UK-Middle East Capacity Sharing Partnerships

The Academy's UK-Middle East Capacity Sharing Partnerships scheme enables scholars from the UK, working in any branch of the humanities or social sciences, to apply through their institution to undertake collaborative research and training with scholars from the Middle East on a specific theme of mutual interest. Priority will be given to innovative and interdisciplinary themes and approaches. The partnerships are intended to build capacity on both sides and it is envisaged that this capacity building should take place through the research collaboration. This might be carried forward through a range of related activities such as visits in both directions; workshops; seminars and lecture programmes. In addition participants from the Middle East might offer short intensive courses related to the research theme in the UK institution and vice versa (applicants will be encouraged to think flexibly in this regard due to restraints on study leave, for example in terms of devising intensive short programmes rather than whole semesters). There might be an exchange of publications and/or the creation of shared websites where relevant research materials could be loaded; or there might be a series of small, interlinked workshops. Assessors will be looking for proposals that have a well-defined and clearly envisaged outcome, and the British Academy is keen for the partnerships to publish and disseminate joint research and training outcomes.

The scheme is intended to initiate the development of long-term, vigorous links between UK and scholars from Middle Eastern institutions, whilst also encouraging an intra-Middle Eastern, south-south exchange of expertise and knowledge sharing. Stronger proposals will see institutions or scholars from more than one country in the Middle East involved in the programme. The British Academy is favourably disposed to consider applications that outline a clear strategy of how the partnership intends to facilitate intra-regional university collaboration and exchange of expertise. The scheme is intended to benefit early-career scholars from both the UK and Middle East, and projects will be highly regarded where they include junior academics from both sides. Funds are provided to cover a three-year period, after which time it is hoped that alternative sources of funding might be sought in order to continue the collaboration.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be of postdoctoral or equivalent status (i.e. academic staff with at least one or two years of teaching/ research experience). Normally postgraduate students will not be eligible for funds to support travel between the UK and the Middle East.
• The principal UK applicant must be ‘ordinarily resident’ in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands (that is, classed as ‘ordinarily resident’ by the Inland Revenue).
• Whilst Middle Eastern scholars cannot apply directly they are encouraged to initiate links with UK partner institutions and to play a significant role in developing the proposals. Both partners need to have input into the application. The British Academy will give a higher priority to applications that give a clear indication that UK-Middle Eastern universities’ collaboration is based on consultation, partnership and with a view to sustainability.
• Applicants will need institutional support because running workshops, offering components of taught courses etc, involves institutional resources including office space, meeting rooms, accommodation and access to facilities amongst other things. More importantly, the aim of the scheme is to build lasting inter-institutional links. For this reason the applicants' institutions will need to endorse the proposal and outline briefly what resources will be made available.
• The following countries in the Middle East are eligible under this scheme:

Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

Level of award

Grants are offered up to a maximum of £10,000 per year for up to 3 years. Funding for years 2 and 3 will be conditional upon receipt of a satisfactory annual progress report.

Applicants will be expected to submit a breakdown of estimated costs, which would have to be worked out and agreed between the two partners and endorsed by the finance offices of each institution. (It is recognised that as the project develops there may be changes in planned activities resulting in amendments to the budget and these will be accounted for in the annual progress reports). Note: This scheme is not covered by UK Full Economic Costing, and does not meet salary costs.

Closing date

The closing date for applications is 4 July 2008 . Decisions will be announced in early December. Funding will be available from late December, and it is expected that grants will be taken up by March of the following year.

Referees

All applications for Academy grants are considered in the light of referees' comments. No application will be considered without the required number of references, which must be received by the closing date for applications.

One reference is required for this scheme. The applicant is responsible for sending the referee form to the referee to complete. Your referee should be familiar with your project and able to comment on its significance and feasibility, and on your abilities. Please note that your referee should be drawn from outside your own employing institution and from outside the employing institution of your co-investigators. Failure to observe this rule will result in the application being ruled ineligible. (Scholars who have only very recently obtained postdoctoral status may, where necessary, be permitted to use an internal referee.) Applicants are requested to explain the relevance of their choice of referee to their application.

