU Commission DGRegio) NICER - Networks for the Internationalisation of Cluster Excellence in Regions. Partners were I; UK; Romania; D; Pl. Co-I ( 50,450). Non-EU Jan Dec 2016 EPSRC-ESRC Building sustainable local nexuses of food, energy and water: from smart engineering to shared prosperity (The Local Nexus Network). ( 62,000 ). April 2012 June 2016 AHRC - Communities, Cultures and Creative Economies Cultural intermediation: connecting communities in the creative urban economy. The project involves five partners across the UK. Co-I. ( 25,000). January 2011 Arts and Humanities Research Council -Connected Communities: Creative Economy-Project Development Proposal. The roles of cultural intermediaries and cultural learning. Partner with other 7 partners. Co-I. Sum awarded to UoB 15,000. December 2008-November 2010 NESTA Research Grant. Creative Clusters and Regional Innovation. Small UK team. ( 120,000).

7 Applying Individually Leading a small team Being in a large network Being a co-investigator Being a principal investigator

8 Starting with small bids Pros Easier forms Cons Still lots of work More focused Even if successful, Uni might not value it Smaller network Opportunity cost More reasonable deliverables

9 From small to big? Learning and experience Getting to know the system internally to uni and funding agencies Building reputation and network Building publication record

10 However fast track if part of a team in a large bid/grant also Learning Experience Network But depends on team leadership

11 What difference it made Scholarly difference Networking Publications Exposure

12 Management Experience in writing bids in preparing budgets in managing a part of a project People contacts Going through the implementation and reporting

13 What I have learnt Internally Team work Workload balance Part of appraisal- ticking the box? Externally Share and compare International comparison

14 EU funding to the UK

15

16 Accessing EU funding

17 EU funding Perfect fit - Find the right call Small chance of success 2016: The overall success rate of eligible full proposals under the first 100 calls is around 14% (vs 20% FP7) 38% of successful applicants were newcomers [firms] (vs 13% in 2013, the last year of FP7) ( statistics Huge amount of work to write the bid (min 3 months full time if coordinating institutions OR less if partner) BUT Fairer, transparent, UK is very successful overall

18

19

20 Challenges New partners Policy agencies Think tanks Firms NGOs Other research organisations Plain language Different objectives Shorter time scales More practical outputs/deliverables Confidentiality Benefits Access primary info/data Application testing - validation Case studies Inform or influence policy Make a chance

21 UK funding ESRC Equally difficult to get Lots of work Very opaque process Funding is concentrated

22 Gender Networks and contacts matter Still male>female leads

23 ons/rcukdiversityheadlinenarrativesjune2017-pdf/

24 UK Finding Most Universities have research office to flag up calls and funders: 1. British Academy 2. Leverhulme Trust

25 Brexit

26 UK net recipient of EU funding

27

28

29 UK out of European Research Areas Unable to participate in EU bids in any capacity Re-composition of networks and contacts Appraisal of a new geography of competences without the UK

30 To conclude Applying matters and being involved in bids matters Winning is uncertain Writing bids or writing papers: false trade-off? Grant capture is part of research There are clear benefits

31 Thanks