Applying for Funding

The Research Council of the Velocity Interoperability Network awards funding through open calls under its programmes. Any member organisation of the Velocity Interoperability Network may submit a proposal on behalf of a principal investigator it employs. Awards run for between one and four years and are paid to the member organisation, which hosts the research and is responsible to the Council for its conduct.

The schedule of calls. The calls below are those announced at establishment. Later calls will be announced in the Newsroom and added to this schedule.

What a proposal contains. Every proposal consists of the five documents below. Fellowship proposals also include a statement by the applicant of their career to date and their plans for the fellowship, of no more than two pages.

Case for support

A statement of the research question, the methods proposed, the work plan and the expected results, of no more than eight pages. The case must identify the programme under which the proposal is made and explain how it serves the programme's theme.

Budget and justification

The cost of the research by year and by heading (staff, equipment, materials, travel and other costs), with a justification of each heading. Awards are made at the full cost claimed unless the panel recommends a reduction, which it must give reasons for.

Data management plan

How data produced by the research will be recorded, stored, protected and made available in accordance with the Council's open research requirements, and which member organisation will hold the data after the award ends.

Integrity declaration

A declaration by the principal investigator and the member organisation that the research will be carried out in accordance with the Council's standards of research integrity, together with a statement of any interests that could be thought to bear on the work.

Statement of support

A statement from the member organisation confirming that it will host the research, employ the staff named in the proposal and provide the facilities described, and naming its research integrity officer.

The steps from intention to award. The steps below apply to every call.

1. 1

   Step 1: Check that you are eligible

   Proposals are submitted by a member organisation of the Network on behalf of a named principal investigator employed by it. A principal investigator may hold no more than two Council awards at once. Fellowship applicants must be within five years of their doctorate and employed by, or hold an offer of employment from, a member organisation.

2. 2

   Step 2: Register an intention to apply

   Write to the Council at least three weeks before the closing date, giving the programme, the title of the proposal, the principal investigator and the member organisation. The Programmes Office acknowledges each registration by email and uses it to assign reviewers in good time.

3. 3

   Step 3: Prepare the proposal

   Assemble the five documents listed above. The Programmes Office will answer questions about the call by email but does not comment on draft proposals.

4. 4

   Step 4: Submit the proposal

   The member organisation submits the complete proposal by email before the closing date and time. Late or incomplete proposals are not assessed. Receipt is acknowledged within two working days with a proposal reference.

5. 5

   Step 5: Assessment

   Each proposal is read by at least three peer reviewers, who score it against the published criteria. The programme panel considers the reviews and the applicant's response to them and ranks the proposals. The Council approves the panel's recommendations.

6. 6

   Step 6: Outcome and award agreement

   Outcomes are notified by email to the principal investigator and the member organisation, with the reviewers' comments. Where an award is offered, the Awards Office issues an award agreement, which the member organisation must sign and return within thirty days.

How proposals are scored. Reviewers and the programme panel score each proposal out of 100 against the criteria below. A proposal must score at least 60 to be considered for funding, and the panel ranks those that qualify within the funds available to the call.

Questions about eligibility, the documents required or the timetable may be sent to contact@research.gov.vin, marked for the attention of the Programmes Office. The conditions that attach to every award are set out on the Awards page; for answers to common questions, see the frequently asked questions.