Frequently Asked Questions - Research & Engagement

• Interdisciplinary research
• Pilot projects
• Action research
• Research training and partnerships within country / regionally / internationally
• Arts methodologies, performance, narrative projects, archives

• Research reports and publications
• Policy briefs, and engagement in policy development / decision-making / contributions to legislative change
• New archives
• Exhibitions, eg, photography, art, digital
• Narrative projects
• Curriculum development.

Up to a maximum of £150,000 for an overall funding pool of £300,000 for large-scale projects.
These funds are available for up to 18 months in duration for all projects.

To apply, please download the application form and submit the completed form to disabilityundersiege@contacts.bham.ac.uk or you can request a copy of the application form by emailing us directly using the email address given above. 

A Due Diligence questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Download the questionnaire here.

This commissioning call is open to all individuals, disability groups, practitioners, researchers, higher education institutions, International Organisations etc. whose key intended beneficiaries are persons with disabilities and their families in Lebanon, Jordan and occupied Palestine territories.

Our funding forms part of the UK’s foreign aid budget. Our grants therefore have special requirements in regard to involvement of Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) on the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) List of Official Development Assistance Recipients.

Lead Organisations are normally expected to be legally registered within their home countries. Exceptions may be possible, so please contact disabilityundersiege@contacts.bham.ac.uk at the earliest opportunity if your organisation is not legally registered. Potential issues include the ability to conclude legally binding contracts and receiving payments.

• All projects must be led or have a partnership from a DAC list country with preference for Lebanon, Jordan and occupied Palestine territories
• The project team will be composed of a Principal Investigator (responsible for the leadership of the project) and up to three Co-Investigators. These investigators should include at least one researcher from Lebanon, Jordan and occupied Palestine territories.
• All projects must adhere to the aims and expected outcomes of the Disability Under siege Network
• Applications can be from Academic, Research and Non-Academic organisations
• Applications that are led by non-Academic organisations (i.e., NGOs, government agency, local community organisation) are eligible
• A UK investigator is not required, but a UK partnership or partnership with a Disability Under Siege Network partner organisation are strongly encouraged
• Applicants may act as Co-I on multiple applications. However, they may only be PI/lead applicant on one application
• Lead or sole applicants must be based in the UK or a DAC listed country. If you are not based in the UK or a DAC listed country (such as from Europe, USA, Canada, Australia) you cannot apply alone and must have a lead partner from the UK or a DAC listed country
• Applicants must be willing to undergo a ‘Due Diligence process’ and Ethics and Safeguarding review process with the University of Birmingham (see Guidance Notes for additional details)
• Partnerships and Networking Projects must have a maximum budget of £30,000.

The Research and Engagement Funding Call opens on 5th May and closes on 26th June 2022. Applications received after this date will be considered at the discretion of the assessment panel.

When you have submitted your application, the Disability Under Siege administrative team will check the application to ensure it meets the stated criteria (e.g., in respect to eligibility, allowable costs, supporting documents and word limits). The application will then be reviewed by a Commissioning Selection Panel. Before the panel meeting, the panel members will assess the application against the criteria which can be found in the Assessment Guidance Document here.

Funding may be used for any research related activity and to communicate the findings of research. This could include, but is not limited to;
• Funding to cover the time that individuals commit to the project including Staff time/administration costs/expert consultancy
• Travel, subsistence and consumables related to the research/project activity and its direct participants
• For events or performance-related activities eg venue hire, refreshments, printing, translation and interpretation costs
• Visual and performative artistic tools needed for collaboration in the funded project (i.e., materials for art related projects
• Fieldwork, focus groups, interview-based research and surveys
• Data and digital technology costs
• Workshop or training fees
• Indirect costs (overheads) associated with the project (not to exceed 20% of total award).

• Capital or infrastructure expenditure (e.g., basic office/ laboratory / accommodation furniture or equipment, building/ site construction, maintenance or refurbishment work, improvements to digital connective infrastructure, etc.)
• Where possible accessible venues and facilities should be selected; please note that infrastructure costs cannot be requested for example to make structural alterations to venues for improved accessibility.
• Fees for undergraduate or postgraduate courses
• Activities that show no clear connection to the applicant’s original proposal
• Applications made on behalf of applicants without the applicants’ agreement
• Costs for activities that do not adhere to ODA Compliance
• Any application where equipment forms over 25% of the total budget or £10,000 (whichever is lower) of their budget and/or where this is more cost effective than other options such as hiring equipment.

Due diligence is conducted by the finance team at the University of Birmingham, and is required by the funder, as a risk mitigation strategy. The due diligence process consists of a questionnaire that will cover financial, ethical and policy checks at the lead institution. All new partners must complete this process.

All successful applicants must undergo due diligence checks in order to be awarded the funding and starting their activities. Full details on the due diligence process are provided in the supporting resources on the website page here….

The Disability under Siege Network will help to facilitate your application. Whilst we cannot make comments on the academic content of your submission, we can offer assistance about the practical elements such as budgets, formatting, Arabic translation and helping to form a project team. If you have any questions when completing your application, please email disabilityundersiege@contacts.bham.ac.uk where we can assist you.

In addition, the Disability Under Siege team will be hosting sessions for prospective grant holders to support with application development. The following topics will be covered:

– Application Development and Writing
– Ethics and Safeguarding
– Budget preparation and Q&A

A UK partner is not required; however, the lead or sole applicant must be based in the UK, or a DAC listed country . The Disability Under Siege Team will work closely with awardees to ensure there is collaboration and appropriate guidance provided.

Areas of research/activity are;

Lebanon

Jordan

Occupied Palestinian Territories (oPt)

Yes, you can. However, consider the short timeframe for these projects and your availability to ensure that if both applications are successful, you have enough capacity to ensure smooth deliverability.

Under the Research and Engagement Funding Call we are accepting applications for grants anywhere between £60,000 and £125,000. We will not be accepting applications for less that £60,000.

All payments will be made in arrears, it is not possible to be make payments in advance.

All payments will be made in £GBP

The Disability under Siege Network will help to facilitate your application. If you have difficulty accessing the documents please email disabilityundersiege@contacts.bham.ac.uk where we can assist you.