KEI projects and coronavirus

Find out what to do if you think COVID-19 will impact your KEI project. This guidance will be updated as new information is received.

If your plans have been affected by following PHE and School advice in regard to the coronavirus crisis then you can carry your £10k allocation over to 2020/21.
You will need to confirm how you plan to spend this underspend by Friday 25 September.
As we do not know how long disruption will go on for, please think about reviewing and adjusting your plans rather than postponing them. For example, moving events online where possible.
If your projects involve internal or external suppliers please speak to them about the viability of going ahead, postponing or finding alternative solutions.
Departments will receive a further £10k allocation for 2020/21. All funds must be spent by 31 May 2021.
Contact research.kei@lse.ac.uk if you have any further questions.

If your plans have been affected by following PHE and School advice in regard to the coronavirus crisis then you can request a no-cost extension by emailing us in lieu of completing the usual extension request form.
The HEIF 6 deadline of May 2021 still applies so we cannot give extensions beyond this date. We are in touch with external funders so we’ll let you know if anything changes.
Please also let us know if you intend to refocus some of your activity. As we do not know how long disruption will go on for, please think about reviewing and adjusting your plans rather than postponing them. For example, moving events online where possible. Get in touch with the KEI Integrated Service if you'd like to discuss this further.
If your projects involve internal or external suppliers please speak to them about the viability of going ahead, postponing or finding alternative solutions.
We have made the difficult decision to terminate the final round of KEI Fund applications without awarding any grants.

In light of the continuing impact coronavirus is having across the world and the uncertainty that brings to the Higher Education funding landscape, we need to hold the available funds in reserve to support staff costs on existing KEI funded projects that have arisen as a result of the current crisis. Regrettably, that means we cannot continue with this funding round, despite the many exciting bids we received.

We did not take this decision lightly, and regret the impact this will have on your plans.

As you know, this was to be the last round of KEI Fund bids for 2020/21 because the amount remaining in the fund, part of LSE’s HEIF 6 allocation, is drawing to a close. If circumstances allow us to reopen the current funding round, if only with more limited funds, we will advise you directly.

Simon Hix, Pro Director (Research), March 2020
Contact research.kei@lse.ac.uk if you have any further questions.

Visit our KEI training webpage for communications advice including blogging, online events and filming yourself using a smartphone.
Does your research relate to COVID-19? Parliament’s Knowledge Exchange Unit (KEU) is creating a COVID-19 Outbreak Expert Database. If you feel you have any expertise relating to the COVID-19 outbreak or its impacts, the KEU would be grateful if you would sign up to the database. Signing up does not commit you to contributing: it’s simply so that Parliament has your details to hand and can contact you rapidly. If they contact you and you aren’t able to respond, they will fully understand. The sign-up form is here.
For more opportunities to influence government and Parliamentary business, including consultations and select committees specifically examining COVID impacts, sign up to the Public Affairs team's weekly bulletins.
Can you add your expertise to LSE's COVID-19 response?
In September LSE is launching a new initiative, 'Shaping the Post-COVID World', building on the important conversations and research that has been undertaken since the emergence of COVID-19, to convene a debate about the direction the world could and should be taking after the crisis, and what policies national and global actors should pursue.
We will be exploring themes including: the macro economy; restructuring business, trade and the future of work; inequality and social infrastructure; health and social care; environment and climate change; welfare and public policy trade-offs; governance and state capacity; democracy and rights.

Contact Louise Jones at research.kei@lse.ac.uk if you are working on something that could fit with this initiative. By letting us know, we can help feature your work across LSE channels and provide you with helpful assets to promote your work. Do also consider writing for the LSE COVID-19 blog.
Colleagues from across the School are also invited to send expressions of interest for involvement in next year’s LSE Festival, which at present we plan to deliver online. The Festival will continue exploration of the theme 'Shaping the Post-COVID World' and take place from 1 - 6 March 2021. All we need at this stage is a brief outline (100-300 words) of your idea and which theme(s) it relates to. Please email Louise Jones at research.kei@lse.ac.uk with your plans or proposals.
Contact research.kei@lse.ac.uk if you have any further questions.

Read Coronavirus: implication for LSE research activities which includes staff affected by illness, implications for fieldwork and data collection, and links to guidance from external funders.
See LSE’s coronavirus response webpages with advice for staff and students
Contact research.kei@lse.ac.uk or your award manager/PhD supervisor if you have any further questions.

Last updated: 21 August 2020