UK-Ukraine R&I twinning grants scheme

The UK-Ukraine R&I twinning grants scheme is open to UK higher education institutions with existing twinning partnerships as part of the UK-Ukraine University Twinning Initiative coordinated by Cormack Consultancy Group (CCG), including those within the devolved nations. Applicants must have had their first twinning call with their Ukrainian twin facilitated by CCG by 5pm GMT 16 January 2023 at the latest to be eligible to apply. If you are unsure as to whether your institution is eligible, please contact the Strategic Partnerships team at twinning-grants@international.ac.uk.  

Lead UK institutions must be UK higher education institutions (HEIs) that are eligible for UKRI funding. Twinned partnerships between institutions outside the UK are not eligible for this scheme.  

If you are a UK HEI and not currently involved in the UK-Ukraine University Twinning Scheme and would like to find out more about becoming twinned with a Ukrainian university, please see here: How to join. 

Yes, you may submit one application per twinning partnership.

Twinned institutions from within the devolved nations are eligible to apply. Lead UK institutions must be UK HEIs that are eligible for UKRI funding.

However, Twinned partnerships between institutions outside the UK are not eligible for this scheme. 

You can only submit one application per partnership. If you have multiple departments or teams wishing to put forwards a proposal, you must decide internally which you will put forwards. However, you could include more than one strand of project activity within that proposal – for example, you could include activities for several different deliverables across research teams/Faculties within that one proposal.

We recognise that proposals will need to be specific to the nature and needs of your twinning partnership and institutions. As such, we welcome creative applications outside the list of suggested projects for programmes of work that will support the specific strategic needs of your partnership as they relate to research, innovation, international partnership, and crisis response – as long as they fit within the aims, scope and ODA requirements of the grant scheme. Please note that teaching and education related project activities (with the exception of some PGR activities as outlined in the call guidelines) are outside the scope of this grant scheme and cannot be funded.  

If you have any questions on eligibility of activities, please contact our Strategic Partnerships team at twinning-grants@international.ac.uk before submitting your grant proposal.

Please refer to the budget template and call guidelines for more detailed guidance on eligible costs. If you have any questions on eligibility of costs, please contact our Strategic Partnerships team at twinning-grants@international.ac.uk before submitting your grant proposal. 

If you are interested in applying in consortia with other twinned UK HEIs and their twins please email twinning-grants@international.ac.uk to discuss your proposal as soon as possible.

The application form has been created using Microsoft Forms. If you are having trouble accessing this, please try to open the form in a different web browser (e.g., Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer) and clearing your cache and cookies. If the form does not load immediately, please click the refresh button as this sometimes resolves the issue.

If you have tried the steps above but still cannot access the application form, please email our Strategic Partnerships Team: twinning-grants@international.ac.uk. 
 

The lead applicant, namely the person at the UK HEI who will be most closely involved with the project, should complete and submit the application form. Please note that the lead applicant must obtain the appropriate level of institutional sign off before submitting the application. The institutional level sign off will depend on the institution’s internal approval processes and may be the PVC Research or equivalent.

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).

We require the lead applicant to confirm the involvement of the Ukrainian twin institution in the development of the proposal when they submit the application.

Please refer to detailed criteria for applications in the call document Selection criteria (assessment rubric) (Annex B). More information is also provided in the call guidelines. Each application will be evaluated and scored remotely by at least two independent reviewers. The applications will be listed according to their scores and reviewed by a selection committee chaired by Professor Julia Buckingham, Chair of the Institute of Cancer Research, who will make the final decision on funding allocations. 

The application deadline is 5pm GMT, 16 January 2023. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be accepted. If you have any questions or issues with submission, please contact the Strategic Partnerships Team as soon as possible at twinning-grants@international.ac.uk.   

Submitting two applications will not reduce your chances of being successful for either application – no UA partner will be disadvantaged in the application process because their UK twin has multiple partnerships.

Yes, but you should still submit separate applications for each partnership, as some application questions are partnership-specific. Additionally, note that if you are intending to undertake the same or similar activities, or even joint activities with each partnership under the grant scheme, it is fine if some answers on the application form are the same. You can indicate in each application which proposed activities will involve/benefit both UA partner institutions.

The Gender Equality Statement needs to be project-specific and should be guided by the five points outlined in the application form. Research England have also provided us with their guidelines, which are linked through the application form and also here.

Moreover, depending on the nature of your project not all GES questions will be relevant. Also, you may find that there are parts of your institutional gender equality statement (or GES) that apply to other projects within your university. These can be copied into your GES for this application. However, the GES still needs to be project specific.

UUKi and the funder also recognise that due to the restrictions caused by the war in Ukraine there may be little a project can do to address gender equality.

Yes, institutions can include costs incurred from the call launch date (28 November 2022) in the grant proposal. You will need to demonstrate how these costs contribute to the development of new capacity building, activity, or additionality in the partnership. The applicant assumes the risk for any spend incurred before awards have been made.

No, all activity and expenditure directly related to this grant must be completed within the grant period, by the deadline of 31 August 2023.  

The award funding will be transferred to the lead UK twin who will make local arrangements with their Ukrainian twin for administering and managing the funding. UUKi will make a single lump sum payment equalling 100% of the grant approved to successful institutions by 31 March 2023 at the latest.  

All awarded funding must be expended by 31 August 2023. Any underspend will be recouped by UUKi by 31 October 2023. 

Research England and UUKi reserve the right to audit projects and so all receipts, invoices, timesheets, and other financial records associated with the project should be kept for seven years for justification of spend. 

Proposals should be in the range of £25,000 to £200,000, however, applicants should
think carefully about their ability to spend all awarded funds and carry out the
programmes of work within the deadlines. UUKi anticipates making in the region of 30 to 40 awards. 

Yes, permanent staff can be included under the directly incurred costs (staff). You will need to retain evidence of their time commitment as part of a full audit trail (eg., Timesheets or project records).  

Your proposed budget cannot exceed £10,000 inc. VAT on equipment and consumables per project.  

The UK HEI that receives the funding will be responsible for submitting a final report by 31 August 2023.

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

We have been made aware of the issues surrounding visas from several different HEIs involved in twinning. UUKi is conscious of the possible barriers regarding travel, and will be engaging with UKVI to take these discussions further.  

In the meantime, as it applies to this grant scheme our advice is as follows:  

• It is down to internal risk assessments between your HEI and your twin as to whether you wish to include travel from Ukraine to the UK in your grant proposal.  

• If you do wish to include travel, we remind you that sunk costs are eligible to be included (although you assume the risk for these costs until applications have been assessed/approved). This means that you could start the visa application process now to allow extra time. All costs related to the visa application process, including those for the biometrics and related travel, are eligible to be included in your proposal. 

• If you plan for travel and further down the line it is decided it is not feasible (due to visa or other issues), UUKi will work with successful applicants to redeploy funds to other areas of activity in your grant project.