External research funding, application process and awards

The School of Education and Social Work has a vibrant and thriving research culture with over 50 researchers working on projects across 6 research centres. We have a consistently high success rate in securing major research grants and business investment – safeguarding the quality of our research well into the future.

The information on this page is designed to act as a workflow, illustrating the processes that need to be followed step-by-step to develop research bids and secure external funding for the different types of research and consultancy projects undertaken.

Follow the links and steps indicated to find the information - and process - most suitable for your own research project. It may be advisable for you to talk first to your mentor and/or senior colleagues who have knowledge of your research area to identify suitable funders known to them.

How to find funding

There is a range of sources of information on funding for research and related activities on the Research and Enterprise (R&E) division web pages. On behalf of the University, R&E subscribes to details of several research funding opportunities and services, including Research Professional, and the University identifies certain opportunities that it wishes to prioritise.

See also the external funding deadlines calendar which highlights upcoming funding deadlines for the major funders/most popular funding schemes.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) also offers funding ooportunities. Launched in April 2018, it is a non-departmental public body that unites the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England - responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England - and the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK.

You may also find it helpful to read the regular emails on funding opportunities circulated by the School's Research Development Officer.

Applying for funding - and the proforma

Once you have identified a funding opportunity and/or have been approached to do some research, you need to complete the Research Development Proforma: 2022/23 – ideally allowing a lead time of 4-6 weeks prior to submission. Please allow longer for more complicated or larger bids. Exceptions can only be made for calls requiring a particularly rapid response and/or that are given particularly short notice by the funder. The Research Office otherwise requires a minimum of 10 working days' notice to allocate appropriate support.

Completion of the proforma is the first step in expressing an interest in applying for an externally funded research bid and is the means by which the Research Development Office gather the requisite details for workload planning and can advise you regarding costings andother aspects of the bidding process leading to submission.

The School's DRaKEs also require sufficient notice to ensure that research proposals meet the School’s requirements for internal review and approval. Please, therefore, also engage with them as soon as you begin planning a possible bid.

Please send the completed proforma to the School's Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange (DRaKE), copying the School's Research Development Manager, Clare Neil, and the School's Assistant Research Manager, Jessica Beck.

The internal peer review process

It is essential that the research engaged in by the School of Education and Social Work is of the highest quality and represents a good use of public money. Hence all proposals in the school are involved in a rigorous and fair peer review process which enables the School to make well-informed decisions about what research bids to support, and how.

Equally important is that staff members with research in their contracts feel they receive equitable opportunities to engage in research, and can learn with every new bid and study.

Peer review aims to be both supportive and developmental, providing encouragement and constructive criticism through well-justified comments which enable learning at every stage. Internal peer review can be conducted by a range of colleagues offering broad and diverse expertise in a variety of roles: research mentors; the departmental Research Lead; a research centre Director; other senior colleagues as appropriate to the focus or methodology of the proposal.

The crucial first step is for applicants to complete the Research Development Proforma: 2022/23 and send it to the Directors of Research and Knowledge Exchange (DRaKEs) as well as the School's Research Development Manager, Clare Neil. The DRaKE will then discuss the project proposal with you, and together you will discuss the best person to conduct your peer review - considering the research area, methodology, and funding body.

Do I need ethics approval for my research?

Before starting, you should check whether your research requires ethics approval and consider ethics from the outset, including as part of the internal peer review process. For externally funded research proposals, applications for ethical approval will normally be made once external funding has been approved, rather than at the point of application - though you may wish to check the timelines set by the funder.

Planning impact activities

Supporting and developing a healthy impact culture is an important part of our School, and is reflected in the University’s 2025 Strategic Framework which states: "By challenging conventional thinking and discourse, we will understand and help solve the grand issues of our time".

The School of Education and Social Work encourages its researchers/Principal Investigators to carefully consider developing the impact of their research; going through the process can help researchers realise the wider importance of their research.

Some of the key questions you might ask yourself when considering developing the impact of your research are:

Is my research worth investing in?
Who benefits from my research - and how?
What (social, economic, environmental) change might my research generate?

Of course, there may not be an obvious beneficial impact or beneficiaries. But your research may nevertheless be impactful in terms of what it seeks to prevent, ie. an unwanted or harmful change from occurring. Similarly, the impact of your research may not be felt immediately or even in the short term. This should not disuade you. Impact can - and should - still be developed even when it is recognised that benefit will be felt only after - or over - a longer time period, after which it might transform an individual’s life or benefit several people.

Even though applicants to the Research Councils are no longer required to provide a ‘Pathways to Impact’ plan - or to complete an ‘Impact Summary’ within grant applications - from 1 March 2020, research funders will expect you to demonstrate research impact. Research England requires us to provide evidence of this through Researchfish and the Research Excellence Framework (REF). Going through the exercise can help you to look at your research more creatively - and generate curiosity.

