Research Admin Offices:

• ROADS

Opportunity Type:

• Grant

Value:

Eligible expense budget items include:

• Travel costs (economy-class airfare only)
• Accommodation costs
• Per-diems, or expenses by individual receipts in accordance with travel guidelines
• Hosting (meeting rooms, food and beverage, etc.)
• Workshop, or seminar materials (hand-outs, etc.)
• Internal funding will not normally support staffing or research equipment costs, although such requests will be considered if a compelling argument is made.

Expenses incurred should conform to the expenses policies of the respective universities. All eligible expenses MUST occur within one calendar-year of the date of the award from the Projects and Ideas Fund.

There is no set funding-level for an application, however, the budget and milestones will be carefully evaluated. As a guide, the maximum amount of funding each award could receive is up to £10k/C$15k per institution, however a lesser amount may be awarded to a successful project than that which was applied for.

Funding from the Projects and Ideas Fund is intended to seed joint initiatives and is therefore limited to one year of activities from the date of award.  It is the expectation of the evaluation committee that reasonable opportunities for continued funding be identified in each application. Funds will be awarded on a competitive basis.

The Fund has an annual budget of C$120,000/GBP70,000 per year for 3 years. This is the third competition cycle.

 

Disciplines:

• DeGroote School of Business
• Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Humanities
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Social Sciences
• Health Sciences

Sponsors:

• McMaster
• University of Birmingham

Deadlines:

Description:

In October 2021 the University of Birmingham and McMaster University signed a formal agreement to create a framework for collaboration and partnership between the two institutions.

McMaster University and the University of Birmingham have historic similarities, shared interests and recognize that to achieve exceptional research outcomes and the best possible student experience, constant nurture and support is necessary and cannot be done in isolation.

While several areas of collaboration have already been identified, we are convinced that many new and future partnerships are yet to be uncovered. To help bring these to the fore, we have established the Projects and Ideas Fund: a seed fund created with matching funding from each university designed to identify, establish and develop first-rate research projects and student outcomes.

Additional Program Information:

The fund’s objective is to support new initiatives by providing bridge funding between ideas and the first grant, or academic initiative. The funding is designed to enable individuals to identify complementary strengths, leverage synergy, and design new outstanding research and education projects and opportunities for academic excellence across all disciplines.

The funding will seed and enable the development of deep partnerships through joint initiatives, which for example could include (but is not limited to):

• Intensive academic research and/or education workshops leading to future long-term collaborations.
• Short-term visits for both young and established academics, or senior staff, enabling new and innovative long-term collaborations.
• Research-oriented teaching opportunities, such as for instance the development of new experiential seminars, bringing together PhD Candidates and Post-Doctoral Fellows.

Application/Nomination Process:

Faculty (academics) and professional services staff wishing to access funding must submit an application using the online BIRMAC Project and Ideas Fund Application Form and provide the following information:

1. Identified UoB and McMaster Principal Investigators. Find an academic to support your project:
   1. University of Birmingham
   2. McMaster University
2. Purpose and timescale of visit/programme activity.
3. Anticipated total cost and itemised budget for the proposed activities.
4. Statement: (1200 words max.) including the motivation for the collaboration; the identified synergy; the short- and long-term objectives and anticipated outcomes; which SDGs will be advanced by the project (see: https://sdgs.un.org/goals). Applications need not be restricted to addressing the UN’s SDGs, but preference will be given to those that do).
5. Academic rationale for support:
   1. What is the strategic importance or added academic value of the collaboration for your home department and University?
   2. What are the anticipated shared outcomes and benefits for the collaboration?
6. Anticipated means of sustaining the collaboration. What funding is available from other sources and what potential is there for future external investment?
7. Two letters of support (one from each of the primary applicant’s Chair or Head of Department/Faculty/School). Email confirmation of this support will suffice, and should be forwarded with the application.

Please submit one application per project. The outcome of all applications will be announced on or after 30 April 2025.

Note: Applications should, to the degree possible, include a teaching/seminar component, such as a lecture, compact seminar, or workshop open to students, and if possible to the public, at the hosting university.

The primary applicants must hold full-time, permanent positions at their respective universities.

Third-party universities, or institutions, for-profit, or not-for-profit organizations may join an application, on the condition that it/they bring matching funds to the project.

Further information can be found by contacting Lindsay Avery, Head of Global Engagement, at the University of Birmingham (l.c.avery@bham.ac.uk) or by contacting Van Nhan, Associate Director, Research Administration & Support at McMaster University (nhanvt@mcmaster.ca).

The grant review panels at UoB and McMaster will liaise to jointly determine which projects will be funded.

Final funding decisions will be made by a committee co-chaired by the Vice-President Research (McMaster) and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) (Birmingham).

 

Resources:

Application Guidelines

Contact:

BIRMAC STRATEGIC LEADS AND CONTACTS

University of Birmingham:

Professor Robin Mason
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International)
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT

Lindsay Avery
Head of Global Engagement (North America and Australia)
External Relations
Email: l.c.avery@bham.ac.uk
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT

McMaster University:

Dr. Andy Knights
Acting Vice-President, Research
McMaster University
Hamilton ON L8S 4L8

Van Nhan
Associate Director, Research Administration & Support
Research Office for Administration, Development and Support (ROADS)
McMaster University
Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8
Phone: 905.525.9140 ext. 23111
Email: nhanvt@mcmaster.ca