New Initiatives Funding
Funding is available to support activities that will be of career development benefit to
postgraduate or postdoctoral researchers across the University.
Funding criteria
1. Projects should be focussed on helping early-career researchers (i.e. PGRs and Postdocs)
to develop skills outside of their core research area. This could involve developing skills
in:
 Public engagement or outreach
 Business engagement, enterprise and knowledge exchange
 Employability
 Developing future research leaders
Bids should clearly demonstrate how they will help researchers to gain skills from areas B
to D of the Vitae Researcher Development Framework (www.vitae.ac.uk/rdf)
2. Activities should complement (rather than duplicate) those already in existence within the
University, through the Careers Service, Student Enterprise, Graduate Schools or the
Researcher Development Programme and should demonstrate value for money.
3. This fund cannot be used for conference attendance or to organise a conference or
seminar series that is purely research-related. It can, however, be used to fund workshops
at a conference which have a specific focus on one of the elements outlined above.
4. Activities should be of benefit to groups of researchers, rather than to one particular
individual. Priority will be given to bids that are relevant to researchers across more than
one College and support interdisciplinary collaboration. We are looking for projects with
scale and scale-ability. It is intended that this funding should be used as ‘pump-priming’
for new projects. Therefore bids should include a plan for how such activity can be
sustained in the future or how project outcomes will be disseminated to benefit other
groups of researchers within the University.
5. A clear plan should be provided for how you will monitor the impact of your event on the
various stakeholders and how you will measure whether you have achieved the stated aim
of your initiative.
6. A single bid should not exceed £1000. Researchers who have already received funding in
previous years are not eligible to reapply.
The committee will be asked to score bids out of 20, on the basis of the criteria:
1. Skills development benefits for early-career researchers / 10
2. Legacy or sustainability plan – how will other researchers benefit from this initiative in
the future? / 5
3. Clear plan for evaluation of success and impact / 3
4. Value for money / 2
Application process:
Before submission, you are required to get in touch with Elizabeth Adams, who can talk you
through the funding criteria, give you advice on costings or put you in touch with others in the
University who have similar ideas. Please ensure that your bid is written in clear English that
is suitable for someone from outside of your own specialist subject area.
Guidance on costing:

All spend must be in line with the University of Glasgow procurement guidance. You
must use University approved suppliers wherever possible and you must specify the
supplier in your bid.

We cannot pay self-employed graphic or web designers, musicians or similar.







Bids should be accurately costed to the best of your ability. If there are changes to your
budget, after you have received funding, you must discuss these with the Researcher
Development Officer before spending any money.
If ordering catering, you must use the University’s caterers. Costs can be found here:
www.gla.ac.uk/services/hospitality/forstaff/functiondeliveryservice/
Find out whether you will be charged for venue hire or janitorial cover (usually £32 / hr).
Poster printing should be done by the University Print Unit
www.gla.ac.uk/services/library/aboutthelibrary/printunit
Make a good estimate of travel costs for any speakers (and ensure they are aware that
you are expecting them to stick within a certain budget for travel and use public transport
wherever possible). Speakers are expected to pay for their own travel and claim this
back using a sundry payee form: www.gla.ac.uk/services/finance/downloadaform/
If paying for speaker accommodation, this can be booked through the University
Conference and Visitor Service (cvso), with at budget of around £45-£65 a night.
www.gla.ac.uk/services/cvso/accommodation/hotelbookingservice/
If you are taking event speakers out for dinner after an event, an external entertainment
form must be completed, in addition to a student expense claim form.
http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/finance/downloadaform/
Title of project
Contact person /
email
Funding sought
£
Target Audience (whether the project is aimed at a particular career stage or year group or
at researchers from a specific subject area)
1. Brief description of the project
Include aims, outputs and how this initiative will be of benefit to the personal, professional and career
development of researchers. Please be specific about how many researchers will benefit and what they
will get out of it. (max 500 words)
2. Monitoring and Evaluation
Describe how you will evaluate the success and impact of this project on the different stakeholders
involved in the project. Be clear about how you will measure whether or not you have met the aims
stated in section 1.
3. Timeframe and sustainability plan
What is the intended timeframe for the project, including key dates? How will your initiative become
sustainable in future to ensure long-term benefit for researchers at the University of Glasgow?
4. Costs
Provide a breakdown of costs, including any in-kind costs or funding from alternative sources. Please
note the costing guidance on the previous page.
Alignment with Researcher Development Framework
In which areas of the RDF will the proposed activities support skills development?
A1 - Knowledge base
C1 - Professional conduct
Subject knowledge
Research methods - theoretical
knowledge
Research methods - practical application
Information seeking
Information literacy and management
Languages
Academic literacy and numeracy
Health and safety
A2 - Cognitive abilities
C2 - Research management
Analysing
Synthesising
Critical thinking
Evaluating
Problem solving
Research strategy
Project planning and delivery
Risk management
A3 - Creativity
C3 - Finance, funding & resources
Inquiring mind
Intellectual insight
Innovation
Argument construction
Intellectual risk
Income and funding generation
Financial management
Infrastructure and resources
B1 - Personal qualities
D1 - Working with others
Enthusiasm
Collegiality
Perseverance
Team working
Integrity
People management
Self-confidence
Supervision
Self-reflection
Mentoring
Responsibility
Influence and leadership
Collaboration
B2 - Self-management
Equality and diversity
Ethics, principles and sustainability
Legal requirements
IPR and copyright
Respect and confidentiality
Attribution and co-authorship
Appropriate practice
Preparation and prioritisation
Commitment to research
Time management
Responsiveness to change
Work-life balance
B3 - Professional & career
development
Career management
Continuing professional development
Responsiveness to opportunities
Networking
Reputation and esteem
D2 - Communication & dissemination
Communication methods
Communication media
Publication
D3 - Engagement and impact
Teaching
Public engagement
Enterprise
Policy
Society and culture
Global citizenship