HPS has internal mechanisms for scrutinising research grant applications that enable us to work quickly and efficiently.
All applications must have a sponsor who helps the applicant to review and shape their proposal prior to submission to a Departmental Committee for approval and authorisation for submission, and if successful this person will act as Mentor/PI. This process ensures that applications fit with the strategic aims of the institution, are on a subject that the Department would like to host, and are realistically planned and properly resourced. No application for funding can be made in the Department's name without prior approval from either the Executive Committee or the HPS Board and without being costed by the Departmental Administrator using TRAC methodology.
Project grant applications require a lot of planning and it is very rare for anyone other than a UTO to submit a large project grant application through the Department. On the odd occasion that this has happened, prior to agreeing to act as host, the Department will go to considerable lengths to establish the quality of the proposed research and the resource implications.
HPS has well-established research groups, led by individual UTOs. These tend to foster and shape postgraduate and postdoctoral research activity in the Department and most applications for Postdocs/Early Career Fellowships are planned well in advance. Problems can occur when people leave it until the last minute to apply, so the Department has introduced a policy that anyone wishing to ask HPS to act as host for a funding application must meet with potential sponsors in the Department and discuss their project in detail at least two months in advance of the application deadline and the application must be complete at least 10 working days prior to the submission deadline so that approval can be obtained by the University Research Office prior to final submission. This procedure ensures adequate time for approvals, for costings, for electronic form filling (electronic submissions require expert assistance and close liaison amongst those involved) and for changes to be made. Recognising that it is unlikely to be successful in obtaining more than one or possibly two awards from any single postdoctoral fellowship competition, the Department, may operate a quota, putting forward just two or three of the very best applications for each competition.
If you are going to be asking the Department to act as host for your project, please use this form as a cover sheet for your application:
To help people to identify funding opportunities in their area of research, the University provides access to the Research Professional funding opportunities database. Funding information of particular interest is also circulated on the HPS Discussion email list.
Useful information on potential funders, the timing of an application, teaching buyout, tips for writing competitive applications, peer review and ethics approval can be found on the following page:
(Raven password required)