The Eden Catalyst Fund supports evidence-based education enhancement and innovation projects for up to £8000. We support initiatives which contribute to the development and delivery of education enhancement activities at the School.
Applications should be related to one or more of the themes below.
**New for 2024/25: Catalyst Spotlight Fund on Generative AI**
This academic year, the LSE Catalyst Spotlight Fund is on projects focusing on Generative AI and Education. This might include projects focusing on assessment, teaching and learning, course and programme design, developing generative AI literacy, or exploring student and staff experiences and perspectives.
Applications should follow the usual process for Catalyst funding, as outlined below. All applications engaging with the theme of Generative AI will be reviewed for approval by a panel including Professor Emma McCoy, Vice President and Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education), and Dr Claire Gordon, Director, LSE Eden Centre, early in Winter Term.
The closing deadline for applications to the Catalyst Spotlight Fund on Generative AI is Thursday 19 December 2024.
Curriculum enrichment
The Catalyst Fund supports projects aimed at developing approaches that support and enhance students’ learning experience on their courses and programmes.
This might include projects which explore new or innovative teaching activities, or which review or refresh the design of existing courses or programmes.
Assessment and feedback enhancement
The Catalyst Fund supports projects aimed at developing approaches to assessment and feedback which enhance students’ educational experience.
This might include projects exploring assessment design in the light of Generative AI, or which explore programme-level approaches to assessment.
Technology enhanced learning and digital innovation
The Catalyst Fund supports projects aimed at innovating or enhancing learning through technology.
This might include projects exploring technologies for enhancing assessment and feedback practices, those used in the classroom and/or those used asynchronously by students.
Inclusive education
The Catalyst Fund supports projects which develop inclusive educational practices. At LSE, these are centred on the recognition of all identities, underpinned by a steadfast dedication to principled and inclusive teaching and learning approaches.
This might include projects around academic mentoring, the integration of inclusive and anti-racist pedagogies, and diversification and decolonisation of our curriculum.
Education for Sustainability
The Catalyst Fund supports projects which develop sustainable educational approaches, which equip students with the skills for perceptive analysis of social issues, aiming to drive progress towards a more sustainable future.
This might include projects which explore ways to embed sustainability in the curriculum, which develop students’ critical and systems thinking, or which help them prepare for complex challenges.
Staff-student partnership
The Catalyst Fund supports projects aimed at positioning students as equal participants, active collaborators and/or co-creators with staff in their education and wider student experience.
This might include projects which explore any of the aspects of education enhancement listed above from a student partnership perspective.
**Please note that the Catalyst Fund also supports research projects and data collection contributing to institutional and sector-wide debates connected to the themes listed above.**
If you wish to apply, please use the online Expression of Interest (EoI) Form. The EoI form is a simple, high-level application form requesting an outline of the project and an estimation of cost that will allow the funding panel to agree to a project in principle. Here you can find a printable copy of the EoI form to give you an idea up-front of the sections and questions you will need to fill out. We welcome Expressions of Interest emerging from interdisciplinary, interdepartmental dialogues and submitted by applicants across different departments.
Once completed the EoI form will be automatically sent to the Eden Centre for the funding panel's consideration. We aim to respond to EoIs within 15 to 20 working days of submission.
The Eden Catalyst fund is open to members of staff affiliated to School’s Departments.
If affiliation with the School does not match the length of the project, applicants should have a co-lead to guarantee completion of the project and dissemination of findings and/or good practices.
Please note that communication regarding the application process will be shared also with the applicants’ Head of Department and Department Manager. Applicants are expected to inform the HoD and DM about their application.
Regrettably, students cannot apply to the Eden Catalyst Fund. Student’s inquiries can be directed to the Student Communities inbox (student.communities@lse.ac.uk).
The approving panel is aiming to support evidence-based, education enhancement, and innovation projects.
- Evidence-based: The panel is interested to hear about the evidence base underpinning the project, this could be from the scholarship, how the project connects with past projects within and outside the Department, and/or results from student feedback.
- Education Enhancement: The panel is interested to hear about initiatives which contribute to improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment activities and experiences for students and staff in line with LSE 2030 Educate for Global Impact. These can be at course, programme, or department level.
- Innovation: The panel is interested to hear about projects aiming at innovating teaching and learning activities, introducing creative pedagogic practices, digital innovation, redesigning assessments, and focusing on key priorities of LSE2030 Educate for Global Impact. These can be at course, programme or department level. The Fund also supports innovation by funding practice sharing and practice building within and across disciplines.
The panel is particularly interested to hear about how applicants will use the experience of the project to inspire the larger LSE teaching and learning community (outputs can be sharable resources, academic and staff development sessions, HE blogs posts, case studies, short videos, etc).
To ensure continuity and clarity in the application process, the following points outline what is beyond the remit of the Fund. The list below will be reviewed annually to meet the ever-changing landscape of teaching in Higher Education.
Regrettably, we are unable to fund:
- Costs towards repeating activities previously funded by the Catalyst Fund or other funds across the School. However, we are very interested in supporting ideas or practices emerging from past projects implemented within a department or inspired by previous Catalyst funded projects across the School.
- Costs towards paying permanent members of staff.
- Costs towards paying teaching staff to perform teaching and marking duties.
- Costs towards hiring external consultants whose area of expertise overlaps with the expertise of teams or members of the LSE community.
- Costs towards producing Departmental merchandise.
- Costs towards buying electronic goods for staff such as laptops and desktops.
- Costs towards travel expenses and conference fees for full time and permanent members of staff
We generally do not fund:
- Costs towards food catering
- Costs towards hiring venues outside LSE
- Costs towards travel expenses for visiting scholars
However, we might consider contributing towards the cost of food, venues and travel expenses for visiting scholars if the Catalyst Fund intervention is essential to a successful outcome of the project.