Manufacturing the Future: Early Career Forum in Manufacturing Research

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1 Manufacturing the Future: Early Career Forum in Manufacturing Research Summary Call type: Expression of interest Closing date: 16:00 on 14 June 2012 EPSRC seeks expressions of interest for membership of a newly-constituted forum of early career academic researchers in the scope of the Manufacturing the Future challenge theme. Applicants should have a strong focus on advancing the UK s international reputation in manufacturing research, be open to developing inter-disciplinary research agendas, and have an interest in participating in research policy development. Members of the Early Career Forum will have the opportunity to interact with other early career researchers from across the breadth of engineering and the physical sciences, forming new professional networks that may generate future innovative research programmes. Forum members will also have targeted opportunities to participate in EPSRC strategic advisory activities, interact with senior staff of the EPSRC Centres for Innovative Manufacturing, and will receive insight into, and practical advice relating to, UK funding body policy and practice. Background and Scope Manufacturing research is inherently inter-disciplinary, drawing upon the whole breadth of EPSRC-supported research and beyond there are, for example, strong overlaps with the biological and social sciences. The challenge for EPSRC s Manufacturing the Future programme is to create, capture and accelerate the benefits of ground-breaking research for the benefit of UK manufacturing. To this end, Manufacturing the Future interacts widely with academia and industry via advisory bodies and staff within the EPSRC Centres for Innovative Manufacturing, membership of cross-industry, academia and governmental committees, and discussions with professional societies and networks. The future international reputation of the UK in manufacturing research rests upon the early career researchers of today, who will generate new manufacturing processes, technologies and systems at the interfaces of traditional mathematical, scientific and engineering disciplines. Such individuals will define, by virtue of their excellent research track records and strong professional connections, the intellectual and practical merit of UK manufacturing research on the international stage. The Manufacturing the Future Early Career Forum in Manufacturing Research seeks to identify individuals near the start of their academic research career who may have the characteristics required to become such international leaders of the future. Page 1 of 5

2 EPSRC desires that members of the Forum will take a lead in defining and developing what research excellence means within the context of UK manufacturing research. We envisage the Forum as a long-term initiative with an evolving membership base. The activities of the forum will be influenced by the wishes and ideas of the membership, who will be expected to participate in organising events. Members will have access to a range of tailored events and funding opportunities, which may include: Networking and idea-sharing with all other Early Career Forum members. Discussions, networking and mentoring opportunities with senior academics and industrialists from the Manufacturing the Future challenge theme and beyond. Insight and mentoring into EPSRC processes and procedures, including various EPSRC grant awards and the associated peer review processes. Involvement in the organisation and direction of the EPSRC Manufacturing the Future conference. Targeted feasibility or seed-corn funding for innovative, inter-disciplinary manufacturing research proposals. Developing working relationships with EPSRC and TSB staff, and staff of major research awards such as the EPSRC Centres for Innovative Manufacturing. Individual membership of the Forum will last for approximately two years. EPSRC expects to invite around twenty individuals to become members of the Early Career Forum across the broad portfolio of manufacturing research. It is important to note that EPSRC wishes to invite Forum members across the full breadth of the Manufacturing the Future theme. This means that applications are strongly encouraged outside of the manufacturing engineering or process engineering disciplines - physicists, chemists, computer scientists or mathematicians, for example, have as much to contribute to future research developments in manufacturing. EPSRC explicitly seek to ensure that the Forum is constituted with an appropriate balance of membership across academic research areas. EPSRC Support This is not a call for a direct funding opportunity, but rather an expression of interest for membership of the Manufacturing the Future Early Career Research Forum. For successful applicants, EPSRC will pay the relevant travel and subsistence fees to travel to and from officially-organised Early Career Forum activities in the UK and abroad, subject to normal Research Council regulations. Where the Forum leads to funding opportunities, available funding, assessment criteria and peer review mechanisms will be clearly outlined to Forum members at the appropriate time. Page 2 of 5

