Regional Readiness Fund

The Regional Readiness Fund (RRF) aims to deliver impactful research projects that respond to sustainability challenges within the South Yorkshire Region. This fund is being delivered in partnership with the South Yorkshire Sustainability Centre (SYSC).

Successful applicants will be allocated funding awards between £1,000 and £75,000 through two schemes, which have different application criteria (see below). The funds must be spent before July 31st 2026. All awards must demonstrate that the project will lead to a much larger 3rd party funding application, and/or an attributable real world impact so that we can evidence the positive contribution that the Grantham Foundation donation has made towards building a sustainable future for the South Yorkshire region. 

Applications to the RRF should start with a problem statement with a project partner located within the South Yorkshire Region, and address a sustainability challenge where research could add tangible value to the regional response. Current projects within SYSC can apply to amplify impact of current outputs.

Projects that exemplify the SYSC ‘novel knowledge exchange approach’ will be prioritised i.e. by providing evidence that research questions have been co-produced with regional partners, and that there is a clear plan to develop and deliver the research collaboratively. This allows us to demonstrate maximum value to partners, by focusing on themes/challenge areas that align with their priorities. 

Projects that show clear interdisciplinarity will also be favoured, particularly where the funding request involves an interdisciplinary output. We would also welcome applications that relate directly to national or regional policies, such as the recently released National Industrial Strategy. 

Who can apply

The fund is available to any academics, research staff or professional service staff members at the University of Sheffield. Please note, the Principal Investigator has to be from the University of Sheffield but other collaborators on the project can be from other institutions.

Project applications should evidence meaningful engagement and collaboration with regional partners as a core focus, alongside other non-academic stakeholders where appropriate. These may include businesses, policymakers, local authorities, public bodies, health and care organisations, community groups, NGOs and others relevant to the project aims.

Funding criteria

The funding award can be used as part of a wider grant application where permissible as match funding, contribute to a larger project budget or to fund a project in its entirety. Applicants should detail how this money will deliver a wider benefit, either through its part in a larger grant award or the effect of the research in terms of deliverable, demonstrable planetary or societal benefits.

The funding can be used to cover research costs such as arranging of meetings, travel costs, and associated items, and 3rd party revenue costs such as specialist licences for software or databases. Capital costs, such as specialist equipment, may be exceptionally considered on a case by case basis, but the applicant must show a wider benefit to the research community of the procurement of equipment. Rental, reuse or repurposing will always be preferred to the purchase of new. 

The awards are not intended to be used as bridging funds, stipend top ups or to extend contracts of staff on grants close to completion.  

We would not normally fund air travel where there were rail alternatives, and we will not fund projects associated directly with the tobacco or arms industries and will only consider the oil and gas sector where decarbonisation and defossilisation is the explicit goal. Priority will be given to those who have not been awarded monies from this fund previously.

Funding stipulations

The recipients will be required to acknowledge the support of the Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures and the South Yorkshire Sustainability Centre in any papers produced from the work and must submit a report detailing the project progress for use in the Grantham Centre annual report in January of each year of the project's duration. A separate financial report will be required to track the spend against the award on a quarterly basis.

Recipients will also be required to work with our Communications Officer to create some promotional materials about the project.

Timeframe

Applications are welcome at any time, Scheme 1 funding requests will be assessed on a rolling basis, Scheme 2 at pre determined intervals as shown in the table below. 

Applicants must detail any time constraints in their application.
 

Eligible costs:

• Directly incurred staff time (e.g. research assistant, PDRA, technician, administrator time)
• Directly allocated staff costs by exception
• Travel and subsistence costs
• Market analysis
• Prototyping
• Access to facilities
• Specialist support by 3rd parties
• Equipment (can include specialist software / hardware, excludes laptops)

Ineligible costs:

• Estates and indirect costs
• All projects will be assessed value for money
   

How to apply

The table below outlines the two schemes of funding available. Once you have identified the most suitable funding for your project, click the 'apply here' button in the relevant column and fill in the Google form.

If you have any questions or require more information, please contact sysustainabilitycentre@sheffield.ac.uk