Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
PGR Research Support Funding Application (RSF2) 2015/16
(Financial Year 1st August 2015 - 31st July 2016)
(A separate application is required for each event)
Applicant Details
Name:
Email:
Mode of Attendance: (please tick)
Full-time
Part-time
Area: (please tick)
Social Sciences – Centre: (please tick)
Humanities
Social Sciences
Economics and Management
Law, Ethics and Society
Psychological Research
Social Policy
SPIRE
Funding Type (please tick)
PGR Research Support Funding
Funding of Researcher Development and Transferable Skills Training
Purpose of Funding (please tick)
Conference Attendance
Research Networking
Further details of event/request:
Seminar/Workshop
For conference attendance the following must be supplied:
Are you presenting a paper? Yes/No
Conference website address:
Period of event:
Date from
Early bird conference fee deadline date
Fieldwork
Other
Date to
Justification of Funding
Please indicate here why this is important to your research including what impact this will have on your own research
If necessary please provide a separate sheet
Alternative Sources of Funding
Please provide details of applications made to other funders to support this activity
Funding Requested
Please note full details are required for application to be considered
Please contact the Research Office Finance Administrators with any queries
Item of Expenditure
Notes
Conference Fee (excluding conference dinner)
Accommodation (normally a contribution of up
to £65 per night)
Travel (full details required)
Other (please specify)
Total Requested
Lead Supervisor Approval
Lead Supervisor’s Name:
Comment(s) – must be completed:
Total £
For HUMSS Faculty Research Office use only:
PG Committee Approval or Chair’s Action
Date Received by FRO:
Approved:
Authorised by:
To be completed by Faculty Research Office
Funding awarded 2015/16 to date
Yes/No
Amount:
PGR Director
Signed:
£
Date:
Feedback on Application
Please complete electronically and email to your Finance Administrator:
Sue Humphries s.e.humphries@keele.ac.uk
(for Economics and Management/Psychological Research/Social Policy)
Yvonne Lomax y.lomax@keele.ac.uk
(for Humanities/Law, Ethics and Society/SPIRE)
RSF2 PGR Funding Guidance Notes 2015-16
Submission:
The RSF2 form is available from the Faculty Web pages:
http://www.keele.ac.uk/risocsci/currentstudents/usefulinformation/
and/or Faculty Research Office Finance Administrators and when completed (including your Supervisor’s
comments) should be emailed to Sue or Yvonne:


Review:
Sue Humphries s.e.humphries@keele.ac.uk
(for Economics and Management/Psychological Research/Social Policy)
Yvonne Lomax y.lomax@keele.ac.uk
(for Humanities/Law, Ethics and Society/SPIRE)
Applications should be submitted as early as possible when the events are known about. All requests
must be submitted prior to the activity, as retrospective requests cannot be considered. Applications
will be considered at the PG Humanities Committee or Social Sciences Committee meetings, which are
held throughout the academic year, or a decision will be taken by Chair’s Action by the relevant PGR
Director. Awards are made on the basis of academic merit and the award amount will depend upon the
remaining funds available and budgetary situation at the time of the review. Please note that it is
important to calculate accurately the costs of the proposed activity, using standard travel rates and in
accordance with financial regulations. We may be able to make a contribution towards costs: it should
not be assumed that your application will be funded or funded in full.
Completing the form:
Who can apply:
Research Centre:
PG students within the period of submission can apply for research funding support. Continuation
students are not eligible to apply.
Please indicate which Research Centre you belong to.
Purpose of funding:
We have identified a number of main research activities where students have requested funding in the past. These categories have
been included on the form as a tick box. If you tick ‘other’, then you need to provide very clear details about the proposed research
activity.
Conference
attendance:
We expect that students requesting funding to attend conferences will be presenting a paper or poster.
Students who wish to attend conferences for their personal development should fund this either through
external applications or personally. When completing the application form, it should indicate all of the
elements that are required. If you do not request, for example, travel expenses, and the award is
supported, you cannot then submit a claim for travel retrospectively as we will not be liable to pay this
additional cost. To make a timely application you may not necessarily know if your proposal has been
accepted, and awards may be contingent on acceptance by the conference organisers.
Research networking:
Research networking in its simplest form could be described as a group of people, with shared interests
and common goals, who may be collaborating on a grant proposal, a future conference or a forthcoming
publication. We are supportive of this kind of activity provided that it is established on a formal basis and
there are real opportunities for research outputs arising from the events.
