SWINDON, UNITED KINGDOM: The Research Councils UK (RCUK) Energy Programme is looking to support a Hydrogen and Fuel Cells SUPERGEN ‘Hub’. The PI and CoIs of this Hub will act as Hydrogen and Fuel Cells research ‘Champions’ coordinating and driving research in this area forward to meet the UK’s future energy requirements. There is up to £4 million available for the call. It is anticipated that the project will commence in mid 2012 and the duration of the grant will be for five years.
This call for the grant application closes on 11 October 2011, as informed by the management.
The aim of the new SUPERGEN programme is to create relatively small ‘Hubs’ run by a theme champion. This hub will operate as a cross between a Programme Grant, a Platform Grant, and a Network Grant. The remaining bulk of the SUPERGEN award will be split roughly half to support a suite of related research activities focussing on a strategic theme.
The RCUK Energy Programme will align calls strategically between councils and other funding organisations. It will also monitor progress on a close basis.
Currently proposals are invited to establish a consortium for a SUPERGEN Hydrogen and Fuel Cells ‘Hub’. The remit of the Hub will initially be in; the generation, distribution and storage of hydrogen; fuel cells; hydrogen and fuel cell systems. This should include the science, engineering and system issues together with the environmental and safety impacts of the technologies and their socio-economic aspects (including policy).
It is anticipated that once the Hub is operational the remit of the hub will be expanded beyond what is listed above in subsequent targeted calls.
There should be a single submission with a single PI. The PI and the CoIs of the successful application will be expected to take on the role of Champions for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells research and as such should show that they have the time to take on these roles.
This should be a consortium of the leading research institutions working in Hydrogen and Fuel Cells research, and should include no more than seven institutions. The call is open to new entrants but any submission should include some of the researchers that are involved in the current Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Consortia.
Proposals should include a technology and expansion strategy for extending the research beyond the core Hub funding.
The proposal should present a clear strategy for taking Hydrogen and Fuel Cells research forward and how the group will ensure knowledge transfer and the exploitation of intellectual property.
(C) EPSRC News