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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: EP/S017895/1
Title: QMUL ECR Capital Award
Principal Investigator: Spence, Professor WJ
Other Investigators:
Burke, Professor EK
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Physics
Organisation: Queen Mary University of London
Scheme: Standard Research - NR1
Starts: 01 January 2019 Ends: 30 June 2020 Value (£): 175,000
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Panel DatePanel NameOutcome
23 Jul 2018 Capital Award in Support of ECR Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
QMUL's EPSRC ECR capital award will fall into two strands:

1. A funding call open to those who have secured initial EPSRC grant funding in the eligible period, and where up-front investment in equipment will significantly enhance the likelihood of success in securing larger funding, such as fellowships or responsive mode. Often, low-medium value equipment is crucial to getting the preliminary results necessary to make the case for more substantial funding. ECR cohorts can struggle to access funding as this intermediate level, as due to historic funding restrictions it was not possible to add this to first grant applications, and equipment calls are typically targeted towards higher value items.

- Funding to purchase equipment which will form the basis of a new shared workshop facility. This funding will be matched by the institution, and we anticipate that this shared facility will establish a culture of collaboration across three of our academic Schools at QMUL: Engineering and Materials Science, Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, and Physics and Astronomy.

The objectives of the call are as follows:

- To provide capital investment with substantial and demonstrable, but not exclusive, benefit to Early Career Researchers.

The funding will be split into two streams, one with explicit benefit primarily to early career researchers, and one with a wider benefit that will significantly benefit the widest possible group of ECRs.

- To build on the culture of collaboration, equipment sharing and maximising the usage of equipment that is underway in research organisations.

The funding used to support the shared workshop facilities is explicitly designed to create a culture of collaboration. In addition, researchers who have equipment funded through the specific scheme to support First Grant holders will be asked to identify potential for equipment sharing in other research groups, and other Schools where relevant.

- Fulfilling the wider EPSRC aim of supporting the maintenance and development of World Class Laboratories.

Although QMUL regularly invests in its facilities, this funding will be used specifically to improve our laboratory environment for ECRs, allowing high-specification equipment to be purchased which would not be easily accessible to these researchers through other external funding routes.

Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Summary
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