3 Eligibility This opportunity is available to early career researchers. For the purposes of this call, EPSRC defines early career researchers as those being within fifteen years of receipt of their doctoral qualification. This opportunity is open to full-time academic staff and Fellowship holders, subject to the above definition. Individuals interested in applying to this call who are unsure of their eligibility should contact EPSRC. Applicants will have to indicate the award date of their doctoral qualification in their application. For information on the eligibility of organisations and individuals to receive EPSRC funding, see the EPSRC Funding Guide: In this call, EPSRC will only accept applications from UK Higher Education Institutions. How to apply and applicant selection Selection process This is a single stage assessment process, based around an Expression of Interest (EoI). Applicants will also have to provide additional supporting documentation in the form of a C.V. and a statement of support from the applicant s head of department, or equivalent. Preparing an Expression of Interest (EoI) Applicants should complete all sections of the Expression of Interest form. Applicants must address the following criteria in a maximum of two pages: Rationale for wishing to join the Early Career Forum in Manufacturing Research. What is the applicant s vision for developing their own research direction in manufacturing, including inter-disciplinary working? How does the applicant s research fit within the scope of the Manufacturing the Future theme? How does the applicant envisage using membership of the Early Career Forum in Manufacturing Research to increase the profile of UK manufacturing research excellence? Evidence exerting influence and leadership in the applicant s academic career to date, including considering and exploiting pathways to impact research. A description of how the applicant s institution is an active manufacturing research environment. Preparing an appropriate Curriculum Vitae Applicants should submit a CV of up to two pages in length, which should include the applicant s: Page 3 of 5

4 Academic history and qualifications. Career history to date. Grant history, if applicable, giving details of any personal grants held, or notable funded projects the applicant has been involved in previously. This includes funding from all sources, not simply EPSRC. Publication record. Preparing a Statement of Support All applications must be accompanied by a statement of support, written and signed by the applicant s head of department (or equivalent). This statement of support must explain clearly why the applicant is a suitable candidate to join the Early Career Forum, and why he/she is likely to make a strong contribution to the goals of the Forum. Submitting an Application Applicants should gather all required documentation (Expression of Interest, C.V. and Statement of Support) by the call deadline and it to: manufacturing@epsrc.ac.uk Applicants must clearly mark their as being an application to the Early Career Forum. Application selection criteria Applications will be assessed on providing demonstrable evidence to address the following selection criteria: Research leadership, including current esteem factors. Personal influence and effective team-working. Potential contribution to the Early Career Forum in Manufacturing Research. Relevance to the Manufacturing the Future theme. EPSRC explicitly seek to ensure that the Forum is constituted with an appropriate balance of membership across academic institutions and research topics. Application assessment process An EPSRC panel (with independent representation) will assess the received applications based on the information provided, addressing how well applicants have articulated their fit to the assessment criteria outlined above. The panel will also select applications to ensure a breadth of institutional and disciplinary coverage in UK manufacturing research. There will be no postal peer review of applications for this Forum. EPSRC reserves the right to reject proposals that it deems to be outside the scope of the call or wholly beyond the remit of EPSRC without reference to peer review. Applicants will be informed of the panel s decision shortly after the assessment meeting. Successful applicants will receive a formal invitation to the Page 4 of 5

5 Manufacturing the Future Early Career Forum in the aftermath of the meeting, with further details as to upcoming activities. Key dates Activity Date Call Launched 4 May 2012 Closing date for expressions of interest 14 June 2012 Short-listing panel for expressions of interest Late June 2012 Applicants informed of outcomes Early July 2012 Contacts For information relating to the scope or intent of this opportunity, please contact: Dr. Derek Gillespie Portfolio Manager : : derek.gillespie@epsrc.ac.uk Dr. Jim Fleming Senior Portfolio Manager : : james.fleming@epsrc.ac.uk Change log Name Date Version Change Derek Gillespie 12/04/ Document creation Page 5 of 5