The Leverhulme Trust has recently announced a Research Centres call, due to launch on 4 Sept. They are only allowing one application per university, so we will have to run an internal competition to decide on our nomination. As ever, I will try to make it as fair, transparent and light touch as possible. Thus, can anyone with an interest in being the University’s nomination provide the following by Fri 8 Sept:
- Case for support (max 1000 words), setting out:
- The name of the centre;
- The director of the proposed centre, and other key staff involved. Their expertise with regard to the centre should be made clear, and short CVs (see below) should be included for them;
- Collaborators outside the University (including international partners);
- Description of the centre, including the rationale underlying its creation, its structure, its management and its proposed activities;
- Potential impact of the centre. Whilst Leverhulme don’t take into account ‘impact’ (as defined by the Research Councils), they are seeking an ‘outstanding’ centre that will lead to ‘a significant step-change in scholarship’. ‘The Trust’s aim is to encourage new approaches that may establish or reshape a field of study and so transform our understanding of a significant contemporary topic.’ Moreover, they are particularly keen on Social Sciences and Humanities involvement this time, and this will be factored into the decision making of the internal panel.
- Estimated and approximate costs (max 1 side of A4), including University commitment required (financial, infrastructural etc).
- Short CVs for all investigators (max 2 sides of A4 each, min pt 10), which should include notable publications and grants in the last five years, and groups, centres or projects which the director has been involved in leading.
These will be assessed by a panel led by the DVC Research & Innovation, and it is hoped that we will tell all applicants of the outcome shortly after, allowing the successful candidate most of the call period (deadline 9 Jan) to fully work up the proposal.