Research Journey Handbook

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NAVIGATING THE RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE ENVIRONMENT A Research Journey Handbook

Foreword

It’s my pleasure to introduce this timely and insightful handbook to support new and current staff in relation to the organisation, support and processes associated with research and knowledge exchange (RKE) at LJMU. RKE is a vital part of university activity and is a key element of LJMU’s Strategy 2030. LJMU is an inclusive civic university, rooted in our city and region but influential and impactful around the globe.

As such our RKE activity reflects a vibrant hub of creativity, innovation, discovery, and societal impact. To support this work is a complex ecosystem of people, resources and processes to facilitate staff and PGR students in planning, undertaking and translating our RKE work. Understanding the “who, what, where and when” questions is the focus of this handbook to support all at LJMU to effectively realise our ambitions.

This handbook delves into many of the local, faculty and university level processes by which cutting-edge research is conducted within our institution and how this translates into tangible benefits for the wider LJMU community and society. It explores some of the ways in which our academics, postgraduate research students and external partners collaborate, fostering a symbiotic relationship that enriches both scholarly understanding and practical application. In addition, we highlight key people, teams and resources that support our activity. Through knowledge-sharing across our two faculties, the Research and Innovation Services Team, Library Open Research Team and Doctoral Academy we strive to provide an inclusive culture of excellence.

Professor Keith George Pro-Vice Chancellor Research & Knowledge Exchange

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CONTENTS Foreword Contents.......................................................... 1 Introduction.................................................... 2 Research And Innovation Services (RIS)...... 2 Faculty Research Offices.............................. 2 Research And Knowledge Exchange Plan 2030..................................................... 3 Research And Knowledge Exchange Governance................................. 3 Concordat To Support The Career Development Of Researchers...................... 4 Research Staff Association.......................... 4 Disabled Researchers Network.................... 5 Research Centres And Institutes ................. 6 Leading Quality Research And Impact......... 8 LJMU Profiles............................................... 8 Entrepreneurial Researcher Email List.......... 8 Starting Your Research And Knowledge Exchange Journey.................... 9 Reach Out To RIS......................................... 9 The External Funding Landscape............. 10 Third Party/Industry Funding (KE/Non-Grant)...........................................11

Other Considerations For Research And Knowledge Exchange Project Development................................... 19 Intellectual Property Considerations........... 19 What Is Impact?......................................... 19 Export Controls.......................................... 22 Research Ethics And Governance ............. 22 Public Engagement With Research............ 23 Public And Patient Involvement And Engagement (PPIE).................................... 23 Equality, Diversity And Inclusion ................ 25 UN Sustainable Development Goals.......... 25 Post-Award Research Success.................26 Your Obligations On Receiving An External Award........................................... 26 Contractual Phase...................................... 26 Award Costing............................................ 26 Legal Draft/Review And Signature Process...................................................... 27 Post-Contract Phase...................................27 Finance Project Code................................. 27 Recruiting................................................... 27 Running The Project................................... 27 I-Buy........................................................... 28 Power BI..................................................... 28 Reporting................................................... 28

Research Councils......................................11

Capture Manage And Curate Research Data..............................................29

The Internal Funding Landscape............... 12

Thinking Of Publishing?..............................31

Faculty-Led Funding....................................12 Institutional Funding Schemes....................12

Researcher Training....................................32

Other Internal Funding Schemes.............. 14

Additional Relevant Information...............33

Writing Your Funding Application............. 14

Research Application Checklist................34

Where Do I Start?....................................... 15 Hints And Tips............................................ 15

Glossary Of Research Terms ....................35

Calculating Your Funding Costs................ 16

LJMU Research And Knowledge Exchange Contacts.....................................36

Grants And Projects System (GaP) ............ 16 Costs Associated With Delivery...................17 Finance Queries..........................................17

LJMU Research And Knowledge Exchange Links............................................37

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INTRODUCTION The purpose of this handbook is to signpost researchers towards relevant resources and information, supporting you on your research and knowledge exchange (RKE) journey. This includes the practical aspects of developing an RKE project, understanding funding options and assistance with applications or proposals, and key tips for post-award activities once funding is secured. The handbook provides a practical toolkit of relevant information that funders frequently look for when assessing grant applications or working with LJMU on RKE activities.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION SERVICES (RIS) Research and Innovation Services (RIS) is the central professional service team here to help the academic community develop and grow RKE activities for LJMU. RIS comprises four teams: Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation; Grants, Policy and Projects; Research Excellence; and Research Ethics and Governance. Together, we provide integrated, end-to-end support for your RKE journey. Reaching out to RIS in the very early stages of your RKE project means we can guide and support your idea from conception right through to impact.

For contact details see page 36.

FACULTY RESEARCH OFFICES

RIS works closely with the Faculty Research Offices in Society and Culture (S&C), and Health, Innovation, Technology and Science (HITS).

Faculty research support staff can help you to identify sources of funding and opportunities to support your research proposals and be on hand to advise and guide you on related faculty-level practices and training.

For contact details see page 36.

RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE PLAN 2030

Research and knowledge exchange (RKE) is fundamental to the broader university strategy which maps out our institutional vision for 2030.

The Research and Knowledge Exchange Plan is aligned to this setting out our guiding principles, key priorities and themes. REF 2021 placed us in the top 50 in the UK for ‘Research Power’ fuelling our ambition to grow and develop our research culture. This work is driven by the Curiosity, Creativity and Impact of our staff and students at a local, national and global level.

The Research and Knowledge Exchange Plan 2030 is essential reading for all researchers setting out on their research journey.

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RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE GOVERNANCE

The Code of Practice for Research and Knowledge Exchange is LJMU’s institutional policy that ensures those involved in RKE activities are well-informed about, and compliant with, current legal, regulatory, and institutional principles and expectations when planning, conducting, and disseminating research outputs. The Code aligns with the UK Research Integrity Office Code of Practice for Research and the UK Concordat to support research integrity.

Many funders require evidence of institutional policies relating to research commitment and we advise that you cite this Code of Practice where required in your applications.

The Associate Deans (Research and Knowledge Exchange) in each faculty play a key role in supporting the delivery of the LJMU Research and Knowledge Exchange Plan 2030. They lead, promote and coordinate faculty research and knowledge exchange activities. They are responsible for identifying funding and development opportunities and devising strategies to grow faculty research and knowledge exchange reach and income.

RKE activities undertaken at faculty level are discussed at regular meetings of a Faculty Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee (FRKEC). Each meeting is attended by faculty office holders named in the terms of reference, highlighting achievements and championing issues affecting researchers.

Minutes of the FRKEC are fed into the University Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee, which represents research management throughout the university. If you want to propose an agenda item to be considered at the FRKEC please raise it within your School or with the Head of your Research Centre or Institute at the first instance.

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CONCORDAT TO SUPPORT THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT OF RESEARCHERS

LJMU is a signatory of the ‘Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers’, an agreement between stakeholders to improve the research environment and employment support for researchers working in Higher Education.

The Concordat aims to benefit the whole UK research community, to improve the culture and environment in which research is conducted and to benefit both those conducting and managing research and the quality of the research itself. Three key principles are viewed as obligations for signatories to the Concordat: providing a supportive and inclusive research culture, recognising and valuing the contributions of our research staff, and providing professional and career development opportunities to enable researchers to develop to their full potential. As part of our obligation, LJMU are committed to ensuring our research staff have 10-days (pro-rata) to spend on career development activities.

