![](/wcm/assets/media/46/banner/80142.jpg")
Researcher-Led Initiative Fund
Do you have a bright idea for an activity to enhance your professional skills and benefit your research community?
Applications are now closed, and guidelines are being revised.
Call for applications will open Monday 14 October 2024.
The Researcher-Led Initiative (RLI) Fund empowers postgraduate and early career researchers (PGRs and ECRs) to impact the research culture, support and development needs of researchers at Sussex.
Apply for up to £1,000 to organise an initiative focusing on either:
- research culture, including EDI and wellbeing
- interdisciplinarity and internal collaboration
- public engagement and external collaboration
- researcher training and career development
To learn about the RLI Fund in more detail, use the buttons below to quickly navigate this page [coming shortly].
About the scheme
The RLI Fund is an opportunity for researchers to develop project management, communication and organisational skills and support the researcher community.
For 2024/25, the scheme has been merged with the ECR Seed Fund, securing continued support for PGR and ECR development. The RLI strands have been updated as a result, prioritising research culture, collaboration and interdisciplinarity for all researchers.
Researchers are invited to apply for a small grant to conduct a short-term, well-defined initiative that is not part of their main research project.
This could be a workshop to target a gap in researcher training, a conference to encourage networking, a public outreach campaign, a journal club on a specific research topic, or any initiative that fits one of the four key strands.
Once funded, activities are organised by the award recipients. Support, where needed, should be provided by your School's Research and Enterprise Coordinator (REC) for PGRs, or School research support staff for ECRs.
Recipients must submit a short evaluation report after their activity has taken place, and may be asked to share their experiences at a Summer of Research or Sussex Researcher School event.
Who is eligible?
- The RLI Fund is open to current PGRs and ECRs at the аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û, including IDS and BSMS.
- ECRs are defined as staff on a research-only contract at grades 6-8, broadly encompassing research assistants, postdoctoral researchers and research fellows.
- You must be registered as a PGR or contracted as an ECR for the entirety of your RLI project, including the reporting period.
We recognise that our researchers have a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. We encourage applications from everyone in the community, including those groups who are under-represented in research at our institution.
How do I apply?
Read the information below carefully, taking note of the guidelines for the relevant strand you are applying to as well as the notes on the application process and budget, the selection process, and the terms and conditions.
Take a look at previous winning initiatives to see the types of activity that have been funded, and examples of previous successful applications to help you write a quality application.
The Researcher Development team would be pleased to have informal discussions in the development of your application.