Referees are asked to include the name of the main applicant as well as their institution in the UK Partner and the Middle East Partner boxes. Where references are emailed, referees should include the surname of the principal UK applicant in the email subject-heading box.

An application will be prejudiced where the referee has simply provided a grade without additional comment. Referees are advised that a reasoned explantion of the merits of the aplication carries a greater weight than the grade.

How To Apply
Read these notes carefully.

• The UK Partner should download and fill in Part A of the form, including the two appendix forms (Subject Area and Monitoring), giving the information required in the space available and not adding additional sheets of paper unless invited to do so. The form should be typed or word processed throughout, and a minumum of 10pt font size used. An appropriate representative (e.g. Head of Department or School; Dean; Finance Officer) from the UK institution should complete question 14 confirming the institution’s involvement in the project and sign and date their statement.
• The Middle Eastern Partner is asked to download Part B of the form and fill it in in typescript, or on a word-processor, or, if necessary, in clear handwriting, preferably printed. An appropriate representative (e.g. Head of Department or School; Dean; Finance Officer) from their institution should complete question 5 confirming the institution’s involvement in the project and sign and date their statement. The Middle East Partner should then send a copy of Part B to the UK Partner, either scanned and sent by email, or sent by post or fax if necessary. The copy must have a signature.
• The UK partner is asked to send the entire application, both Parts A and B, the Subject Area form and the Monitoring form, to the Academy by post to arrive no later than 4 July 2008 . FAXED APPLICATIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTED AND WILL NOT BE PROCESSED. Applications may be e-mailed, but a signed hard copy must also be posted to arrive by the closing date.
• One referee should be identified for the entire project. They should be from outside the applicants' institutions and should not be involved in the project. The referee should download and complete the reference form and return it direct to the Academy, either by post or by email to middleeast@britac.ac.uk. Where references are emailed, referees should include the surname of the principal UK applicant in the email subject heading box. FAXED REFERENCES ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Please ensure that your referee is aware of the closing date for applications.
• The British Academy will only process COMPLETE APPLICATIONS , consisting of both Part A and Part B, the Subject Area form, the Monitoring form, and completed Reference form. Any Part A or Part B received separately WILL NOT BE PROCESSED.
• The British Academy will send a confirmation email once the application has been processed. Please be aware that this might be a few days after the deadline.

Assessment criteria

Disciplinary assessors will evaluate the partners involved in the application, taking into account the partners engaged in the proposal and the match between their interests, the appropriateness of the planned activities for developing the partnership, the degree to which collaboration within the partner area is encouraged, the ways in which knowledge development on both sides is encouraged, the evidence of support from institutional authorities in both the UK and abroad, and the outcomes of the partnership, both academic (publication, website, training, etc) and in terms of plans for continued links.

Assessors will evaluate the research proposal around which the partnership is developed on the basis of its academic merit, taking into account its originality, its relationship to, and the volume of, research already in the field, the scholarly importance of the research proposed, the suitability of the methodology and the feasibility and specificity of the research programme.

Assessors will evaluate the ability of the principal investigator(s) to manage the proposed partnership, taking into account their track record in terms of previous research and collaborative experience, their publication record, their academic age and stage of career.

Applications will also be evaluated by Area Panels which will take into account the views of disciplinary assessors, but also regional aspects which affect the application, including the Academy’s strategic or other aims relevant to the area, capacity development issues both in the UK and the area abroad and the potential for the establishment and maintenance of long-term links.

Assessors may take into account evidence of language competence where the understanding of material in a foreign language is crucial to the achievement of the research objective.

Comparative judgements about value for money may be taken into account at the final stage of assessment.

Code of Practice

The Academy has adopted a Code of Practice for assessing research applications, setting out the principles of equity, integrity and confidentiality governing the treatment of all applications for research support. Feedback is not a feature of this programme, and the Academy is, regretfully, unable to enter into correspondence regarding the decisions of the awarding Committee, which are governed by the Code of Practice.

Submission of the signed application form constitutes the applicant's agreement to all terms, conditions and notices contained in the Notes for Applicants.

Contact the International Relations Department for further advice.