Read LJMU’s Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers

RESEARCH STAFF ASSOCIATION

As part of our Commitment to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, LJMU has been developing a Research Staff Association (RSA). This will be a safe space to support networking across LJMU, to share experiences and resources, and to maximise opportunities for research career development. The Research Staff Association has a Teams page. The RSA will meet four times a year (March, June, September and December).

We are keen to hear from any researchers being involved in developing and/or delivering our Research Staff Association.

For more information please contact Dr Hannah Timpson, Reader in Socioeconomic Engagement in Health in the School of Nursing and Advanced Practice and Academic Lead for the Concordat H.Timpson@ljmu.ac.uk

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DISABLED RESEARCHERS NETWORK Research cultures should be accessible and inclusive for all researchers. Our research community benefits from the diversity of its members, including those with lived experience of disability. This includes researchers who identify with categories such as chronic health conditions, neurodivergence, learning disabilities, mental illness, d/Deafness, and other long-term health conditions.

You are not required to disclose a disability unless you wish to do so. However, disabled researchers may find it helpful to discuss workplace reasonable adjustments with HR, their line manager, or their research director. All disabled staff can apply for the Government’s Access to Work scheme, which supports disabled people to take up and remain in employment. Access to Work and reasonable adjustments exist to provide the accommodations necessary to help staff thrive. They can offer funding and guidance to support your research career, for example, through equipment, assistive technology, coaching, or research assistance.

There may be occasions when you experience barriers or discrimination while conducting research. LJMU operates a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of discrimination and harassment (see the Diversity & Inclusion statement). Any incidents should be reported. The Staff Disability Network can also provide confidential advice if you wish to discuss concerns away from your line manager, research team, or HR. It is important to recognise that accessibility is a shared responsibility. Everyone has a role to play in creating inclusive research environments. LJMU Human Resources works to identify and address systematic barriers, including in research processes and cultures.

The staff-led Disabled Researchers Hub provides resources for designing accessible research practices, policies, and spaces.

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RESEARCH CENTRES AND INSTITUTES

At Liverpool John Moores University our research centres and institutes carry out important and inspirational work, committed to the university strategy to find solutions to the problems of the 21st century. They develop knowledge in key areas, to encourage new thinking, technologies, and methods, and to address pressing social, environmental, and economic issues through dedicated, high-quality scholarship and exchange.

RESEARCH CENTRES A research centre provides an organisational structure for focused RKE in a defined academic area. The RKE addresses specified thematic areas within a discipline, enabling the research centre to be a beacon for researchers and collaborators to work together. A centre advances usable knowledge, generating an environment for dialogue, collaboration and mutual support between researchers.

RESEARCH INSTITUTES A research institute expands the reach of a research centre’s RKE activity within the University and with external collaborators.

It represents deep excellence, broadly held, and typically attracts internal resources in recognition of this status. It is a source for advancing the boundaries of knowledge, a hub for connecting researchers to identify and address challenges through collaborative, inter-disciplinary, or multi-disciplinary research, and a facilitator to connect external parties with LJMU research and researchers.

For the full list of research centres and institutes please visit the LJMU website.

PAN-UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INSTITUTES (PURIS) LJMU has three pan-university research institutes: the Institute for Health Research (IHR), the Forensic Research Institute (FORRI), and the Liverpool Research Institute for Climate and Sustainability (LiRICS). They unite researchers from across LJMU to tackle issues of national and international significance aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They represent the University’s cross-institutional commitment to addressing global challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration.

The IHR focuses on improving human health across the life course, FORRI advances forensic science to promote justice and reduce inequalities worldwide, and LiRICS champions innovative solutions to climate change and environmental and social sustainability.

All LJMU researchers are welcomed and encouraged to join these institutes, contributing their expertise to collaborative, thematic research programmes that draw on diverse disciplinary strengths and benefit from shared resources, supporting infrastructure, and extensive networks of national and international partnerships.

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LEADING QUALITY RESEARCH AND IMPACT

Here at LJMU we firmly believe in cultivating a rich impact culture within our academic, research and postgraduate researcher communities.

Impact is an integral part of our ethos as a civic university and ties in with our values of inclusivity, courageousness and community.

The university is committed to supporting researchers in their endeavours to benefit the environment, society, culture, the economy, commerce, processes, practice and policy for the greater good of the world. Our world-leading and internationally excellent expertise provide innovative and creative answers to the global challenges we are facing. We believe in sharing our impact stories widely and cultivating a wider culture of ethical and rigorous engagement and impact is at the heart of what we do.

For more information about impact see page 19.

LJMU PROFILES

LJMU Profiles is the university’s staff profile system showcasing our staff community and university expertise. All staff and postgraduate researchers can add a profile photo and professional biography. This can include information about research interests, professional achievements and teaching and impact activities. You can also add links to research publications and online media.

LJMU Profiles uses the Symplectic Discovery platform which is the frontfacing interface displaying information from Symplectic Elements research system.

Update your profile using this guidance.

ENTREPRENEURIAL RESEARCHER EMAIL DISTRIBUTION LIST

This Outlook distribution list is used to disseminate important RKE announcements, news, information, opportunities and events to all LJMU researchers and research support staff. All LJMU employees with a researchrelated role are automatically added to this list.

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STARTING YOUR RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE JOURNEY REACH OUT TO RIS While financing your Research and Knowledge Exchange (RKE) activity is often a priority, a robust RKE journey isn’t just about funding.

There are many other aspects that require consideration at an early stage in the development of a project. These include idea validation, collaborations, stakeholders, markets, ethics, resources, novelty, intellectual assets and property, and impact.

We don’t expect you to have all the answers or consider them in isolation – there are numerous LJMU central professional teams and local faculty support that have the expertise to support you.

Research and Innovation Services (RIS) is a central team that you can reach out to at any stage in the development – however, the earlier you engage with RIS the more help, support and relevant guidance they can give to help you shape your RKE activity. Alongside RIS your Faculty Research Office will be able to advise you on a number of aspects, including sourcing grant funding opportunities specific to your needs, as well as outlining the various stages of making an application, most notably starting with LJMU’s internal costings system ‘Grants and Projects’ (GaP). See page 16 for more information about the GaP system.

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THE EXTERNAL FUNDING LANDSCAPE

Grant-based funding is distributed through a call which holds a formal scheme and conditions, eligibility criteria and set deadline.

Grant funder examples include UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) councils, Horizon Europe and associations not seeking a return or claim from the outcome (and stipulate this in the call and terms and conditions of the grant). We recommend you start your funding search with Research Professional. This is the online database of research funding opportunities that LJMU subscribes to for the benefit of researchers looking for funding calls and grant opportunities. It is also a useful source of information on international research policy and practice news. You can subscribe to the Research Professional mailing list where you can pre-select the type of information you wish to receive to your inbox.

The Research Professional website hosts a collection of short (2-3 minute) videos that will introduce you to the basic functions of the site. There is also a downloadable PDF guide that will walk you through your first steps with the site and this provides a comprehensive resource for all aspects of the site.

