Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – We will update this section when new questions are raised
We hope this information will help support you in completing your proposals applications. If you have any other questions, please email us at rightsfortime@contacts.bham.ac.uk to discuss this further.
What should be in the letter of support?
As part of your application, you will need to submit completed letters of support from your host organisation and your project partner(s).
Each letter of support should include the following information:
Confirmation that the host organisation/project partner is happy to be involved in the research project being proposed by you
Confirmation that the host organisation/project partner understands and agrees to their role on the project
Details of how being involved in the project will benefit the host organisation/project partner and the applicant/research team
Details of strengths/value added they would bring to the proposal (including any contributions in kind, e.g. research time, specialist resource)
The letter will need to be signed by someone with the authority to represent the host organisation/project partner. A letter on headed paper, or an email from a business email account, including the signatory’s full name and position within their organisation would be acceptable.
What countries are eligible?
All countries that appear on the most current OECD DAC list – DAC List of ODA Recipients for reporting 2021 flows June 2021.xlsx (oecd.org) (https://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/development-finance-standards/DAC-List-ODA-Recipients-for-reporting-2021-flows.pdf) can apply. This includes countries in all columns:
Least Developed Countries (LDC)
Low-Income Countries (LIC) which are not LDCs
Lower Middle-Income Countries (LMIC) and Territories which are not LDCs
Upper Middle-Income Countries (UMIC) and Territories which are not LDCs
Are applications from India eligible?
Applications from India are eligible. However, all grants will be paid in GBP. This means that any organisation wishing to apply must hold or be in the process of applying for a Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) license and State Bank of India (SBI) bank account. We are aware that this can be a long and complicated process to obtain. We are therefore happy to accept applications from organisations that are applying for these on the condition that proof that they have been obtained is submitted to us by no later than September 1, 2022. If this documentation is not received by this date, the application will not be able to proceed further.
How do I complete the due diligence forms?
Due diligence is the investigation the University of Birmingham is expected to take before entering into an agreement or contract with another party i.e. the organisations awarded grants under the Rights for Time commissioned research call.
As part of your application, you will need to submit a completed signed copy of the ‘Due Diligence Letter’ confirming that you are able to produce all the due diligence documentation asked for in the ‘University of Birmingham Due Diligence Questionnaire’ within five days should you be awarded a grant. At the application stage, you also need to fill in the short ‘Due Diligence Checklist’. If there are any questions you cannot answer on this checklist, please email us at rightsfortime@contacts.bham.ac.uk to discuss this further.
Please take the time to examine the Questionnaire before submitting your application. If you have any queries about the questions being asked or are unable to produce the documentation being asked for, please email us at rightsfortime@contacts.bham.ac.uk to discuss this further. Due diligence answers are individual to each organization, and we will need to advise on a case-by-case basis.
It is possible to support due diligence applications for organisations that are not able to produce all the documents on the questionnaire – please get in touch with us early to discuss if this is the case for your host organisation.
The Due Diligence Checklist is available to download (see above)
How do I reflect in kind contributions from the host organisation, including for a team member’s time?
Any contributions in kind must be shown in the budget template but with a £0.00 cost. They must be details in the Budget Justification section giving the actual monetary value in GBP especially staff members. The host/partner organisation who is giving a contribution in kind must detail the contribution in kind in their letter of support (see the FAQs) to show that they are fully signed up to it.
Can an organization put in more than one application?
One organisation can put in more than one application. However, a Principle Investigator/Team leader cannot put in more than one application. This means that if an organisation puts in multiple applications the team make up must be different in each application.
Do I have to complete the outputs within 9 months?
We do not expect all outputs resulting from Rights for Time funding to be completed or published within the nine-month project timeframe. We ask for one creative output to be ready to share on our website (and more widely according to project goals) by the end of the nine-month project.
Projects that do wish to develop academic publications (journal articles, book chapters, blog posts) will receive support to do so as part of the Digital Mentorship Programme. Ideally, outputs should be published/completed before the end of the overall Rights for Time project (31 March 2024 but may be extended). If you are unable to reach this deadline you should contact the team at rightsfortime@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
Are state institutions eligible?
Yes. State institutions will go through the same due diligence procedures (see above) as all other host organisations.
Does any content created have to be in English or have a translated version in English?
There is no requirement for any content created as part of your award to be in English or to be translated into English. If you are not able to budget for translation or this is not part of your proposal, we may be able to help with translation into English. Please email us at rightsfortime@contacts.bham.ac.uk to discuss this further.
