New ECR Funding Call OPEN
See below for details and to apply
Funding types
Feasibility Studies & Flexible Funding (next call late 2024)
Feasibility Studies Call
1. Multi-investigator feasibility study awards: max project cost £80,000 (at 100% FEC)
These should aim to investigate potential new neuromodulation techniques or applications, or improve our understanding of the neuroscience underpinning existing techniques.
2. Smaller flexible awards: max project cost £20,000 (at 100% FEC)
These may cover research costs for a small pilot study, or fund another activity towards the network aims, such as a public engagement project, networking activity, or demonstration.
Thirteen projects have so far been funded in Calls 1 and 2. Find out about the projects funded here.
Our third call for funding will open in late 2024. You can find details of the call scope, eligibility criteria and FAQs below.
Scope
Proposals must address the remit of Neuromod+: to address the challenge of minimally invasive treatments for brain disorders, and should align with the network’s priorities. Research to be carried out must also be within the EPSRC remit. In support of the network’s aim of co-creation, we encourage proposals that involve a mix of network members, eg clinicians, academics, industry, charity, public/patient groups, as well as researchers at different career stages.
For further guidance on scope, see our About Us page, check our previously funded projects, read the FAQs below and check the guidance notes attached to the Neuromod+ funding call application form
Eligibility
Please read the EPSRC eligibility criteria before applying
- Applicants must be based at a UK institution and be eligible to apply for EPSRC grant funding. However projects will ideally involve collaboration with a range of colleagues (eg clinicians, early career researchers, those from industry/charity/patient groups, those with lived experience) who may not meet these criteria. Please include these contributors in the “Collaborators” section of your proposal. Please visit our members directory to find colleagues you may wish to work with
- Postdocs (or equivalent) may be eligible to be co-investigators if they meet the EPSRC researcher co-investigator criteria. Please check the EPSRC eligibility criteria for full details (see also FAQs). They can otherwise be included as collaborators
- We encourage early career researchers who are not eligible to lead a proposal or be included as researcher co-investigators to discuss with their academic line manager about how they can be involved as collaborators.
- Applicants can be involved in a maximum of three proposals per funding round and can lead only one
- The call is open to Neuromod+ members only. Non-members can sign up for free
Funding rules and guidelines
- Projects are expected to cost no more than £80,000 (multi-investigator) or £20,000 (flexible) at 100% FEC, but will be awarded at 80% FEC (ie for a project costing £80,000, Neuromod+ will award £64,000)
- Investigators must complete their institution’s standard costing process and have their costings approved before submitting the proposal
- Funds are awarded by Neuromod+ to the lead investigator/institution only. They are responsible for distributing funds to co-investigators (where relevant), therefore co-investigators who are expecting to receive funding from the award should also discuss with their RO/finance team before submission
- A formal agreement will usually need to be drawn up between participating institutions before funding can be transferred
Review process
- Proposals will be reviewed and ranked by a panel of Neuromod+ members comprising the PI team plus additional members chosen to ensure diversity of experience
- Applications will be evaluated on the problem being proposed, project plan, project team, impact, EDI plans and fit to the network aims
Early Career Researcher Placement Funding - APPLY NOW!
ECR Placement/Research Visit Funding Call
Scope
The Neuromod+ Early Career Researcher (ECR) Placement awards aim to support ECR training and development and encourage further collaboration between Neuromod+ members across the UK and beyond. ECRs can apply for awards of up to £2,000 to fund a visit to another Neuromod+ affiliated research group or organisation, to conduct research in pursuit of network goals, and to acquire new skills or use techniques that they would not normally be able to use at their home research group.
Eligibility
The scheme is open to ECR members of Neuromod+ who work or study at a UK organisation that is normally eligible to receive funding from EPSRC. For this funding call, Neuromod+ considers an ECR as a member who is:
- a student, or
- within eight years of their PhD viva, or
- within six years of their first academic appointment (where research or teaching is the primary role)
The organisation being visited (host organisation) can be in the UK or overseas. Organisations do not have to be academic institutions – in fact we encourage applicants to consider placements within industry or other partners – but must be affiliated with Neuromod+.