Research Professional also delivers monthly live online training sessions which will take you through the key features of the service. If you have questions or require help with any aspect of Research Professional, please visit their help page which contains written guides and videos.

For further information visit Research Professional and use your LJMU login details.

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THIRD PARTY/INDUSTRY FUNDING (KE/NON-GRANT) Third party/Industry funding (KE/non-grant) is provided by external organisations such as business, industry, charity and the public sector who seek to commission a set of activities. This can include contract research, consultancy and bespoke training. This is directly agreed through formal discussions, proposals and/or a competitive tender process. The Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation Team in Research and Innovation Services (RIS) can help you explore this route of funding and broker engagement between you and external funders/ stakeholders.

For more information and advice visit the RIS website or contact the Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation Team in Research and Innovation Services (RIS) KEI@ljmu.ac.uk

RESEARCH COUNCILS UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) is the UK Government’s umbrella research and knowledge exchange funding organisation.

The constituent Research Councils listed below cover all research and innovation subject domains and, increasingly, work together to ensure that multidisciplinary work is properly supported. You should familiarise yourself with the Research Councils that most closely align with your research interests and monitor them closely to develop an understanding of the kinds of work they support.

Further information can be found on their website: www.ukri.org • Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) • Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) • Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) • Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) • Medical Research Council (MRC) • Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) • Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) • Innovate UK • Research England

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THE INTERNAL FUNDING LANDSCAPE FACULTY-LED FUNDING The University annually distributes QualityRelated Research funding (QR) derived from performance in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF). This funding helps researchers who require internal support to achieve the production of high-quality research outputs, or develop their external impact and public engagement work.

INSTITUTIONAL FUNDING SCHEMES Research and Innovation Services (RIS) mange several institutional funds and distribute these through internal calls and activities throughout the academic year.

1. QR Policy Support Fund This funding supports universities in undertaking research with local, regional, national and international structures.

Eligible activity includes; • new and extended research activity working in partnership with policymakers • activity aimed at improving the dialogue and facilitating the use of existing research and the exchange of knowledge between universities and policymakers • activity and training to better equip academics to communicate effectively with policymakers • partnerships and collaborations aimed at supporting evidence-based policymaking • the exchange of people, for example, staff secondments or intersectoral mobility 2. Participatory Research Fund Participatory or co-produced research strengthens research outcomes by involving the communities and users of research, better recognising their experience, needs and preferences, and giving greater agency to communities to put findings into practice.

Higher Education Providers can use participatory research funding to cover the costs of co-produced research and to run capacity-building activities such as: • pilot projects using innovative models and methodologies for participatory research • the development of materials to support researchers interested in developing their skills in participatory research, and public engagement activities that are related to participatory and co-produced research • case studies and evidence of the impact of co-produced research, and evaluations of the effectiveness of co-production from different institutions or disciplines 3. Enhancing Research Culture Fund The Enhancing Research Culture fund (ERC) supports Higher Education Providers (HEPs) to develop and initiate new activities in response to the government’s research and development people and culture strategy.

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Areas for potential investment by HEPs include, but are not limited to: improving access to and participation in research, including postgraduate research study, for people from currently underrepresented groups furthering open research practices improving research conduct and reproducibility tackling bullying and harassment improving research leadership skills across all career stages creating routes for collaboration and exchange with businesses, third sector organisations and government securing and supporting the careers of researchers and associated professions diversifying recruitment, reward and recognition approaches at all career stages delivering new approaches to public dialogue and community-led research

For more information about institutional funding schemes, please visit the Research and Innovation Services (RIS) website.

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OTHER INTERNAL FUNDING SCHEMES DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION FUND Offered annually the Diversity and Inclusion Fund is another fund that provides grants for innovative initiatives, projects, and research aimed at enhancing the university’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, with the goal of delivering cultural change across the university. Previous recipients of our funding have included projects related to disability, socio-economic background, language, race and ethnicity, gender, learning disabilities, and more. These projects have been delivered through initiatives such as data collection and analysis, workshops, conferences, etc. Applicants must showcase the purpose of the project, the impact it will have, and the expected outcomes, including clear evaluation plans.

This scheme particularly encourages applications that focus on any of the following: • Black students’ achievement gap • Care leavers • Decolonising/Inclusive curriculum • Estranged students • Future workforce and recruitment in higher education • Intersectional identities: disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation and trans equality • Justice and Prison involved Communities.

• Work Life Balance – women and men as carers, parents, guardians • Neurodiversity • Northern Irish students • Outreach activities in primary and secondary schools • People from the Armed Forces community For further guidance on the criteria please email equality@ljmu.ac.uk

VICE-CHANCELLOR PHD STUDENTSHIPS

A significant avenue of support for students looking to start out on their research journey is the opportunity to apply for a VC Studentship which are open annually.

This funded scheme is open to students currently enrolled on a Masters’ programme as well as external candidates. The scheme also invites academic staff (not PGRs and RAs) to apply as Supervisors or as part of a supervisory team. Applications are assessed via a two-stage process: • Faculty-based Panel – organised by the Faculty Associate Dean for Research and Knowledge Exchange in association with the Faculty Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee.

• The panel will include staff with relevant academic expertise, extensive PGR experience, and will reflect a broad coverage of equality and diversity within the faculty. Academic decisions will be based on the consistent application of the criteria of excellence associated with both the student and the proposed project.

• University Panel – chaired by Professor George (PVC Research and Knowledge Exchange), Associate Deans for Research and Knowledge Exchange and other members of the University Research and Knowledge Exchange committee who will review the highest ranked applications from each Faculty. This panel will consider issues of academic and PGR experience and equality and diversity as noted above.

Academic decisions will be based on the consistent application of the criteria of excellence associated with both the student and the proposed project.

For further information email VCScholarships@ljmu.ac.uk

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WRITING YOUR FUNDING APPLICATION WHERE DO I START? Writing for a funder is not the same as writing academic text. You may have a compelling research idea but knowing where to start can be a challenge. A good starting point is to draft a ‘case for support’ on one sheet of A4. A ‘case for support’ can be an opportunity to road test your idea with peers.

This will help you to galvanise your thinking and map what it is you need to accomplish.

Include answers to such questions as; • What is the story I am telling?

• Why does it matter?

• How does it advance my field?

• Why now?

• What will my research deliver and what impact will it have on others?

Don’t forget to engage RIS and your Faculty Research Office early in your thinking to discuss your ideas and setting up your GaP record. Remember the institutional policy requires a minimum of 10 working days ahead of the external deadline, however not all bids/proposals are simple, so the earlier you engage with RIS the better!

For more information visit the Research and Innovation Services (RIS) website or contact the relevant RIS team – see RIS contacts on page: 36. Read more about the GaP system on page 16.

HINTS AND TIPS Most funders provide clear and concise guidelines on how to construct your funding application, including a word count limit.

It is essential that you use this to inform your writing. Take this as your blueprint on what the reviewer is expecting to see from you. Consider this process a bit like writing a job application. You need to make your proposal compelling and relevant to what they are looking to fund. Essentially, you need to stand out for all the right reasons!

Don’t devote too much time to explaining the background of your research. You need to demonstrate that you understand the context you are operating in, and that you have identified a gap in existing knowledge, but the majority of your statement should describe in detail what you are planning to do and how you will accomplish it.

