There are numerous opportunities to apply for funding for pedagogic research from organisations such as the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), amongst others, and there are often annual calls for small grant applications from HEA Subject Centres. This CELT Seminar will provide advice on how to keep abreast of funding calls and how to approach writing grant bids.

1. Applying for PedR Funding
Professor Simon Haslett
Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching
Canolfan dros Ragoriaeth mewn Dysgu ac Addysgu
Email: celt@newport.ac.uk
Website: http://celt.newport.ac.uk

2. Why seek funding?
• Funding is not needed to undertake research, but it can
help if you need to:
1. Travel
2. Attend Conferences
3. Buy capital equipment
4. Pay for data (e.g. student focus groups)
5. Pay for teaching/administration relief
6. Dissemination e.g. host seminars/workshops
7. Need match funding or pump priming/seed corn
8. Want to build capacity/collaboration
9. Want to develop your academic career
10. Want to help develop your department, institution, etc.

3. How to approach funding
• You might seek funding to support a research
project you have in mind.
• You might come up with a project in response
to a funding call.
• It is good to create a list of potential projects
that could be developed into a proposal
should an appropriate funding call arise.
• Spend a few minutes drawing up a list of
potential research projects you could do ….

4. Internal Funding
• Learning and Teaching Grants
• Three calls per year for Regular grants:
November, February, and May.
• Anytime for Rapid Response Grants.
• Up to £5,000 for Regular and £2000 for
Rapid Response Grants.
• RED also has its own round of support
grants from time to time.

5. L&T Grants can be used to
• develop innovative learning and teaching approaches;
• support the implementation of new learning and teaching
strategies;
• evaluate current learning and teaching approaches;
• develop innovative and supportive learning
environments;
• develop pedagogic research capacity;
• develop collaborative pedagogic research partnerships;
• provide pump-priming funding with a view to submitting
an external grant application.
• provide support funding for external grants (e.g. match
funding, funding aspects of a project not covered by an
external source, publication costs);
• provide rapid response funding for time-limited
pedagogic research opportunities.

6. Who to seek external funding from
• Frequent PedR funders are:
1. Higher Education Academy (HEA), central and
subject centres.
2. Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC),
sometimes also collaborative.
• Sign up to funding alerts from:
1. HEA (sign up on their website).
2. ResearchResearch (contact RED).
• Others as the need/calls arise e.g. British
Council, Research Councils (ESRC, etc)

7. Who can help?
• The Research and Enterprise Department (RED):
• “ResearchResearch is being relaunched with a new look
and feel in the next few weeks, so we will be re-
publicising the service to coincide with the switch-over.
• We provide costings and can help in the construction of
applications, including advice on funders aims and
objectives, and what makes a good proposal. We also
encourage peer review of applications (and would
probably seek CELT input as a reviewer for any such
applications).
• I usually meet with potential applicants to talk through
the process and sources of funding, agree a rough
timetable for completing the application, and arrange
submission of the bid.”

8. More from RED ….
• “For all research council bids RED must submit the
proposal. It is expected that all applications to any
funder will be signed off by RED before
submission. This enables us to check their content,
proof read etc, and constitutes Institutional support for
the application.
• If RED has not approved the submission, the application
will not be recorded, and we may terminate or decline
any subsequent award. Please emphasise this point,
and the fact that we strongly encourage any potential
applicants to contact us at an early stage to discuss their
application.
• We have a brief section on the Research Web Pages
(http://research.newport.ac.uk/displayPage.aspx?object_
id=2359&type=PAG ) RED homepage-> Research ->
Information for Staff -> Research Funding.”

9. Some examples of bids
• Four pedagogic research grant proposals
that I have been involved in are available:
• HEA-ESD Mini-Grant Call 2008
• HEA-GEES Small Project Funding Calls
2005 and 2008
• JISC HEAT 3 Call 2008.
• In groups, have a look at, and discuss,
one or two of these, and ….

10. In groups, have a look at, and
discuss, one or two of these, and ….
1. Take note of the guidance/criteria given.
2. How well do the applications address the
guidance/criteria?
3. Is there anything noteworthy in the
proposals: negative or positive?
4. Make a decision as to whether you think
the project was ultimately funded, and
think about reasons for your decision.
5. Anything else …. ?