Aim

The aim of this funding opportunity is to facilitate collaborations with the potential to create new knowledge, understanding, technologies, products and services to enrich and improve lives in the UK, Brazil and around the world. The opportunity will support researchers based in the UK and Brazil to establish and develop collaborative partnerships around a specific, jointly defined, research topic that could serve as the backbone for high quality applications for future funding.

The opportunity, with its focus on talent mobilisation and boosting collaboration, aims to attract and retain emerging talent in the UK and Brazil through one or more visits in either direction.

By improving research and innovation skills and capabilities in both countries, the awards are intended to support the development of research talent and the creation of durable equitable collaborative links between the UK and Brazil that directly and primarily address development challenges faced by Brazil.

It is expected that applicants will identify the specific context and challenge that they will consider, and how their work will lead to improving the economic development and welfare of people living in Brazil as their primary objective. The potential for wider impact on the Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligible recipients in the Latin America region and Least Developed Countries (DAC List of ODA Recipients – OECD) is encouraged.

It is anticipated that funded activities will:

• enable new collaborations between UK and Brazilian researchers to be formed. The collaborations should be based on a single new project. This funding opportunity is not intended to be used to extend existing or recent projects or collaborations
• establish and enhance partnerships and networks between UK and Brazilian social science communities
• be a unique opportunity for researchers to access world-class knowledge and expertise, to enhance their professional and personal experience
• identify and develop social science themes or topics of importance in Brazil and where enhanced bilateral collaboration would further world-leading standards in the respective areas
• identify common interests, develop new ideas for collaborative research projects and support research that could be upscaled in the future
• promote the sharing of best practice and knowledge exchange
• engage a network of researchers and research end users from both countries

Scope

This funding opportunity is designed to be flexible and responsive allowing applicants to establish collaborations on specific social science areas linked to Brazilian priorities and development needs. Interdisciplinary proposals across the breadth of the social sciences are encouraged.

Your proposal must fall within ESRC remit. Complete and submit the remit query form, if you are unsure whether your proposed research falls within our remit.

Applicants are encouraged to be innovative and creative in their thinking about how these awards can help them to advance their research ideas, particularly through collaborative working.

While we are not stipulating specific themes, applications are encouraged to adopt the following core principles (but not exclusively) to drive proposed activities with a long-term ambition to make an actual change:

• diversity: inclusion of ideas, people, activities, skills, institutions and infrastructures, broadening incentives to avoid homogenisation and promote a diverse portfolio of activities and innovation
• connectivity: catalyse the flow of knowledge and skills through the movement of people and ideas, support collaborations that drive forward new disciplines, activities and structures
• resilience: working closely with local and national partners to improve the financial sustainability of the proposed activities
• equitable engagement: breaking down barriers between research and innovation and wider society, involving a broad range of people and organisations in the design and delivery of research and innovation

It is not expected that proposals will address all of these areas but should consider at least some of the above.

Duration

The duration of this award is a minimum of three months and a maximum of six months.

Projects must start on or after 1 November 2024.

This opportunity can cover either a one-off short visit to explore opportunities for building lasting networks or multiple visits in either direction. Applicants can request funds for multiple visits or meetings in the same application, as long as they relate to the work outlined in the proposed application activities. All visits should be to the same collaborator’s institution.

Funding available

This is a non-standard full economic cost opportunity, and therefore applicants should apply for 100% of the direct costs of the activities which they wish to undertake. See information on what we will not fund for further details.

The full economic cost (FEC) of your project can be up to £20,000.

The available budget should be allocated between UK and Brazilian applicants equitably in accordance with the proposed activities.

Collaborative activities should not be limited to the project leads and applicants should engage a network of researchers in both the UK and Brazil.

What we will fund

Examples of activities which could be included (but are not limited to):

• travel and subsistence for exchange or mobility activities in either direction (including visa and insurance costs, to and from the host collaborators, accommodation and subsistence during the visit(s))
• cost of networking events, workshops, and training to explore future collaboration opportunities
• conferences (predicted costs for conference attendance will be funded where the conference is named, justified and costed in the proposal. The justification should show how the conference will either directly benefit the collaboration or facilitate future impacts)
• justified project specific consumables, for example setting up websites or other digital platforms
• scoping studies, initial data collection
• exceptional additional costs, for example childcare or translation expenses, will be considered on a case-by-case basis

Applicants are encouraged to seek institutional funding where possible. This might include a monetary contribution from either applicant’s institution or department, or an in-kind contribution such as venue hire or accommodation costs.

