Funding Guidance

Eligibility and financial processes

Applicant eligibility

Standard UKRI eligibility rules apply, with the lead applicant being required to be employed by an institution eligible to receive UKRI funding, on a contract that outlasts the expected duration of the award, including the reporting period. Please check the eligibility of your organisation here (external link) before applying for funding.

Lead applicants can be postdoctoral researchers or academic employees at an eligible organisation and must be resident in the UK; however if the lead applicant is a PDRA, they should send a brief letter of support or email from their line manager confirming their consent to host the project and act as the budget holder for the award.

European partners are encouraged to be included as co-applicants, provided that this does not contravene UK export control regulations or Trusted Research principles. Applicants are responsible for reviewing compliance before submission and confirming that appropriate due diligence has been undertaken. The University of Leeds will also review compliance on submission.

Financial rules and processes

All awards will be funded by the NetworkPlus at 80% fEC, with the remaining 20% fEC funded by the host research organisation. Standard subaward agreements outlining the terms of awards will be issued by the University of Leeds to successful lead applicants. All participants will be required to abide by the financial rules and processes as dictated by the University of Leeds, with the recipient organisation required to invoice the University of Leeds quarterly in arrears and provide supporting evidence for all claims. Final decisions on applications and costs will be at the panel’s discretion.

Eligible costs:

✓  Directly Incurred travel and subsistence, consumables, TRAC facilities, small equipment and UK researcher costs;

✓  Directly Allocated staff costs, e.g., investigator time, technical staff;

✓  Indirect costs, subject to confirmation of eligibility by EPSRC.

Ineligible costs:

✗ Costs associated with students, including PhD students;

✗ Other costs classified as ineligible by UKRI, as described here.

Duration

Each award is expected to last for a period of 2-12 months from the date of confirmation. All funds must be spent within the requested period of the award.

Research integrity and compliance

As a leading UK university, we expect all award recipients to uphold the highest standards of research integrity and compliance. In particular, activities funded through this award must be reviewed for compliance with UK export control regulations and Trusted Research principles.

Awardees are responsible for ensuring that any collaborations, data sharing, or material transfers adhere to these requirements. Where projects involve international partners, applicants should seek guidance from their institution’s Trusted Research team and confirm that appropriate due diligence has been undertaken. Failure to comply with these obligations may result in withdrawal of funding.

Access Fund

An additional, separate fund has been allocated for project teams requiring accessibility support to enable projects. Please get in touch with us directly to request further details.

Selection Criteria

The NetworkPlus team will first check all applications to ensure that they meet the eligibility requirements. Eligible applications to the Flexible Fund will be evaluated against the following criteria as soon as practical after the closing date of each call:

• Research quality, including the novelty of key project objectives and the significance of anticipated outputs;
• The extent to which the project aligns with one or more of the NetworkPlus’s focus areas (see ‘Scope’);
• The potential for new collaborations and the potential impact on the UK (and European, if relevant) field of inquiry;
• The potential for the work to develop into more significant collaborations and the likelihood of the work attracting follow-on funding. (For Large Awards, proposals should set out a plan that outlines a pathway for obtaining significant follow-on funding.);
• Feasibility and the lead applicant’s ability to deliver the proposed project within budget and on time;
• The potential added value in terms of career benefits for the project team, in particular for ECRs and MCRs.
• Large Awards only: The extent to which proposed risk mitigation actions address anticipated project risks.

Review process

Applications will be reviewed by members of the NetworkPlus Management Board (MB). To ensure impartiality, members of the MB will recuse themselves from any decisions that involve their own institutions. Members of the NetworkPlus Core Team will not themselves be eligible to receive funding. This process will ensure that funds are distributed equitably, based on clear criteria, and that all applicants will have an equal opportunity to secure funding.

Panel meetings will be held shortly after each call deadline to review applications, with summary feedback from reviewers provided to all applicants.

Monitoring, Reporting and Governance

Regular Reporting

Recipients of all awards will be required to submit reports detailing the outcomes of their funded activities three months after project completion and will be asked to present the outcomes of their projects at at least one NetworkPlus event.

Recipients of Large Awards will also be required to submit a brief report to the NetworkPlus team on their progress during the project lifespan and may also be invited to meet online with the NetworkPlus team to report on project updates.

All reports will be reviewed and discussed by the NetworkPlus Core Team who will reflect on the extent to which the objectives of the work have been met and provide feedback.

Publication of outcomes

We may publish details of successful applications on our website – this can be discussed with successful applicants on confirmation of award.

Support

Mentoring from members of the NetworkPlus Core Team will be available to provide advice prior to application, and to aid applicants inexperienced in grant applications during the award.

Contact us

For help and advice on costings and writing your proposal please contact your research office in the first instance. If you have any questions relating to the Flexible Fund, including the application and evaluation processes, please contact us.