Research opportunities Ignite Fund 2024/25

Research impact funding of up to £5,000 for projects developed between University of Leeds researchers from any faculty and cultural, arts and third sector organisations in West Yorkshire.

We will fund up to 4 projects up to £5,000 each.
All activities and payments to be completed by 31 July 2025.
Closing date for applications: 12 noon on Friday 25 October 2024.

We recommend you read the guidance notes on this page before making an application. This fund is offered by the Cultural Institute.

Apply for the Ignite Fund 2024/25 (Microsoft Form)

Ignite 2024/25 is open to researchers from across the University of Leeds to develop an impact or research project in partnership with an external cultural, arts or third sector partner organisation.

The aim of the fund is to support the creation/development of exciting collaborative projects that build strong working relationships between their partners and have potential for future research and impact.

We aim to support projects that are relevant and rewarding to both partners, and which help develop an effective working relationship between them.

What is the scheme for?

You might want to explore a new approach, use research to inform a new creative project, analyse existing data, bring different disciplines together in an original way, or something else entirely. Past projects have included a collaborative workshop series exploring facilitation and social change, research into dance and aging and a project investigating the effects of collective reading among many others.

All projects should provide the opportunity to explore ideas and areas for development, and demonstrate how they lay the foundation for a longer-term collaboration.

What does Impact mean in a University context?

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the current system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions. Impact is one of the measures by which the REF judges institutions’ research.

In the REF, Impact is defined as an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia. For the next submission to REF, due in 2029, impact will be assessed in terms of ‘rigour, reach and significance’.
Lead academics may wish to discuss their application with their school’s Director of Impact.

Timeline

We plan to inform successful applicants by 15 November 2024. Please leave sufficient time for your Head of School to read and approve your application before submission. The selection panel will comprise an academic representative, professional staff from the Cultural Institute and a representative from a West-Yorkshire based cultural organisation.

If you are successful, you may start your project immediately. Funding will be administered through the School in which the applicant academic is based.

You will be asked to report on your project 3 months after it has been awarded and on completion. This reporting is light touch, but mandatory. Please email culturalinstitute@leeds.ac.uk for further information.

Who can it involve?

Applications can be made by a researcher from any faculty or discipline at the University of Leeds, working with a partner from the cultural, arts or third sector in West Yorkshire.

Lead applicants must be academic staff employed by the University until at least 31 July 2025, and cannot be a postgraduate researcher.

The co-applicant/s must be a named lead at a cultural, arts or third sector organisation West Yorkshire and must not be employed by the University of Leeds.

Where the co-applicant is from a third sector (non-arts or culture-based organisation), the project itself must have a focus on culture, creativity or art making.

Additional partners can be post-graduate researchers, University of Leeds academics or academics from other institutions.

We will give priority to applications in which at least one of the arts/cultural/third sector partner is a constituted organisation.

We will not provide continuation of funding for projects funded through Ignite, The Sapling Fund, Sapling Bradford or Bradford Collaborations Fund in 2023/4. If you also apply to the Sapling Fund in 2024/5 and are successful, your application to this scheme will not be considered further if it is for the same or a similar project.

Some researchers might also be interested in the Sapling Fund, administered by LAHRI and the Cultural Institute. This is a researcher-led fund with particular themes which funds collaborative impact projects in the Arts and Humanities.

Fund priorities and assessment criteria

Applications will be reviewed against the strategic priorities set out below, so it is important that you explain these aspects of your project in your application.

While we do not expect projects to have all the following elements, we will give priority to projects that include some of the following:

the possibility of generating or leading to step-change in partnerships between academic researchers and creative and cultural organisations
a clear relationship to the applicant/s research and/or the impact of their research
the possibility of creating change outside the University
a demonstrable benefit to both partners
an employability/student opportunity element for undergraduate students or post graduate researchers.

There is no formal requirement that an external research funding application would be part of or follow a Ignite project, but we expect to see activity which has the potential to lead to substantial future collaboration and impact.

Eligible costs

The funding can cover the full costs of the activity including, but not limited to:

University internships or research assistant time. If your proposed work involves engaging project-specific interns and/or research assistants, the academic applicant should liaise with your School MASS team when costing this item
Fees for cultural partner organisations; such as to cover space and time
Materials
Venue and equipment hire
UK travel and subsistence – while not ineligible, support to cover international travel is unlikely to be supported by Ignite. A very robust demonstration of value for money must be made for this to be considered.
Access costs for participants.

Ineligible costs

The funding can’t be used for:

IT/equipment purchase
Buying out the time of staff who are already contracted at Leeds
Conference attendance.

If applicants to this scheme have access needs, please let us know as we may be able to support these in addition to the main fund.