The Sheffield Crucible

Guidelines for Applications

Deadline for submission – Friday 6th December 2013 (5pm)

  1. Aims of the Sheffield Crucible
  • To provide talented and ambitious Early Career Researchers and Junior Academics (ECR/JA) with an opportunity for professional development in interdisciplinary workings, innovation and collaboration.
  • To highlight amongst ECR/JA the importance of developing a wider view of the world of research and the power research has to influence society.
  • To encourage ECR/JA to increase their awareness of the skills and attitudes needed to become more innovative and creative in research.
  • To promote conversations amongst ECR/JA within the five faculties, creating a network of peers within the research community to fuel potential interdisciplinary working and providing the foundation of career-long networking skills and relationships.
  • To offer a cross-disciplinary environment and a chance to form unexpected collaboration.
  • To develop an understanding of knowledge transfer activities and of the impact agenda.
  • To enhance grant-capture opportunities of young academics and researchers at The University of Sheffield.
  1. Background and Objectives

2.1.The Crucible program was developed by NESTA- National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts with the aim of ‘creating outward facing researchers’ - It is designed to introduce researchers to new ways of thinking and working, with the ultimate goal of creating long-term shifts in attitude towards collaboration. It aims to develop the competencies required to initiate and develop interdisciplinary working, knowledge exchange, entrepreneurial activity and creative thinking.

2.2.A Crucible consists of a series of 3 intensive 2-day residential workshops called Labs with skills enhancement activities, lectures and group exercises. It aims to shift attitudes towards openness, breadth and vision in collaboration.

2.3.At the end of the three Crucible Labs, participants can bid for funding to start and support collaborative projects with other Crucible participants. This award will provide successful candidates with a track record of successful cross disciplinary funding, which will enhance chances for further funding applications. Applications for seed funding will take place in September 2014.

2.4.Participants will be competitively selected to ensure recruitment of talented and ambitious ECR/JA, enthusiastic and motivated by multi-disciplinary collaborative workings.

2.5.We aim to run a Sheffield Crucible at the University of Sheffield between March and June 2014 involving 30 early career researchers and young academics drawn from across the five faculties.

2.6.Dates of the Sheffield Crucible Labs:

Thursday 13th & Friday 14th March 2014

Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th May 2014

Thursday 26th & Friday 27th June 2014

The Crucible will take place in a hotel near Sheffield. The residential aspect of the Crucible is essential in enabling networks, relationships, bridges and trust to be built among participants. Participants will commit to attend the three residential Labs before applying to the Sheffield Crucible. Participants will have opportunities to network with professionals and experts from outside academia, as well as innovative and inspiring academics.

  1. Eligibility Criteria and summary of award
  2. Participation to the Sheffield Crucible is available to early career researchers and junior academics as well as early career university teachers. Applicants will already be employed by the University of Sheffield within the five Faculties, and should have a minimum of one year contract left with the University at the time of the application to ensure commitment to attend the residential workshops and to support access to the collaborative funds post-Labs.
  3. To be eligible to participate to this programme, early career researchers and junior academics, as well as university teachers will have gained their doctoral qualification within the past 6 years.
  4. We recognise that researchers may have undertaken breaks from their research careers since receiving their PhDs. Candidates who received their PhDs over 6 years ago should contact Sandrine Soubes () prior to submitting their application.
  5. The Crucible award will cover all residential costs, including accommodation and catering for all sessions of the three Crucible Labs, the cost of Lab support and administration, travel expenses (via group coach) between the University and the location of the residential.
  6. If selected for participation to the three Crucible Labs, participants will sign a contract to formally commit to attending all three Labs.
  1. Assessment Criteria
  2. The Crucible applications will be competitively assessed by a panel drawn from across the five faculties and the Sheffield Crucible advisory group.
  3. The application documents will include a short academic CV and an application form
  4. Crucible applications will be assessed against the following criteria:
  5. Excellence in research
  6. Demonstration of an interest and/or experience in interdisciplinary research
  7. Interest in creative thinking and breadth of collaboration
  8. Commitment to the broader role of science in society
  9. Applicants should note that the panel is drawn from across the University and assessors will not be technical experts. Successful applications will demonstrate and articulate an interest in communicating their scholarly work to researchers outside their discipline and beyond the academic environment.
  1. Application Process
  2. Key dates for the Sheffield Crucible are shown below.

23rd October 2013 / Information session
6th Dec 2013 / Deadline for Crucible application
Mid- Dec/ Jan / Panel review of Crucible applications
Mid- Dec/ Jan / Decision communicated to applicants – 30 applicants selected
January 2014 / Selected applicants formally accept to participate to all Crucible Labs.
Thursday 13th & Friday 14th March 2014 / Lab 1
Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th May 2014 / Lab 2
Thursday 26th & Friday 27th June 2014
Sep 2014 / Lab 3
Seed funding preparation/ Pitching ideas at Festival of the Mind
30th September / Deadline to apply for collaborative project award
Mid-October / Panel review of collaborative projects
End October / Award decision communicated to Crucible participants

5.2.Guidelines and application forms for the collaborative projects awards will be emailed to all applicants after participation to Lab 3.

5.3.Applicants must submit the following documents to apply to the Sheffield Crucible:

  • A completed application form - this should address the points detailed/raised in each section of the application form and must adhere to the word count limits.
  • A 2-page academic CV. This should be written with 11 point Ariel font and standard margins (2.54cm on all sides).
  1. Documents should be emailed to Dr Sandrine Soubes (). Please incoprorate electronic signature. No paper copies please.
  2. The closing date for applications is 6th December 2013. Feedback for unsuccessful applicants will be given informally by members of the Assessment Panel.

General enquiries-

Dr Sandrine Soubes, Crucible Project Manager

Email:

Phone: 222-4220