Funding opportunities

Sources of funding

The Library provides access to two databases of research funding opportunities. These can be used to set up opportunity alerts as well as for searching and browsing.

• ResearchResearch Database of research news and funding opportunities. Allows users to set up email alerts to news and funding opportunities in specified subject disciplines as well as by sponsor. Researchers and support staff are able to register for a password using the 'self registration' option from an OU networked computer.   This password can then be used for off campus access and will allow you to create a profile for email alerts. If you do not have access to an OU networked computer contact the library helpdesk with your first name, last name and OU email address.
• Community of Science (COS) Allows sharing of researchers' profiles, and searching of updated information on funding opportunities. Contact the library helpdesk for further information.

The following websites provide useful background information about the funding of research:

• Research Councils UK (RCUK) . Strategic partnership of the 7 UK Research Councils. Research Councils are organised by discipline and provide funding for specific research projects.
• Higher Education Funding Council of England and Wales (HEFCE) HEFCE organises funding which is used to maintain and develop research infrastructures. This is distributed following research assessments such as RAE2008 .

Funding Applications

The Research Schools - Grants and Contracts Team page on the OU intranet offers links to funding opportunities and guidelines on the process of making funding applications. This is managed by the Research School and includes advice on where to look for funding and Full Economic Costing.

Writing a funding proposal

• Grant proposal guide (National Science Foundation) NSF Document 94-2
• Guide for writing a funding proposal , S. Joseph Levine, Michigan State University