• Adopt an ‘assertive’ voice in your writing.

Avoid terms such as ‘could’ and ‘may’ and make sure you ‘justify’ your rationale.

• Avoid the overuse of technical jargon.

Assume that the reviewer has a limited knowledge of your subject, after all it is you that is the subject expert.

• Explain what is novel and exciting about your research and write to convince the reviewer that your research has value to your field of knowledge.

• Convince the reviewer that your research is original and describe your objectives clearly and succinctly. Proposals are rarely rejected because others are doing similar work. However, if you fail to describe the novelty of your research then you are undermining the ‘value’ of your research.

• Pre-empt any questions the reviewer may have and show that you have considered all angles of enquiry. Never assume a reviewer will consider what is not written down in your application. What may seem obvious to you may not to them.

• Everything a researcher delivers must be able to demonstrate impact. If an outcome of your research is to produce datasets, consider how you intend to share these and the added value this will create.

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CALCULATING YOUR FUNDING COSTS GRANTS AND PROJECTS SYSTEM (GAP) LJMU has a formal Grants and Projects Procedure approved by the Executive Leadership Team and the Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee. All LJMU staff applying for external funding for research and other activities must have their applications registered, costed and approved using the Grants and Projects (GaP) system prior submission to any external agency or funder. It is therefore essential that you start using the GaP as soon as possible when developing projects.

You must have completed the online GaP training in order to be able to use the live system and create your projects in GaP. Putting your funding applications onto GaP is essential in order to receive support with your application and to get your project through the University approvals processes.

GaP training is completed in an online test environment and takes around an hour to complete. In order to get access to the training you must email the GaP team at GaP@ljmu.ac.uk Once you have completed your training, you will be set up in the live GaP environment with a user account. This can take up to 2 days so please plan for this if you have an application deadline. Once you have a user account you can begin to develop your applications on the system.

At pre-award there are 8 stages in the journey of a GaP record, starting from PI Draft, to Finance Input, through to Workflow and Internal Approval, before a record is ready to be Submitted Externally. The GaP journey continues post-award.

This procedure applies to all external grant applications AND non-grant proposals (KE projects) regardless of value, application stage (outline or full), or whether LJMU is the lead, or a partner in the grant/KE project.

Projects at PI Draft will not have a Finance or RIS contact assigned, so it is important that you move the project status to Finance Input as soon as you can. Projects need to be at Finance Input status at least 10 working days before the funder deadline, in order to receive support and give enough time for the project to make its way through the internal approval process prior to your application being submitted. However, if you are intending to apply for a complex/multi-partner bid, European funding, or to a funder/scheme not already available in the system, you MUST allow a longer lead time to enable time to navigate the development and approvals processes before the submission deadline.

When your application enters Into Approval Workflow status you can view real time tracking of where your record is up to by going into the costing of your application and clicking on the workflow tab. By selecting the Map button on this tab you can see a visualisation of the workflow and where your project is up to within this. Finance and RIS contacts are assigned to your project at the Finance Input stage. At this stage finance colleagues will also review the initial costings that you will have added to your record whilst it was at PI draft. You will receive a notification by email when your project has moved from Finance Input to Bid Development, and you will be able to locate your Finance and RIS contacts via the Project Management tab of your record.

GAP SUPPORT AND GUIDANCE The GaP web pages contain step-by-step user guides, FAQs and video resources to help you on your application journey.

The team also delivers a weekly online GaP Clinic for anyone needing more support with the system. Email GaP@ljmu.ac.uk

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COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH DELIVERY An important aspect of writing a funding application is to include all costs associated with delivery as follows:

TRANSCRIPTION SERVICES Transcription costs may be part of your costed funding request and so you will need to source costs and upload these to GaP before you submit. LJMU has a preferred list of suppliers that you can source through i-Buy.

STAFF COSTS You will only need to determine the type of staff, the number and the grade needed to carry out the research proposal and then the GaP process will help you determine all the staff costs. * Please note that if you are applying for a grant through UKRI and any of its associated research councils such as AHRC or ESRC, you must not cost support staff such as Research Assistants through Unitemps. You are now required to cost through the same means as other FTE staff listed on GaP.

COSTING GOODS AND SERVICES You may also want to include costs for non-pay items such as equipment, events, catering etc in your research proposal. GaP is the system that helps you achieve accurate costings; however, this depends on realistically estimating the costs of non-pay items. When estimating or procuring any goods and services you will need to refer LJMU’s self-service system i-Buy. When estimating or procuring any goods and services you will need to refer to LJMU’s self-service system i-Buy.

TRAVEL BOOKINGS An element of your costed funding proposal may include visits to conferences or other travel associated with your research. Staff travel booking is something that your faculty research office can support you with and they can provide a travel receipt number for staff to make a travel booking once the requester has approval for travel from the budget holder. Faculty Research Offices are not able to make enquiries with travel agents on behalf of staff. Requesters should use the University Travel Agent, Clarity, to research and make travel bookings universities@ claritybt.com or 0333 014 6080.

For more information, visit the procurement web page

FINANCE QUERIES If you have any queries related to invoicing/appointment of staff and PAFs/ Project expenditure, please contact enterpriseandresearch@ljmu.ac.uk quoting your GaP record and/or project number.

STAGES OF A GAP RECORD PI Draft Setting up your GaP record Finance Input Once you move your record to Finance Input RIS will check the funding scheme and add salary details. You must save your record to this status at least 10 working days before the external deadline.

Finance Input More Information Needed You will need to respond to this request Bid development This stage allows the project lead, RIS, Faculty and Finance to collaborate and finesse the project Ready for Review Once you change the status of your GaP record the RIS team will do final checks before submitting for internal approval Into Workflow Approval Finance and then your Director of School will electronically sign off the application Internally Approved You must be mindful that although you are ready to submit on time the final submission comes from RIS so allow plenty of time for them to submit after you Submitted Externally You should only submit your application externally once you have received confirmation that internal approvals are complete

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OTHER CONSIDERATIONS FOR RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CONSIDERATIONS

When uploading details of your project onto GaP you must answer several questions on intellectual property (IP) in order to progress your costing. Intellectual property (IP) is the value created from original ideas like inventions, art, writing, or designs, that people or organisations can own and benefit from.

This is a part of your research project development you need to be aware of, particularly when engaging with external collaborators in academia or industry.

The answers to these questions come from 3 main sources of information: 1. The work packages LJMU will be undertaking as either lead or collaborator and how developed these are before the research project commences.

2. The funding source and the terms and conditions associated with the funding (irrespective of grant or non-grant funding).

3. The deliverables of the work LJMU are responsible for and how these will be used in the final project outputs.

For more guidance please contact the Research and Innovation Services contact supporting your application/proposal.

WHAT IS IMPACT?

Impact is a positive change that takes place outside academia because of your research. UKRI defines impact 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’.

Your impact officers, based within Research and Innovation Services (RIS), support researchers to plan for and evidence the meaningful changes that stem from their research. We provide training workshops and 1:1 impact planning sessions, helping researchers to develop Impact Case Studies for REF, and strong impact narratives for funding bids. We also explain how to capture evidence of what your work has done. If you would like further guidance or support, please contact impact@ljmu.ac.uk You can find further information about impact and the relevant workshops by visiting the Research and Innovation Services (RIS) website. See how LJMU research makes an impact by reading Research Spotlight.

