Knowledge transfer: sources of funding
Knowledge Transfer is the exchange, application and co-creation of new knowledge between academic and non-academic organisations and individuals that makes a difference. It might include:
- research collaborations with industry
- interactions with cultural and heritage sectors
- research experienced through performance
- contributions to public policy
- commercialisation of research
- media relations: communicating your research
The Business Development Office’s mission is to catalyse connections between researchers and external organisations and this is an excellent way to leverage funding for this purpose and to stimulate research.
If you are applying for any of the below funding schemes, or if you have any questions, please get in touch:
Jessica Pavlos
Research & Knowledge Transfer Officer
E: j.pavlos@gold.ac.uk
P: 020 7078 5479
Below are links to some of the funding schemes and routes likely to be of most interest to Goldsmiths academics:
| Scheme | Details |
|---|---|
| Arts and Humanities Research Council | |
| Collaborative Doctoral Awards | A HEI and non-HEI organisation collaborate on a project that falls within the AHRC’s subject domain and that can provide demonstrated benefits to both partners. The project is carried out by a research student (or students) that are recruited by the partners, jointly supervised by members from each partner organisation and who will gain a doctoral qualification by the end of the award. |
| Follow on Funding | The aim of this scheme is to enhance the value of an ARHC-funded project, encourage and facilitate a range of interactions and creative engagements between researchers and user communities, and demonstrate potential to deliver significant economic, social, cultural and/or policy impacts. The AHRC will award up to £120k (fEC), with smaller awards of up to £30k for shorter, higher-risk activities. Projects are to last a maximum of 12 months. |
| Economic and Social Sciences Research Council | |
| Follow-on Funding Scheme | The scheme covers knowledge transfer and impact generation activities that might include: jointly planned and delivered projects with 'user'* partner showing wider benefits; interpretation and application of data for defined purposes; conferences and seminars for a policy/practice audience; practitioner-relevant publications; or co-funded Placement Fellowships. The Scheme offers Follow-on Funding awards of up to £100k (at 80 per cent fEC) for a maximum of 12 months through three closed calls in each year using the Je-S electronic application. |
| Knowledge Exchange Small Grants Scheme | Grants between £2000 and £10000, designed for knowledge exchange or impact generating activity such as events, networks, policy briefings, online blog sites etc or a combination of activities. |
| Business Placement Fellowships | The scheme enables the temporary transfer, either on a full time or part time basis, of individuals to/from business and academia. The ESRC Business Placement Fellows Scheme enables business to access the research knowledge and expertise of the researcher and the research institution. It allows social science researchers to spend time in a business organisation to undertake practice-relevant research and work with businesses on specific projects. The ESRC will expect a financial contribution from the partner of 50% of the total cost. |
| Third Sector Placement Fellowships | The placements enable the temporary transfer (either on a full time or part time basis), of individuals to/from third sector and academia. The placements enable third sector organisations to access collaborative funding, academic expertise, innovative ideas and the opportunity to enhance the organisations creativity, effectiveness and impact. All of which are crucial for enhancing and supporting the third sector through a challenging economic climate. The placements are collaboratively funded and will operate on the basis that costs will be shared on a 75%/25% basis (ESRC will provide the 75% contribution) with the third sector partner. |
| Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council | |
| Secondments and training | Industrial CASE awards are allocated to selected companies. The companies in defining and arranging PhD projects with an academic partner of their choice. The company makes a financial contribution and the student spends at least three months at the company. |
| Follow-on fund | Up to 12 months’ funding for EPSRC grant holders to work on the very early stages of turning research outcomes into a commercial proposition. |
| Strategic partnerships | A strategic partnership is a formal arrangement between EPSRC and one or more organisations (including companies, charities, representative bodies, other government departments) in which the various parties share information and strategy, work together to support each other’s objectives, and jointly fund and support research, training and other activities in UK universities in strategically important gap areas. |
| Integrated knowledge centres | Innovation and Knowledge Centres (IKCs) are centres of excellence with five years’ funding to accelerate and promote business exploitation of an emerging research and technology field. Their key feature is a shared space and entrepreneurial environment, in which researchers, potential customers and skilled professionals from both academia and business can work side by side to scope applications, business models and routes to market. |
| Knowledge Transfer Accounts | (KTAs) aim to stimulate an environment and engender a culture to overcome barriers to better exploit EPSRC-funded research. They will foster the creation of an environment in which impact and knowledge transfer/exchange are valued and encouraged, just as much as is the generation of original research results. |
| Knowledge Transfer Secondments | Knowledge Transfer Secondments (KTS) grants support the secondment of EPSRC-funded staff into organisations that can exploit their research results Knowledge Transfer Secondments (KTS) grants support the secondment of EPSRC-funded staff into organisations that can exploit their research results. KTS funding can also be used to host researchers from industry working on specific projects which build on the results of earlier EPSRC-funded research. Decisions about the deployment of KTS funding will be made locally, by the university holding the grant, to ensure maximum flexibility and responsiveness. |
| Technology Strategy Board | |
| Knowledge Transfer Partnerships | A Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a three-way project between an academic, an industry partner and a recently qualified person (known as the Associate). The Associate is normally based in the offices of the industry partner, and undertakes a project on its behalf with academic supervision. KTPs can be between 1 and 3 years long, and the typical annual cost for a KTP is £60000. The industry partner should expect to contribute between 40% and 60% of the total project cost (this is dependent on the company's size). |
| Collaborative research and development | TSB Competitions fund collaborative research and development, which is designed to assist the industrial and research communities to work together on R&D projects in strategically important areas of science, engineering and technology - from which successful new products, processes and services can emerge. |
| Knowledge Transfer Networks | A Knowledge Transfer Network is a single over-arching national network in a specific field of technology or business application which brings together people from businesses, universities, research, finance and technology organisations to stimulate innovation through knowledge transfer. Knowledge Transfer Networks (KTNs) have been set up to drive the flow of knowledge within, in and out of specific communities. |
| Medical Research Council | |
| Partnership Grant | The MRC offers a grant which aims to provide support for collaborative activities that add value to existing research or helps galvanise researchers in a particular field, or complementary fields, to address important issues that cannot be addressed through other funding arrangements. |
| European Research Council | |
| Seventh Framework Programme | The specific programme on 'Cooperation' supports all types of research activities carried out by different research bodies in trans-national cooperation and aims to gain or consolidate leadership in key scientific and technology areas. |
| Eurostars | A Eurostars project is a European research and development project. It can address any technological area, but must have a civilian purpose and be aimed at the development of a new product, process or service. Projects are collaborative, meaning it must involve at least two participants (legal entities) from two different Eurostars participating countries. In addition, the main participant must be a research-performing SME from one of these countries. |
| Royal Society | |
| Industry Fellowships | These give industrial researchers the chance to carry out research or course-development in a UK university or academic researchers to work in a UK business. Projects can be at any stage from fundamental science to industrial innovation. |