What we will not fund

This funding opportunity is aimed at supporting a programme of activity to build long-term sustainable collaborations. Thus, this funding cannot be used to fund:

• associated studentships
• investigator costs
• items of equipment
• other research costs

Responsibilities of award-holders

Successful applicants will be responsible for ensuring any visa and insurance requirements for the host country are met, and for complying with any border-entry requirements as well to following relevant institutional and government guidelines and policies.

All successful applicants will be expected to represent, promote, and formally acknowledge the sponsors (Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)) during their exchanges and in any subsequent related outputs.

There is an expectation that all successful award holders will attend and contribute to the Global Talent Exchange Cohort Workshop in 2025. The aim of the workshop will be to bring together awardees and the funders to share learning, receive advice and support for potential next steps, analyse impact activities connected with exchanges, and explore opportunities for future collaborations. Further details will be provided to successful applicants upon confirmation of funding. Costs of attending this workshop should not be included in applications to this funding opportunity.

Reporting requirements

Successful applicants will be asked to produce a joint assessment of the accomplished activities and submit to ESRC by the end of the agreed project end date. Further guidance and a proforma will be provided.

The report or parts thereof may be used to promote the activities of ESRC and feed into any potential evaluation.

ESRC may contact the applicants and their supervisors to gather additional post-exchange impact information. This information must be provided on request.

International collaboration requirements

The proposed activities should bring together people and organisations, both from Brazil and the UK to tackle societal challenges, including research collaborators, delivery partners and stakeholders, for example: academics, businesses and research users, government and other policymakers, third sector organisations and NGOs, and community groups.

The minimum requirement is for one project co-lead (international) to be based in Brazil. Equitable partnerships will be a cornerstone of proposed activities and projects will require genuine and substantive equitable partnerships to co-deliver the work, with a strong ethos of co-creation and co-design with any local communities that stand to benefit from the work.

Learn more about equitable partnerships.

Visit UKRI’s trusted research and innovation for more information on effective international collaboration.

Find out about getting funding for international collaboration.

ODA compliance

This opportunity will form part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA), as defined by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

When applying to this funding opportunity it is important that you ensure your application is ODA compliant. It must be clear how the application is ODA eligible as defined by “administered with the promotion of the economic development and welfare of developing countries as its main objective”.

Applicants must complete the ODA compliance section of the application form and should not expect reviewers to make assumptions about development impact that is not clearly described within the proposal. Failure to demonstrate ODA eligibility will render your application ineligible regardless of other success criteria. Please make sure you consider the ODA relevance of your application.

Supporting skills and talent

We encourage you to follow the principles of the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers and the Technician Commitment.

Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I)

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is committed in ensuring that effective international collaboration in research and innovation takes place with integrity and within strong ethical frameworks. Trusted Research and Innovation (TR&I) is a UKRI work programme designed to help protect all those working in our thriving and collaborative international sector by enabling partnerships to be as open as possible, and as secure as necessary. Our TR&I Principles set out UKRI’s expectations of organisations funded by UKRI in relation to due diligence for international collaboration.

As such, applicants for UKRI funding may be asked to demonstrate how their proposed projects will comply with our approach and expectation towards TR&I, identifying potential risks and the relevant controls you will put in place to help proportionately reduce these risks.

See further guidance and information about TR&I, including where applicants can find additional support.

We are running this funding opportunity on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service so please ensure that your organisation is registered. You cannot apply on the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system.

All proposals will be submitted through single application process managed by Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC ) and proposals should contain UK and Brazilian components. There should not be additional submission to any Brazilian institutions.

Applicants should provide one joint UK-Brazil proposal, which reflects a joint development programme of work between the two partners. All proposals must be co-created, co-designed and co-delivered in equitable partnership(s) with ‘in-country’ researchers who should be included as project co-lead (international) (PcL (I)).

