Research and knowledge exchange

Guidelines

The Sussex Knowledge Exchange and Impact Fellowships

23/24 Guidance note

 Background

The ‘Knowledge Exchange and Impact Support Programme’, supported by funding allocations from Research England (Policy Support Fund , Participatory Research Fund and HEIF) is delivering a suite of ‘Knowledge Exchange and Impact’ Fellowships in the following areas that reflect the diversity of KE activities in Public & Community Engagement, Policy and Innovation.

Purpose of Fellowship Scheme

A key aim of the KEI fellowships is to support collaboration and projects with non-academic partners, including local, regional, national and international organisations  (including central government and their agencies, devolved administrations, local government, health and education bodies, the justice system and other regulatory organisations), businesses and communities (including formal and informal community groups).

What’s on offer?

Three categories of fellowship are available(please read Overview for more information):

  1. Public and Community Engagement (max. £5,000)
  2. Policymaking (max. £6,000) 
  3. Innovation (max. £15,000) 

Types of Eligible Activity

( for detailed examples under the ff activities, kindly refer to  ‘Overview’):

  1. Facilitating value generating opportunities in research
  2. Skills and human capital development
  3. Commercialisation
  4. Supporting the community/public engagement
  5. Knowledge networks and diffusion
  6. Impact Planning and development

Project Duration

The first phase of the fellowships will be running from 9th October to 31st December 2023 with the possibility of rolling over into a second phase in Jan 2024. Applications will be reviewed and results communicated to applicants within 3 weeks after submission.

Activities  must be concluded by 30th June 2024 and all funds must be spent by 31 July 2024. Unspent funding cannot be rolled beyond 31st July 2024. Please consider this when planning your application.

Eligible Costs

  • The use of research assistants to support delivery of the activity;

            Please contact resdevadmin@sussex.ac.uk for salary costing advice,

  • Suppliers & Consultants: Please check the University of Sussex Procurement and Commercial Services if you are intending to arrange payments for anyone or anything outside the university IR35 policy and procedures).
  • Materials for the delivery of activities: the development of materials to support communication with research users –non-academic publications and communications (e.g., policy briefings, videos/podcasts).
  • Small capital expenditure: this is permitted but limited to £1000 incl VAT
  • Travel support: e.g. travel costs to networking or engage and build relationship with research users
  • Small amounts of buy-out time(part-time staff only):Please contact resdevadmin@sussex.ac.uk for salary costing advice.
  • Please note: requests for funding for buy-outs must have been discussed and approved in advance with the Head of School. Applications must confirm this has happened otherwise they will not be considered.

Ineligible costs

  • Paying PhD student fees
  • Estate and indirect costs
  • Conference participation are not eligible for this funding, they should be funded through your relevant Departmental or School budgets.
  • Publications, journals or book launch
  • Projects that involve another HE external partner only.

For more information on HEIF ineligible costs, please refer to Figure 1, page 15:

https://www.ukri.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/RE-06082021-HEIF-policies-and-priorities-PDF-for-webpage-Aug-correction.pdf

Things to consider

Applicant Eligibility  

  • This scheme is open to Sussex faculty from all disciplines
  • Members of faculty on fixed-term contracts may apply if they will be employed at Sussex during the proposed funded project period.
  • Research students are ineligible to apply.  However, postgraduate researchers are eligible to be research assistants.

Application Process

  • Completed application forms should be emailed to ny95@sussex.ac.uk
  • All general enquiries can also be sent to ny95@sussex.ac.uk to be forwarded to the relevant teams for advice and support
  • Please work with your respective school’s KE and Impact teams and Business Partnership Managers to support your application

How will we assess your application?

The application process is overseen by Prof Debbie Keeling, Deputy PVC for Knowledge Exchange, and managed by Nana Yankah, Programme Consultant, Sussex Knowledge Exchange and Impact Support Programme.

Applications will be reviewed and assessed by a panel consisting of Academics and Representatives from Knowledge Exchange and Impact Teams in professional services.

Applications will be reviewed and decision communicated to applicants within 3 weeks after submission.

Selection criteria for:

a)       Project alignment, description and intended outcomes

  • Extent to which proposal aligns with atleast one of the strategic aims of KE and Impact Strategy
  • Feasibility of project idea and activities to address ‘real world’ challenge/opportunity
  • Potential to realise outcomes to generate short or long term benefits to users of research

b)       Implementation plan and collaboration

  • Utilisation and feasibility of funds requested during project execution, including considerations of Value for Money.
  • Viability of the project and described activities to be completed within the funding period
  • Likelihood of capacity building and/ or skill development for all involved parties
  • Evidence and nature of collaboration

  C)  Innovation and sustainability of approach

  • Clarity in demonstrating elements of proposal as novel, innovative or experimental?
  • Ability to demonstrate the legacy of work post completion

(If early stage, is there a plan as to how work will continue with external partners?)

D)      Impact and long term additionaility

  • Ability to describe short-long term impact plans and goals of the project.
  • How will outcomes from your activity contribute to your longer-term impact plans?
  • Demonstration of additionality, in terms of activity and funding (Will there be any long term beneficial changes or ‘additions’)

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

The University of Sussex is committed to equality of opportunity and will consider applications solely on the basis of merit. To eliminate any form of unconscious bias, names of applications will be removed during the reviewing and assessment process.

For more information please click on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion : University of Sussex.

Post award processes

Funds will be held in Research and Enterprise Services and award holders will be allocated a code to spend against. All codes will close on 31st July, 2024 with no spending permitted after that date (please note that there is no facility to rollover unspent funds into the next financial year). We will periodically monitor your progress on the spend throughout the period of your Fellowship award. If funds are not spent within 4 weeks after confirmation of awards, funds may be allocated to others.

Reporting

All recipients will be required to complete a short evaluation and report at the end of the funding.

We may also ask for your participation in relevant events and for your feedback and name to be used in internal and external communications activity to demonstrate the short/medium/long term impact of the Fellowships. 

 

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