Published on 29 January 2021
Researchfish Funder Submission for 2021
The annual submission period for UKRI, NIHR, CRUK, BHF and other funders is 1st February to 11th March 2021 during which time PIs can use their Researchfish account to submit a return on their research outputs. Links made in Symplectic Elements to Researchfish grants have now been uploaded to Researchfish.
Due to the current COVID pandemic, many funders are reviewing their exemption and sanction policies to take account of those individuals who are unable to report during the 2021 submission window. Further details can be found on the Research Office website. For UKRI students, reporting in Researchfish is optional for the 2021 submission period and students should not feel under pressure to report at the expense of completing their research training.
Note that for those PIs who are able to, they should submit a return in Researchfish in the usual way between 1st February - 11th March 2021.
Horizon Europe Programme
Under the terms of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the UK will participate in the Horizon Europe Programme as an Associated Country. However, before the UK can formally access Horizon Europe, the Horizon Europe Regulation needs to be ratified by the EU (probably February 2021). Further details will be published on the ROO Horizon Europe web pages as soon as they are available.
Research Office Capacity
The Research Office aims to continue supporting academic and departmental colleagues as effectively as is possible. However, the current National Lockdown, school closures, caring responsibilities and other pressures on staff has had an immediate impact. A recent survey of Research Office staff has indicated that we are currently working with a ~20% - 25% reduction in capacity.
Whilst the Research Office will continue to prioritise activity relating to COVID-19, we need to manage other work across the Office and are implementing changes regarding application deadlines, award management and contracts. Full details of these arrangements can be found on the Research Office COVID19 web pages.
RGUG - Thursday 25th February at 11:30am
The next Research Grants User Group (RGUG) meeting with take place as a live event on Thursday 25th February 2021 at 11:30am. The agenda will include updates about European Funding, Export Control, Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme as well as the Costing & Pricing project. Details and joining information will be circulated in the next bulletin.
fEC Rates Delay
Due to internal delays in the preparation and submission of the University’s Annual Financial Return to the Office for Students (OfS), approval and submission of the TRAC Return has been delayed. Therefore, fEC rates will not be updated on X5 for use from the 1st February as in previous years. The new fEC rates are expected to be approved by the Finance Committee in March 2021 for use from w/c 21st March. Until then, the old rates will be in use. Once the new fEC rates have been confirmed, there will be a short period of downtime in X5 so that the new rates can be imported.