ODA Research Management Capacity Strengthening

More about the programme:

International research collaboration is a strategic priority for the British Academy, however, support for such collaboration is often focused solely at a researcher level without considering the wider context in which research and research collaboration take place, particularly within and between institutions involved in research projects. This can hinder effective collaboration and counteract equitability of partnerships.

Weak organisational research management is a major obstacle to flourishing research environments. Institutions are, however, the foundation from which research is built. Circumventing them will not help to create sustainable and productive research cultures. Research requires good institutional policy environments and cultures of management that create the conditions and set the rules and procedures which enable research to take place and for how researchers can collaborate internationally. Consequently, research management has to be embedded in and supported through the wider institutional context.

This call aims to reach beyond individual capacity and skills development to achieve sustainable transformation at an institutional level.

Aims

The primary intended outcome of this programme is to enhance the capabilities of institutions in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries and UK-based institutions to overcome systemic barriers of working across borders and to embed the resulting best practise within the institutions to support sustained, equitable, international research collaboration. Emphasis is placed on activities that enable sustainable change that continues well beyond the life of the award in institutions, including the development and implementation of policy frameworks or training programmes, for both UK and overseas institutions bearing in mind that these are likely to need to reach beyond research offices. It is understood that needs of partner institutions might differ, and projects should reflect this.

Awards are expected to involve significant time devoted to dialogue and communication between the institutions involved so that links can be built and enhanced, ways of working can be adapted, and best practice can be reached for all those involved in supporting future research projects. The Academy views the involvement of financial, HR and legal functions within institutions as key to the success of any award given the significant challenges that these areas can cause in the running of international research projects. Awards that are only aiming to bring together respective research offices will be considered insufficient and not be supported.

The Academy is particularly conscious that UK-based institutions have significant areas in which they need to learn and listen to partners in these countries and that upskilling and changing practices in UK-based institutions are a key action that support of this kind should be aiming to achieve whilst ensuring that the primary benefit of any work on the award is for institutions based in ODA-eligible countries.

Applicants are encouraged to set out:

• The change they are seeking to achieve and the challenges they are aiming to overcome;
• How they will seek to resolve the challenge(s) they have identified and the steps/activities they will take to achieve the change they wish to achieve;
• How they will seek to implement the change during and beyond the award and the commitment they have secured from senior stakeholders to ensure real change on the ground.

International Science Partnerships Fund

This call is supported from the UK’s International Science Partnerships Fund managed by the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology. In the context of this call, funding from the International Science Partnerships Fund is funded by Official Development Assistance (ODA), therefore applications for this funding must be ODA-eligible.

Only research that has a primary objective which is directly and primarily relevant to the problems of developing countries may be counted as ODA.

Eligibility requirements

The awards, which can be between two institutions or involve a wider consortia of institutions across different countries, are aimed at research offices and research management functions, including HR, finance, and legal operations, in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries to collaborate with institutions based in the UK to enhance their ability to work together in future. The Academy would expect that the institutions involved in any application would likely be building on past and/or existing research activity and collaboration.

Each project will be led by a named Lead. The Lead can be of any nationality but must be based in a research office and/or research management function, including HR, finance, and legal operations in a role in an eligible university or research institute in the UK, Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries. The Lead’s position must last at least the duration of the grant funded by the Academy.

If the Lead is based in the UK, each proposal must include at least one Co-Applicant who is based in a research office and/or research management function, including HR, finance, and legal operations in an eligible university or research institute in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries.

If the Lead is based in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries each proposal must include at least one Co-Applicant who is based in a research office and/or research management function, including HR, finance, and legal operations in an eligible university or research institute in the UK.

The award must be held at an institution recognised by the Academy. The following types of organisations will be eligible to apply to host the award:

• Higher Education Institutes that received funding from one of the UK higher education funding bodies.
• Research institutes (RIs), for which research councils have established a long-term involvement as major funder as part of the national research base.
• Approved relevant Independent Research Organisations.
• Public Sector Research Organisations.
• Research organisations based in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam and/or Least Developed Countries

For more details about the programme and the eligibility requirements, please see the Scheme Notes.

Value and duration

Awards of 18-24 months in duration and up to £50,000 are available.

Funding can be used to support networking, workshop and other event-related costs, as well as travel and related expenses. Staffing costs are eligible up to £7,500 per institution involved, with a maximum of £30,000 that can be utilised for this purpose.

Projects must begin in March 2025.

Application process

Applications must be submitted online using the British Academy's Grant Management System (GMS), Flexi-Grant®.

The deadline for submissions and UK institutional approval is 30 October 2024 (17.00 UK time).