Research Development manage restricted calls and support researchers through funding streams.
Internal Funding Opportunities
The Research Strategic Fund (RSF)
Funding is available to support early stage activities leading to the submission of an external research grant application supported by your Research Development Manager. This may include, but is not limited to, activities such as consortia building, visits to a partner institution and/or collaborative meetings to prepare a grant application.
Please contact your Research Director to request an application form. All completed applications and costing evidence should be submitted to Shauna McKeown for review.
Official Development Assistance (ODA) Research development Strategy Fund
Funding is available to support activities leading to the submission of an external research grant application supported by your Research Development Manager. All proposals must promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries on the OECD’s DAC list2. As directed by DSIT, the fund cannot be used to deliver activities within, in partnership with or that otherwise
benefit China.
Please contact your Research Director to request an application form. All completed applications and costing evidence should be submitted to Shauna McKeown for review.
Restricted Calls
What are Restricted calls?
In order to ensure that external research grant applications submitted by Ulster University are of the highest quality, we are sometimes required to initiate a process for restricted calls or demand management.
Restricted calls are a funder requirement and managed in line with the funder guidelines and capped number of applications. Non-adherence to the funder requirement may result in all applications being rejected.
NERC (UKRI) - Pushing the frontiers of enviornmental research: July 2025
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is seeking to support researchers (at all career stages) and innovators to develop and make use of novel, critical technologies including artificial intelligence, engineering biology, and quantum technologies throughout its investment portfolio. We have also set out our aspirations for the future of data and technology in environmental science in our digital strategy 2021 to 2030.
In developing your application to this funding opportunity, you may wish to consider how the innovative use of critical technologies, and approaches addressing the ambitions of NERC’s digital strategy, might offer opportunities to address your research questions in new and novel ways. This might include the development of new collaborations across domains and disciplines. Please read the eligibility section carefully.
Each institution is limited to one bid only.
Notification of your Expression of Interest (EoI) must be made via email by 5pm Friday 21st March 2025.
Outline Applications must be submitted by 5pm Friday 11th April 2025.
Both EoIs and Outline Applications to be submitted to Andrew Harbinson.
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The 2026 Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists.
This is an opportunity for promising academic researchers working in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemistry, to receive a prize of up to £100,000 in unrestricted research funding. More details, including individual eligibility, eligible disciplinary categories and FAQs can be found through the Blavatnik Award webpages.
The University can nominate up to three staff members, one in each of the three disciplinary categories above. Should more than one eligible applicant wish to apply in any category, outline applications will be reviewed and triaged by an internal panel with relevant expertise.
If you are interested in being nominated, please read the eligibility criteria carefully. If you have any questions regarding eligibility please contact Colm Burns. (Life and Health Sciences) or Cian McCrudden (Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment).
Notification of your Expression of Interest (EoI) must be made via email by 5pm Wednesday 9th April 2025.
Blavatnik Outline Applications must be submitted by 5pm Friday 2nd May 2025.
Both EoIs and Outline Applications to be submitted to Andrew Harbinson.