SPRUCE Awards - first call for proposals

SPRUCE will make awards of up to £5k available for further developing the practical digital preservation outcomes and/or development of digital preservation business cases, that were begun in SPRUCE events. A total fund of £60k is available for making these awards, which will be allocated in a series of funding calls thoughout the life of the SPRUCE Project.

The current (open) call is primarily for attendees of the SPRUCE Glasgow Mashup.

How to bid for a funding award

To bid for a SPRUCE award:

1. Carefully read through the details on this page, paying particular attention to the Project Award Criteria, Notes and Conditions, and Timings (see below).
2. Complete this bid template with details of your proposed project (maximum 2 pages)
3. Send the template by email to p (dot) r (dot) wheatley (at) leeds (dot) ac (dot) uk, no later than 5pm on the 22nd May 2012.
4. If you have any questions, or would like to discuss your bid, please contact Paul Wheatley at the email address above.

Project Award Criteria

Awards will be scored and allocated based on how well the bids meet the following criteria. The Project:

• Enhances digital preservation at the bidding institution / partnered institution
• Provides results that will support the bidding institution (and will support SPRUCE) in building a compelling business case for digital preservation
• Has potential for delivering strong results (demonstrated by building on work from a SPRUCE Mashup)
• Has clear and practically focused objectives
• Provides outputs with a strong impact and that are applicable and useful for other institutions (particularly UK HE/FE)
• Clearly outlines how the award will be resourced and delivered within a realistic time scale
• Has support from within the institution with financial or in-kind contribution where possible

Notes and conditions for bidders

• Awards of up to £5k will be considered
• Applications should be no longer than 2 pages with 10point text only.
• Applications will normally only be accepted from individuals that have attended a SPRUCE event. Other awards may be considered but the SPRUCE Project Manager should be consulted in the first instance
• Joint applications from teams of individuals (possibly from different organisations) will be considered but one primary named contact will be the recipient of the total amount of the award
• Diverse participation is sought so SPRUCE will prefer to make awards to a variety of institutions rather than multiple awards to a single organisation
• Applications from UK/FE institutions will be prioritised. Applications from outside of the UK will not be considered
• It is expected that in the majority of cases, Projects will be applied for and led by practitioners. Award funding may of course be spent on technical resources if applicable to the activity in question
• SPRUCE can provide support in finding sources for technical resource which may be allocated to award activities

Awards timetable

• Award call opens: 8th May 2012
• Applications must be submitted by: 5pm, 22nd May 2012
• Notification of successful applications: 28th May 2012
• Projects to complete by: 31st October 2012

Further calls will be issued later in the SPRUCE project.