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REF 2029 The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK’s system for assessing the excellence of research in UK higher education providers (HEPs). The REF outcomes are used to inform the allocation of around £2 billion per year of public funding for universities’ research. The REF objectives are to provide accountability for public investment in research and produce evidence of the benefits of this investment, provide benchmarking information and establish reputational yardsticks for use in the higher education sector and for public information, and inform the selective allocation of funding for research.

LJMU researchers are required to consider REF in the planning of their research grant requests and must take time to consider the impact that their research will have. For further information visit the REF website.

IMPACT IN FUNDING BIDS Applying for funding is highly competitive, so it’s essential to make your bid stand out. A key part of this is addressing the funders’ impact requirements thoroughly. Funders seek projects that offer value for money and demonstrate real-world applications of the research. Here are key principles and techniques to effectively integrate impact into your case for support.

WHERE TO EMBED IMPACT IN YOUR APPLICATION • Objectives and Aims: Clearly list your research and impact objectives.

• Summary: Describe the problem you’re solving, your aims/objectives, and the beneficiaries of your research and its impacts.

• Case for Support: Include detailed research and impact methods, such as your track record, project activities, delivery milestones, monitoring and evaluation, and justification of the team.

• Justification of Resources: Allocate budget for impact activities. Funders often expect at least 10% of your budget to be dedicated to impact if it is emphasised in the call.

• Work Plan: Ensure your work plan includes the impact activities mentioned in your case for support. Don’t overlook these!

RESEARCH CALLS WITH A STRONG FOCUS ON IMPACT For calls that emphasise impact, dedicate significant space to: • An impact problem statement • Impact goals • Beneficiaries • Routes to impact

STRUCTURING IMPACT IN YOUR BID

• Monitoring and evaluation plan

1. Review Call Specifications: Carefully examine the call specification and assessment criteria to understand how impact is evaluated.

SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

2. Tailor to Individual Calls: The importance and focus on impact can vary, so follow the specific call guidance for the level of detail required.

After drafting your bid, ensure your impact narrative: • Demonstrates value for money.

• Highlights the originality of your research.

• Shows the realistic and timely powerful change and influence your research will generate.

Finally, verify that your impact objectives are actual impacts and not just activities on the pathway to impact.

For further support please email impact@ljmu.ac.uk

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BLOG FOR RESEARCHERS The Impact Exchange features interviewbased blogs covering research from disciplines across the university and represents the diversity of perspectives that make LJMU so distinctive. Our experts describe their research and what it is doing to make positive changes to lives, society, the environment, and our connected world.

If you would like to be considered as a blog contributor, please contact the team to discuss: impact@ljmu.ac.uk

AREAS OF RESEARCH INTEREST (ARIS) If you are considering the wider societal impact of your research (this is sometimes a specific ask of some funders), you can browse topics of interest through the ARI database. This allows researchers to browse specific topics or issues that the government is interested in. ARIs are wide-ranging and can cover anything from economic and social policy to international relations and national security. By identifying ARIs the Civil Service can ensure that research efforts are targeted where evidence is most needed to inform policy decisions and improve government performance. Researchers can search by topic or research field.

For further information visit the ARI website.

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EXPORT CONTROLS

Export controls are designed to promote global security by restricting the export and communication of certain sensitive goods, technologies and know-how, with the aim of preventing international terrorism and the development or use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs).

If you are a research-active member of staff participating in international research, you are responsible for ensuring that your work is compliant with regulations.

For more information, including details about the Higher Education Export Controls Association (HEECA) training, please visit the Export Control and Sanctions web pages and read the LJMU Export Controls and Sanctions Policy.

RESEARCH ETHICS AND GOVERNANCE

Research ethics is the framework applying broad ethical principles to the responsible conduct of research and to the use of any outcomes resulting from research. The University’s Research Ethics Committee assesses the ethical propriety of all research using human subjects.

LJMU is committed to maintaining high ethical standards in studies undertaken by its staff and students. Research ethics ensures the safety, dignity and rights of research participants whilst providing assurance that studies are conducted within an ethical framework as outlined in the LJMU Code of Practice for Research and Knowledge Exchange. Unless deemed exempt by LJMU, all research or knowledge exchange projects (including pilot studies) led by LJMU staff and students involving human participants or the collections and/or use of their data requires a favourable ethical opinion from an appropriate Research Ethics Committee. If the requisite favourable ethics opinion is not secured, your project may not be covered under the University’s liability/indemnity policies. The process of research ethics at LJMU also covers LJMU Research Governance Approval. For projects exempt from LJMU ethical review, there are separate processes to obtain LJMU Research Governance Approval.

Research Governance includes regulations, principles and standards of good practice that exist to achieve and continuously improve research quality. Research governance includes LJMU Research Governance Approval and LJMU Sponsorship of research.

If the requisite LJMU research governance approval or LJMU sponsorship is not secured, your project may not be covered under the University’s liability/indemnity policies.

For further information visit the research ethics and governance web pages. For advice contact Dave Harriss, Research Governance Manager & Chair of the University Research Ethics Committee. researchethics@ljmu.ac.uk

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PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT WITH RESEARCH

Public Engagement with Research (PER) describes a range of methods of involving members of the public (not affiliated with an HE institute) in your research. There are lots of different ways you can do PER, but the overall goal will always be to create mutual benefit. Examples of PE can include: Participatory/Collaborative research, Patient involvement, Citizen science, Participatory arts, Community engagement, Oral histories and Decolonised approaches. A recent large-scale study conducted by Campaign for Science and Engineering found that in the UK 64% of people wanted to hear more about R&D being done in their area and 32% would like to participate in a local research study, so we have a mandate from the public to go forth and engage!

We encourage researchers to plan in PE from the beginning of the research activity. We have support available around training, grant support, networking, and reward and recognition. Our LJMU Engage training programme is run in partnership with the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE), and provides an in-depth exploration of PER work.

Our approach to embedding PE in research here at LJMU uses the “Why, Who, How, Evaluate” method, based on the NCCPE’s approach to excellence in PE; • Why are you engaging the public? What benefit will you and the public gain from this?

• Who is your target audience (be more specific than the ‘general public’).

• How will you achieve this? Plan your activity and reach out for support .

• Consider how you will evaluate impact.

To learn more about PE at LJMU contact Gemma Reed, Public Engagement Officer, at g.v.reed@ljmu.ac.uk

PUBLIC AND PATIENT INVOLVEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT

Public and Patient Involvement (PPIE) involves research being carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ contributors of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them. It ensures that the voices, experiences, and insights of patients, carers, and members of the public are embedded in all stages of our research.

PPI at LJMU is crucial, as much of the work that we do has the potential to affect the lives of millions of people, both locally and further afield. By involving a range of partners and sharing experience and knowledge, we obtain unique and valuable insights to achieve more effective, meaningful, and inclusive research and teaching. We are committed to finding solutions and improving the lives of our communities and wider society through teaching, research, and engagement activities across our faculties.

There is a range of support for LJMU staff who wish to incorporate PPI into their research. This includes tailored one-toone advice, information and guidance; the opportunity to collaborate with the PPI panel which enables individuals to contribute to health and wellbeing projects; the chance to apply for funding; and access to training (delivered as part of ACTivator).