Funding
- Awards are for up to £1,000 for visits within the UK, or up to £2,000 for overseas visits
- Funding will cover economy travel & subsistence at your organisation’s standard rate
- Funding normally won’t cover:
- Research costs
- Conference attendance or similar
- Visits to an organisation that the applicant has previously studied or worked at
- Repeat awards (ie applicants can receive one award only)
- Awardees pay costs up front and will be reimbursed up to the value of their award
Conditions
- Placements should be for a minimum of 2 weeks. Other than that, the duration can be agreed between the applicant and host group
- Visits should ideally be completed, and all funds claimed by, Oct 31 2024
- The planned research must be within the network remit and align with Neuromod+ priorities
- The applicant is responsible for making all necessary arrangements for the visit, including arranging insurance where necessary
- Awardees will be required to submit a short report on their visit which may be published on the Neuromod+ website or in other reports
- Any outputs arising from research carried out during the visit must reference the Neuromod+ Network
How to apply
- Download the Neuromod+ ECR funding call 1 Mar 2024 – application form here
- Please email your application to k.hobson@imperial.ac.uk by 31 March 2024
- Applications will be reviewed by a Neuromod+ panel and outcomes will be announced in April 2024
FAQs
Unless otherwise indicated, these FAQs relate to the Feasibility Studies & Flexible Funding Call. If your question is not answered here, please get in touch.
Can I include inflation in my budget for staff costs?
Neuromod+ will not add inflation to awards, so it is acceptable to include inflated salary costs in your budget calculations, as long as your overall costs (at 100% FEC) remain within the £80K/£20K maximum limits.
Is the max award £80,000 at 80% or 100% FEC?
The cost of your project at 100% FEC should be max £80,000. Neuromod+ will award at 80% FEC, ie for a project costing £80,000, we will award £64,000. Your institution will be expected to cover the additional 20% of the cost.
Is a second investigator required for the smaller awards?
No, the awards of up to £20K only require one investigator.
I am not an academic member - can I apply for funding?
We welcome involvement from our non-academic members (eg those in industry, charity, patient representatives, etc) on proposals as collaborators. Unless you are eligible to apply for standard EPSRC grant funding you cannot be a named investigator or directly receive funding.
I am a postdoctoral researcher - can I apply as a lead investigator if I have support from my institution?
Lead investigators must meet the <a “=”” href=”http://www.ukri.org/councils/epsrc/guidance-for-applicants/check-if-you-are-eligible-for-funding/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>EPSRC eligibility criteria. If you are in receipt of a fellowship above postdoc level, there may be flexibility for you to lead on a proposal but please get in touch with EPSRC/us to check. If you do not meet the eligibility criteria, we would suggest that you discuss with your line manager who could be lead investigator.
You may be able to be included on the proposal as a Researcher Investigator. Please check the qualifying criteria for this on the UKRI funding page. Note in particular that if <50% of your time is costed on the proposal, you must include in your application justification as to how you will be significantly contributing towards the proposal and research.
If I am a co-investigator, how do I get my part of the funding
Funding is awarded to the lead investigator’s institution and they are responsible for distributing any funding to co-investigators. If you are a co-I and are expecting to receive funding, you must discuss the proposal with your own Research Office/finance team to ensure there is a mechanism in place for you to receive your share of the funding.
Can I be involved in more than one proposal?
You can be involved in up to 3 proposals but only lead one per round.
How do we cover the additional 20% of costs
Neuromod+ will fund at 80% of FEC, therefore your institution will need to cover the additional 20%.
If staff time (either Directly Allocated PI time, or Directly Incurred staff time) is included in your proposal, this will normally generate overheads to cover the remaining 20%.
If staff time is not included, you/your department will need to cover the additional costs from another source.
When should projects start/end?
Projects awarded in call 2 should start by 1 April 2024 and must be completed within 12 months (maximum) of their start date.
When deciding your start date please factor in time for the award to be set up (including contract preparation where required and transfer of funds by the lead institution to other members of the team as required) and any recruitment of new staff.
Would the call consider non-invasive neuromodulation for targeting peripheral nerves for treating other disorders?
We may be able to consider such a proposal, if it can successfully argue that investigating the periphery could lead to an understanding or modulation of the central nervous system, but otherwise it would be outside the remit of the network.
Can we use the funds to pay external consultants?
Yes this is allowed, as long as the process follows your standard institution rules and you can provide a breakdown of costs.
Can we work with SMEs?
Yes, certainly! We encourage collaboration with colleagues from industry/companies. As mentioned though, non-EPSRC eligible members cannot be lead investigators or receive funding directly from the grant but can be listed as collaborators.
Can I amend my form after I've submitted it?
If you need to make changes to your submitted form, please contact Kate Hobson.
Can I use the funding to pay PhD salary?
No, costs related to students cannot be included (under EPRSC regulations for this funding).
Will there be further funding rounds?
Yes, there will be a third Feasibility Studies Call, launched in late 2024, and there will be further ECR Research Visit Calls.
Can I use the funding to cover publication costs?
No, these costs would need to come from your institution’s block grant, as with standard EPSRC proposals.