Photocredit: Christian Weidinger.
THIS CALL HAS NOW CLOSED
The Nexus Network has initially committed £500,000 to provide grants for pilot projects, blue-sky ideas, working papers and placements which can address the interconnected challenges of the nexus (food, water, energy and the environment). The outputs from these projects, ideas, papers and placements will be publicised through the network and may also lay the foundations for larger projects, to be funded by the ESRC or other sources.
FIRST CALL FOR NEXUS THINK PIECES & SHORT WORKING PAPERS
Call opens: 9am, 9 June 2014
Call closes: 4pm, 4 July 2014
Funding available: 10 awards of up to £5,000 each
In this start-up phase of the Nexus Network, we want to fund an initial series of up to ten ‘think pieces’ or working papers, of no more than 8,000 words in length, which can help to scope and define nexus approaches, and stimulate debate across the linked domains of food, energy, water and the environment.
These can address theoretical, methodological, policy, business or other practical aspects. We are making this first call deliberately open-ended to invite a diverse and creative mix of topics and approaches. The resulting short papers may identify topics and research agendas that could subsequently be developed into pilot projects or larger research collaborations.
Short proposals of up to 2 sides of A4 (using size 12 font and margins no less than 2cm) should be submitted by 4pm on Friday 4 July 2014 by email to info@thenexusnetwork.org
The two-side proposal needs to include:
– Name and contact details of applicant(s) & a brief summary of relevant qualifications to undertake this work
– A title for the think piece/working paper
– A clear statement of your core idea(s)
– A short explanation of how your paper will advance new thinking, stimulate debate and/or develop practical approaches to the challenges of the nexus
– An outline of how your paper might impact and inform future research, policy and practice
– How much funding you require (up to £5,000), and what this will be spent on (research, salary, fixed costs etc.).
Proposals will be reviewed by the Nexus Network team and Advisory Group, and successful applicants will be informed by 14 July.
Who should apply?
We welcome applications from a wide range of people and organisations, including:
– Academic researchers (in universities and research institutes)
– Policymakers (e.g. in government departments like Defra & DECC, or bodies like the Food Standards Agency)
– Businesses (able to address nexus challenges in a corporate context)
– Think tanks and NGOs (able to provide civil society perspectives).
Proposals from early career researchers (defined as having five years or less research experience post-PhD) are particularly encouraged, as are collaborative proposals, involving applicants from more than one sectors. International collaborations are also welcome, provided the lead applicant is based in a UK organisation.
Please note, we cannot award money directly to individuals. Grants will be awarded through the organisation with which the lead applicant is affiliated (e.g. university, research institute, business, NGO). The precise model through which the funding will be made available can be determined by the organisation in question (e.g. it may be put towards a formal buy-out of academic staff time, or allocated more flexibly according to consultancy-style day rates).
What we are not looking to fund
There are a few things that we are specifically not planning to fund through this call.
– evaluations of your organisation’s own programmes;
– fund-raising events;
– activities that are normally the responsibility of government;
– conferences, group travel, honoraria for speakers;
– capital or material costs.
Take a look a the Frequently Asked Questions page for more info on eligibility.
What we offer
These are small grants of up to £5,000 per proposal. We would not expect to fund any additional costs beyond this. This will be grant funding – we will not own the IP to the work, although we will publish and disseminate the work. Please note that VAT is not payable on grants.
For successful applicants
Completed papers should be no more than 8,000 words long (excluding references), and need to be submitted by Friday 17 October 2014. They should be written in an accessible style for policy and practitioner, as well as academic, audiences.
The final papers will be published, and will help to inform the agenda, at the inaugural Nexus Network conference, which will take place on Thursday 27 November 2014.
Any questions?
If you have questions about this call, or would like more information, please contact Rose Cairns, Nexus Network Coordinator on R.Cairns@sussex.ac.uk
