Research IT

Funding Opportunity: Grow Leadership Skills within digital Research Technical Professions!

Are you committed to advancing leadership skills and careers within digital Research Technical Professions (dRTP)? Do you have a bold idea or an existing initiative that could make a real difference to your profession? Apply now for up to £10,000 from the DisCouRSE Network+ Flexible Fund!

We’re seeking creative, community-led initiatives that encourage and support the development of leaders and managers across the profession.

🗓️ Apply by: Friday 14th November 2025, 16:00 GMT
👉 Everything you need to start your application is now live here, including the submission timeline, eligible project types and costs, and assessment criteria.

What is DisCouRSE?

The DisCouRSE Network+ project aims to encourage and support the development of leaders of all kinds across all digital Research Technical Professional (dRTP) roles, resulting in an empowered and connected community equipped to shape the future of digital research. We have a twin focus on leadership training and dRTP career pathways – preparing the next generation of leaders and ensuring roles exist for them to lead within.

Funding Opportunity

What we’re looking for:

  • Projects or activities that empower dRTPs and their professions through leadership training, mentoring, or career development.
  • Creative approaches to building skills, networks, and visibility for dRTPs.
  • Initiatives that foster a more inclusive, supportive, and sustainable dRTP community.

Why apply?

  • Secure up to £10,000 to start to bring your vision to life with the opportunity to build upon it in future calls.
  • Make a lasting impact on the future of the profession.
  • Enhance your visibility and influence across a national network of dRTP changemakers.

How to apply:

🗓️ Apply by: Friday 14th November 2025, 16:00 GMT
🗓️ Information webinar with Q&A: Monday 6th October 2025, 10:00-11:00 BST
👉 Everything you need to start your application is now live here, including the submission timeline, eligible project types and costs, and assessment criteria.

Key Information

  • We anticipate funding 10-20 projects in this round of flexible funding.
  • Individual projects can budget up to £10,000 funding at 100% full economic cost (fEC) level.
  • Projects should start between 01/01/2026 and 01/04/2026.
  • Projects must last no more than 12 months.

Key Considerations

Here are some of the factors applicants should consider when submitting requests for funding, along with some example activities:

  1. Relevance to dRTP Leadership Training and Career Pathways
    Example: A proposal to create or adapt a leadership or management course to train digital Research Technical Professionals in key skills.

  2. Clear Differentiation from Existing Offerings
    Example: A new training module that fills a gap in current provision by focusing on leadership for mid-career dRTPs, supported by a comparison with existing courses.

  3. Evidence of Unmet Need
    Example: A pilot project that surveys dRTPs across institutions to identify barriers to leadership progression, using the findings to justify the proposed intervention.

  4. Collaboration and Joint Activities
    Example: A joint submission from two universities and a training provider to co-develop a shared catalogue of leadership training resources for dRTPs.

  5. Active Involvement of the dRTP Community
    Example: A project that includes dRTPs in co-design workshops to shape the content and delivery of a new leadership development initiative.

  6. Ensuring Broad Participation and Meeting EDI Requirements
    Example: A programme designed to support leadership development among underrepresented groups in the dRTP community, with inclusive recruitment and delivery strategies.

  7. Use of Co-production Approaches Where Appropriate
    Example: A hackathon-style event where dRTPs and stakeholders collaboratively prototype tools to support leadership development, using participatory design methods.