To learn more, visit the Public and Patient Involvement and Engagement web page.

If you would like support with including PPI in your research and teaching projects and activities, please contact Claire Adshead, Patient and Public Involvement Coordinator:c.j.adshead@ljmu.ac.uk

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EQUALITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

LJMU promotes an environment where everyone is treated equally and with dignity and respect. Our equality and diversity policies embrace staff, students, visitors, contractors, partners and everyone that is associated with the University. We operate a policy of zero tolerance towards any form of discrimination or harassment in line with the requirements of the ‘Equality Act 2010’ and European Union anti-discriminatory legislation.

The University recognises the valuable contribution made by staff and students to learning, teaching, support services, research, consultancy, enterprise, widening participation, administration and management. LJMU expects these contributions to be made equitability and without regard to gender, race, colour, ethnic or national origins, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief or other relevant distinction. Some funders will expect your application to reflect how you intend to embed equality, diversity and inclusion into your project. There are a wide range of resources available to staff and students and these can be integrated into teaching practice as well as reflected in research outputs and funding applications. For more information visit LJMU’s EDI resources.

UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Some funders may require you to demonstrate that you have considered ‘sustainability’ within your project planning. The United Nations provides a comprehensive blueprint of challenges and opportunities for a better world. These are outlined under 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As an inclusive, civic university LJMU is committed to transforming lives and futures through excellent education as well as delivering solutions to the challenges of the 21st century through world-class research and high impact knowledge exchange.

Our Sustainable Development Goals report and submission for the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024, showcases our research and knowledge exchange, student experience and place and partnership activities, as we highlight our commitment to the SDGs and the ongoing journey towards a more sustainable, prosperous future for local communities and the whole planet. We are integrating education for sustainable development in both research and academic programmes, and we are striving to operate in the most sustainable and environmentally responsible way possible through our Climate Action Plan.

For more information on how LJMU is responding to the 17 global SDGs visit our Sustainable Development Goals webpage.

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POST-AWARD RESEARCH SUCCESS YOUR OBLIGATIONS ON RECEIVING AN EXTERNAL AWARD Once you reach the award phase there are a number of contractual obligations that you will need to adhere to. As with the pre-award stage of your research journey, the Research and Innovation Services (RIS) team will work closely with you to ensure you have all the steps in place. RIS will initiate the post award journey on GaP, liaise with the legal team (and the external collaborators/funders, where required) for contracting and work with Finance to set your project up on the University systems to enable you to start spending your grant/ external funding effectively. They will also guide you through the contractual implications of working with any external partners you may have. They will liaise with LJMU’s Legal Services and Finance teams on your behalf to ensure that a contract is drafted, agreed and signed off in a timely and efficient manner.

There are essentially two phases to the next stage of your research journey as follows:

CONTRACTUAL PHASE AWARD COSTING Research and Innovation Services (RIS) will work on the costing of your award in GaP, to ensure that all necessary details are in the system. Please ensure that you advise the School Director of this award so that they can approve its costing in GaP. The Research Grant Officer (RGO) will work closely with you to ensure the budget is accurately captured in GaP, and that any changes between the amount requested in the original application and the awarded sum are taken into account. Please attach the Offer Letter/ Grant or Collaboration Agreement to your GAP record and also forward them to your RIS contact (RGO) so that they can complete the next steps of the process. The award costing will then go through approvals on GaP (from Finance and the School Director).

Then, and only after being fully approved, any related agreement(s) can be signed.

If you have any budget related queries, please contact your finance responsible officer at enterpriseandresearch@ljmu.ac.uk

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LEGAL DRAFT/REVIEW & SIGNATURE PROCESS Once you receive the Grant Letter or Collaboration Agreement, please also forward them to the Research Contracts Officers (RCOs) at ResearchContracts@ ljmu.ac.uk, quoting the GaP number.

For all non-grant/KE projects please contact the Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation staff member who supported your proposal.

You should also share with the RCOs the details of your point of contact with the funder/partner(s). The RCOs will then liaise with them directly to share the contract(s) and to ensure the terms are favourable and compliant with LJMU policies.

As part of our contracting / signature process, the RCOs will be in touch with you if any clarification is needed to complete the legal review; to confirm acknowledgement of any points and risks identified; and that you are happy for us to proceed with the contract.

LJMU Legal Team will review the contract(s), provide their opinion, and suggest any necessary amendments. They will also draft a Collaboration Agreement with any additional partners if required.

Once their opinion/draft is ready, the RCOs will share it with you so that you can review and confirm acknowledgement of the points and potential risks presented by the Legal Team.

Please bear in mind that the legal review/draft can take up to three weeks. If you have a specific, shorter deadline, please let us know and we will strive to get the contract ready as quickly as possible. This process will run alongside the other steps in the GaP process.

After you confirm acknowledgement of the contracts term, the RCOs will then share it with the funder/partner(s).

If any negotiations should take place to adjust the terms of the contract (to be beneficial to you and LJMU), that timescale can be longer, depending on the response from the funder/partner(s).

Once agreement has been reached, the signature process will take place.

Please note that if the contract has many parties, it may take longer than usual to get the fully executed contract.

POST-CONTRACT PHASE FINANCE PROJECT CODE Once your award is approved in GaP, and the agreement has been signed and uploaded, LJMU’s Finance team will set up your project code (classified as either R, J, G or T) and you will receive an automated GaP notification when your code has been set up. If you have any queries on the set up of your project code, please email: enterpriseandresearch@ljmu.ac.uk

RECRUITING The PI is able to start recruitment once grant funding has been awarded and signed via the GaP system. New full and temporary posts or changes to current posts are approved via the LJMU Post Approval Form (PAF) system. You must not appoint to a post until the PAF has been fully approved however, you may advertise and interview prior to PAF approval, as long as you include wording stating that the post is ‘subject to approval’ on the advert and interview material.

For more information on the PAF process access online forms and guidance.

RUNNING THE PROJECT Once the grant funding contract has been awarded and signed via the GaP system, the PI will receive a specific cost code for the project via the Finance Office, and they are then able to spend via I-Buy. The PI is informed how to sign up for Power BI training.

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I-BUY i-Buy is LJMU’s self-service system which helps LJMU staff select and order goods and services from a list of approved suppliers. i-Buy is used for any non-pay spend on the project such as equipment, events, catering, travel etc. The system ensures that staff follow procurement regulations. i-Buy can also be accessed via Staff Infobase.

The Finance department frequently schedule advice clinics. These are open to all researchers who need advice and support to complete financial transactions.

Training covers aspects of purchasing and procurement and the use of i-Buy, i-Expenses and making a claim, coding and management reporting as well as GaP project ledger costings. Sessions are delivered to supplement the existing support provided through Helpdesk functions. User Guides, intranet advice and management accounting support is also available on the university Finance pages of the website. For additional financial support, please see the Useful Links section of this handbook. Visit i-Buy

POWER BI Power BI is an interactive reporting tool for assisting users to track such data as research project spend. Working in parallel with GaP and LJMU’s financial accounting system Power BI lets researchers easily connect to data sources such as financial spend. Power BI training sessions are available on the LJMU staff development pages. Attendance is mandatory for all researchers and access to Power BI reports will only be granted once you have completed training on one of these sessions.

