Emerging Research Leaders Seed Fund:
Guidance
The Scottish Research Alliance for Energy, Homes and Livelihoods invites proposals for engagement and research impact activities, either as joint collaborations or individual efforts. This Seed Fund initiative aims to provide early career researchers (ECRs), particularly those with limited experience in public engagement activities, an opportunity to put their new skills into practice, supporting creative and ambitious engagement activities that extend the reach and influence of their research.
These awards are flexible and are an opportunity to develop new partnerships and explore innovative and more novel concepts.
Seed Fund Timeline
| Stage | Dates |
| Call Opens | Monday 20th April 2026 at 9am |
| Call Closes | Monday 18th May 2026 at 5pm |
| Outcome Emails | W/C 25th May 2026 |
| Project start dates | From 1st June 2026 to latest 30th June 2026 |
| Project end dates | No later than 6 months after the project start date |
Example Projects
Proposals can request up to £1,000 of funding. These awards are intended to cover the direct costs associated with delivering Public Engagement and Research Impact activities.
Examples of project costs may include, but are not limited to:
- Venue hire for workshops, roundtables, co‑creation sessions, or community events
- Refreshments for participants (where appropriate for engagement)
- Participant expenses, such as travel costs for community partners
- Facilitation fees for external collaborators, artists, or practitioners
- Materials and supplies for hands‑on or creative engagement sessions (e.g., craft materials, exhibition supplies, flipcharts)
- Videography or photography services for recording activities
- Graphic design for posters, infographics, or engagement materials
- Small incentives for participants, such as vouchers (within institutional guidelines)
- Sandpits or brainstorming sessions to shape new collaborative ideas
We cannot fund investigator or staff salaries or overheads. These grants are not to be used for conference or event attendance. These awards are intentionally flexible, responding to the needs of members of the SRAEHL Emerging Research Leaders Programme, and provide an opportunity to develop new partnerships and explore innovative, novel concepts.
Eligibility and Funding Details
The funding is open to:
- Members of the SRAEHL Emerging Research programme who have attended the Public Engagement and Research Impact workshop in January 2026.
We welcome collaborative proposals, but all applicants need to meet the eligibility condition above.
Eligible researchers must:
- Produce an end of project report 3 months after the project end date.
Applications will be assessed by the SRAEHL Capacity Lead and Alliance Manager. The deadline for applications is Monday 18th May 2026 at 5pm.
Applications will undergo a two-stage review process:
- Eligibility Check: The Alliance Manager will conduct an initial eligibility check to ensure the applications meet the required criteria.
- Assessment: Eligible applications will then be reviewed by the SRAEHL Capacity Lead and Alliance Manager.
Management of Funds
All awarded funds will be managed centrally to ensure appropriate use of resources and compliance with institutional financial procedures. Oversight of the budget will be coordinated by the Alliance Manager, working in conjunction with the Project Principal Investigator (PI).
Awardees will not be expected to handle payments directly. Instead:
- The Alliance Manager will administer the budget on behalf of the awardee.
- Expenditure will be processed through the Alliance’s established financial systems.
- Final payments for products, services, or outputs (including invoices, purchase orders, and approved expenses) will be arranged and authorised by the Alliance Manager.
- Awardees will be expected to plan and communicate required purchases in advance to allow sufficient processing time.
- All spending must align with the approved project proposal and the eligible cost categories outlined in the seed fund guidance.
This approach ensures a streamlined and supportive process for ECRs, enabling them to focus on delivering engagement and impact activities while maintaining robust financial governance.
