GenEx Fund 2022/23 Call for Projects
Geneva/Exeter Collaborative Research Seed Grants

1.    BACKGROUND

The University of Exeter and the University of Geneva (UNIGE) share a common aims to be global research leaders, and institutions which create graduates of distinction. Integral to this vision is a dynamic global culture and community of students, staff and alumni involved in the discovery, creation and sharing of new knowledge which has impact that reaches across the world.

To read more about Exeter’s Global Strategy visit the Global Partnerships website, and to read more about the UNIGE international strategic partnerships, please visit the International Relations and Partnerships  website.

Together, the two universities have launched the joint seed funding programme GenEx in 2018, through which 14 collaborative projects have already been financed. Both universities aim to renew the experience and hereby open submissions for proposals for the 2022-2023 round of GenEx funding.

2.    OBJECTIVES

• To increase research and education/teaching collaboration between the two universities
• To increase student and staff mobility between the two universities
• To support the development of novel, interdisciplinary research and/or teaching and learning concepts to the point of submission of bid(s) for significant external funding;o support the development of novel, interdisciplinary research and/or teaching and learning concepts to the point of submission of bid(s) for significant external funding
• To support groups in developing their initiatives to the point of high academic and/or non-academic outcomes and impact
• To support groups in developing their initiatives to the point of achieving high impact / high influence publications or equivalent
• To tackle research and/or education challenges that could not be as effectively carried out by one partner on its own
• To promote the University of Exeter and the University of Geneva’s global reputation

3.    FUNDING DETAILS

• Up to 6 grant awards of up to a maximum of GBP 10,000 / CHF 12,000 are available to fund projects that meet the above objectives
• Funding will be provided to the nominated lead applicants at Geneva and Exeter, responsible for all arrangements and participation. It should be clear what each partner is responsible for on the application form. Costs associated with the activity will be expected to be covered by the responsible partner. Please be mindful of institutional financial years and the conditions on each when identifying responsibilities.
• Grant awards must be spent by 31 October 2023. Exeter’s financial year-end is 31 July 2023. Exeter Project PIs should note that it is not possible to carry-over funding into the next financial year, therefore Exeter funds must be spent before this date.
• Any project expenditure after 31 July 2023 needs to either be invoiced and prepaid before this date OR paid for by UNIGE.

4. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

GenEx Grants are available to the whole academic community at UNIGE & Exeter. Eligible costs under the grants include:

• Online delivery charges
• Research consumables
• Research Assistant salary 
• Travel and Subsistence
• External speakers/facilitators
• Equipment (small purchases only, to be justified in line with project deliverables)
• Venue and catering costs
• Publication costs (max. 20% of budget)

The following items are not eligible for funding under this scheme:

• Academic salaries (above that of Research Assistant)
• Student fees / tuition / scholarships
• Conference registration or travel costs (unless for presenting the project results)
• Indirect costs, overheads and bench fees associated with internal research facilities

5. APPLICATION PROCESS

At Exeter, lead applicants should first discuss their application with their College ADG (Associate Dean for Global), and their Head of Department/School (or equivalent) and will need the application approved by their College ADG.

At UNIGE, the lead applicant needs to have a doctoral degree and a work contract at UNIGE covering the entire period of the proposed project. Proposals by doctoral students must be overseen and coordinated by their supervisors or another regular member of faculty.

Each application must have 2 lead applicants, one from each university, to whom funds will be transferred if successful.

Applicants should ensure that activities are planned and scheduled accordingly, so that in the event of an award, activities can be undertaken rapidly. We expect projects to be completed within the stated deadlines above. In order to accommodate travel restrictions imposed by national responses to COVID 19, we have incorporated allowance for costs associated with online delivery of activity, and research assistant costs for research purposes.

Applications should be submitted by midnight (GMT) on Friday 2 September 2022 online through this portal. The application submission page is visible only if you are signed in (if you are reading this page while signed in, click on "dashboard"). If you previously had an account on the unige-cofunds.ch platform, your username is still active, but you need to create a new password at login.

The application includes a short project description (max. 500 words) and 6 questions to answer (max 200 words each) for specifying:

1.     The project timeline;
2.     The main activities and potential outcomes;
3.     The merits and added value of the project;
4.     The follow-up activities and collaborations;
5.     Other potential funding sources (parallel or subsequent);
6.     Whether this is a new or an existing collaboration.

Please note: project evaluation reports will be due within 1 month of the project completion date, with a follow-up evaluation report 18 months later to assess project outcomes (publications, funding outcomes, mobility outcomes etc).

6. ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Applications will be assessed by staff at UNIGE (International Relations and Partnerships) & Exeter (Global Partnerships) to ensure criteria are met, and evaluated by relevant College/Faculty staff at each university.

At Exeter, this will be Associate Deans for Global (ADGs) and by the DVC for Global Engagement, Professor Mark Goodwin. At UNIGE, this will be a faculty member and/or Vice-Rector Stéphane Berthet.

They will look for:

§  Evidence of a highly motivated collaborative group/relationship that is keen to take their proposed initiative to the next level;
§  Evidence that initiatives will support a longer-term trajectory towards growing research and student/staff mobility collaboration between Exeter and Geneva, strengthening of institutional ties;
§  Overall merit and added value of the project and its expected outcomes;
§  Adequacy of the budget and proposed timeline to the project goals;
§  Potential to produce tangible outputs and meaningful impact;
§  Potential to leverage subsequent external funds;

8. KEY DATES

Open Call: Friday 11 July 2022
Deadline for application: Friday 2 September 2022
Notification of results: October 2022
Initiatives must be completed by: 31 October 2023 (31 July 2023 for Exeter funds)
Evaluation reports submitted by: 30 November 2023

Contacts