PPLS funds for small pilot projects
Applications for up to £3000 for any activity that will facilitate the research culture of the
School and lead to external funding and/or high-quality research outputs will be considered.
Possible areas of application include, but are not limited to, pilot studies in advance of planned
grant applications and visits by external academics to Edinburgh for collaborative research and
grant writing. Applications are assessed on the quality of the proposed scholarship, plans for follow
up activities (particularly applications for external funding), and on the availability of funds. Please
note that Knowledge Exchange activities are now funded through a separate scheme.
Eligibility: Permanent members of staff in PPLS with a research remit (i.e. lecturers, senior
lecturers, readers, professors, Chancellor’s Fellows) are eligible to apply.
Amounts requested: The upper limit for any application is £3000, applications for smaller
amounts are welcome and encouraged. You may be asked to reduce the amount requested if it is
felt to be too large. For applications involving the need for research assistance, please note that we
now have an approved job profile for a ‘Pilot Study Support Assistant’ – see end of this document
for details.
Assessment: All applications will be reviewed by the Research Director and subject area
Research Advisors, typically within a week.
Reporting: A brief report will be required at the end of the award, with an indication of the
timetable for follow-on activities, and a further short report after 12 months will include details of the
outcome of these activities. These reports will be reviewed by the Research Director and subject
area Research Advisors.
Applications on the attached form can be made at any time for activities taking place prior to 31
August 2015, and will be considered as they are received as long as funds are available. Please
note that retrospective applications, to cover funds which have already been expended, will not be
considered under any circumstances.
Dr Kenny Smith
PPLS Research Director
PILOT PROJECT/SHORT-TERM RESEARCH VISITOR APPLICATION FORM
Title, full name and University position:
Subject area:
Project or visit start and end dates:
Start date:
End Date:
Title and short description
(A concise but clear description of the intended project/name of person visiting and purpose of
visit):
Short statement as to why funding is necessary, and justification for the itemised costs shown
below.
Resources requested (max £3000). Please provide a detailed breakdown of e.g. participant
honoraria, purchase of experimental materials/travel, accommodation, subsistence of visitor etc:
Item description
Project support staff
Participant honoraria
Travel
Equipment
Hours (if applicable)
Rate to be used per
hour
(includes on costs)
18.45
Sub
total
TOTAL
It is expected that no additional resources will be required in order to carry out the Pilot Project, if
additional resources are required i.e. office space, computing equipment or support, please detail
here:
An indication of the timescale and details of follow-on activities, e.g. target funding body for followup grant applications, journal for follow-up publication, etc.
PLEASE RETURN THE COMPLETED FORM ELECTRONICALLY TO KAREN MCERLEAN
(karen.mcerlean@ed.ac.uk)
Applications involving Support Assistance
We now have an approved job profile ‘Pilot Study Support Assistant’ and all requests for project
support will be standardised and paid to the individual at a rate of £14.40 per hour. The following
process must be followed for all projects that include an element of project assistance:
1. All project support positions must be advertised internally on the PPLS Postgraduate
website for 10 days (facilitated by the Research Office).
2. Once applications are received, the selection of the most appropriate candidate will then be
undertaken by the PI and another appropriate member of staff nominated by the PI.
3. The PI should forward the name of the person and a short statement to the Research Office.
The statement, for inclusion in the PRAF, should detail why the chosen candidate is the
most suitable for the post.
4. Once the School has carried out the appropriate eligibility checks and approvals are in
place, an offer of employment can be made.
5. Please note, individuals are only allowed to be appointed as a 'Pilot Study Support
Assistant' for a total maximum of two pilot projects whether these are with the same PI or
with different PIs. This limitation does not apply to students during the time they are
formally registered as a student or as a part-time member of staff in this University.