UK – Israel innovation researcher mobility scheme

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The lead applicant, namely the person who will be most closely involved with the programme of work at the UK higher education institution (HEI), should complete and submit the application form. However, please note that the lead applicant must obtain the appropriate level of institutional sign off (this will depend on the UK HEI’s internal approval processes) before submitting the application. Please note that the lead applicant need not necessarily be planning on undertaking a mobility themselves but will have the overall responsibility for the application and any subsequent awards. 

We envisage running a separate second round of proposal calls in autumn 2023 for travel to take place from February 2024 – January 2025. 

The Reporting templates and Offer of award letter (which includes Terms and Conditions) will follow in the week commencing 24 October and will be added, alongside the other relevant call documents, to this webpage in full.

It is not necessary for applications to provide names of the individual researcher(s) to whom the mobilities(s) will be awarded at the application stage. In post-award reporting, institutions will be asked to confirm the number of individual researchers included in the application, duration of the mobility per researcher and each researcher’s seniority.

The scheme is not open on a reciprocal basis - this is a one-way scheme that allows mobility in one direction – from the UK.

The partner organisation will be based in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs).  

Applications are open to UK HEIs to apply with existing partners that are academic institutions, organisations or companies in Israel as well as Palestinian institutions, organisations and companies in the OPTs. Institutions must be officially recognised by both countries.

If your current partner organisation is a HEI, it may be possible that they are able to assist with additional links to industry via their tech transfer offices. If applicable this may form part of your planned mobility, but the HEI will be the partner organisation for the purposes of this scheme. 

Yes, the lead applicant should select that they are applying for strand 2 in the application form. The same rules apply as for the overall scheme (visa, eligibility requirements, partner organisation types). Partnering with your industry connections in the OPTs may be of specific benefit to a scheme of this type.

Having a formal agreement in place is not necessary but a certain level of prior relationship between the lead applicant at the UK HEI and the counterpart at the partner organisation is required. It is for institutions to determine what constitutes a ‘partner’ for their institution and purposes, and therefore which of their overseas partnership(s) they would want to further develop through the use of the funding. Lead applicants are, however, encouraged to take note of the selection criteria (Existing partnership), when considering which organisations to engage with through this scheme. 

Please note that the scheme has been set up with the intention to allow one to one relationship building between partners so applications must be submitted on a per partner organisation basis.

The lead UK HEI will be the award holder and will be responsible for administering the funding in accordance with the offer of award letter (which includes terms and conditions); this includes arranging travel and accommodation. UUKi would strongly advise flexible tickets being purchased as if arrangements need to be amended for any reason (including those due to unforeseen circumstances) then no further funding will be granted to replace the lost costs. The lead applicant at the UK HEI will be required to confirm the number of researchers and durations of mobilities actually carried out as part of the reporting requirements, however proof of this expenditure i.e. accommodation/flight confirmations, will not be required.

The lead applicant at the UK HEI will take responsibility for ensuring that all appropriate visa and immigration requirements are fully complied with. If researchers require a visa to travel to and spend the period of mobility in Israel or the OPTs, the UK HEI will ensure that they meet all relevant immigration requirements. Researchers are expected to reside in Israel/OPTs throughout the mobility. 

If you have any particular concerns about visas or entry into Israel or the OPTs, you should contact the Israeli embassy or the OPT embassy respectively.  

Lead applicants need to ensure that their UK HEI and partner have adequate insurance as appropriate as UUKi cannot take responsibility for any issues which may occur during the visit. Lead applicants will accept full responsibility for all aspects of the visit and ensure appropriate insurance for any risks associated with taking part in travelling abroad, including all unexpected and uncontrollable events. UUKi will not be liable for the consequences of any such risks, or any costs incurred. 

Yes. The values indicated are flat rates established on a per- researcher mobility basis, per month (unless otherwise stated). The funding will be awarded to the UK HEI leading the application. The minimum mobility period is one month.

It is expected that researchers be fully committed to carrying out the UK-Israel project of work whilst away.

There is no cap on the number of researchers that can be included in a bid. In total we envisage funding around 20-30 instiutions across the two call rounds, but this is highly dependent on the number and durations of mobilities It is therefore up to institutions to determine the programme of work - including number of mobilities and partners institutions (if more than one) - that can feasibly be delivered within the time available, and that will most likely achieve the desired outcome/impact. UUKi will be looking to award a diverse range of institution types/models as part of this scheme so institutions are expected to prioritise applications that are most closely aligned to the call’s objectives. 

Researchers should be employed at the applicant’s UK HEI throughout the duration of the mobility. This may be on a permanent or other contractual basis but must cover the full period of intended mobility. In the case of PhD students included as part of the application, they must be registered at the lead UK HEI throughout the duration of the intended mobility and do not need to be employed in the typical sense.

Please note that only when a mobility is three months or greater in length will a payment be made to cover backfill for their teaching time, and only if applicable. 

Any activity that is undertaken should aim to respond to the objectives set out for the scheme which is to promote innovation/entrepreneurial skills development of researchers undergoing research mobility. Activities may include and are not limited to undertaking research and innovation activities, innovation and entrepreneurial skills training, guest lecture participation, designing experiments, and developing joint research outputs, such as publications and joint funding bids. Teaching is outside of the scope of these mobilities and cannot be funded. 

Short term mobility in the context of this scheme refers to mobilities of 10  months or     less in duration. Mobilities must take place between 1 April 2023 and 31 January 2024 and must be between one and 10 months in total. A mobility may start at any time during this period but must be completed by 31 January 2024.

Yes, the minimum period for a mobility is one month and the maximum is 10 months, with all mobilities to be completed by 31 January 2024. To enable flexibility, visits may be split over several weeks in different periods to equate to one month, periods of less than one full month in total will not be eligible for funding. However, funding will be available on a per-month basis and will not be increased in these circumstances. In order for mobilities to be as cost-effective as possible, one return airfare per researcher as well as continuous stay in Israel/OPTs for the duration of the mobility period is highly recommended.

Award funding will be transferred to the lead UK HEI, who will make local arrangements with their researchers for administering and managing the funding.

Yes. Researchers will be given living expenses on a monthly basis for their mobility which is not a salary. If the mobility is for three months or longer then additional backfill funding for teaching can be made available, if applicable. This is a one off payment for mobilities 3 months or longer in duration,  to help support any applicable teaching backfill while researchers are on mobility. 

Award funds cannot be used to cover salaries of researchers.

The UK HEI that receives the funding will be responsible for submitting reports to confirm that mobilities have taken place. Reports will be required every five months and must be accompanied by invoices calculated on a per-researcher per-month basis. These will be required five months after the official project start date, with the initial report/invoice required by 31 August 2023 and the second and final report/invoice by 31 January 2024.

Please note: Due to onwards processing arrangements with the funder, we advise that it may take up to 8-12 weeks for funds to hit your account following submission of your invoice.

There is no set requirement for the partner organisation to submit separate reports, but they will be expected to input into the reporting carried out by the lead UK HEI as and when necessary to contribute to the project outcomes.