Focal award: EPSRC and MHCLG Fire Engineering Skills Hub (Grant)

About this opportunity

Word limit: 550 In plain English, provide a summary we can use to identify the most suitable experts to assess your application. We usually make this summary publicly available on external-facing websites, therefore do not include any confidential or sensitive information. Make it suitable for a variety of readers, for example: opinion-formers policymakers the public the wider research community Guidance for writing a summary Clearly describe your proposed work in terms of: context the challenge the project addresses aims and objectives potential applications and benefits Core team List the key members of your team and assign them roles from the following: project lead (PL) project co-lead (UK) (PcL) specialist grant manager professional enabling staff research and innovation associate technician visiting researcher researcher co-lead (RcL) Only list one individual as project lead. If partner higher education partners are hosting studentships to have access to the grants, they need to be listed as a project co-lead on the ‘Team’ section of the award. UKRI has introduced a new addition to the ‘Specialist’ role type. Public contributors such as people with lived experience can now be added to an application. Find out more about UKRI’s core team roles in funding applications . Application questions Vision Word limit: 1,000 What will this training investment achieve? How will this support UK capability and capacity needs and why is it important that UKRI support this activity? What the assessors are looking for in your response Please outline: a clear vision, and objectives that will make a positive contribution to the scope of this investment opportunity and deliver high quality fire engineering education with tracking measures the positive outcomes and impact for society and the economy that the investment is aiming to deliver. Describe the strategies to deliver these, grounded in a model that results in highly skilled fire engineering personnel, employable across a range of sectors and careers how your vision aligns and will positively contribute to relevant wider strategies and priorities, including national capability and capacity needs. If relevant, describe how it will provide additionality to your existing doctoral provision credible plans for the long-term sustainability of the proposed provision, including future student demand, institutional commitment, maintenance, and development of specialist fire engineering expertise, and where relevant, the development of future academic and research capability how the proposed provision will support the future regulated fire engineering profession, including alignment with the Fire Engineers Advisory Panel’s Authoritative Statement and Next Steps paper, development of professional judgement and ethical practice, multidisciplinary working, and the ability to contribute to public safety outcomes how the investment will contribute to national fire engineering capability and capacity beyond the funding period, including lasting benefits for the wider education, research and professional ecosystem, and any plans to embed partnerships, expertise, learning resources, or delivery models into longer-term provision Your vision must align to the scope set out in the ‘What we are looking for’ section. In particular, the UK fire engineering capability and capacity needs must be considered in terms of UK Government priorities, as outlined in the latest spending review. These include those set out in the Fire Engineering Advisory Panel: Authoritative Statement , the Fire Engineering Next Steps , the Building Construction Prospectus and the Industrial Strategy , including developing capability and capacity needs. Through this funding opportunity we are seeking to develop the skills and capacity needed by the fire engineering sector over the next 10 years. References may be included within this section. You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. Approach Word limit: 1,500 How will the training programme, that you deliver through this grant, support your vision, and align with UKRI’s ambitions for its training investments? What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how your choice of skills hub will: deliver your vision and any specific requirements set out in the funding opportunity documentation, including why this approach is necessary to achieve the funder’s expected outcomes embed delivery of UKRI’s statement of expectations for its students so that the programme provides a holistic approach that delivers high quality education and research. Also, how it integrates in-depth subject knowledge, research and methodological skills, and wider skills development opportunities embed delivery of UKRI’s statement of expectations for its students so that the programme supports students to build their understanding of what conducting high quality research involves embed delivery of UKRI’s statement of expectations for its students so that the programme prepares globally competitive researchers and practitioners, able to use their skills to thrive in a range of careers (including academia) and operate across interdisciplinary, collaborative and challenge-led environments embed the development of post-graduate (level 7) programmes including CPD programme development Your approach must align to the scope set out in the ‘What we are looking for’ section. References may be included within this section. You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. Positive culture and environment Word limit: 750 How will you create and maintain an inclusive and supportive culture and environment for all those involved? What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain briefly how your training and development programme will: create and maintain a positive, inclusive, and supportive environment for all students and staff involved, addressing a variety of needs and supporting good wellbeing including relevant, specific support and training for supervisors where needed champion and embed equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) for students and staff, across all aspects of the training grant, including supervision, training design and approaches, and flexible student support achieve the specific EDI requirements detailed in the funding opportunity documentation or that you are proposing. You should provide evidence for the specific need and value of the proposed EDI activities to achieve its intended aim, including baseline information UKRI will require successful applicants to develop detailed EDI strategies, activities and commitments. Your response must align to the scope set out in the ‘What we are looking for’ section Capability to deliver Word limit: 750 Who will lead and drive delivery of this application’s vision? What the assessors are looking for in your response Demonstrate that those leading the delivery of this award have: secured the appropriate research and pastoral capacity to support the number of studentships that you expect to deliver through this award a well-evidenced track record of the experience and skills needed to deliver the proposed vision, skills hub programme, and scale a well-evidenced track record of contributing to a positive research culture and the wider community a well-evidenced track record of supporting the training and development of others, particularly previous involvement in delivering doctoral training successfully a track record of fire engineering programme development (master’s level) Your response must align to the scope set out in the ‘What we are looking for’ section. Partnerships and governance Word limit: 1,000 How will the skills hub be governed, and partnerships or relationships be supported and managed, to maximise benefit and minimise risk? What the assessors are looking for in your response Provide evidence that partners are committed to: working together, with effective two-way engagement and decision-making processes positively and constructively contributing to the delivery of the doctoral training and the training experiences of the students, with students clearly benefitting from these interactions positively and constructively contributing to the delivery of the level 7 programme development Within the ‘Partnerships and governance’ section, we also expect you to provide evidence that there is an established, clear and effective governance and risk management structure for the skills hub award that: is appropriate for the size and complexity of the skills hub and ensures continuity of the programme’s capabilities has clear leadership roles and responsibilities across the consortium supports continual improvement, monitoring, and evaluation manages the legal duties of the programme and providers supports UKRI’s expectations to create value for society in an ethical and responsible way through relevant frameworks Your response must align to the scope set out in the ‘What we are looking for’ section, and the particular governance challenges highlighted there. You must also provide a summary of any non-cash contributions secured from project partners or collaborators, which can be used flexibly to provide support for uses including studentships, industrial placements and co-created workshops. Your organisation’s support Word limit: 500 Provide details of support from your research organisations. What the assessors are looking for in your response Provide a Statement of Support from your research organisations detailing how they will support the consortium, and your proposed activities. This should include details of any additional support that might add value to the work. Assessors will be looking for a strong statement of support from your research organisations. This information should have been approved for submission by an appropriate institutional authority.