All images © Mat Wright

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Opportunities for research funding in the UKVanAnh HoangAssistant Director, Higher Education & SkillsBritish Council Vietnam

EURAXESS-ASEAN STI day, Hanoi, May 2016

Agenda

1. International age of research and UK offers

2. What are opportunities

3. How to secure

4. Our services

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International age of research and

UK has to offer

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The International Age of Research

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• UK has just 0.9% of population but 16% of most highly cited papers

(ranking 2nd, behind the US)

• 47% of all doctoral students in the UK come from outside the UK

• 72% of researchers in the UK were internationally mobile (1996-2012)

• In 1981, 90% of UK research output was only domestic - now more

than half of research outputs are produced with an

international co-author

• Internationally collaborative research is more highly cited

• Mobile researchers are more productive

•42 UK universities are ranked amongst the 100 most international

universities globally

UK Science and Research: update

Comprehensive Spending Review

• UK Science budget will be increased to £4.7 billion

• New Global Challenges Fund (£1.5 billion Official Development

Assistance (ODA) Fund for development relevant research – but doesn’t

have to be done in an ODA country),

• The Ross Fund (Global Public Health £1 Billion Fund), and

• The Newton Fund (Science and Innovation collaboration with emerging

economies - £735 million)

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Opportunities under Newton Fund

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Newton Fund

Vision: Use UK’s strength in research and innovation to promote

the economic development and social welfare of 15 partner

countries.

Total funding: £735 million (2014 – 2019& 2019-2021)

Administered by Department of Business, Innovation and Skills

Delivered by UK partners including British Council

Partner countries

Egypt China

Colombia

Chile

South Africa

Indonesia

Mexico

Brazil

India

Vietnam

Thailand

Philippines

Turkey Kazakhstan

Malaysia

Funding for Vietnam: up to £10 million / 5 years – first phase

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Programme Structure

TRANSLATIONPEOPLE RESEARCH

PhD scholarships

Researcher links

workshops

Researcher links travel

grants

Researcher mobility

Professional

development and

engagement

STEM

• Medium-

large scale

collaborative

research

projects

• Institutional

Links

• Leaders in

Innovation

Fellowship

• Global

Innovation

Capacity

building

Thematic priorities for Vietnam

Digital,

innovation and

creativity

Energy security

• Health and life sciences

• Agriculture

• Environment resilience & energy

security

• Future cities

• Digital, innovation and creativity

AgricultureEnvironmental

resilience

Future cities

Health

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The UK Partners active in Vietnam

The Vietnamese Partners

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British Council’s 6 strands:

1. PhD Programme

2. Researcher Links (Travel Grants & Workshop)

3. Institutional Links

4. Professional Development

5. STEM Education

6. Technical and vocational training

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Newton Fund Researchers Link Travel Grant

• BC and NAFOSTED Travel grant

provide support for early career VN and UK

scientists/researchers to exchange from 1 to 6 months to

develop international collaboration research

• Call is open annually in July

Dr Pham Thi Huyen, HUST published 2 internal journals as the results of research

collaboration on “Advanced electrochemical method for treatment and metal recycling of

industrial waste” with Prof Sudipta Roy, University of Strathclyde

Dr Phan Anh, University of Newcastle produced a report “Municipal Solid Waste in

Vietnam: Current status and future development”

Newton Fund Researchers Link workshop

• Objectives

Support international development-relevant research

Contribute to capacity building of early career researchers –

Establish new research links or significantly develop existing

links, with the potential for longer term

• Researcher Links workshop brings in more senior researchers to

act as mentors and to share their knowledge and expertise with

more early career researchers.

• 3-5 day workshop in Vietnam of up to 40 young researchers from

both the UK and Vietnam

• Call is open annually in April

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• to build UK-Vietnam research and innovation partnerships centred on shared research and innovation challenges

• to establish links beyond the level of the individual researcher, giving opportunities for more sustainable research collaboration.

• Call is open annually in July

Newton Fund Program Institutional Links

• University of Oxford and National Hospital for Tropical disease

Towards an evidence based National Action Plan on

Antimicrobial Resistance in Vietnam

• Duy Tan University & Queen's University of Belfast

9 Conference Proceeding Abstract (GlobeCom ‘15,

ComMan Tel 2015)

6 Journal Articles (IET communications, IEEE, Wireless

Personal Communications, Journal Mobile Information

Systems)

How to secure

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How to secure

• Excellent scientific research collaboration with UK (maximize UK

strength)

• Understand the nature of Newton Fund and funding arrangement

in each country

• Focus on 5 priorities ODAble that strongly support social and

economic development in beneficiary countries

• Multiple partners (industry link strongly encouraged)

• Impact, Sustainability, Networking

• Identify partners 4-5 months in advance (Calls in April and July)

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Our services

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Our services

• Dedicated Newton Fund manager in each of 5 ASEAN countries

• One stop-shop:

http://www.britishcouncil.org/education/science/newton

• Support to identify UK and local partners

• Promotional events

• Tips and insights on proposal development and partner creation

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Newton Fund website

http://www.britishcouncil.org/education/science/newton

http://www.britishcouncil.vn/cac-chuong-trinh/giao-duc/ho-tro-giao-

duc-va-nghien-cuu-bac-dai-hoc/quy-newton (April, July)

Vietnam contact:

Ms Nguyen Thu Giang, Higher Education Manager (Science and

Innovation)

20 Thuy Khue, Hanoi

Giang.nguyen@britishcouncil.org.vn; Tel +84 912237845

Newton Fund Program British Council

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www.newtonfund.ac.uk

How to find a partner

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It is the interconnections, not the individual neurons, that make the brain such a powerful organ!