Manufacturing Scale-up Network Plus (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) project co-lead (international) (PcL (I)) specialist grant manager professional enabling staff research and innovation associate technician visiting researcher researcher co-lead (RcL) Only list one individual as project lead. 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 and Approach Create a document that includes your responses to all criteria. The document should not be more than eight sides of A4, single spaced in paper in 11-point Arial (or equivalent sans serif font) with margins of at least 2cm. You may include images, graphs, tables. You can have an additional page for a diagrammatic workplan. For the file name, use the unique Funding Service number the system gives you when you create an application, followed by the words ‘Vision and Approach’. Save this document as a single PDF file, no bigger than 8MB. Unless specifically requested, please do not include any sensitive personal data within the attachment. If the attachment does not meet these requirements, the application will be rejected. The Funding Service will provide document upload details when you apply. What are you hoping to achieve with and how will you deliver your proposed work? What the assessors are looking for in your response For the Vision, explain how your proposed work: demonstrates a coherent strategic vision and establishes clear outcomes for the NetworkPlus is of excellent quality and importance within and across the scope areas has the potential to advance current understanding, generates new knowledge, thinking or discovery and enable its application within or across the scope areas to deliver tangible benefit for UK industry will enable better national coordination of manufacturing scale up research to better align research capability with industrial need will enable the research community to address industry driven scale up challenges identifies the potential local, regional and or national impacts, both direct and indirect, and who the beneficiaries might be will embed equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) considerations into all aspects of the programme, and how these will guide your aims, as well as other activities such as stakeholder engagement, events and networking For the Approach, explain how you have designed your work so that it: is effective and appropriate to achieve your objectives is feasible, and comprehensively identifies any risks to delivery and how they will be managed will maximise translation of outputs into outcomes and impacts has been designed so that it will generate local, regional and or national impacts describes how your, and if applicable your team’s, research environment (in terms of the place and relevance to the project) will contribute to the success of the work will build EDI considerations into the formation, operation and governance of the network, including how these will be operationalised Additionally, within the Approach section, explain how your proposed work aligns strategically to the funding opportunity aims and scope and will: connect fragmented communities across research, industry, investment and innovation infrastructure to enable better partnership working, co-creation and delivery of manufacturing scale up approaches and projects stimulate new collaborations, partnerships and flexible-fund activities that support manufacturing scale-up facilitate knowledge exchange and pre-competitive collaboration across sectors and supply chains engage a diverse, inclusive and multidisciplinary community spanning academia, industry, government and investors deliver a national conference, showcase or equivalent event within the first 12 months to convene stakeholders and shape future priorities with a primary focus on automotive and aerospace, but also considering wider impact in other frontier industries; advanced materials, batteries and space, undertake capability mapping, benchmarking, roadmaps and horizon-scanning across advanced manufacturing providing evidence and recommendations to inform future UKRI and stakeholder decision-making References may be included within this section. Governance Word limit: 500 How will you manage the award to successfully deliver its objectives? What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how the proposed award will be managed, demonstrating that it: will be effectively governed, including details about advisory structures will be effectively and inclusively managed, demonstrated by a clear management plan has clear appropriately resourced leadership team roles and responsibilities will manage and encourage partnerships with non-HEI organisations across government and industry has plans for monitoring your progress as well as self-evaluation throughout the lifetime of your award will put in place appropriate governance and administration to deliver the range of devolved funding opportunities has equality, diversity and inclusion embedded in plans for convening and engaging with their community and the allocation of the awarded funds You may demonstrate elements of your responses in visual form if relevant. Further details are provided in the Funding Service. Flexible fund Word limit: 1,000 How will you use and manage the flexible fund? What the assessors are looking for in your response Explain how you will use and manage the flexible fund so that it: supports your objectives distributes funding appropriately across a focused set of activities where appropriate, distributes funding through robust, transparent competitive processes builds capacity in key fields and career stages ensures appropriate processes for monitoring, reporting and governance of funded activities Additionally, explain how you will use and manage the flexible fund so that it: promotes meaningful industrial engagement and collaboration across the sectors in scope addresses industry driven scale-up challenges secure matched contributions from industry for activities supported through the flexible fund, including cash and in-kind support where appropriate, and demonstrate how public funding will catalyse additional private sector investment and engagement Flexible funding is available to support up to 50% of the total eligible project costs. Applicant and team capability to deliver Word limit: 1,650 Why are you the right individual or team to successfully deliver the proposed work? What the assessors are looking for in your response Evidence of how you, and if relevant your team, have: the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work and achieve the objectives of the call the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others that sufficient leadership and management staff time is dedicated to the Network. contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community The word limit for this section is 1,650 words, 1,150 words to be used for Resume for Research and Innovation (R4RI) modules and, if necessary, a further 500 words for Additions. Use the R4RI format to showcase the range of relevant skills you, and if relevant your team (project and project co-leads, researchers, technicians, specialists, partners and so on) have and how this will help to deliver the proposed work. You can include individuals’ specific achievements but only choose past contributions that best evidence their ability to deliver this work. Complete this section using the R4RI module headings listed below. Use each heading once and include a response for the whole team, see the UKRI guidance on R4RI . You should consider how to balance your answer, and emphasise where appropriate the key skills each team member brings: contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge ability to co-create and deliver with business to accelerate routes to successful manufacturing scale up targets the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships contributions to the wider research and innovation community contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit Additions: Provide any further details relevant to your application. This section is optional and can be up to 500 words. You should not use it to describe additional skills, experiences or outputs, but you can use it to describe any factors that provide context for the rest of your R4RI (for example, details of career breaks if you wish to disclose them). You should complete this section as a narrative. Do not format it like a CV. Resources and cost justification Word limit: 1,000 What will you need to deliver your proposed work and how much will it cost? What the assessors are looking for in your response Justify the application’s more costly resources, in particular: project staff significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences) any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in e