Open Activities
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Catapult-UKRI Forum Survey
Dear Catapult-UKRI Network Forum colleagues, please share your views via the survey below and help us shape the future of our Forum meetings.
Closes today
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NQCC's Quantum Hackathon 2024: Attendance confirmation form
Congratulations on your successful application to take part in the NQCC's UK Quantum Hackathon 2024! Please confirm your attendance at the hackathon by completing this form. The hackathon will be held at the University of Warwick from 22 to 24 July 2024. Please note that you might...
Closes today
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STFC Neutron Review 2024-Community Consultation
Neutron scattering capabilities are a major component of the UK’s research and discovery science infrastructure, as they facilitate unprecedented levels of insight into the structure and functional behaviour of materials and systems. These specialised techniques find application across the full...
Closes 8 July 2024
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NQCC's Quantum Hackathon 2024: Confirmation and logistics form
Thank you for your interest in the NQCC's UK Quantum Hackathon 2024. Please confirm your attendance at the hackathon by completing this form. The hackathon will be held at the University of Warwick from 22 to 24 July 2024. Please note that you might need to travel to the venue on 21...
Closes 8 July 2024
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Technologies to enable independence for people living with dementia
This is an Expression of Interest to apply for funding to develop a Network Plus focused on the development and use of novel tools and technologies to enable people to live independently with dementia, including their carers.
Closes 11 July 2024
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24RM1 Feedback - Chairs and Panel Members
This is a short survey following BBSRC’s Responsive Mode 24RM1 round to understand the experience of the panel and seek feedback regarding the current assessment process.
Closes 12 July 2024
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Collecting feedback for EPSRC training for the Funding Service
To collect feedback for the new training modules centered around the Funding Service, as supported by the Business Improvement Team (BIT).
Closes 14 July 2024
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MRC Max Perutz Award 2024 Entry Form
All personal data provided to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) via this form will be processed in accordance with current UK data protection legislation. The Medical Research Council (MRC) aims to create an inclusive environment that encourages excellence in scientific research...
Closes 17 July 2024
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MRC Max Perutz Award 2024 Triage Judge Public Member
Judging science video award We’re seeking public judges for the Medical Research Council (MRC) Max Perutz Award , a science video competition for MRC PhD students. Public judges wanted We want to hear from members of the public who...
Closes 17 July 2024
Forthcoming Consultations
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RAL & Boulby 2023 Annual Apprentice Award Nominations
At STFC, we are keen to recognise and celebrate the achievements of our Apprentices working across the breadth of operations at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Boulby. We are therefore seeking nominations for the following categories: Apprentice of the Year 2023 Outreach...
Opens 1 August 2024
Closed Activities
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Committee A, B and D Chair and Deputy Chair: Expression of Interest
BBSRC Committee A, B and D Chair and Deputy Chair Thank you for your interest in applying to join BBSRC’s Committee A, B and D as Chair or Deputy Chair. Please read the role profiles and expertise requirements for the positions and provide evidence of how your expertise and...
Closed 4 July 2024
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Closed 4 July 2024
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NQCC's Quantum Hackathon 2024: Application form
Welcome to the NQCC’s third UK Quantum Hackathon! Please register your interest in participating in the hackathon through this form. The hackathon will be held at the University of Warwick from 22 to 24 July 2024. Successful applicants will receive food and accommodation during the...
Closed 3 July 2024
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EPSRC Advanced Materials - Priority Scoping Workshops
We are in the process of taking a fresh look at our EPSRC Advanced Materials priority areas - and we need your help and input. Our priority areas help to guide materials focused workstreams across EPSRC. They provide a framework through which EPSRC can address cross-cutting and community...
Closed 1 July 2024
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BBRAG September Meeting
It has been decided that the BBRAG September meeting will be in-person/hybrid. We would like to reach consensus on where in the UK it should be held, what the meeting should focus on and if we would like to invite externals. Please fill this out by 12pm 24th June 2024.
Closed 26 June 2024
We Asked, You Said, We Did
See what we've consulted on. See all outcomes
We asked
In January 2024, we asked for feedback on the Medical Research Council’s (MRC's) draft public partnerships strategy. The strategy was drafted following a process of co-development and sets out MRC’s ambition and priorities for effective collaboration and genuine partnerships between the research community and wider society.
