As you may have picked up, a cross council funding initiative the Global Challenges Research Fund has been launched by RCUK, the fund is worth £1,5 billion and aims to support cutting-edge research that addresses the challenges faced by developing countries through:

• challenge-led disciplinary and interdisciplinary research
• strengthening capacity for research and innovation within both the UK and developing countries
• providing an agile response to emergencies where there is an urgent research need

The application criteria is complex and competition is likely to be high, key considerations are:

• Interdisciplinary
• ODA (Official Development Assistance) compliance (http://www.oecd.org/dac/stats/officialdevelopmentassistancedefinitionandcoverage.htm)
• Clear dissemination and impact
• Strong network (including international and non-academic partners)
• Strong academic lead, with proven track record

The call comprises current and forthcoming calls over the next year and beyond some of which are outlined in the attached document. There has already been some interest from UEL academics and we are expecting more in the coming weeks therefore we are introducing a demand management process which we hope will guide potential applicants which is outlined in the column ‘UEL approach’ of the document.