The UK project lead is responsible for completing and submission of the application process on the Funding Service, but we expect all team members and project partners to contribute to the application.

Only the lead research organisation can submit an application to UKRI.

To apply

Select ‘Start application’ near the beginning of this Funding finder page.

1. Confirm you are the project lead.
2. Sign in or create a Funding Service account. To create an account, select your organisation, verify your email address, and set a password. If your organisation is not listed, email support@funding-service.ukri.org
   Please allow at least 10 working days for your organisation to be added to the Funding Service. We strongly suggest that if you are asking UKRI to add your organisation to the Funding Service to enable you to apply to this funding opportunity, you also create an organisation Administration Account. This will be needed to allow the acceptance and management of any grant that might be offered to you.
3. Answer questions directly in the text boxes. You can save your answers and come back to complete them or work offline and return to copy and paste your answers. If we need you to upload a document, follow the upload instructions in the Funding Service. All questions and assessment criteria are listed in the How to apply section on this Funding finder page.
4. Allow enough time to check your application in ‘read-only’ view before sending to your research office.
5. Send the completed application to your research office for checking. They will return it to you if it needs editing.
6. Your research office will submit the completed and checked application to UKRI.

Where indicated, you can also demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant:

• use images sparingly and only to convey important information that cannot easily be put into words.
• insert each new image onto a new line
• provide a descriptive legend for each image immediately underneath it (this counts towards your word limit)
• files must be smaller than 5MB and in JPEG, JPG, JPE, JFI, JIF, JFIF, PNG, GIF, BMP or WEBP format

Watch our research office webinars about the new Funding Service.

For more guidance on the Funding Service, see:

• how applicants use the Funding Service
• how research offices use the Funding Service
• how reviewers use the Funding Service

References

Applications should be self-contained, and hyperlinks should only be used to provide links directly to reference information. To ensure the information’s integrity is maintained, where possible, persistent identifiers such as digital object identifiers should be used. Assessors are not required to access links to carry out assessment or recommend a funding decision. Applicants should use their discretion when including references and prioritise those most pertinent to the application.

References should be included in the appropriate question section of the application and be easily identifiable by the assessors, for example (Smith, Research Paper, 2019).

You must not include links to web resources to extend your application.

Deadline

ESRC must receive your application by 4:00pm UK time on 20 August 2024.

You will not be able to apply after this time.

Make sure you are aware of and follow any internal institutional deadlines.

Following the submission of your application to the funding opportunity, your application cannot be changed, and applications will not be returned for amendment. If your application does not follow the guidance, it may be rejected.

Personal data

Processing personal data

ESRC, as part of UKRI, will need to collect some personal information to manage your Funding Service account and the registration of your funding applications.

We will handle personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and manage it securely. For more information, including how to exercise your rights, read our privacy notice.

Publication of outcomes

ESRC, as part of UKRI, will publish the outcomes of this funding opportunity at What ESRC has funded.

If your application is successful, we will publish some personal information on the UKRI Gateway to Research.

Summary

Word limit: 550

In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application.

We may make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example:

• opinion-formers
• policymakers
• the public
• the wider research community

Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of:

• context
• the challenge the proposed activities addresses
• aims and objectives
• potential applications and benefits

Core team

List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following:

• project lead (PL)
• project co-lead (international) (PcL (I))

Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications.

Application questions

Vision

Word limit: 550

What are you hoping to achieve with your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how your proposed work:

• is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
• has the potential to advance current understanding, or generate new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
• how you will benefit from this funding opportunity and the value that this award will bring to your current and future research careers and ambitions
• including benefits and future joint research likely to accrue from the collaboration
• is grounded in the local context, and how research outcomes will address Brazilian regional challenges, including added value to UK and Brazilian social science through the partnership
• is timely given current trends, context, and needs
• impacts world-leading research, society, the economy, or the environment

Within the Vision section we also expect you to:

• identify the specific context and challenge that your work will explore, and how your work has the potential to effect genuine change
• identify the tangible and sustainable benefits your proposed activities will make to the welfare of people living in Brazil as the primary objectives, and potential for wider impact on the Official Development Assistance (ODA) eligible recipients in the Latin America region and Least Developed Countries)
• include consideration of core principles: diversity, connectivity, resilience, and equitable engagement.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

References may be included within this section.

