Here are more details about the 2018 flexible funding call:

1. Research Themes

The UKCCSRC invites proposals for CCS research projects that address needs relevant to the recommendations of both the Carbon Capture Utilisation Cost Challenge Taskforce (CCUS CCTF) and the Mission Innovation Carbon Capture Innovation Challenge (MI CCIC) (CCTF, MI CCUS workshop report), and that have significant relevance for the UK.

In respect of the CCTF proposers should demonstrate how their research is relevant to either anchor or feed-in projects that will form part of CCUS cluster developments, and note that the BEIS Pathways project will result in publication of a CCUS Roadmap in late 2018.

In respect of the CCIC proposers should demonstrate how their research relates to one or more of the Priority Research Directions (PRDs), and also promotes international collaboration.

Proposers should also articulate the expected timeline to impact for their research taking cognisance of EPSRC’s expectations of “roughly ten years plus or minus ten”.

2. Call Process and Timeline

Key dates for the UKCCSRC 2018 Funding Call are:

• Call Issued: 22 August 2018
• Open for submissions: 1st October 2018
• Closed to submissions: 4pm on 18th January 2019
• Decisions: 28th February 2019 (or earlier)
• Start Dates: 1st April to 30th September 2019

Note that this timeline means that proposers will be aware of their success or otherwise immediately before the second stage submission deadline for the ACT call.

Funding

Approximately £1M is potentially available but the UKCCSRC Board is not obliged to allocate all of these funds during this call. While proposals may be expected to be between £100k and £300k in size there are no fixed limits.

Notes for Proposers:
– Costings should be submitted at 100% FEC using a dummy JeS form
– Research organisations will be paid at 80% of FEC
– Invoices will need to be accompanied by the UKCCSRC breakdown of expenditure form
– No equipment purchase expenditure will be covered but applicants can request funds at reasonable UK academic researcher rates for the use of established research facilities
– Grants will be offered subject to the agreement of a contract with the University of Sheffield, acting on behalf of the UKCCSRC and EPSRC
– Awards other than for the requested amount and/or duration may be offered

Application submission process

Proposals will need to be submitted via the UKCCSRC website with all relevant documentation attached:
– Brief online form (i.e. name, institute, Co-Is, etc.)
– 2-4 page proposal, depending on the size and complexity of the proposal (e.g. £100k and 1 organisation – 2 pages; £300k and multiple organisations – 4 pages)
– Dummy EPSRC JeS form with all sections filled in (but no attachments)
– Justification of Resources document
– UKCCSRC Data and Information Archive Data Management Questionnaire
– Unlimited pages of user support letters
The proposal must include:
– The issues that the proposal addresses and links to relevant supporting policy material
– Details of proposed research
– Cost breakdowns (for proposals covering multiple organisations individual budgets will be required as part of the submission and costs by institution must be clearly identified in the dummy JeS and the Justification of Resources form)
– Timetable/Gantt chart
– Deliverables
– Impact delivery means and activities

Eligibility

Members of all organisations eligible to receive EPSRC funding may participate in proposals, subject to them personally also meeting the EPSRC funding requirements. Note that the EPSRC’s Repeatedly Unsuccessful Applicants policy does not apply to this call. All proposals must have a UKCCSRC academic member as the Principal Investigator (see membership requirements) and individual UKCCSRC members can be PI in no more than one proposal.

Co-funding, industrial support and collaboration

The Centre is keen to encourage researchers to attract co-funding and industrial support for their proposals and so recommends that projects should seek to attract 50% co-funding for all research costs over £100k. Co-funding will, however, be only one of the assessment criteria for applications (see below). Applications will also be expected to show active engagement with industry or other research users.

Researchers that envisage collaboration with other UKRI funded bodies should seek advice beforehand from the UKCCSRC Secretariat in order to identify any potential contractual difficulties prior to proposal submission.

Application assessment process

Proposals will be assessed by an independent review panel approved and reporting only to the UKCCSRC Board and funding will be decided solely by the Board based on the recommendations of the panel. The Panel will include consideration of the following factors in its assessments and may interpret and apply them as it sees fit to suit the particular circumstances.

Expected grant duration

Grants will be expected to run for a period from 6 months up to a maximum of 2 years.

All approved proposals should be able to start no later than 1st October 2019. Any grants that are not making progress as planned by this date, or at any time subsequently, will have their funding allocation reviewed and may be withdrawn.

All approved proposals must end by 30 September 2021 to ensure that reporting requirements are met and financial claims are submitted in good time before the end of the current UKCCSRC grant. There will be no extensions past this point under any circumstances.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the UKCCSRC 2018 Funding Call please get in touch with Bruce Adderley, Executive Centre Manager on 0114 2157237.
The PI and Co-Is of the UKCCSRC grant are not acting as contact points for this call and will not be involved in the handling or review of received applications.

Application Deadline: Friday, June 15, 2018 – 15:00
Call Type: ECR Collaboration Fund