catalyst

Apply now for the Research Excellence Launchpad and The Knowledge Exchange and Impact Catalyst Fund

Researchers can find out more about these two flagship initiatives designed to support colleagues to work on distinctive and original projects that demonstrate the potential for excellence or deliver a step change in sustained impact outcomes.

Research Excellence Launchpad

The Research Excellence Launchpad provides seed-funding to launch staff into producing excellent research and knowledge exchange. This fund aims to provide time and resources to support staff to work on distinctive and original research and knowledge exchange projects that demonstrate the potential for excellence. Awards from this scheme are of up to £25,000 for up to 12 months. The projects are expected to produce:

  • an outstanding external grant proposal; and/or
  • one significant, internationally leading, or world-leading output (such as a monograph) or a series of world-leading outputs.

Projects can fund either staff time or project costs for this scheme. Applications from this scheme should come from researchers with a demonstrable potential to achieve excellence and a track record of high-quality research and knowledge exchange activity.

Knowledge Exchange and Impact Catalyst Fund

The Knowledge Exchange and Impact Catalyst Fund offers seed funding to support the development of mature projects to deliver a step change in knowledge exchange and impact outcomes. Projects will need to clearly demonstrate how they will contribute to future KEF and/or REF submissions. The scheme offers awards of up to £10,000 for projects that are designed to:

  • develop existing research into a project that utilises knowledge exchange activities to contribute to future KEF narratives, and/or
  • further ambitious proposals to deliver a step change in impact outcomes.

This fund will prioritise work that demonstrates novel routes to impact through research and knowledge exchange endeavour or presents a plan to commercialise existing research to suit a need in the external market. Applications are welcome from researchers at any stage of their academic career and all academic disciplines.

Timetable for both funds as follows:

Application deadline: 16 February 2024
Notification of outcomes: March 2024
Projects must be delivered between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025.

Find out more and apply now