Application Form

Applicants are required to complete the SIPR application form including the following information:

• Description of team (detailing experience and expertise in the proposed topic including a CV (two pages max) per named investigator);

• Details of the project including background, aims, objectives, partners/ collaborators, methodology, and timeline;

• Proposed budget including a brief justification of resources required to undertake the project; and

• Clear indication of the expected outputs and impact of the project, detailing the potential contribution of the project to the development of the public protection evidence-base, or of policy or practice related to the themes, and how you propose to capture and measure the impact of the project.

Criteria

Only one application is permitted from the same applicant for this call.  The PI can be included as a Co-investigator in one further application as long as the two applications are not linked.

Successful applicants will be required to enter into a funding agreement with SIPR. Funding will be provided on commencement of the project and again at each reporting milestone (i.e. interim research and finance report and at final research report). The final research report will be published by SIPR and SIPR will be acknowledged in all media and publications resulting from the project.

Applicants will also be required to report where SIPR funding has enabled the generation of external income as well as where SIPR funded research has been included as an impact case study.

Ineligible costs

Developing effective policing systems, capability, and resilience grants will not cover the following costs:

• Contributions to appeals;

• Core funding or overheads for institutions (In principle, SIPR does not make awards on a full economic costing basis. However, consideration may be given to applications where limited overheads have been included.  Value for money is a key consideration however, so we do ask that overheads are waived where possible);

• Endowments;

• Individual items of equipment;

• A shortfall resulting from a withdrawal of or deficiency in public finance;

• Sites, buildings or other capital expenditure; and

• Student tuition fees or stipends.

Letter of Support from Police Scotland/ Scottish Police Authority

A letter of support from Police Scotland/ the Scottish Police Authority (or the relevant external body) should be sought where the project will require access to personnel or data, please ensure you make contact with Police Scotland’s Research and Insight Team (AcademicResearch@scotland.pnn.police.uk) as soon as possible to ensure the project’s feasibility. Please be advised, Police Scotland will require at least two weeks’ notice for all requests.

Assessment and Rejoinder

All applications will be subject to a robust assessment process involving two review stages. The first stage subjects all applications to independent review through a panel which consisting of senior academics within Scotland, senior international academics, and senior officer from the policing system. No reviewers are selected from institutes where the prospective projects will be hosted.

Following assessment by the review panel, applicants will be provided with an opportunity to respond to the initial reviewer comments through the rejoinder process (please note scores will not be provided). This is not mandatory, but should you wish to provide a response to reviewer comments, your rejoinder will be considered along with the reviewer’s assessments of your evaluation.

The final stage involves assessment by the awarding panel who are responsible for selecting the successful grants. The awarding panel consists of an Independent Academic Chair (selected from a Scottish HEI), Senior Police Officers and Police staff; Senior members of the Scottish Police Authority; and members of the SIPR Leadership Team as appropriate.

Indicative Timetable

Below is an indicative timetable for key dates in the application, award and deliverable process. Please note these dates may be subject to change.