Three Asian researchers collaborating on an idea board with sticky notes

Partners of the Newton Fund Programme are offering opportunities to support activities that foster international collaboration. These activities should initiate or further develop long-term relationships between researchers in the UK and the Philippines.

These include:

  • establishing partnership links between research institutions
  • building on existing links between research groups and extending networks
  • encouraging researchers from overseas to undertake research in the UK
  • motivating UK researchers to spend time abroad.

The current opportunities are in the field of medicine, energy, engineering, physical sciences and other interrelated disciplines.                                            

Current Opportunities

Global Challenges Research Fund Networking Grants

The scheme allows researchers from across sectors coming from developing countries and the UK to hold networking events, to forge new links and to generate innovative transdisciplinary research ideas to address global challenges.

Applicants can be from any discipline, and applications should focus on building a collaborative network. Proposals should be submitted jointly by a lead overseas researcher from a developing country and a lead researcher based in the UK.

To be eligible to apply, both applicants must:

  • have completed a PhD or have experience at an equivalent level
  • have proven research experience in their field
  • hold a permanent position at an eligible institution (in the UK or a DAC-listed country), or a fixed-term contract for the duration of the award.

Lead applicants must not be affiliated with a private or commercial organisation. Applications will not be considered if there is more than one UK co-applicant. All overseas applicants should be from a DAC-listed country.

Deadline: 10 September 2020 16.00 (GMT)

Energy Catalyst round 8: clean energy access, feasibility projects

This competition aims to support highly innovative, market-focused energy solutions in any technology or sector.

Your project must encourage the development of products and services that help countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia or multiple regions access secure, low cost and low carbon energy. They must be targeted at people, public services and local enterprises who are unable to afford or access existing solutions, or who lack the time or expertise to successfully use those solutions.

Your proposal must also address all 3 elements of the energy ‘trilemma’:

  • cost
  • emissions
  • security of supply and energy access

Your early stage project’s total eligible costs must be between £50,000 and £300,000 as part of a feasibility study.

Deadline: 16 September 2020 11.00 (GMT)

Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) Research Fellowship

The programme supports outstanding early-career researchers to enable them to become future research leaders in engineering.

Researchers worldwide with a PhD, which was awarded (or the PhD has been unconditionally approved) no more than four years before the submission deadline can apply. In addition, the applicant must not hold a permanent academic position before the start of the Research Fellowship.

There is no nationality and age restriction for applicants, but Research Fellowships must be held at a UK higher education institution or university in a department that can show it is capable of fully supporting an engineering-focused research project and researcher. In addition, the host institution must agree to provide the Research Fellow all the usual support for a permanent employee.  

Deadline: 21 September 2020 16.00 (GMT)

Entrepreneur in Residence

The Royal Society Entrepreneur in Residence (EiR) scheme, part of the Science, Industry and Translation programme, looks to increase the knowledge and awareness in UK universities of cutting edge industrial science, research and innovation. 

The EiR scheme covers all areas of the life and physical sciences including engineering but excluding clinical medicine.

This is open to applicants of any nationality, who are eligible to work in the UK for the duration of the award. Applicants should have a background in science and engineering. They must be able to demonstrate significant experience of working in science in an industrial research context, and one or more of the following:

  • experience of managing university-business collaborations and the translation and commercialisation of research
  • experience of entrepreneurship, such as company formation and growth, investment, etc.
  • experience or interest in training, coaching or mentoring

Deadline: 25 September 2020 15.00 (GMT)

Joint Global Health Trials

This scheme seeks to support research that addresses the health problems affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by funding definitive trials that are likely to produce implementable and generalisable results to change policy and practice.

  • LMIC Principal Investigators may be based at higher education institutions or non-profit research institutions.
  • UK Principal Investigators must be based at eligible UK research organisations.
  • Applications must include investigators based in the country/ies where the trial will take place.
  • Trials can be up to five years duration.

This call encourages applicants from eligible research institutions based in low- and middle-income countries as well as the UK.

The scheme is targeted at trials led by academic groups, and not at trials led by commercial companies or product development partnerships (PDPs). However, applications are welcome from investigators from academic institutions who wish to collaborate with commercial companies or PDPs. Academic-industry collaborations will be considered under the MRC Industry Collaboration Agreement (MICA) mechanism – please see the MRC MICA web page for more information.

Deadline: 8 October 2020 16.00 (GMT +1)

Knowledge Frontiers

The programme aims to support projects which engage with questions on the relationship between expertise, public understanding and policy delivery internationally. It also wishes to highlight the importance of collaboration between communities of practice, disciplines, capacities and borders.

The lead applicant must be a researcher from the humanities or social sciences and be based at an eligible UK university or research institute. The lead applicant must be of postdoctoral or above status (or have equivalent research experience).

Projects must involve at least one co-applicant from the natural, engineering and/or medical sciences. Collaboration between researchers in different institutions is encouraged, where appropriate, given the nature and aims of the programme. Applications may include co-applicants and other participants from overseas.

Deadline: 21 October 2020 16.00 (GMT)

Contact

For enquiries, please contact Maria Theresa (Tessa) Borile, Newton Programme Officer at mariatheresa.borile@britishcouncil.org.ph. or please fill in this form.

See also