Deadline: 15 June 2020
The Digit Innovation Fund is designed to support research, capacity building and innovative approaches as they emerge over the life of the centre. The Innovation Fund provides pump-prime support of new projects that complement the core research programme. The fund is open to the wider academic community across the UK (though partners may be based elsewhere).
The Digital Futures at Work Research Centre (Digit) aims to advance understanding of how digital technologies are reshaping work, impacting on employers, employees, job seekers and governments.
Ideas for projects should align with the Digit research objectives and can relate to how digital technologies are transforming work at any stage of the policy process from inception to impact, at any level from the global to the local (though must be directly applicable to the UK) and in any setting, for businesses, unions, governments and/or NGOs and the voluntary sector. All projects can be developed in partnership with Digit researchers, though Digit researchers cannot themselves directly apply for funding.
The Innovation Fund is designed to support:
- Research projects that advance understanding of digital futures at work, and could include theoretical work, methodological innovation and emerging empirical developments. Comparative research is encouraged.
- Research projects that develop and sustain strong partnerships with external partners in the private, third and public sectors.
- Innovative co-production of knowledge between academics and non-academic partners. Co-production of knowledge means engaging with research users and incorporating their needs from the beginning and throughout the research and impact activity process, with the intention of producing targeted and practical solutions for real-world problems.
Funding Information
Funding in this round is available for projects which cost between £10,000 to £50,000 fEC and are maximum one year in length.
Eligibility Criteria
- Funds can only be awarded to a recognised research organisation (RO), not a person.
- Principal Investigator (PI):
- Only one person on an application can be named as Principal Investigator.
- The Principal Investigator is expected to be based at, and supported by, the organisation submitting the application.
- They particularly encourage Early Career Researchers to be the named PI.
- Please ensure the PI has the support of their institution to be able to conduct the proposed research.
- The PI should be employed by their UK research organisation with a contract of employment that does not end before the proposed project end.
- A PI can only submit one application to the Innovation Fund, but can be Co-I on other applications.
- Organisations outside the UK are not eligible to apply to lead an Innovation Fund application. Those based at organisations outside the UK are eligible to be included on Innovation Fund applications as Co-investigators or Consultants (please note, consultants cannot be named as Co-investigators).
- Digit would normally expect applications to include collaborations with external organisations, such as businesses, public service organisations, third sector organisations, etc. Non-academic applicants can also co-lead projects; however, the research funded must be academic research and no more than 30% of fEC can be allocated to such partners.
- Digit Innovation Funds will be transferred from the University of Sussex to eligible ROs.
- They are not able to fund PhD studentships or Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTPs)
- Awards funded through the Digit Innovation Fund should follow UKRI’s standard funding rules, terms and conditions and align to the ESRC’s research funding guide. Please note, however, that all correspondence should come to Digit.
- Those Principal Investigator and Co-Investigators on the original Digit application to the ESRC are not eligible to be PI or Co-I of any Innovation Fund (IF) applications but they can be included as a part of an IF applicant’s Project Team. This also applies to Digit Advisory Board members.
Assessment Criteria
Applications will be assessed according to the evaluation criteria of the project proposal as such:
- Aims & objectives & contribution to Digit research centre
- Research design & methods
- Project management
- Strength of the project team and collaborators / partners
- Deliverables & impact
- Value for money
For more information, visit https://digit-research.org/innovation-fund/