SUSTAIN ECR Platform Call 4

2024 SUSTAIN Early Career Researcher Call 4

The SUSTAIN Future Steel Manufacturing Hub will be offering funding to Early Career Researchers to conduct novel research which aligns with the Hub’s two Grand Challenges: Carbon Neutral Iron and Steelmaking and Smart Steel Processing.

This Call will be open to all Early Career Researchers based at any UK Higher Education Institution, who fulfil the eligibility conditions and criteria detailed in the ECR Call 4 Information pack. This Call is designed to provide ECR’s with an opportunity to apply for EPSRC funding as part of this Hub. More information surrounding eligibility and criteria is available in the Call Guidance and Information pack which can be downloaded using the links further down this page.

Here’s what previous applicants thought about the process:

The SUSTAIN ECR platform has provided me with an excellent opportunity to learn and experience the application process for research funding as a principal investigator. It took me a lot of effort to put the application together, but definitely worth it! I am very grateful for the support I received from the SUSTAIN team
— Dr Lei (Frank) Zhou
‘The experience in the SUSTAIN first ECR call was quite helpful for my professional development as a researcher. The assessment procedure was a valuable learning process, which pushed me to evaluate and criticise my own research ideas under industrial contexts
— Dr Quishi Cao
As an ECR researcher the ability to gain the experience of applying for funding from start to finish was invaluable and is a rare opportunity to be presented. The encouragement from the support team to develop my own ideas and the help in gaining appropriate industrial contacts to engage and add context to the new venture provided a unique experience to develop skills and awareness in the research landscape
— Dr Stephen Spooner

The SUSTAIN Future Steel Manufacturing Research Hub will be looking for research proposals aligned to and compliments our current research programme, especially (but not limited to) the following areas. Click the images for more information.

All scope information is available in the Scope and Additional Information document linked below, and will be discussed in the upcoming launch and information event, on 20th September 2024 (register here). A recording of this meeting will be available on this page shortly after the event. If you have an idea which does not fall within these areas, please get in contact with us as there may be potential for additional project development.

The Scientific Leads (SL) will direct and manage scope, in terms of relevance to industrial needs and practicality to industrial processes. More information about the role of the SLs is available in the Scope and Additional Information document linked below.

There will also be development champions available to provide some mentoring and support to potential and successful applicants, to act as points of contact and liaisons with the scientific leads for technical queries. Please contact info.sustainsteel@swansea.ac.uk to arrange an introduction.

Projects are expected to last from 3-6 months (full-time equivalent), however projects lasting up to 12 months and in exceptional circumstances, longer, will also be considered. Funding will not cover expenditure for equipment.

More details about this Call and how to apply can be found below. The closing date for applications will be 09:00am on Monday 4th November 2024.

SESSION RECORDINGS

These will be available here and on our YouTube Channel soon after the launch event

Video overview of the SUSTAIN Early Career Researcher Call