This scheme aims to fund world-class research related to unpredictable, discrete and abrupt events such as pandemics, conflicts, environmental impacts and abrupt policy change. Successful proposals will bring short-term impact and reputational gains for LSE by engaging with timely research opportunities.

Scheme priorities

In line with LSE’s Research for the World strategy, this scheme aims to fund responses to unexpected, transient research activities where data collection must be conducted immediately. 

Funding available 

The total available funding for the scheme is £100,000 per year.

Annual funding is distributed in order of request. This funding is timed to support urgent research activities at critical times and will not be reserved for later distribution.

Projects can request up to £20,000 for up to 12 months and must be ready to start within a month of awarding. 

Examples of projects 

Analysis of

• Enviornmental events such as earthquakes and heatwaves and their impacts across communities and policy.
• Studies of sudden conflict where analysis can be undertaken of the impacts and effects in and on the region.
• Examination of suddent elections that were not scheduled or forseen to gain insight into the functioning and challenges of the modern election systems.
• Social impacts of sudden economic recessions, including unemloyment, poverty, and changes in social mobility.
• Responses to pandemics and public health crises, including the effectiveness of public health policies, vaccination campaigns, and communication strategies. 

Examples of costs

• Research assistance both hourly paid and salaried which is linked to roles in the project.
• Staff time, for DI staff, to undertake research, write up outputs and engage with partners and collaborators.
• Data collection/fieldwork in the UK and overseas including associate travel, expenses and service provision if this is being outsourced.
• Travel, subsistence and accommodation costs.
• Participant payments and/or incentives as part of formal surveys or for community groups and beneficiaries involved in the research.
• Consultancy services in the UK and overseas which must include associated taxes and fees.
• Goods and services required from suppliers including surveys or transcription and translation services which must include associated VAT and fees.
• Small items of consumables.
• Other project specific costs, such as equipment (where it is directly linked to delivering project objectives).

Timetable 

Due to the nature of this funding, calls are open ended and responsive.

Applicants can expect to receive an outcome 10-15 working days after submission. 

Application process

All applications are submitted through the Internal Funding Application Form. 

You can find the guidance for the application form here. 

Applicant eligibility 

• Applications must align with the scheme priorities in this scheme guidance.
• All schemes are open to Faculty, Research and Policy Staff, Teaching Staff, and LSE Fellows as listed in LSE HR Role Profiles. Teaching Staff must demonstrate the proposed project is in line with their teaching field. Visiting scholars can apply providing they are able to demonstrate their link to LSE for the duration of the project, and have the sponsorship of an LSE academic staff. No funding can be requested for visiting scholars, as those are unpaid affiliations.
• Applicants must confirm that they have the full support of their host academic unit as part of their application. An award letter co-signed by the hosting unit lead will be required at award stage.
• Under the Urgency Research Projects, applicants must have a contract of employment at LSE in place for the entire project duration and be able to demonstrate continued links with LSE into the future, in order to ensure that post-award assessment and regular communications can be carried out for all awarded projects. Changes to contracts must be communicated to the R&I Funds Manager to ensure compliance with this rule.
• Previous awardees of internal funding must confirm the submission of the final report of closed projects.
• Applicants may not hold more than one project per scheme at any one time (either as PI or Co-I).
• Current LSE Students may not apply

Cost eligibility 

Staff should speak to their Research Development support contact to prepare their application and must seek support for preparing any LSE staff costs in their budget. Staff who do not request support from their designated contact may experience delays in their funding decision and project kick-off. 

The following costs are eligible for the Urgency Research Projects scheme:

• Directly incurred non-staff costs such as travel, fieldwork, consumables, goods, equipment, services, and consultants (including associated fees and taxes).
• Hourly Paid Staff costs for occasional research assistance and clerical support.
• Directly Incurred Salaried research and policy staff costs.

Specialist costs to make project activities more accessible that are not already covered by LSE support are also eligible, such as:

• Costs to make adjustments within travel and accommodation bookings for staff who need them.
• Cost to make sure outputs are accessible (both for researchers and stakeholders, such as braille printed books or pamphlets). 
• Costs of specialist contractors that are working on EDI supporting activities, such as audio transcription for events, etc. 
• Costs to make events more accessible including specialist venues and supporting staff.

The following costs are not eligible under this scheme:

• Directly allocated (LSE NAC Staff) Salaried staff costs.
• Collaborator and Partner staff costs. 
• Indirect (overheads) and estates (space) charges of LSE or any Partner and Collaborator.
• DI teaching contract or hourly paid teaching costs are not eligible.
• No funding can be requested for visiting scholars, as those are unpaid affiliations.

Review and selection 

Submitted applications will be checked against eligibility criteria. Ineligible applications will be rejected for the funding round and will not be taken forward to peer-review.

Applications under £10,000 will be assessed by the Operations Group.

Applications over £10,000 will be sent for peer review by the Research Development Panel.

Assessment criteria

The template for the peer review forms will be linked here once available. 

Applications will be assessed against the following criteria.

Support 

Please contact your Research Development support contact for guidance on your application.

If you require bridging support, please contact your Research Development support contact for advice. 

General queries, feedback and comments on the Urgency Fund scheme can be sent to Mariane Bignotto, R&I Funds Manager.