Scottish Alliance for Food

Research Funding Info Session & Networking

Join us online on 26th June 2024, 3-4pm, to hear more about the second round of SCAF Pump Priming Awards and to connect with other researchers looking for cross-disciplinary/cross-sector collaborations.

The funding call is open to SCAF members of any discipline in academic and non-academic settings looking to develop new collaborations or further existing ones in food research and innovation through health, equity and/or sustainability lenses. The session will include information on the award, how to apply, insights from others who have run similar projects and the opportunity to connect with other SCAF members.

Pump priming Round 2 Timeline:
Call opens - 25/06
Info & Networking Session (register below) - 26/06
Sandpit (optional - on application) - 20/08
Optional Pre-submission for ECRs for feedback - 21/08
Call closes - 10/09

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SCAF Research Funding Information and Networking Session | Briefing Notes 

26/06/2024, 15.00 – 16.00, Online (Teams) 

11 participants from institutions and organisations such as Robert Gordon University, Glasgow University, Glasgow City Council, The Fork Run, and UKRI. 

Chaired by:  
Prof Emilie Combet (SCAF Director) 

Purpose of this meeting: 
To provide information on the SCAF Pump Priming Award and how to apply for it, as well as connect with other researchers looking for cross-disciplinary/cross-sector collaborations. 

Summary 
In this session, Professor Emilie Combet, who leads the Scottish Alliance for Food (SCAF), presented information on the second round of SCAF pump-priming awards.  

   

Introduction to SCAF  
SCAF is funded by the Scottish Funding Council and aims to bring together diverse disciplines and sectors, ranging from arts to social sciences and natural sciences to move the dial towards a better food future for all. SCAF focuses on three main dimensions: health, sustainability, and equity. The alliance is evidence-based and inclusive, with about 400 members from about 150 different organizations globally.  

SCAF is led by a team of 28 people across 10 Scottish institutions. It operates through four key themes: mapping the food system, innovation-led food system research, culture, heritage and behaviour, and food security, environment and community. Additionally, there are two cross-cutting workstreams: food system and value chain, and Academy of Citizens. The latter focuses on democratizing research and ensuring co-production or co-design with stakeholders and members of the public.  

The alliance's activities include events, webinars, workshops, and financial support for new projects. SCAF doesn't primarily conduct research itself but facilitates collaboration and transdisciplinary work. It carries out exercises in mapping priorities, horizon scanning, and identifying gaps and opportunities for collaborative research.  

  

SCAF Pump Priming Award Overview and Criteria 

The pump priming award aims to support new, potentially risky interactions between researchers who might not typically work together, such as a physicist and an artist. The goal is to de-risk these collaborations and demonstrate their potential to future funders. This approach helps researchers build pilot evidence, establish new collaborations, and support exchanges between different disciplines and sectors.  

The awards can also be used to access equipment at other institutions or facilitate secondments between university and non-university settings. A key priority is supporting early career researchers or early career professionals who want to lead small grants, helping them demonstrate their leadership capacity.  

The pump priming awards are designed to encourage collaboration between different disciplines and sectors. These are small projects ranging from £500 to £5000, lasting one to six months. The total funding pool for this round is £30,000. The timeline for the awards is as follows: the call opens today (26/06/24), with a sandpit in August (27/08/24) for potential collaborators to meet. Proposals led by early career researchers (ECRs) can receive pre-submission feedback if submitted before August 21. The submission deadline is September 10, with announcements in October and projects starting in November. The latest project end date is the end of April.  

Eligible costs for these awards are direct costs only, covered at 100% full economic cost (FEC). This differs from typical UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) awards, which are usually at 80% FEC. The awards do not cover indirect costs, estate-related costs, or costs relating to intellectual property protection.  

The eligibility criteria for applicants are broad. The call is open to researchers in both academic and non-academic settings, with no field or career stage restrictions. However, applicants must be SCAF members and based at an organisation/institution capable of receiving the funds. At least one applicant from a Scottish university/higher education institution (HEI). The Scottish HEI applicant does not have to lead the bid but must play an active and essential role in the project. Partners from outside Scotland, such as England, can be part of the team. Each project must involve at least two people from different disciplines or sectors. If an applicant is a student, they must receive authorization from their supervisor or manager. ECR-led applications are particularly encouraged, as are new research collaborations and cross-institutional projects.  

The review process for applications involves scoring by SCAF members, including ECRs who are supported in developing their reviewing skills. Applications are ranked based on simple criteria, and those above a certain score enter a lottery system. This system is used to ensure fairness, recognizing that many applications may be of similar high quality. The lottery has two stages: the first draw is for ECR-led applications only, ensuring that at least 30% of awarded grants go to ECR applicants. The remaining applications then enter a second draw until all funds are allocated.  

All information on how to apply for the award and the application form is available on the SCAF website. Applicants should send their submissions to the SCAF email address. For ECR-led proposals, there's an option for pre-submission feedback before August 21st.  

   

Previous Pump Priming Round 1  

In the previous round of pump-priming awards, SCAF received 10 applications and funded 6 projects. These projects covered a wide range of approaches, from engineering to theology, and all included non-academic partners. The funded projects involved 18 researchers across 12 institutions.  

 

Conclusion   

The session concluded with an invitation for questions about the application process and steps. Professor Combet also mentioned upcoming events, including the annual event on August 19th where previous pump priming award recipients will present their work.  

Overall, the pump priming awards represent SCAF's commitment to fostering innovative, interdisciplinary research in the food sector, with a particular emphasis on supporting early career researchers and novel collaborations. The process is designed to be inclusive, fair, and supportive of diverse food-related research and innovation approaches.  

 

First published: 15 June 2024