Funding call on Urban Greenspace and People

We are delighted to release a new call of proposals for gap-filling research in green-blue-grey infrastructure and people.

The lack of hard evidence demonstrates the multi-functional aspects of nature-based solutions as a major challenge to widespread implementation of green-blue-grey infrastructure (GBGI).

The RECLAIM Network Plus is issuing a funding call for small research projects costing up to £40k that explicitly address gaps in our knowledge of GBGI effectiveness against multiple outcomes, including social justice and equity.

We are welcoming research proposals that consider GBGI in a holistic way by identifying and addressing research challenges around multi-functionality, and can support fast-tracking solutions, which improve the sustainability of UK cities and their resilience to climate and societal challenges.

Special consideration will be given to the research proposals supporting the levelling up agenda and focusing on smaller or deprived urban areas. In particular, the research proposals should aim to address one or more of the following three key themes:

·         Test new ideas for GBGI to demonstrate proof of concept, and/or critically evaluate their potential for upscaling. For instance, scientific, social or cultural performance of: small scale prototypes; larger scale replication of new GBGI approaches; designing and representing new GBGI ideas and evaluating their viability and desirability with users and stakeholders.

·         Address knowledge gaps on the performance of existing interventions and assess the multi-functional benefits through a combination of scientific monitoring, modelling and qualitative and/or quantitative assessment of societal perspectives. These could include making use of established interventions constructed for a single purpose (e.g. flood risk, air quality improvements, accessible greenspace), and where the co-benefits have not been assessed. 

·         To better understand complexity, focusing on understanding how the service or benefit (including use by local communities) provided by GBGI varies with time of day, meteorology, and season; and, by assessing GBGI of different ages, whether their function degrades or improves over time.

We aim to fund up to 12 projects. Each project must start by 1st December 2022 (or soon after) and can last up to 12 months. All projects must end by no later than the end of December 2023. Funded projects will not receive any extension beyond the stipulated period.

The funding will be allocated via a competitive process through this open call. The cost of each proposal can vary from £8k to £40k at 100% Full Economic Cost (Directly Allocated and/or Directly Incurred Costs). Following the standard UKRI rules, eligible costs are research project expenses such as salary costs, travel, consumables, and any intervention materials cost relevant to the project.

The call for research proposals is open to all UK-based participants who are residents in the UK (international applications cannot be supported under this scheme). Project proposals can be submitted by academic, charity, companies, registered charities or environmental groups or schools. The lead applicant should be a UK residence and should hold a position in an organisation that lasts until the end of proposed projects’ duration. One person can only submit one application as a Principal Investigator, although they can be co-investigators or partners on any number of proposals.  Proposals can include international partners, although the funding will only be provided to the UK-based main applicants.

Priority will be given to multi-disciplinary proposals which span traditional boundaries of expertise, and particularly those which link across to business and city authorities, local, government, charities, academia, and public spaces such as schools. 

All interested applicants must submit proposals to the RECLAIM Network Plus via the following online application form by 23:59 GMT 11 November 2022.

Evaluations of proposals will be based on clearly defined objectives, and general contribution towards the objectives of the RECLAIM Network Plus.

The questions on the online form are listed at the end of this blog. Applicants will be notified of the outcome within four weeks of the deadline.

We are looking forward to receiving your application and welcome you to take a leading role in the RECLAIM Network Plus family. If not a member yet, please complete the free new membership form to receive regular updates on network activities and opportunities.

 Click to download

Questions to be answered on the online application form

·     Applicant details

·     Names of Co-investigators (if applicable). Any number of co-investigators are permitted.

·     Partner organisations (if applicable; any number of partners are permitted)

·     Project title

·     Proposed start and end dates of project

·     Summary of the project (max 250 words). It should be written in a public facing language to include on RECLAIM Network Plus website.

·     Detail of your research proposal (max 750 words). Sections should clearly describe rationale for the study, research objectives, methodology, and key milestones and deliverables.

·     Describe how your proposals meets the call requirements in terms of RECLAIM Network themes and objectives above (max 500 words).

·     Describe the team’s expertise on this topic (max 350 words).

·     Describe how your proposal helps address issues of community engagement and/or social inclusion (max 250 words).

·     Describe the anticipated impact of your proposal (what will be done differently as a result of your findings?) (max 250 words).

·     Describe what data will be produced and how will they be managed.  List key datasets you will produce (max 250 words).

·     Describe how your proposal will advance Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (max 150 words). See UKRI guidance here.

·     Describe what environmental sustainability measures will be included in your research works (max 150 words). See UKRI guidance here.

·     Justification of Proposed Resources Required (no word count limit).

·     Value for money. Describe any in-kind contributions from partners and what value for money your project offers (no word limit).

·     Any other information (Optional; max 250 words)

Proposal evaluation criteria

Evaluations of proposals will be based on clearly defined objectives, linked to the objectives of the RECLAIM network as outlined in the key points and the cross-cutting themes above in Part 1. Applications will be scored based on the following criteria (each scored on a scale of 1 (lowest) to –10 (highest):

Criteria Weighting Score

Scientific Quality 30%
Fit to call requirements 30%
Team’s expertise 5%
Contribution to levelling-up agenda 5%
Anticipated impact of the proposed work 5%
Data management plan 5%
Advancement of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion 5%
Consideration of Environmental Sustainability measures 5%
Justification of resources 5%
Value for money 5%

 
Please complete the application using the online form. This form contains three parts: (1) Detailed Instructions; (2) Details of assessment criteria; and (3) Application form to complete. Enquiries may be emailed to info@reclaim-network.org.  

Best wishes,

Professor Prashant Kumar, Professor Laurence Jones & the RECLAIM Network Plus Team