EPSRC-Defra Reimagining Circularity: full stage

What the assessor looks for

• aligns strategically to the funding opportunity aims and scope
• aligns with Defra, EPSRC and UKRI priorities
• demonstrates a coherent strategic vision and establishes clear outcomes for the NetworkPlus
• is of excellent quality and importance within or beyond the field(s) or area(s)
• has the potential to advance current understanding, generates new knowledge, thinking or discovery within or beyond the field or area
• is timely given current trends, context and needs
• impacts world-leading research, society, the economy or the environment
• will embed equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) considerations into the programme, and outline how these will guide your aims, as well as other activities such as stakeholder engagement, events and networking
• identify key communities and future network members
• describe the concept, context and coordination function of your network
• demonstrate how the disciplinary approach you plan to embed (interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, or both) will advance current understanding and generate new knowledge, thinking and concepts
• how the project will accelerate UK capability in your chosen circular solutions that maximise value

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• will be effectively governed, including details about advisory structures
• will be effectively and inclusively managed, demonstrated by a clear management plan
• has clear leadership team roles and responsibilities
• will manage and encourage partnerships with non-HEI organisations across government, industry and civil society
• has plans for monitoring your progress as well as self-evaluation throughout the lifetime of your award.
• will put in place appropriate governance and administration to deliver the range of devolved funding opportunities
• ensuring clear and credible targets and success measures, including key performance indicators (KPIs)

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the relevant experience (appropriate to career stage) to deliver the proposed work
• the right balance of skills and expertise to cover the proposed work
• the appropriate leadership and management skills to deliver the work and your approach to develop others
• contributed to developing a positive research environment and wider community
• planned to identify and embed additional expertise where gaps in the team exist
• ensuring the career development of all involved in your team, including early and mid-career individuals, your grant manager, and any other professional research enabling staff involved.
• contributions to the generation of new ideas, tools, methodologies, or knowledge
• the development of others and maintenance of effective working relationships
• contributions to the wider research and innovation community
• contributions to broader research or innovation users and audiences and towards wider societal benefit

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• the relevant ethical and RRI considerations, including both the research or topic area itself and the design and delivery of the project
• the wider implications of the proposed work, and how you will maximise the positive societal, environmental, and economic benefits arising from the project, while minimising unintended negative impacts, such as research misuse or accidental harm
• how you will manage these considerations throughout the lifecycle of the project
• any legal and ethical considerations of collecting, releasing and storing the data (including consent, confidentiality, anonymisation, security and other ethical considerations and, in particular, strategies to not preclude further reuse of data)
• formal information standards that your proposed work will comply with
• human participants
• genetically modified organisms

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• project staff
• significant travel for field work or collaboration (but not regular travel between collaborating organisations or to conferences)
• any equipment that will cost more than £25,000
• any consumables beyond typical requirements, or that are required in exceptional quantities
• all facilities and infrastructure costs
• all resources that have been costed as ‘Exceptions’
• International collaboration costs
• are comprehensive, appropriate, and justified
• represent the optimal use of resources to achieve the intended outcomes
• maximise potential outcomes and impacts

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• supports your objectives
• distributes funding appropriately across a diverse range of activities
• where appropriate, distributes funding through robust, transparent competitive processes
• builds capacity in key fields and career stages
• ensures appropriate processes for monitoring, reporting and governance of funded activities

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• what are the key EDI challenges in your project, also taking into account specific challenges within the community or communities in your chosen challenge area?
• you should provide evidence of ways in which EDI issues will be managed/addressed/tackled both within your group, institutions and in the wider community level.
• how will EDI outcomes be measured?
• what steps will you take to raise awareness of and mitigate against the impact of bias in your group and the wider community in terms of gender, ethnicity, disability or any other protected characteristic through processes, behaviours and culture?
• how will good practice be sought-out to evolve the EDI plan or approach over the NetworkPlus lifetime? How will this good practice be captured and shared with the wider community?

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• create new interdisciplinary research communities and topics
• provide a critical mass of researchers with a range of expertise and experience
• promote mobility between academia, industry and other sectors
• achieve sustainability of impacts beyond the funding requested

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• has been co-created, and will be co-delivered, in partnership and engagement with relevant stakeholders, including industry, policy and the third sector to identify timely and strategically important research and community building challenges, opportunities and solutions
• demonstrates synergistic connectivity between partners, disciplines, and workstreams
• embed a systems approach at all stages of the NetworkPlus lifecycle
• consider the wider context in which the proposed work and outcomes will sit, and the trade-offs and unintended consequences of the outcomes
• optimise outcomes for UK prosperity, society and environment sustainability, both in research outcomes and in programme operations

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• ensure that environmental impact and mitigation is explicitly considered at all stages of the research lifecycle
• centre and embed environmental sustainability throughout the aims, objectives, and research outcomes, considering the context specific to the NetworkPlus
• take a whole systems approach to enable consideration of the trade-offs, risks and mitigations associated with different approaches
• identify major challenges relating to environmental sustainability in the chosen challenge area and integrate these as part of the NetworkPlus
• reducing carbon emissions
• protecting and enhancing the natural environment and biodiversity
• waste or pollution elimination
• resource efficiency and circular economy

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• will deliver local and or regional impacts, both direct and indirect, and who the beneficiaries might be
• enhances the UK’s research and innovation capabilities through local and or regional activity
• will engage local and or regional stakeholders in meaningful partnership
• show understanding of the strengths, needs, opportunities and challenges in the targeted places
• make good use of local and or regional strengths and assets in the targeted places, including UKRI assets
• demonstrate how this project will align with local and or regional strategies and or activities
• demonstrate how the project will encourage project partner contributions either cash or in kind

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• confirm the partner’s commitment to the project
• clearly explain the value, relevance, and possible benefits of the work to them
• describe any additional value that they bring to the project
• have a page limit of two sides A4 per partner

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.

What the assessor looks for

• name of facility, copied and pasted from the facility information list (DOCX, 42KB)
• proposed usage or costs, or costs per unit where indicated on the facility information list
• confirmation you have their agreement where required

A filled dot only means your answer mentions that ground. It is not a judgement of how well.