Approach

Word limit: 2,750

How are you going to deliver your proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Explain how you have designed your approach so that it:

• is realistic, effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives
• identifies the engagement, co-creation, co-design and co-delivery that will take place with communities and stakeholders in the beneficiary countries
• is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed
• uses a clear and transparent methodology (if applicable)
• will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts
• describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place, and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work

All applicants planning to generate data as part of their grant must complete the separate Data management question.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

References may be included within this section.

Applicant and team capability to deliver

Word limit: 1,650

Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have:

• the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
• the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
• included a range of suitable stakeholders and delivery partners necessary to ensure sustainable development and the adoption of technologies in the beneficiary countries
• the principles of equitable partnerships and embedded inclusivity in the delivery of your proposed activities

Other international collaborators participating in the funding opportunity, but not listed as project co-leads, should be named in Applicant and team capability to deliver.

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

The word count for this section is 1,650 words: 1,150 words to be used for R4RI modules (including references) and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions.

Use the Résumé for Research and Innovation (R4RI) format to showcase the range of relevant skills you and, if relevant, your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work.

Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI. You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings:

• contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
• the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
• contributions to the wider research and innovation community
• contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

Additions

Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences, or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them).

Complete this as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV.

References may be included within this section.

UKRI has introduced new role types for funding opportunities being run on the new Funding Service.

For full details, see Eligibility as an individual.

Ethics and responsible research and innovation (RRI)

Word limit: 500

What are the ethical or RRI implications and issues relating to the proposed work? If you do not think that the proposed work raises any ethical or RRI issues, explain why.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Demonstrate that you have identified and evaluated:

• the relevant ethical or responsible research and innovation considerations
• how you will manage these considerations

You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service.

All proposals have to comply with the ESRC framework for research ethics which includes guidance for applicants and links to related web resources.

All necessary ethical approvals must be in place before the project commences, but do not need to have been secured at the time of application.

If you are generating data as part of your project, you should complete the Data management question and should cover ethical considerations relating to data in your response.

If you are not generating data and have not completed the Data management question you should address any legal or ethical considerations relating to your use of data here.

Resources and cost justification

Word limit: 1,000

What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost?

Explain travel and subsistence for exchange, mobility. activities and collaboration, including visa and insurance costs, to and from the host collaborators, accommodation and subsistence during the visit(s).

Justify the application’s other resources, in particular:

• cost of conferences, networking events, workshops, and training (predicted costs for conference attendance will be funded where the conference is named, justified and costed in the proposal. The justification should show how the conference will either directly benefit the research or facilitate future impacts of research. Justification must also be provided for the number of project members attending a conference
• justified project specific consumables, for example setting up websites or other digital platforms
• all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’
• contribution from international partner in cash or kind

Assessors are not looking for detailed costs or a line-by-line breakdown of all project resources. Overall, they want you to demonstrate how the resources you anticipate needing for your proposed work:

• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

For detailed guidance on eligible costs please see the ESRC research funding guide.

Official Development Assistance (ODA): compliance eligibility

Word limit: 500

How does your proposed work meet ODA compliance eligibility?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

To demonstrate how your proposed work meets ODA compliance criteria, please explain:

• which country or countries on the DAC list will directly benefit from this proposal
• how your proposal is directly and primarily relevant to the development challenges of these countries
• how you expect the outcomes of your proposed activities will promote the economic development and welfare of a country or countries on the DAC list
• how the proposed activity is appropriate to address the development need
• the approaches you will use to deliver development impact within the lifetime of the project and in the longer term, considering the potential outcomes, the key beneficiary and stakeholder groups and how they will be engaged to enable development impact to be achieved

This funding opportunity is part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment. This is government aid that promotes and specifically targets the economic development and welfare of developing countries as its primary objective.

Applicants should ensure that their proposal focuses on the challenges specific to the partner country or countries and not broader global issues, meaning those that are transboundary beyond low and middle-income countries (LMICs). It is accepted that ODA-funded research may have benefits to the UK or other high-income countries, however, these should be secondary to be development objectives of the project.

