EPSRC announced earlier this week that their First Grants scheme would, from Monday, become New Investigator Awards. They have said that the new scheme ‘will remove some of the current restrictions and will help improve the quality and ambition of research proposals submitted, recognising that different projects and new investigators have different needs.’
Changes include:
- The removal of the upper value and duration limit
- The removal of time-based eligibility
- A requirement for more evidence of university support for career development
- Increased use of ‘invited resubmissions’ and useful feedback.
More details are available here, including FAQs. Dr Helen Leech, the Faculty Funding Officer for the Sciences, is currently on leave, but don’t hesitate to get in touch with Phil Ward in the meantime if you have specific questions about the changes.