UCD Global is pleased to announce that the call for the 2021 round of the (opens in a new window)Worldwide Universities Network (WUN) Research Development Fund (RDF) is now open.
In its thirteenth year, the RDF provides researchers at member universities with grants of up to £10,000 to foster research collaborations across the network of (opens in a new window)WUN member universities.
This year’s theme is focused on (opens in a new window)Mobilising for a Sustainable Future. As the world invests to overcome and move beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, there are major opportunities for research to inform national and international priorities in building a sustainable future. WUN’s capacity to assemble diverse teams of researchers gives it a distinctive advantage in tackling some of the major emergent challenges in research areas where comparative analysis is important.
Within this theme, identified areas of focus correspond to six of the (opens in a new window)United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Proposals are encouraged that address one or more of the following Sustainable Development Goals:
- (opens in a new window)Good health and well-being
- (opens in a new window)Quality Education
- (opens in a new window)Affordable and clean energy
- (opens in a new window)Reduced inequalities
- (opens in a new window)Sustainable cities and communities
- (opens in a new window)Life below water
- (opens in a new window)Life on land
Grants from the WUN RDF can be used to support exploratory research initiatives, planning workshops, data collection and the formation of collaborative networks. A complete list of how funds can be administered and details on financial and reporting obligations can be found (opens in a new window)here.
How to apply
The RDF is open to UCD academic staff and involves a two-step application process.
Step 1: UCD Internal Review of Proposals
If you intend to lead a WUN project as Principal Investigator, please download the (opens in a new window)WUN 2021 RDF Guidelines and complete the (opens in a new window)UCD Draft Proposal Application Form. Forms should be submitted to UCD Global at (opens in a new window)directorucdglobal@ucd.ie by Friday, 24 September 2021.
Applications to lead projects as PIs must be accompanied by:
- Program (opens in a new window)budget outlining key areas of expenditure.
- CV of the principal investigator (1 page maximum) with URL links to partner investigators.
- Short biographies of Co-Investigators including motivations for joining the
UCD project proposals will be reviewed by a panel comprising representatives from UCD Research and Innovation and the UCD Office of Global Engagement. Each WUN member university may only submit up to two applications on which its academic staff are principal investigators (PIs).
Step 2: WUN Review of Proposals
On 1 October 2021, you will be notified if your application has been successful to proceed to review by the WUN Academic Advisory Group. Following this, you will be invited to draft a full proposal and submit this to WUN directly via an online portal by Friday 22 October (21:00 GMT).
Timeline for Applications (2021 Scheme)
13 August: UCD opens call for Expressions of Interest:
Principal Investigators to complete (opens in a new window)UCD Draft Proposal Application Form along with the (opens in a new window)budget and CV.
Co-Investigators to provide a short biography including motivations for joining the project.
24 September: Internal deadline for receipt of Draft PI proposals to be submitted to UCD Global (opens in a new window)directorucdglobal@ucd.ie.
1 October: Announcement of (up to 2) RDF projects invited for full proposal.
22 October (21:00 GMT): WUN deadline for online submission of applications.
If you are interested in submitting an application and would like to discuss this further, please contact (opens in a new window)directorucdglobal@ucd.ie.
Also, if you have been approached to participate as Co-Investigator in a WUN RDF bid led by another institution and would like further information about UCD’s participation in WUN, please contact UCD Global (opens in a new window)directorucdglobal@ucd.ie.