EDRC Flexible Fund – FAQs

Applications should be submitted via the specified forms to flexiblefund@edrc.ac.uk including details on: 

• Research objectives. 
• Timeline and budget. 
• How the project aligns with EDRC’s core themes.  

Guidance resources will also be available to help applicants prepare. 

Yes. The funds cannot be used for: 

• Projects not involving new research or collaboration. 
• Capital or infrastructure-led projects. 
• Teaching relief or permanent staff time. 
• Overhead costs or personal university courses. 

Applications are encouraged for activities such as: 

• Exploratory research. 
• Data analysis. 
• Case study research. 
• Interdisciplinary workshops. 

For some funds, such as the Early Career Fund and Impact Acceleration Fund, applicants must include at least one external collaborator (e.g., industry or community groups) in their project team. 

Applicants are encouraged to consider EDI throughout their project. EDRC will monitor EDI metrics, and applicants are encouraged to complete an online EDI survey that will be shared via email upon receipt of their application.  

All funded projects are expected to promote EDI throughout the research process. This includes considering EDI in the research design, implementation, and dissemination stages, as well as it’s impacts throughout the project’s lifecycle. 

You can find more information on our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion page, where you can also download the EDI cube presentation.

Training on unconscious bias will be mandatory for application reviewers. 

EDRC will run dedicated guidance sessions to assist applicants in preparing their submissions. They will also provide templates and forms that must be followed for a successful application. 

Yes! Watch the EDRC Flexible Fund Webinar for an informative session that covers details about the fund, its goals, and the application process, followed by a live Q&A. You can access the webinar directly on Youtube, or download an accessible transcript of the webinar.

You can also watch the Flexible Fund Early Career Webinar aimed at ECRs to develop new collaborative projects and activities linked to the EDRC research programme. This session was also followed by a live Q&A to answer any questions from participants. Download an accessible transcript of the webinar.

We also have recorded our EDRC Flexible Fund EDI Workshop. This interactive workshop is for anyone interested in applying to the Flexible Fund and will help you think about how to incorporate EDI principles into the fabric of your work.

Yes, figures and diagrams can be included, but they should be essential to supporting your application. They must clearly enhance the clarity and showcase the impact of your proposal rather than serve as supplementary material.

The Flexible Fund is unable to support requests for consumables or equipment over £10,000 per item. However, anything below £10,000 can be included in the consumables / directly incurred budget section in the application form.

All applications go through a peer review process. Projects under £100,000 are reviewed by an internal EDRC panel, while projects over this amount are assessed with input from external advisors. Anonymous reviews are used for funds over £100,000.

The review panel, called the EDRC Flexible Fund Award Panel, includes: 

• EDRC Director (or Co-Director) – Chairs the panel. 
• Theme Leads for the five core EDRC themes (Futures, Flexibility, Place, Governance, and Equity). 
• An Early Career Research (ECR) Champion. 
• For large projects (over £100,000), members of the EDRC Advisory Board may join the review process. 

If any panel member has a conflict of interest, their deputy or an alternative reviewer will step in. 

The peer review process is designed to ensure fairness and transparency: 

• Applications under £100,000 are reviewed anonymously where possible. 
• Applications over £100,000 undergo a more rigorous review with input from external reviewers and the Advisory Board. 
• Anonymity: Applications over £100,000 are anonymised before review to avoid bias. Applicant information is stripped from forms before being sent to the Award Panel. 

The following criteria are used to assess applications: 

• Relevance to EDRC’s themes – How well the project aligns with EDRC’s objectives. 
• Research Excellence – Quality and innovation of the research. 
• Problem or Solution Focus – Clarity of the problem being addressed or solution being proposed. 
• Impact – The potential for the project to make a meaningful contribution to energy demand reduction. 
• Value for Money – Justification of the resources requested and cost-effectiveness. 

All panel members involved in reviewing applications are required to complete unconscious bias training at their institutions. This ensures that decisions are made fairly, and that diversity is respected throughout the process. 

The review process takes about three weeks from the closing date of the fund submission window. Decision timelines vary depending on the specific fund, with rapidity being key to some, but applicants typically receive feedback within two months of submission. 