Applicants should consider whether these countries are likely to continue to be eligible for the duration of the research, noting that ODA funding cannot be used to support research that does not promote a DAC list country. Please note there may be eligibility restrictions specific to the opportunity you are applying to. You and other applicants should refer to the Funding Finder to confirm eligibility before applying. When assessing whether an activity is eligible for ODA funding under this funding opportunity, ESRC will consider whether projects satisfy OECD criteria on eligibility.

Applications will be assessed through a competitive peer review process with ODA eligibility being a criterion for approval, that is, projects must be fully ODA compliant to be considered for funding. Initial ODA compliance checks will be carried out by UKRI. Proposals that do not meet the eligibility criteria may be rejected without reference to peer review. Peer reviewers will also be provided with this guidance and asked to comment on ODA compliance and likelihood of significant development impact.

ODA Gender Equality statement

Word limit: 400

How does your proposed work demonstrate sufficient consideration of gender equality?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a Gender Equality Statement that explains:

• whether measures have been put in place to ensure equal and meaningful opportunities for people of different genders to be involved throughout the project, including the development of the project, the participants of the research and innovation and the beneficiaries of the research and innovation
• the expected impact of the project (benefits and losses) on people of different genders, both throughout the project and beyond
• the impact on the relations between people of different genders and people of the same gender. For example, changing roles and responsibilities in households, society, economy, politics, or power
• how any risks and unintended negative consequences on gender equality will be avoided or mitigated against, and monitored
• if there are any relevant outcomes and outputs being measured, with data disaggregated by age and gender (where disclosed)

All ODA funding must adhere to the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014. To meet this, all applications to UKRI ODA calls must provide a Gender Equality Statement. Read further guidance for applicants on writing Gender Equality Statements and how to consider gender within your research proposal.

For funding opportunities under the International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF), all ODA funding must adhere to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) Gender Equality Policy. See more information on this policy and the related guidance for considering gender equality in your research.

ESRC and expert reviewers will assess whether your proposal has demonstrated sufficient consideration of gender equality.

Primary discipline classification

Word limit: 50

Enter the primary discipline for this project.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Select one primary area of research from the list of social science disciplines below and enter into the text field:

• area studies
• demography
• development studies
• economics
• education
• environmental planning
• history
• human geography
• law & legal studies
• linguistics
• management & business studies
• political science & international studies
• psychology
• science and technology studies
• social anthropology
• social policy
• social work
• sociology
• tools, technologies & methods

This information is used to determine eligibility for ESRC funding and to assist in the selection of appropriate reviewers.

Your organisation’s support

Word limit: 1,000

Provide details of support from your research organisation.

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a Statement of Support from your research organisation detailing how the proposed activities will develop your future research and professional development. This should include details of any matched funding that will be provided to support the activity and any additional support that might add value to the work.

The panel will be looking for a strong statement of commitment from your research organisation.

ESRC recognises that in some instances, this information may be provided by the Research Office, the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) or equivalent, or a combination of both.

You must also include the following details:

• a significant person’s name and their position, from the TTO or Research Office, or both
• office address or web link

Upload details are provided within the service on the actual application.

Data Management and sharing

Word limit: 500

How will you manage and share data collected or acquired through the proposed work?

What the assessors are looking for in your response

Provide a data management plan that clearly details how you will comply with UKRI’s published data sharing policy, which includes detailed guidance notes.

Demonstrate that you have designed your proposed work so that you can appropriately manage and share data in accordance with ESRC’s research data policy and ESRC framework for research ethics (if applicable).

Within the ‘Data Management’ section we also expect you to:

• plan for the research through the life cycle of the award until data is accepted for archiving by the UK Data Service (UKDS) or a responsible data repository
• demonstrate compliance with ESRC’s research data policy and ESRC framework for research ethics. This should include confirmation that existing datasets have been reviewed and why currently available datasets are inadequate for the proposed research
• cover any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing or storing the data, including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical issues
• include any challenges to data sharing, for example, copyright or data confidentiality, with possible solutions discussed to optimise data sharing

If this does not apply to your proposed work, you will be able to indicate this in the Funding Service.