If you need any support with your approach to impact and developing an impact plan for your application, contact the School's Academic Impact Lead, Dr Kristi Hickle, or the Assistant Research Manager, Dr Jessica Beck. Alternatively, feel free to use the Impact Tool Kit.

Application submission and approval process

Prior to submission, all applications must be ready for internal approval at least 5 working days before the deadline to give the signatories time to consider the application and raise any queries.

Once the project is complete and there is a final budget:

The School’s Research Development Manager (RDO) will send an approval email to the Principal Investigator (PI) and signatories with the final budget, financial reports and instructions. The email will also be copied/cc'd to the School's Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange, the Head of School, the School's Finance Manager and Assistant Research Manager.
The PI must subsequently complete a declaration form - see the orange ‘Important Reminder’ box (you may need to enter your Sussex Direct login details). The document can be completed online (use tab key to move around) and reflects an electronic signature. There is no need to insert a signature on page 2, or to physically sign it. Please ensure that Section C is also completed.
The PI must then "reply to all" with an emailed response which includes a line stating that you “formally acknowledge and accept” its contents and attching the following:
- Completed Declaration Form
- Income Pricing Statement
- Copy of the draft proposal.
The School’s Finance Manager will provide a declaration giving approval to the proposed project.
The Head of School or Authorised Deputy (usually one of the DRaKEs) gives approval.
The School’s RDO will pass the electronic paperwork to the relevant signatory within Research & Enterprise Services for final signature.

Once all approvals are in place, the application is submitted - either by the PI directly, or by Research Development Office on behalf of the PI and the School.

Application outcome

Once you hear the outcome of your application (successful or not), please inform the Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange (DRaKE), the School's Research Development Manager, Clare Neil, and the School's Assistant Research Manager, Jessica Beck. Irrespective of the outcome, it is useful for them if you can share any feedback you received from the funder/reviewers of your research bid.

Successful bid and award acceptance process

If successful, you will need to provide the Research Development Office (RDO) with your Award Letter, Contract or Collaboration agreement - or you will need to put the RDO in contact with the lead institution. The RDO will then circulate an 'award acceptance' email to which will be attached the internal award acceptance form (AAF) and a spreadsheet outlining the project budget. It will also highlight any significant clauses in the contract for you and the School to be aware of. You will need to complete a YES/NO section on whether you will have a student working on the project. If YES, they will need to complete a 'student undertaking' form.

You must read and sign the AAF, before passing it on to the Head of School for the School's official acceptance of the award. If the Head of School is unavailable/out of the office for any reason, the Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange will give School approval. Ideally, you should sign the AAF electronically, returning the completed and signed form to Clare Neil from your Sussex email account.

Once all the above detailed award acceptance steps have been completed, your award will be handed over to Research Finance Officer, Paul Grant. Please allow 10 working days for the grant to be set up on the finance system.

If contracts, terms and conditions, or collaboration agreements need to be generated or reviewed, the RDO will send you a 'contracts instruction form' which you will need to complete.

If your application is unsuccessful ...

Know that this outcome is disappointing but not uncommon.

Not getting funded does not necessarily mean that your research isn’t considered to be of high quality. Please use any feedback from the funder or DRaKEs to discuss the next steps with your research mentor. For example, the application could be suitable for an alternative funder, or could be re-framed and further developed for a future funding round.

Covid-19 guidance from research funders

Some key funders we regularly engage with have shared the impact of coronavirus on research and produced guidance for applicants and award-holders impacted by the pandemic. You are encouraged to read the guidance before applying.

External consultancy and engagement

Research clients Our academic staff frequently engage with consultancy and contracted research projects to address or resolve client needs by offering specialist advice; carrying out various forms of data analysis or advising on research theories and methodologies.

We ensure that the work is time-bound and task-based and that the University is represented by individuals, not individuals that engage in consultancy. In the last five years, we have engaged in various consultancy projects with a wide range of clients and welcome new research engagement. Some of our consultancy has allowed us to generate long term research collaborations.

The processes for these applications differ, and support is offered via different teams at the Research and Enterprise Office. The University has some useful information, and outlines the differences between consultancy and research.

If you are planning a project which might be termed a consultancy, you need to let us know as soon as possible by contacting the School's Research Development Manager, Clare Neil, the School's Director of Research and Knowledge Exchange (DRaKE), and the School's Assistant Research Manager, Jessica Beck.

If, after a discussion with the DRaKEs, consultancy is the appropriate route for you, please contact Consultancy Manager, Alex Silvestri.

Horizon Europe webinar presentation

Submission and Evaluation: EU Horizon 2020