At the start of the project, the Finance contact will hold a Teams meeting with the PI to go through their project costs on Power BI, and highlight any important deadline dates for PAFs/ recruiting, claims, reporting and invoicing. This info is recorded on the GaP Awarded tab which feeds through to Power BI. The PI can access Power BI at any time throughout their project to monitor their own finances. The Finance contact will routinely

update Power BI with reconciliations i.e. staff costs and spend against the cost code and inform the PI by email after each reconciliation.

REPORTING Reporting is discussed with the PI at the initial Teams meeting with Finance and the PI can access Power BI at any time throughout their project to check for reporting deadlines.

Power BI also alerts the Finance contact of any deadlines. If narrative is required as part of a final or interim claim, the PI provides a written report to be submitted

by Finance with the claim. Timesheets may also be required, depending on the funder.

Researchfish is an online reporting system used by some of our funders to collect information on the outcomes and impact of funded research projects. Researchers who hold grants will have to submit reports during funder collection periods. The funders who use Researchfish include UKRI research councils, and Cancer Research UK, NIHR, and the British Heart Foundation. The Wellcome Trust uses it for end-of-project reporting.

Funders will impose sanctions for incomplete Researchfish reporting, which can include cancelling future payments on existing awards and refusing new applications. Funders use the data you supply in Researchfish to design future funding opportunities, share stories of excellent work, and continue to show the government that research funding is a highly valuable investment in knowledge and people.

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CAPTURE, MANAGE AND CURATE RESEARCH DATA

Researchers at LJMU have access to a number of online platforms which to help them capture, manage, and curate their research data.

IMPACT TRACKER

Symplectic Elements is the university’s research management system. It collects, analyses and reports on research and scholarly activities and links directly with the staff profiles. To access your Symplectic Elements account, visit the quick links on the staff homepage. To link it with your LJMU Profile, check the online guidance.

Impact Tracker provides the tools and templates researchers need to plan for impact, capture and verify data and evidence, and export impact stories into ready-made templates. This can be particularly useful when applying for funding, developing an academic profile, writing REF impact case studies, preparing an impact story or monitoring impact activity over a long period of time. To access Impact Tracker, visit the quick links on the staff homepage.

From there you will be able to log in or sign up for a free university account.

ORCID

OVERTON

SYMPLECTIC ELEMENTS

ORCID is a free, unique, persistent identifier (PID) for researchers to use as they engage with research, scholarship and innovation activities.

Having an ORCID helps to ensure that published research outputs are discoverable and linked to the correct researcher. It can be particularly useful for researchers who publish internationally, have a common name, use variations of their name or have changed their name. To find out how to get an ORCID and link it to your Symplectic record see the ORCID for Researchers Guide

SCOPUS/SCIVAL Scopus/Scival are databases which contains 90 million + scholarly and scientific records. It includes a wide range of output types including journal articles, books and conference proceedings. Scival uses Scopus data to analyse and compare the performance of researchers, research groups and institutions. It can help researchers to benchmark their activity, understand research strengths, identify potential international collaborations, understand where research is aligned to certain topics (e.g. UN Sustainable Development Goals) and analyse bibliometrics (e.g. REF, THE University Impact Rankings etc). Access to Scopus and Scival can be found via the Library web pages.

Overton is an international policy database which tracks where published research outputs have been cited in policy documents both in the UK and internationally. Access Overton and sign in for a free account.

You must do this while on campus or via the virtual desktop. Once your account is created, you can access Overton anywhere.

WEB OF SCIENCE Web of Science is a multidisciplinary research discovery platform that provides access to scholarly literature including journals, books, conference proceedings and more. It enables researchers to explore connections between publications by tracking citation networks to uncover emerging trends. Access to Web of Science can be found via the Library webpages.

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DORA LJMU is a signatory to the San Francisco Declaration on Responsible Research metrics (DORA) and has published the LJMU Statement on Responsible Research Assessment and advice on Responsible Research Metrics.

For more information on the responsible use of metrics please visit the LJMU Responsible metrics web page.

If you would like more information or training on any of the individual tools mentioned, please contact the Library Open Research Team: openresearch@ljmu.ac.uk Read the LJMU Open Research Guide.

COARA LJMU is a member of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA).

This international initiative is committed to reforming the methods and processes by which research, researchers, and research organisations are evaluated. LJMU embeds more inclusive, transparent, and values-based approaches to recognising and evaluating research and knowledge exchange activity.

For more information, please visit the LJMU CoARA Action Plan.

RESEARCH DATA MANAGEMENT Responsible research data management is essential throughout the research lifecycle. At LJMU, we actively encourage researchers— whether staff or postgraduate students—to make their data openly available whenever possible, regardless of funding source. For more information, please visit the research data management web pages.

DATA MANAGEMENT PLANS (DMPS) Most funding bodies now require a DMP as part of a research proposal. A good DMP helps you plan for how data will be collected, processed, stored, shared, and preserved – ensuring transparency, efficiency, and compliance. More information can be found on the Research Data Management Plans web page.

We recommend using DMPonline – a free, funder-compliant tool offering templates, guidance, and training opportunities. DMPonline allows you to develop your plan collaboratively and to share it with the Open Research Team for review. Sign up to DMPonline.

To learn more about research data management contact Open Research Data Specialist, Amie Longthorne a.l.longthorne@ ljmu.ac.uk or the Library Open Research Team: openresearch@ljmu.ac.uk

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THINKING OF PUBLISHING? Are you thinking about publishing your work but not sure where? There are a few simple rules to follow – Think, Check and THEN Submit.

THINK Consider the rigour, reach and readership of your piece of work.

Will this be published in a journal article? Blog? Trade publication or somewhere else? Is it important that this should be open access?

CHECK Will it cost money to publish here (and do I have money to pay for this?)

Is it part of one of the university’s open access agreements? Have I looked at the aims and scope and author guidelines? Could you use a publisher’s journal finder to locate a ‘home’ for your work?

SUBMIT If you think this could be the right ‘home’ for your work, (after thinking and checking!) submit. If you’d like help finding a ‘home’ for your work and/or more information about open access options at LJMU, please get in touch with the Open Research Team: openresearch@ljmu.ac.uk

For more information on Open Research please visit the Open Research web page.

Here you will also find our Open Research Guide designed to support the adoption of open research practices. It offers guidance on open access publishing, use of the preprints, open peer review and sharing of research data.

By embracing these principles we can improve research integrity, facilitate validation and reproduction of work, and foster an inclusive research culture.

NON-GRANT FUNDED PROJECTS For non-grant funded projects please check the terms and conditions of the project before publishing.

If you need advice, please contact your Research and Innovation Services (RIS) support contact from the Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation Team (this will be the person who helped with your application and post-award set up).

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RESEARCHER TRAINING A wide range of valuable training is available to LJMU researchers.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION SERVICES (RIS) Research and Innovation Services offers training in research ethics, research impact, public engagement, and innovation development.

You can also learn how to get involved with a Knowledge Transfer Partnership or join a GaP Clinic for one-to-one help with setting up research projects on the GaP System.

RIS staff also provide grant application advice on the ACTivator Programme.