You said
We received 354 responses to the consultation. These responses came from a variety of individuals, groups, and organisations from the research community, the voluntary sector and wider society. The consultation responses were overwhelmingly positive. 87% agreed with the strategy overall, and 81% said that the strategy was written in clear language.
Respondents welcomed specific aspects of the strategy, including its inclusiveness, the focus on non-clinical research and the ambition to build long-term sustainable partnerships between the research community and wider society. Respondents highlighted specific initiatives which they considered vital to the success of the strategy such as, having a clear payment policy, appointing a new MRC programme director for public partnerships, and setting up a public advisory group at MRC.
Respondents recommended that MRC publish the new strategy in a variety of formats, alongside clear delivery (action) and evaluation plans.
We did
We used findings from the consultation to inform the final MRC public partnerships strategy. Key changes included:
- Clearly stating that this strategy is an initial three-year commitment to our long-term ambition
- Clarifying that the strategy has been co-developed
- Specifically mentioning the involvement of international researchers, public partners, and public involvement and engagement professionals
- Making clear that the consultation informed the final strategy
- Emphasising that this strategy is intended to be inclusive, and will be aligned with MRC’s Embedding Diversity in Research Design policy
- Acknowledging the importance of sharing power
- Making clear that we will implement our new payment policy for public partners, and that other rewards and recognition are additional to payment
- Emphasising that we will support public partners to take on leadership roles and responsibilities, such as chairing groups or co-leading projects
- Committing to publish our action and evaluation plans
The consultation findings have been summarised in an infographic and are detailed in full in our consultation report.
Next steps:
The final MRC public partnerships strategy will be published on the MRC website in summer 2024.
We asked
For opinions on the definition and scope of a categorisatino of UKRI funding as either 'Investigator-led' or 'Directed'.
You said
Only 8 responses were received, and there was no clear consensus on many questions. Most respondents were from universities.
We did
In the absence of opinion to the contrary we will continue to develop and apply the indicator to all UKRI funding. It will be applied as a binary indicator.
We asked
In April 2022, we asked for feedback on the new MRC expectations on the inclusion of sex in experimental design of studies involving animals, tissues, and cells. We also asked what MRC could do to aid researchers in implementing these requirements.
You said
We received 91 responses from researchers and research staff, with many constructive and detailed suggestions. We also received a written submission from the Academy of Medical Science, on behalf of their fellows.
We were pleased that many were already using both sexes in their experiments or were ready to begin doing so (32% and 5% of respondents, respectively). We recognise that many (57%), even though they were very often supportive in principle, felt barriers existed to implementing this in their research.
One of the most commonly mentioned concerns was a likely increase in grant costs. Respondents sought clarity from MRC as to how this would be handled. Ensuring animal welfare standards and the logistics of single housing male animals were also mentioned as barriers.
Roughly a third of respondents had questions about the changes, particularly around:
- When the new expectation would begin to apply and how compliance would be ensured
- How and when MRC would grant exceptions for single sex studies
- How MRC would handle grants where costs were significantly increased due to using both sexes of animal
The support from MRC that was identified as being most helpful was:
- Advice from MRC Head Office about applications
- Training in statistical design and analysis
- Written guidance
- Case studies or worked examples
We did
As a result of this feedback, we have been working to make more information available about the upcoming change and to ensure the research community receives the necessary support. We have:
- Updated our Guidance for Applicants with details about how to comply with these new expectations
- Made it clear that there is no retrospective application of this requirement for grants that have already been awarded
- Clarified that the requirement of including both sexes does not mean ‘balancing’ or using equal numbers of both sexes, as for many experiments this would result in unnecessary use of animals, but including both sexes as appropriate for the experimental design
- Made the cases where MRC will consider single sex studies clearer both on our website and in our Guidance for Applicants
- Planned a webinar for applicants together with NC3Rs to be held on 21 July 2022, in which animal handling and statistical design will be discussed, and applicants can ask questions
- Made it clearer on our website that there is no cap on MRC awards, and researchers should submit grant costings based on the cost of performing the work, and justified by the importance and potential of the work
In the coming months, we will:
- Update our guidance to Peer Reviewers to ensure proposals submitted to the deadlines starting from September 2022 are reviewed in accordance with the new requirements
- Develop case studies to show the level of information that would be required in applications, including examples of where single sex studies would be appropriate
- Ensure that MRC Programme Managers are available to support applicants that have further questions
- Look into what other support we can provide