Tranche 13 of PRS miniproject funding

This is a call for proposals for the 13th tranche of project funding from the Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies (PRS).

Amount: £25000.00

Application deadline: January 31st 2011

Applications are welcomed for the funding of projects designed to:

  • encourage a culture in which innovative developments in learning, teaching and assessment are valued and acknowledged at a national level;
  • promote good practice in the development and evaluation of innovative methods of learning, teaching and assessment;
  • disseminate within the wider community innovative methods or materials originally developed for use within a single institution.

in subject disciplines the Subject Centre covers:

  • Philosophy
  • Religious Studies
  • Theology
  • History of Science, Technology and Medicine
  • Philosophy of Science

The Subject Centre for PRS is setting aside £25,000 for projects in this tranche; the maximum funding for any single proposal will be £3,000.

The Subject Centre welcomes bids from new as well as experienced applicants, and offers guidance and support through the application process; see below for details.

Bids will be judged against the published criteria in all cases, bidders are strongly recommended to refer to these when applying.

1.GUIDELINES

1.1 KEY DATES

Applications should be submitted by 31 January 2011. Applicants will be informed of the outcome by 28 February 2011. Projects are expected to start from 1 April 2011, and must be completed by 30 March 2012.

1.2 PROPOSAL FORM

Proposals should be submitted on the proposal form below and must be presented both in hard copy and electronically by email attachment. Only fully completed (electronic) proposal forms that reach the Subject Centre by the stated deadline will be eligible for consideration (we will accept the hard copy after the date, but this must be submitted to receive consideration).

Download proposal form

Electronic submissions should be sent to: enquiries@prs.heacademy.ac.uk; hard copy proposal forms should be sent to:

Subject Centre for Philosophical and Religious Studies
School of Humanities
University of Leeds
Leeds LS2 9JT

1.3 WHO CAN APPLY?

Any academic or group of academics involved in teaching at undergraduate and/or postgraduate level in the UK (either in an HE institution, or an FE institution delivering HE programmes). All applicants should register with the Subject Centre if they have not already done so.

1.4 PROJECT BUDGET

No overheads may be charged. The grants may be used to fund the following costs:

  • UK travel and subsistence expenses
  • Administrative and technical assistance
  • Replacement teaching costs
  • Costs of consumable items
  • Costs arising from attendance at conferences where attendance is demonstrably an integral element of the project
  • Dissemination and evaluation costs

1.5 SELECTION CRITERIA

Evidence of the following criteria will be sought in evaluating project bids:

  • Relevance of the project to learning, teaching or assessment
    • Proposal sets out clearly what the project is intended to achieve
    • Proposal is feasible and practical
    • Project or research methods to be used
    • Proposal takes account of the existing literature and practice elsewhere in the UK
  • Potential benefit to at least one PRS subject community
    • Outcomes and deliverables
    • Likely extent of take-up
    • Rationale for embedding the outcomes of the project in the appropriate subject communities
  • Dissemination
    • Clearly stated, cost effective, and appropriate dissemination plans
  • Monitoring and evaluation
    • Incorporates a system for monitoring and evaluating the progress and outcomes of the project, including capturing impact on stakeholder groups.
  • Costs and value for money
    • o Justification for the funding requested
    • o Any additional funding and resources provided (such as from the host department and/or institution)
    • o Value for money

1.6 SUPPORT FOR APPLICANTS

Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the Subject Centre at an early stage to discuss their plans informally, prior to preparing a formal proposal. Bidders are also advised to consult the Subject Centre's guidance on dissemination and evaluation of your project prior to completing the relevant sections of your application.

Successful applicants will be expected to attend a one-day workshop for project holders on Wednesday 14 September 2011 at the University of Leeds.

2. SELECTION PROCESS

2.1 Once proposals have been received by the Subject Centre for PRS, they will be checked by Centre staff for completeness and appropriateness for the criteria. If the proposals have been submitted at least two weeks before the deadline, applicants will be given the opportunity to make good any incomplete applications.

2.2 Proposals will then be ranked according to the criteria by Subject Centre staff, and passed to the PRS Management Team for final selection.

2.3 Authors of unsuccessful proposals will be given feedback on why the project was not funded.

2.4 For successful proposals, the Subject Centre for PRS will draw up a Statement of Responsibilities to be signed by the grant holder, their Head of Department, and the Subject Centre.

3. RUNNING PROJECTS

3.1 RESPONSIBILITIES OF GRANT HOLDER

The grant holder will be responsible for carrying out the project in a timely and financially accountable manner, including completing deliverables and dissemination activities and full disclosure of the work to the Subject Centre. The intellectual property rights will normally remain with the grant holder, although they must credit the Subject Centre for assistance where relevant in any disseminated or published materials and allow full publication via print and electronic means of the final report. The Subject Centre for PRS retains the right to publish outcomes in perpetuity.

3.2 MONITORING PROJECT PROGRESS

A staff member of the Subject Centre will be allocated as principal contact person for each project, and will monitor progress against plan and advise the grant holder as appropriate. The grant holder will be required to submit six monthly interim progress reports to their contact person. Any disagreements between the grant holder and the Subject Centre will be referred to the PRS Management Team for arbitration. If an agreement still cannot be found, the Subject Centre for PRS Advisory Board will arbitrate over any disputes.

3.3 FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS

The payment of monies will be made on a sub-contract basis from the University of Leeds from the Subject Centre grant paid by the HE Funding Bodies. The expectation is that no payments will be made for overheads. Payment of grants will be made as follows:

  • One quarter of the agreed sum will be paid on the agreement of the statement of responsibilities.
  • A further quarter of the agreed sum will be paid on completion of a satisfactory interim progress report.
  • The remaining half will be paid on completion of all deliverables of the project.
  • " Any funds unspent at the end of the project will be retained by the Subject Centre for PRS.
  • Funds must be claimed by invoice from the host institution.