Does your research have the potential to address one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Are you looking to build or strengthen research collaborations with partners in low and middle income countries to address welfare and economic challenges in those countries?

If you answered ‘yes’ to either of those questions, then the Overseas Development Assistance Global Challenges Research?Fund (ODA-GCRF)?– Strategic Development Fund (SDF) may be able to help get you started. This fund is a key element of our University’s ODA-GCRF strategy and is made up from a ring-fenced part of our GCRF-Quality Research (QR) allocation, augmented by funds secured from UKRI and other sources.

The SDF supports activities that further our University’s ODA-GCRF ambitions and priorities, and that are ODA-compliant. Funding will be allocated in response to bids from permanent staff.

Non-exclusive examples of the activities that could be supported by the ODA-GCRF SDF include: pump priming activities, visiting fellowships and knowledge exchange projects, that will enable capacity building, research collaboration or facilitate impact of research.

Applications are invited from academic colleagues who are engaged in, or are interested in, getting involved in ODA activities. The application form and guidance can be found here. There are no deadlines for applications to the fund; applications will be reviewed by a small consultative group, chaired by the Pro-Vice Chancellor Interdisciplinary Research, as they are received.

Support and advice on GCRF and application process is available from Research and Innovation Services by contacting:?funding@soton.ac.uk.