Seminars/workshops:
Activities such as seminar series and workshops can be supported, provided that the activity is fully
documented (i.e. outline plan for the activity and post activity reports). This includes the activities of
smaller and/or informal groups. A convenor should submit the application on behalf of the members of
the group. This might involve inviting academics to Keele University or organising group training, and will
usually fall under the Researcher Development and Transferable Skills Training budget. We strongly
encourage you to consider developing your own workshops or other network events using this funding.
Be creative!
Fieldwork:
We may be able to fund modest applications for costs associated with fieldwork and research visits. This
includes, but is not limited to, visits to archives, visits to consult materials in libraries or collections, visits
to conduct interviews, and Disclosure and Barring Services checks. We do not normally fund transcription
costs.
Travel costs:
Travel will be reimbursed from either Keele University or home to your destination, whichever is the least
cost.
Research training:
The Researcher Development and Transferable Skills Training will fund the costs of additional research
training, including travel.
Other:
We will consider other cases where students request support. Please be as explicit as you can in
completing the form, and provide supporting documentation where possible. Interlibrary loan vouchers
should be applied for under this category.
Further details of event/request:
In this section you should provide as much detail as possible about the event you wish us to support. Where possible you should
include website pages for conferences, letters of invitation, etc. If you are requesting participant costs then you should include an
outline proposal in this section.
Justification of the resources:
This section is an opportunity for you to set out a case for support. Why is this event/activity important to your research; why is this
one more important than any other event/activity; how will it enhance your research profile/outputs/networking etc.? The case
should indicate a clear research trajectory and vision for the future. You may also wish to show how this event/activity will
represent value for money.
Period in which the event takes place:
This is very important and necessary for planning of resources. It is vital that you tell us the dates when this activity is due to take
place, so that we can commit money to this project if awarded. You should also be aware that money can only be awarded in the
financial year that the individual/university will benefit. (The University financial year is 1st August to 31st July). This means that you
cannot ask us in May for financial support which will not be expended until September the following year. In this example, you
would need to wait until after the 1st August to request funding for September. An exception to this would be if there is an
opportunity to book an ‘early bird rate’. Please contact the relevant Financial Administrator for additional information.
Review of Applications:
Applications are considered by the PG Humanities Committee or Social Sciences Committee at meetings which are held throughout
the academic year, or a decision will be taken by Chair’s Action by the relevant PGR Director. The relevant Financial Administrator
will inform applicants by email of the decision reached. The total sums awarded to individuals during the academic year (along with
their claims for inter-library loan vouchers) are recorded and reported regularly. Appeals concerning the decision reached should be
made in writing to the Research and Development Manager, HUMSS Faculty Research Office and will be considered by the relevant
PGR Director.
Submitting a Claim:
Your request should be processed through your financial administrator by one of the following methods:
Non-staff expenses:
 Expenses are normally paid directly into the student’s bank account.
 If you are making a claim through non-staff expenses, to ensure prompt payment please
o Complete the form with full details of your expenditure such as the title of the conference and date/s attended, travel/taxis
to and from locations etc. and ensure the form is signed.
o Please ensure your bank details are included and the form is signed.
o Attach original receipts/tickets or other supporting documentation. Photocopies are not acceptable. Please note that
credit/debit card vouchers e.g. Visa receipts, are not admissible as receipts - an official detailed receipt should be
obtained when using this method of payment. All receipts should be attached to the claim for reimbursement.
o Mileage should be calculated at 45p per mile for the first 100 miles and 20p per mile thereafter.
o Air travel must be economy class only.
o Standard class rail fare only to be used (unless first class is cheaper in which case evidence should be attached to the claim).
o Accommodation can be claimed up to a maximum value of £65.00 B&B per night.
o Alcohol will not be reimbursed.
o Claims for reimbursement should be made immediately after the event (or can be made before the event if you have paid
in advance e.g. conference fee, pre-booked rail ticket).
o Please submit your claim to your financial administrator (Sue Humphries or Yvonne Lomax), HUMSS Faculty Research
Office, Claus Moser Research Centre.
A purchase order:
 If ordering from an approved supplier, it is critical that purchase orders are raised in advance for all University commitments.
This includes all goods and services.
 Please speak to your financial administrator for further guidance.