Something which should be dear and near.  The following is from EPSRC
and so really applies only to UK funding.  For once EPSRC seem to be
putting money in to interdisciplinarity where previously they had only a
mouth!

Julian Vincent




Encouraging postdoctoral mobility between disciplines

Introduction

The outputs of research can often best be transferred through the
movement of people. Such transfers often take place between academia and
industry. However, transfers can also take place with benefit between
different research disciplines within academia and EPSRC would like to
encourage such transfers.  EPSRC also believes this is good for the
career development of the RA on the grant. Academic researchers are
reminded that within the responsive-mode grant mechanism it is possible
to apply to EPSRC for follow-on support to allow a Post-doctoral
Research Assistant reaching the end of a research project in one
discipline to transfer their knowledge and skills to another discipline.
In the first instance an extra year of PDRA support would be offered to
facilitate such a movement of people and knowledge. Thus, for example, a
physicist or mathematician could transfer their knowledge by moving to
an engineering department.  Transfers between the engineering and
physical science disciplines and the life sciences would also be
encouraged.

This opportunity complements visiting fellowships available to permanent
university researchers who wish to spend periods of time in a different
discipline department in a university located in a different region of
the UK (see for example the promotion of interdisciplinary research
between Mathematics and Engineering).

Examples of possible proposals

Typically proposals would be sought while RAs are supported in the final
year of an EPSRC grant. The proposal would be for a 1-year follow on
grant joint between two departments. We would envisage that proposals
would be along the following lines:

To transfer the physical location of the named postdoctoral researchers
supported by the Maths, Physics or Chemistry programmes into more
applied discipline departments;

To transfer the physical location of the named postdoctoral researchers
supported by any EPSRC programme into a life science department;

To facilitate the transfer of novel concepts, ideas or techniques
developed by the named RA, the expectation is that the RA would be a
Co-Author of the proposal;

To allow a collaboration to develop it would be expected that the PI and
the named RA would be physically located in the application/life science
department, and the CoI would be the PI on the current grant supporting
the RA;

The grant is dependent on the appointment of the named RA. Should the RA
leave the project then the grant will be terminated;

Where equipment has been provided/used in the current grant the
expectation is that this would be available for use where appropriate
during the one year feasibility study;

 Proposals could be submitted from departments in the same university or
from different universities to that where the named RA is currently
located;

Up to £75k can be sought for the salary of the RA (including indirect
costs), travel and consumables;

Proposals that require the use of facilities or High Performance
Computing should seek these additional resources over and above the
£75k;

 Exceptionally Research Council Institutes will be eligible to apply for
funding because of the important role they play in developing the Life
Sciences Interface.

Proposals can be accepted when RAs are approaching the final year of the
grant support. Adventurous proposals would be encouraged in line with
Council’s current policy. A grant is expected to be awarded if two or
more supportive referee reports are received. Proposers will normally be
informed of the outcome within 10 to 12 weeks.

General enquiries about this arrangement can be obtained from Mrs Prue
Backway, Tel: 01793 444425; e-mail: [log in to unmask]




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