For more information visit the RIS and Impact and Engagement Unical calendars.

ACTIVATOR WORKSHOPS LJMU’s evolving series of development workshops cover topics including leadership, sourcing funding opportunities, writing funding applications and career strategies.

For more information and to register visit the Organisational Development Unical calendar.

LIBRARY OPEN RESEARCH TEAM The Library Open Research Team provides training on topics including publishing, open access, your research profile, metrics, data management and much more.

For more information and to register visit the Researcher Engagement Unical calendar.

DOCTORAL ACADEMY The Doctoral Academy is here to support MPhil and PhD students and their supervisors with all aspects of the postgraduate research (PGR) journey. As well as an extensive training programme to help PGRs enhance their research and transferable skills, the Doctoral Academy also provides training for staff who are supervising and examining research degrees.

For more information and to register visit the Doctoral Academy Unical calendar.

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ADDITIONAL RELEVANT INFORMATION WELLCOME CONCORDAT FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION PRACTICE LJMU is a signatory to the ‘Wellcome Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice’. This represents our commitment to delivering research in an environmentally responsible and sustainable way.

As a signatory we recognise the need to change how we conduct research and innovation as well as promote wider solutions. We also agree to take shared action now and into the future to reduce and eliminate our own environmental impacts and emissions and achieve the transition to sustainable practices.

The priority areas of the Concordat align closely with our LJMU Climate and Sustainability Plan (2025-2030).

Read the Wellcome Concordat and view LJMU’s letter of commitment.

THE UK CONCORDAT TO SUPPORT RESEARCH INTEGRITY

LJMU takes great pride in a vibrant research culture where staff, students, and collaborators pursue excellent research and knowledge exchange (RKE) activity while upholding the highest standards of research ethics and integrity. By representing the highest possible standards, we demonstrate to our colleagues, partners, and communities that they can have full confidence in the research Liverpool John Moores University produces.

To meet these standards, we endorse and uphold the Concordat to Support Research Integrity.

Visit the LJMU Research Integrity website.

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RESEARCH APPLICATION CHECKLIST 1

Invest time in sourcing the correct funder for your research needs.

2

You must undertake GaP training. You’ll need to do this before you can start an application.

3

Don’t rush to meet an early deadline. Many funders have multiple calls and it’s better to write well and succeed than write poorly and fail.

4

Don’t forget to create your record on the GaP system, and move it to Finance Input status, as soon as you are ready to apply, and a minimum of 10 working days before the external deadline. This will provide time for us to support you in ensuring that your application is as strong as possible when it is submitted.

5

Get your foot in the door. A strong title and clear outline will elevate your proposal and get you noticed by funding reviewers.

6

Hone your writing style and be clear and concise. Write for the layperson and don’t overuse technical jargon. Writing a funding application is not the same as writing academic text.

7

Embed impact throughout your proposal and be clear how funding will bring positive change. Engaging stakeholders through a range of initiatives such as forums, conferences and engagement events can also be critical to success.

8

Before you submit your application to the funder check and check again. Are your costings accurate and reflective of the costings in your GaP record?

9

Do you have a Data Management Plan? If you secure funding, you’ll need to demonstrate this to funders throughout the lifecycle of the project.

10

Securing funding is only one part of the journey. You also need to celebrate success and impact especially as we approach REF 2029. You may even be able to use a successful application to springboard into another larger funding opportunity.

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GLOSSARY OF RESEARCH TERMS ECR Early Career Researcher

RF Research Fellow

FAC Funder Adjusted Cost

R4RI Resume for Research & Innovation (a flexible narrative CV template by UKRI)

FEC Full Economic Cost Flexigrant The online portal for applying to the British Academy HEECA Higher Education Export Controls Association JES Joint Electronic System (being phased out) JoR Justification of Resources PI Principal Investigator QR Quality-Related Research funding RA Research Assistant REF2029 Research Excellence Framework Remit Enquiry This is where we ask a Research Council if an idea for funding is in scope RKE Research and Knowledge Exchange

RWA Research Workload Allocation (annual internal exercise to assess your academic research status) SRIR Significant Responsibility for Independent Research Symplectic Elements The research information management system staff use to capture their publications, teaching, and professional activities.

TFS The Funding Service for UKRI applications UoA Unit of Assessment (used by REF to describe research areas).

UKRI UK Research and Innovation: the umbrella organisation for UK Research Councils UKRIO UK Research Integrity Office

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LJMU RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE CONTACTS TEAM MAILBOXES Research and Innovation Services (RIS) GaP support gap@ljmu.ac.uk Knowledge Exchange and Commercialisation Team KEI@ljmu.ac.uk Grants Team researchgrants@ljmu.ac.uk Research Contracts (Grants-only) researchcontracts@ ljmu.ac.uk Research Ethics researchethics@ljmu.ac.uk Impact impact@ljmu.ac.uk Public Engagement Officer g.v.reed@ljmu.ac.uk Faculty of Society and Culture Research and Knowledge Exchange Team fscrketeam@ljmu.ac.uk

Faculty of Health, Innovation, Technology and Science Health fhe-ris-team@ljmu.ac.uk Engineering/Technology FETPreandPostAward@ ljmu.ac.uk School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences and School of Sport and Exercise Sciences SCS-BIU@ljmu.ac.uk Other central support Library Open Research Team openresearch@ljmu.ac.uk Amie Longthorne, Open Research Data Specialist a.l.longthorne@ljmu.ac.uk Doctoral Academy doctoralacademy@ ljmu.ac.uk Claire Adshead, Patient and Public Involvement Coordinator c.j.adshead@ljmu.ac.uk Equality, Diversity and Inclusion equality@ljmu.ac.uk

LJMU FINANCIAL AND PROCUREMENT ENQUIRIES Accounts Payable – invoices, bursaries, visiting lecturers, student expenses, iExpenses, foreign payments payments@ljmu.ac.uk Procurement – iBuy; purchase requisitions/ orders/procurement cards; purchasing queries PurchaseOrder Queries@ljmu.ac.uk Main Finance Page on LJMU staff infobase links to departments, forms, iBuy (including process guides/ instructions), iExpenses Travel Bookings universities@claritybt.com Contracts enterpriseand research@ljmu.ac.uk

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LJMU RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE LINKS Code of Practice for Research and Knowledge Exchange Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers Data Management Plans

LJMU Profiles LJMU Research and Knowledge Exchange Plan 2030 LJMU Responsible metrics

Data Storage Advice

LJMU Statement on Responsible Research Assessment

Disabled Researchers Hub

Research and Innovation Services (RIS)

Export Control and Sanctions

Research Centres and Institutes

GaP (Grants and Projects System)

Research Ethics and Governance

Grants and Projects (GaP) procedure

Research Integrity

Impact Exchange

Research Spotlight

Innovation Development, Evaluation and Acceleration to Scale Programme (I.D.E.A.S.)

Research Workload Allocation Guidance

Library Open Research Team LJMU CoARA Action Plan LJMU Governance and Charitable Status

The Doctoral Academy UN Sustainable Development Goals Vice-Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence in Research and Knowledge Exchange

ljmu.ac.uk/ris bsky.app/profile/ljmu-ris.bsky.social

linkedin.com/company/ljmu-ris