Application is open for Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chairs and Senior Research Fellowships. This scheme aims to strengthen the links between industry and academia by supporting exceptional academics in UK universities to undertake use-inspired research that meets the needs of the industrial partners.

Awardees are to:

• Establish or enhance a world leading engineering research group
• Deliver ‘use-inspired’ research that meets the needs of their industrial partners
• Disseminate the outcomes of their research for appropriate academic impact
• Further, become a self-sustaining research group by the end of the award (by securing substantial external grant income: RCUK, EU, industry, charities, etc.)

Benefit

• The Academy will fund up to one third (1/3rd) of 80% of the full economic costs (fEC). The costs are gross salary, indirect cost, and estates.
• In this round, the Academy’s contribution will be capped at a maximum of £45k per annum which equates to a total of £225k over five years.
• The Academy is not able to cover the costs of the apprenticeship levy on research grants.

Eligibility

• Awards can only be at UK universities
• All such awards made in this round must start on 1 March 2020
• Research Chairs are professorial appointments, so applicants should already be a professor or equivalent
• Senior Research Fellowships are senior academic appointments, so applicants should already be a Reader or Lecturer level or equivalent
• applicants should be able to demonstrate an outstanding research profile including a proven track record in securing external grant income (RCUK, EU, industry, charities, etc) and developing collaborations
• Applications are welcome from any engineering discipline. Further, If you are unsure whether your collaborative research project falls within the Academy’s engineering remit area, please contact the Research team.
• The duration of an award is five years, normally on a full-time basis. Also, the industrial sponsor must commit to funding the entire five-year period.
• The industrial sponsor must have a significant base in the UK. Usually no more than a maximum of two industrial sponsors per application would be allowable
• In special circumstances, the ‘industrial sponsor’ may be another funding body such as a charity or government department. In such cases, the funding body is subject to the same terms and conditions as an industrial sponsor, and must also demonstrate suitable pathways to impact in order to exploit research outcomes
• The industrial sponsor should contribute at least £250,000 towards this collaborative research project over the five-year period.