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Postdoctoral mobility mechanism

Background

The aim of the postdoctoral mobility mechanism is to encourage the effective transfer into different research disciplines of knowledge gained by post-doctoral Research Assistants (PDRAs) working on existing EPSRC research grants and enhance the competencies and career opportunities of these researchers.

This opportunity complements support for Visiting Researchers available to established researchers who wish to spend periods of time in a different discipline department in a university located in a different region of the UK.

Examples of possible proposals

Typically, proposals would be sought during the final year of an EPSRC grant. The proposal would be for a 12 month follow-on grant joint between two departments. The following are examples of possible proposals:

To transfer a PDRA supported by the Mathematical Sciences or Physical Sciences Programmes into a more applied discipline/department.
To transfer a PDRA supported by any EPSRC programme into a life science department.
To transfer a PDRA to another discipline/department to follow up an unexpected discovery outside the objectives of the initial project.

Any proposal that involves transfer of knowledge between two distinctly different disciplines can be considered. However, the balance of the research proposed for the follow-on year must be within EPSRC remit; proposals falling largely within the remit of another research council will be rejected. In case of doubt it is best to seek EPSRC advice before submitting the proposal.

Funding arrangements

Funding can be requested for a 12-month follow-on grant beyond the existing date of the research project. Proposals may be submitted from a department in the university in which the PDRA is currently working, or from a department in another university.

Postdoctoral Mobility Grants are funded in accordance with normal full economic costing arrangements. It is expected that the main cost will be the salary and associated Estates and Indirect Costs for the named PDRA. Other costs that fall within the normal fEC rules, e.g. investigator costs, or can be clearly justified by the needs of the research, e.g. travel costs, can also be requested. Where projects require the use of facilities or High Performance Computing, these costs may also be sought. Major equipment or other equivalent capital costs are not allowed under these grants. Where equipment has been used during in the current grant, the expectation is that this would be available for use, where appropriate, during the follow-on year.

It is anticipated that the Principal Investigator on the grant and the named PDRA will be located in the application department, while the Co-Investigator would be the PI on the current grant supporting the PDRA. To facilitate the transfer of novel concepts, ideas or techniques developed by the PDRA, the expectation is that the PDRA would be co-author of and have Researcher Co-Investigator status on the proposal.

The grant is dependent upon the appointment of the EPSRC-funded PDRA. Should the PDRA leave the project, the grant will be terminated.

How to apply

Applications will be accepted during the final year of the grant support, or exceptionally shortly after the end of that grant. The proposal should be submitted via the Je-S system in the normal way and should include:

A full proposal using the Je-S form.
A case for support following standard EPSRC guidelines (up to 2 sides for investigators’ track records; up to 6 sides to describe the proposed research). The track record section should include the relevant experience of the Researcher Co-Investigator, with details of the EPSRC grant on which the PDRA has been employed previously, including its end date.
A personal statement from the PDRA (2 sides of A4 maximum) to include the anticipated benefits of the follow-on year, in terms of career development. This statement should be included within the same document as the case for support, and will be seen by reviewers.
A single page workplan for the project proposed.
A single page justification of resources.
An impact plan (up to 2 pages)

When completing the form, please select the 'Postdoctoral Mobility’ scheme.

Peer review of the proposal will focus on the following criteria:

Novelty of the research proposal.
Suitability of the collaboration.
The benefit to the PDRA.

Adventurous proposals are encouraged. In order to be funded, a proposal will need to attract a consensus for support from reviewers, or at least a clear majority of supportive reviewers’ comments. Proposers will normally be informed of the outcome within 10-12 weeks. However, we reserve the right to refer proposals to an appropriate peer review panel where reviewers’ comments are mixed, or in times of high demand through this mechanism in a particular research area.

Further information

For further information, please contact the Portfolio Manager identified on the EPSRC web page as responsible for your area of research.