Interdisciplinary Research Networks
2024 Call for Interdisciplinary Research Networks
Interdisciplinary Research Networks (IRNs) are conceived to support research taking place across at least two Schools in the College of Social Sciences (COSS). Our vision is to support existing and new networks of staff to pursue research objectives that extend beyond disciplinary boundaries and excellence. Bids should convey ambition and focus that would not normally be eligible for support at School level. Networks will be headed by a leadership team, and those staff must be based in at least two COSS Schools. Bids should show how the activities planned will engage a wider group of staff than the leadership team.
Up to £5,000 of funding is available to support activities that could run across up to 18 months. Budgets can start from January 2025 and funds must be spent before 30 July 2026. Please send any questions & completed applications to socsci-interdisciplinary@glasgow.ac.uk
Watch a recording of our online information session from 7 October here.
| Online Info Session |
Monday 7 October 10-11AM |
| Logic Model Workshop (Online) |
Tuesday 22 October 11:30AM-12:30PM |
| Applications Due | Friday 1 November, 12PM (noon) |
| Decisions Communicated | Mid-November |
| Networks Begin | 3 January 2025 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a limit on the number of people in the leadership team?
The minimum number of people in the leadership team is two, to represent two COSS schools. There is no official upper limit, however, one of our learnings so far is that teams with more than 5 leaders may sometimes struggle with coherence or even logistics like finding a meeting time. We would encourage all teams to invest time in developing a shared vision and to reflect on how the network might work together in practice, but larger teams might want to pay particular attention to those issues. Please also note that the workload allocation for COSS leaders is 150 hours per network– so the larger the number of people involved, the more thinly that workload allocation would be spread.
What are the expectations around different career stages for the leadership team?
The only official criterion for the team composition is to include researchers (post-PhD) from at least two COSS schools. We have found that for existing networks/themes, it has been beneficial to include a range of career stages. Early career researchers and beyond are encouraged to apply.
How many people beyond the leadership team is the network expected to engage with?
We don’t have a set number in mind, as this would differ depending on the intended outcomes of the network. Proposed networks should make the case for appetite in this area across more than one school, and beyond the core leadership team. It will be important for teams to have a sense of how big or wide the initial interest is to support the value of their planned outcomes/activities.
Is the leadership team allowed to work across Colleges?
We can only guarantee workload allocation hours to academic staff working withing the College of Social Sciences. If you are thinking about including academics from other Colleges, you would need to brooch a discussion with the respective College’s research office. Let us know if you would like College of Social Sciences input into this.
How does workload allocation work for RAs and fixed-term contracts?
Staff in this position may be able to join a leadership team, but please note this is at their line manager's discretion and that we cannot guarantee any workload allocation. Please note that leadership teams are open to Post-PhD staff (research only, or research and teaching) only.