Once the review process is complete, applicants (both successful and unsuccessful) receive feedback on their applications. Successful applicants may be asked to make amendments or adjustments before final approval. 

Panel members are required to declare any conflicts of interest upfront. Conflicts may arise if the reviewer has a personal relationship with the applicant, is from the same institution, or has worked closely with the applicant in recent years. In such cases, the reviewer will be recused from reviewing that application, and their deputy or another reviewer will take their place. 

Unsuccessful applicants can reapply, but they may be asked to revise their proposals based on feedback received during the review. However, applicants who have already received funding may only apply for a new project up to a maximum of two funded projects during the Flexible Fund’s duration. 

Applicants are expected to engage with feedback provided by the EDRC Award Panel. They may be asked to make amendments or reasonable adjustments to their project based on this feedback. This could include revising project deliverables, timelines, or methods, based on feedback to ensure the project stays aligned with EDRC’s goals and expectations. 

To ensure equity and fairness, EDRC follows strict guidelines: 

• Anonymous review is used for specific funds. 
• The panel is diverse, representing various genders, ethnicities, and career stages. 
• The scoring process is transparent, with clear criteria for decision-making. 
• In cases of high application volume, additional reviewers may be included to manage workloads effectively. 

• Expectation: Recipients must submit regular progress reports to the EDRC: 
• Quarterly progress updates: For larger or ongoing projects to keep EDRC informed about the project’s status. 
• Final report: Submitted within one month of the project’s conclusion, detailing outcomes, project impacts, and financial use of the awarded funds. 
• Action: This includes documentation of outputs, any achieved impact, and how funds were used in line with the project’s objectives. 

• Expectation: Recipients must submit regular progress reports to the EDRC: 
• Quarterly progress updates: For larger or ongoing projects to keep EDRC informed about the project’s status. 
• Final report: Submitted within one month of the project’s conclusion, detailing outcomes, project impacts, and financial use of the awarded funds. 
• Action: This includes documentation of outputs, any achieved impact, and how funds were used in line with the project’s objectives. 

• Recipients are required to create at least one visual element for dissemination purposes. This could include: 
• A poster, flyer, or infographic summarising the project. 
• A video or other media for broader communication. 
• A presentation or webinar. 
• This helps share the project’s results with a wider audience and ensures that EDRC’s work is accessible to different stakeholders. 

• Alongside the final project report, applicants are required to submit a final statement of expenditure within two months of the project’s conclusion. This financial report should detail how the funds were allocated and spent. 

• The financial statement must accurately reflect the use of the awarded funds, ensuring transparency and accountability. 

• EDRC will share a grant agreement template/award letter for signature with the lead applicant. Recipients must ensure that any collaboration agreements and data processing agreements (for projects involving multiple organisations) are GDPR-compliant. These agreements must be in place within a reasonable timeframe.  
• If collaboration agreements cannot be finalised in time, EDRC reserves the right to withdraw the funding and offer it to another applicant. 

• All projects must have a clear data management plan. This includes the handling, storage, and sharing of research data in compliance with GDPR and other ethical guidelines. 
• Recipients are responsible for ensuring data is managed ethically and responsibly throughout the project’s duration, with plans for data archiving and sharing where appropriate. 

• Applicants may be invited to present their findings or participate in EDRC events, meetings, seminars, or workshops. This is an opportunity to showcase how the research contributes to energy demand reduction. 
• Recipients are expected to engage in EDRC’s broader dissemination activities to enhance the reach and impact of their work. 

Awardees must acknowledge the EDRC’s support in all published outputs, presentations, and dissemination materials related to the funded project. 

Proper attribution ensures the recognition of EDRC’s contribution and helps highlight the role of the Centre in advancing energy demand research. All EDRC reports and papers need to have the following statement in the acknowledgement section: 

“This research has been undertaken by the Energy Demand Research Centre (EDRC), supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council [grant number EP/Y010078/1].” 

If your project does not fit within the current calls, additional rounds may be announced if there is undersubscription or changes in funding priorities. Contact the EDRC Operations team for guidance at flexiblefund@edrc.ac.uk