Assessment process

The assessment will take place as a single–stage assessment, with all applications be assessed through an open, competitive process, using quality as the primary assessment criterion.

ESRC staff will complete initial eligibility checks of applicants and compose a multidisciplinary and multisectoral commissioning panel for assessment of applications. Applications which do not meet the eligibility requirements of this funding opportunity will be rejected prior to this assessment.

Panel

The commissioning panel, using the evidence provided in your application will evaluate the quality of your application and rank it alongside other applications. All applications will be scored according to the criteria outlined below. The ranking will be used to identify the top-rated applications that will be put forward for final funding recommendations.

Applicants will not be able to nominate reviewers for applications on the new UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service.

Timescale

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of the application in October 2024 for immediate start in November 2024. The approving organisation will be asked to give its consent before the award is confirmed.

Assessment areas

The assessment areas we will use are:

• Vision
• Approach
• Applicants and team capability to deliver
• Resources and cost justification
• Ethics and Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI)

We reserve the right to modify the assessment process as needed.

There will be additional terms and conditions relating to the funding source from the International Strategic Partnership Fund (ISPF) for projects funded through this opportunity. These conditions will be communicated to successful applicants in their award letters.

Find details of assessment questions and criteria under the ‘Application questions’ heading in the ‘How to apply’ section.

Principles of assessment

We support the San Francisco declaration on research assessment (DORA) and recognise the relationship between research assessment and research integrity.

Find out about the UKRI principles of assessment and decision making.

Get help with your application

If you have a question and the answers aren’t provided on this page.

Important note: The Helpdesk is committed to helping users of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Funding Service as effectively and as quickly as possible. In order to manage cases at peak volume times, the Helpdesk will triage and prioritise those queries with an imminent opportunity deadline or a technical issue. Enquiries raised where information is available on the Funding Finder opportunity page and should be understood early in the application process (for example, regarding eligibility or content/remit of an opportunity) will not constitute a priority case and will be addressed as soon as possible.

Contact details

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance, allowing sufficient time for your organisation’s submission process.

For questions related to this specific funding opportunity please contact:
globaltalentexchange@esrc.ukri.org

Any queries regarding the system or the submission of applications through the Funding Service should be directed to the helpdesk.

Email: support@funding-service.ukri.org
Phone: 01793 547490

Our phone lines are open:

• Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5:00pm
• Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm

To help us process queries quicker, we request that users highlight the council and opportunity name in the subject title of their email query, include the application reference number, and refrain from contacting more than one mailbox at a time.

See further information on submitting an application.

Sensitive information

If you or a core team member need to tell us something you wish to remain confidential, email globaltalentexchange@esrc.ukri.org

Include in the subject line: [the funding opportunity title; sensitive information; your Funding Service application number].

Typical examples of confidential information include:

• individual is unavailable until a certain date (for example due to parental leave)
• declaration of interest
• additional information about eligibility to apply that would not be appropriately shared in the ‘Applicant and team capability’ section
• conflict of interest for UKRI to consider in reviewer or panel participant selection
• the application is an invited resubmission

For information about how UKRI handles personal data, read UKRI’s privacy notice.

International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF)

This programme is funded by the UK government’s International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF). ISPF is managed by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and delivered by a consortium of the UK’s leading research and innovation bodies, including UKRI. The £337 million fund supports collaboration between UK researchers and innovators and their peers around the world on the major themes of our time: planet, health, tech, and talent.

Additional disability and accessibility adjustments

UKRI can offer disability and accessibility support for UKRI applicants and grant holders during the application and assessment process if required.

Research disruption due to COVID-19

We recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major interruptions and disruptions across our communities. We are committed to ensuring that individual applicants and their wider team, including partners and networks, are not penalised for any disruption to their career, such as:

• breaks and delays
• disruptive working patterns and conditions
• the loss of ongoing work
• role changes that may have been caused by the pandemic

Reviewers and panel members will be advised to consider the unequal impacts that COVID-19 related disruption might have had on the capability to deliver and career development of those individuals included in the application. They will be asked to consider the capability of the applicant and their wider team to deliver the research they are proposing.

Where disruptions have occurred, you can highlight this within your application if you wish, but there is no requirement to detail the specific circumstances that caused the disruption.