How to apply

PALATINE welcomes applications for Development Awards at any time. Funds of up to £7500 are available for projects that enhance or support learning and teaching in higher education and are of use beyond applicants' own departments and institutions. (While proposed budgets of £7500 are possible, projects with smaller budgets are also very much encouraged.) PALATINE especially welcomes proposals that foster a proactive approach to the learning and teaching of a diverse range of students. Please read these guidelines in conjunction with the criteria used by referees and the terms and conditions attached to Development Awards.

Applications are peer-reviewed by external specialists to ensure that each funded project will deliver value for money and be a useful and high-quality contribution to the subject.

Information required

Full contact details of applicant(s).
Project title.
Introductory overview of the proposed project (500 words maximum). (This could usefully be written as a piece of text for the PALATINE website, which would introduce the project, if funded.)
A clear statement of the proposed project’s aims and objectives, followed by an outline of the theoretical or conceptual framework, and the methodology.
A clear statement about the anticipated outcomes from the project and how they will be disseminated or embedded in the appropriate subject community. Any evidence of the level of demand for the proposed work would be helpful. Applicants should indicate if the initial PALATINE-funded project might be developed further.
A statement of resources needed for successful completion of the project. This should include an itemised budget and a statement of personnel to be involved (including their time commitments).
A project timetable.
Evaluation: there should be a clear statement of the nature and means of evaluation of the project, and provision for this evaluation to be included in the statement of resources. There should be a clear statement about how the project might be applied within the disciplines of PALATINE’s constituency, always with the assumption that the methods and outcomes of the project are applicable across institutions within PALATINE’s constituency.

Costs

When staff time is an appropriate part of a proposed budget, applicants may request relief from specified duties (teaching, administration, etc). PALATINE is only able to fund the cost of replacement of these specific duties. If the budget includes such teaching or other relief, applicants should state the period applied for, and provide a detailed costing. If such proposals are funded, heads of departments will be required to confirm the details of the replacement costs and that the teaching relief will be given.

One method of calculating teaching relief might be on the basis that successful applicants will be relieved of one course's worth of duties, two contact hours' teaching per week, plus preparation and marking time (two further hours per week), for one term (so 4 hours per week for 10 weeks at £25 per hour, total £1000 made available to your department to buy in a replacement teacher). For those on semesters the calculation might be based on 15 weeks' relief, so £1500.

PALATINE will not fund staff 'buyout' expressed as a daily rate, calculated as if for external consultancy, or including institutional overheads, superannuation contributions, etc. Given the limited funds for Development Awards, PALATINE is not normally able to fund external consultancy fees for visiting practitioners. In highly exceptional cases, where bought-in, external expertise is essential to a project, PALATINE will consider the budget in the context of the overall benefits and merits of the project.

PALATINE Development Awards are not intended for equipment purchase for departments or projects. If the work proposed requires specialist equipment that a department could not reasonably be expected to fund through its normal procedures, please contact PALATINE to discuss your ideas, as special arrangements may be possible.

Application process

Applications can be submitted at any time. Before submitting an application, PALATINE recommends that an applicant asks a senior colleague to read the proposal. Potential applicants are welcome to send a draft proposal to PALATINE for feedback or to discuss their ideas with Lisa Whistlecroft, David Pearson or another member of the PALATINE staff.

If an application includes all the required information, it will be passed to outside specialists to be refereed. When the refereeing process is complete, successful applicants will be notified and unsuccessful applicants will receive feedback on their application and might be encouraged to re-submit their ideas. Applications will be considered by referees in confidence.

PALATINE strongly advises applicants to submit applications at least three to four months before the proposed start date. Applications must be received well in advance of the project's proposed start date to allow time for clarifications to the application, the refereeing process and any negotiations that need to be made before funding is awarded.

All enquiries and applications in electronic form to palatine@lancaster.ac.uk or by post to:

PALATINE Development Awards
PALATINE
The Great Hall
Lancaster University
Lancaster
LA1 4YW

If you submit an application by post, please also supply an electronic version by email.