NOFO: Accelerator Science Research and Development Consortia Outlines

Deadline: 2-Mar-23

Accelerator community consortia are invited to submit outline proposals for 4-year research and development programmes funded by Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

Thematic Areas

STFC aims to support work in 3 themed areas:

the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and its upgrades (including future machines), exploiting UK strengths aligned with the European Roadmap
novel acceleration technologies (exploiting Compact Linear Accelerator for Research and Applications (CLARA), Extreme Photonics Applications Centre (EPAC), and similar facilities)
the route to UK Free Electron Laser (FEL) capabilities

Subject Areas

Proposals for research grants must fall within the remit of STFC.
The STFC Programme remit covers the following core subject areas:
- particle physics
- astronomy
- particle astrophysics
- solar and planetary science
- nuclear physics
- accelerator science
- research that seeks to transfer the skills, techniques and technologies developed within the core areas into other areas

What they are looking for?

STFC is taking a new approach to funding accelerator science following the recent publication of the strategic framework for future accelerator science and technology development.

4-year programme of work
- Community consortia are invited to form and generate themed research and development programmes for a 4-year programme of work. Work should support the development of UK strengths directly aligned with the strategic framework priorities, with an emphasis on:
  - exploiting existing facilities
  - the sustainable construction and operation of the UK’s and CERN’s priority infrastructures
- STFC will support a few substantive (up to approximately £1 million per year) programmes.
- Outlines of these programmes will be considered by STFC to ensure fit to the strategic framework mission statement and themes. They will invite a subset to submit full proposals to be peer reviewed later in 2023. STFC is expecting a range of project sizes within proposed programmes of work. The funding opportunity is open to programmes that include industrial partners.
Funding
- Successful outline proposals:
  - may be awarded 6 months of preliminary funding from October 2023 to March 2024
  - will be invited to submit a full proposal for the remaining 3.5 years of funding, beginning April 2024
- Applicants should be mindful that it may not be possible to continue with the preliminary activities funded at the outline stage.
- They appreciate the limited time that this opportunity presents to form consortia and develop new activities. However, the intention is to issue another 4-year funding opportunity in 2025 that will potentially enable new consortia to submit proposals.

Eligibility Criteria

You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for UK Research and Innovation funding.
- There are different eligibility criteria for each of UKRI’s funding opportunities.
- Eligibility is normally based on:
  - your suitability to lead or work on a research proposal or business innovation project
  - the research organisation or business where the work is intended to take place
  - the research council you are applying to
- Your business or organisation could be eligible for some levels of funding, but not others. For example, it might not be eligible to get a grant directly from UKRI, but could take part in a funded project as a collaborator.
- Your eligibility to work on a project as an individual will depend on whether you’re applying for:
  - an individual funding opportunity
  - a role in a research team
- The best way to understand if something is open to a business is to check the funding opportunity for requirements your business needs to meet. For example, the business might have to:
  - be registered in the UK
  - intend to carry out project work in the UK
  - be a particular size
- They use the European Commission definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
- Businesses may also be able to be a collaborator on certain research grants and not claim funds. This will be specified within the funding opportunity.
- Some research organisations and businesses are eligible for grant funding, while others can participate as non-grant claiming partners only.
- Higher education providers can apply for competitive research grants and funding for postgraduate training and other associated activities. Specific criteria apply for each opportunity.
- Research institutes are organisations in which UKRI has made a long-term funding investment. They are eligible for many of their research grant funding opportunities.
- UKRI research grants are open to NHS bodies with research capacity. This includes:
  - the NHS board
  - NHS Clinical Commissioning Group
  - NHS Foundation Trust
  - NHS Special Authority
  - NHS Trust
  - NHS Local Health Board
- Grants can be used for research and development activities only, not treatment or support costs.
- A public sector research establishment is classified as an organisation that:
  - is sponsored directly by a government department or UKRI
  - has research and development capacity
  - has met UKRI criteria for public sector research establishments and is registered as being eligible for funding
- Organisations might conduct research and development activities and still not fit into one of the other categories for UKRI funding. These organisations can apply to become an independent research organisation and may become eligible this way.
- Independent research organisations need to demonstrate:
  - existing in-house capacity to carry out research that extends and enhances other research happening in the UK
  - the capability and skills to independently undertake and lead a research programme
- The UK’s network of Catapult centres are classified as research and technology organisations. There are nine Catapult centres. No other organisation meets the definition for a research and technology organisation and you cannot apply to become one.
Academic applicants must meet the normal eligibility requirements for STFC research grant funding.
- At the time of application, the principal applicants and co-applicants must be able to satisfy the following criteria:
  - They must be academic members of staff (lecturers or equivalent) or hold a fellowship, such as an STFC or Royal Society Fellowship, won through open competition. In exceptional cases, senior post-doctoral research assistants of sufficient experience and qualification may also be eligible: such cases should be justified with a case for support accompanied by a letter of support from the Head of Department.
  - They must be either resident in the UK, or be employed by an overseas research organisation approved by STFC as eligible to apply for research grant funding.
  - They must, at least by the time the grant is due to start, be employed by the organisation submitting the proposal or, if not (for example, retired or on secondment from elsewhere), have a written agreement from the organisation confirming that they may carry out research there and will receive all necessary management and infrastructural support from the organisation.
  - They must have an assurance from the submitting organisation that if the proposal is successful, the contract of employment, or formal commitment to provide support if not employed at the organisation, will extend to beyond the end date of the grant.
- Post-doctoral research assistants who are not eligible to apply for a grant in their own right, but who merit appropriate recognition for making a significant contribution to developing the grant proposal or whose input is essential (or very important) to its successful outcome, may be identified as a researcher co-applicant.
- There are 6 types of organisations eligible to receive grants:
  - higher education institutions (HEIs)
  - research institutes
  - independent research organisations (IROs)
  - NHS trusts
  - public sector research establishments
  - catapults

For more information, visit UKRI.