Finance and Budgeting for CHASE Research Networks
Find out how to apply for Cohort Development Funding to support your research network and learn how to account for the funding you receive with this handy guide.
How to plan a budget for your CDF application
Applications for the Cohort Development Fund are accepted on a rolling basis, but once a year, a call will go out specifically for CHASE Research Networks to apply, in support of events or projects they intend on organising for the following academic year. This call usually occurs in the summer.
The best way to get started with planning events for an entire year is to list out every event or project you hope to organise. This might be a collection of several small events or fewer larger events and might consist of undertakings that are public-facing, limited to CHASE students, or for network members only. Whatever they entail, write them down so that you'll have a clear sense of what each will require.
What can you add to your budget?
Once listed, consider what will be required of each in order to execute, and how much of that will need funding. This can include speaker fees, travel compensation, budget for materials, accommodation and more.
You can add a budget for administration, whether for yourself or to outsource to someone else. However, the administration of a network should not be someone's main source of income.
You may also include an additional amount of budget for contingency, in case more funding becomes necessary. If you are planning an event, you may include the costs of a venue. However, there are many venues across the various CHASE institutions that may be used for events at no cost. Bearing this in mind, please ensure that these venues are not suitable before adding venue fees to the budget of your finding.
If you have any doubts about the approximate cost of things or would like clarification on what can be covered by the CDF, please contact the Research Networks Officer at networks@chase.ac.uk.
Whose name should go on the application?
Once you have your budget laid out, someone in your research network can then fill out the application form. This person must be CHASE-funded for the upcoming year. The form can be found here and should be sent to training@chase.ac.uk upon completion.
Because the funding must go through a single person, the individual who submits the application form and whose name will be attached to the form will effectively act as treasurer for the network. The funding will thus come through the institution that the individual is associated with. For example, if the person applying for CDF is a CHASE-funded PGR student at Birkbeck University, then the funding will also come through Birkbeck. This also means that if, for example, funds need to be allocated to a speaker for an event, an invoice with the speaker fee should be provided to Birkbeck, along with payment details such as bank details. Please note, the procedures for invoicing might differ from one institution to the next. When in doubt, contact the CHASE lead at your institution for clarification.
With this in mind, the person who will be putting their name on the application form should, therefore, be prepared to take on the duties of liaising between their institution and those who are to be paid.
After your funding application is approved
Once you've received funding for your network, you are required to track the spending. At the end of the year and potentially during, the network will be asked to report back on how they've spent the funds. It is therefore important that you keep track of how the budget is spent throughout.
Staff-Led Research Networks
While CHASE Research Networks are typically led by doctoral researchers, networks can also be initiated by staff members at CHASE institutions, as long as the network is focused on supporting and engaging with PGR researchers.
Staff can initiate an unfunded network in the same way as doctoral researchers. See the FAQs on how to start a network here. Staff can also apply for seed funding for a network via the annual CDA proposal process as outlined above, either as a standalone initiative or as part of a broader project proposal.
We would particularly encourage applications from early career researchers. Applications should identify pathways to collaboration across different member institutions and must demonstrate the value of the research network in terms of doctoral training.
If you would like to talk through your ideas for a network, get in touch with the CHASE Researcher Networks Officer at networks@chase.ac.uk.