Eligible and Ineligible costs
| Eligible Costs | Ineligible Costs |
| Travel and maintenance away from home | Research assistance |
| Event costs (meetings, conference, workshops) to advance the research. | Short-term consultancy or salary costs of expert staff |
| Consumables (i.e. purchase of datasets, photocopies, microfilms, equipment costs, and any other minor items that will be used up during the course of the project – Maximum £200 | Computer hardware, including laptops, tablets, electronic notebooks, digital cameras etc. |
| Specialist software (excluding commonly available office packages) and web development costs (for the duration of the award period) | Permanent resources and equipment or any elements that should properly be ascribed to departmental or university overheads (instead, making a justified case for hiring or reusing this equipment within the department, would be eligible) |
| Incidental translation expenses1 | The preparation of camera-ready copy, copy-editing, proof-reading, indexing, or any other editorial task |
| The costs of preparing illustrations, including photography, acquisition of images, draughtsmanship and cartography or other bespoke illustrative material; and the costs of reproduction rights for text or images1. | Subventions for direct production costs (printing, binding, distribution, marketing etc.) |
| Small scale participant incentives e.g. vouchers, payments made by survey providers. Please note direct cash incentives are NOT eligible. | Costs of publication in electronic media or journal submission fees |
| Printing costs | Payment to the principal/co-researcher(s) in lieu of salary, or for personal maintenance at home |
| Zoom, Go webinar, Skype costs | Speaker and Course Facilitator fees |
| Replacement teaching costs | |
| Travel/maintenance expenses for purposes such as lecture tours, or writing up results of research | |
| Care for children or other relatives when travelling | |
| Apprenticeship levy | |
| Institutional overheads |
The link to the application form will be made available on Monday 20th April 2026 at 9am when the funding call opens.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Question | Answer |
| When is the deadline for the ERLP seed fund call? | The Seed Fund deadline is Monday 18th May 2026, 17:00pm |
| Where is the application form? | The application form link will be posted on the SRAEHL ERLP webpage when the call opens, on Monday 20th April 2026 |
| How do I submit an application? | Completed applications should be emailed to [email protected] |
| How long are the awards? | 6 months |
| How much can I apply for? | Up to £1,000 |
| How many co-applicants can there be? | There may be one PI and multiple Co-I’s (collaboration is encouraged) |
| Will I need institutional approval prior to applying for the Seed Fund? | No, formal institutional approval is not required when submitting an application to the Emerging Research Leaders Seed Fund. Applications will be assessed directly by the SRAEHL team without the need for research office sign‑off. However, it is strongly advisable that applicants discuss their plans with their line manager or supervisor before submitting. This ensures that the proposed activity aligns with workload, departmental commitments, and any relevant internal processes. |
| Can I apply with researchers outside of the ERLP? | To be eligible, both the PI and co-I’s must be members of the ERLP. However, you are welcome to work with any other researchers. They should be named in the narrative of your proposal alongside any other project partners you plan to work with, particularly those for whom you have made costings (i.e., consultancies, or digital/video or transcription services). |
| Do I need prior ethics approval? | You should abide by your institutional ethics policies. This may mean that you need to contact them and/or submit ethics forms for approval prior to applying for this scheme, as per your own institutional guidelines. These vary widely, and so we urge you to contact your research support office to ensure you are following the policies of your institution. |
| How will funds be allocated? | All awarded funds will be managed centrally by the Alliance Manager. |
| Do I need to include a CV and references in my application? | A CV, personal statement, or reference is not required as part of the application process. ECRs will be assessed on the quality of the proposal alone. |
| Can I apply individually as a lead applicant on one project, and as a co-applicant on another at the same time? | No, ECRs can only submit one application for the scheme. You cannot be both a co-applicant and a lead applicant on another project. |
| Do co-applicants need to be members of the ERLP? | Yes, co-applicants need to be ERLP members and have attended the January 2026 workshop. |
| Can the Seed Fund be used as additional funding for an already developing project? | Yes, the Seed Fund award can be used to develop and build upon an existing project. However, applicants must provide a clear explanation of why the funding is needed for an existing project and outline the overall benefit and value it will bring to both the project and the individual. |
| When will I find out about the outcome of my Seed Fund application? | Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application in the week commencing the 25th May 2026 . |
We encourage all applicants to contact their research offices to ensure any relevant internal processes are adhered to, and that they discuss the proposed activity with their line manager as appropriate.
For any questions not covered here, please get in touch at [email protected].
