October 12, 2012, by Graham Kendall

Hermes Fellowships

Hermes Fellowships

Closing Date: 29 Oct 2012

http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/fabs/beis/resources/hermes-fellowships.aspx

Context

The University is investing £2m over four years in a new internal fellowship programme to support outreach, innovation and business engagement. Funded by the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF), activities supported by these awards must be geared towards HEIF goals of achieving economic and/or social benefit to the UK.

Eligibility

Fellowships are aimed at PDRAs, researchers and academic members of staff on all campuses and will fund a range of activities, including buying out time to focus on achieving specific goals in these areas.

Examples of eligible activities:

• Secondments to industry – buying out time – e.g. for one semester – to spend time working in industry (up to £50k)
• Enterprise fellowships – buying out time to focus on developing a technology with training provided in relevant aspects of enterprise & innovation (up to £50k)
• Proof of Concept studies – early-stage IP-based projects (£10k-25k)
• Commercial Accelerator Awards – overcoming a specific technical or commercial milestone in the translation/development of a technology (£10k-25k)
• Strategic Initiative Development – buying out academic time to focus on the development of specific initiatives which should result in the formation of new enterprises or research relationships with industry (up to £50k)
• Innovation Vouchers – up to £5k per award available to industry, preferably SME, to pay for 70% of consultancy fees when engaging with UoN
• Germinator awards – engagement of an external mentor to help signpost the way forward for a particular initiative, normally IP-based (£5-£10k)
• External Engagement events – up to £5k to support the hosting of events such as open days, sandpits, visiting lectures and the launching of specific initiatives, aimed predominately at industry (60%+ of audience for given event) or the external community (outreach)

Activities should deliver against UoN/HEIF targets of:

• SME engagement
• Potential to secure income from Business Engagement (Services Rendered, Consultancy, Contract/Collaborative Research)
• Technology development which can be evidenced by for example, application for further translational funding at the end of the programme
• Case study material for REF or more immediate reputational benefit for UoN (press release)
• Engaging with the community for defined social/economic benefit

Outputs:

A final report is required delivered by 31st August in the year in which the funding was received which focuses on how the funding has delivered against the proposed objectives.

Eligible costs

Funds of £500k per annum are available to support these fellowships and individual awards will range from £5k to £50k.

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