91¸£Àû

The UK Space Agency, under the national space technology programme, invites proposals for its flagship funding. This supports large scale technology projects that are highly innovative and that have strong enabling potential for future space activities, or that develop instrumentation for commercial applications. The programme aims to develop UK space sector technologies by providing seed funding for early stage innovative ideas. Projects should develop high technology readiness level, offer significant commercial opportunities and have a clear exploitation route to market. Areas of interest include the following:

•technology readiness level innovation;

•technology proof of concept;

•small technology developments;

•establishing new industrial research collaborations;

•market studies;

•studies into spin in or out of technologies for space.

Applications are invited from academia, industry and non-profit government research institutes. Eligible activities include industrial research and experimental development. Downstream applications, data transmission, ground infrastructure and software-based projects are acceptable if they have a strong technology development element and provide a step change in capability. Preference is given to projects which are from collaborative teams or that are combined industrial-academic teams. Any organisation type may lead. Proposals that form part of a larger activity funded by one or more other organisations are also considered provided that the proposed work falls within the scope of the programme. Organisations new to space technology are encouraged to participate.

Grants are worth between £800,000 and £1 million over two years. Industrial co-funding may be required for selected projects.

This International Visiting Felowship Programme enables research groups at 91¸£Àû to engage with distinguished, international researchers, including policy makers, representatives of the arts, business, government and industry.

Visiting Fellows must be nominated by a 91¸£Àû academic and during their visit it is expected that the Fellow(s) will contribute to the wider activity of the university, engaging with a wide cross-section of the research community. For this reason it is expected that visits will last approx. 10 days however, Fellows can be hosted for up to 10 weeks. The visits should encorporate:
â—¾Research and/or training event targeted at early career scholars
â—¾A public event
◾Interdisciplinary activity aimed at an audience beyond the Fellow’s immediate field of specialism
◾Presentation of Fellow’s core research to targeted audience
â—¾Exploration of further collaborative opportunities with groups/individuals beyond the Principal Applicants
â—¾research area
â—¾Cross-university and/or cross-sector meetings
â—¾Engagement with IAS research fellows, typically providing a brief career-development talk at the IAS Seminar Series