Call for Projects | RISE: Addressing Violence Against Women and Girls
- Feb 9
- 8 min read
Updated: 15 hours ago
Background
SPRITE+, in collaboration with SALIENT and the Network for Security Excellence & Collaboration (NSEC), is offering grant funding for short projects under problem statement 2 of the Safer Streets initiative on Violence Against Women and Girls. We anticipate funding ten projects to run between April and August 2026, with final reports due no later than 30th September 2026.
All funded projects will address at least one of the R&I challenge statements contained within Safer Streets Problem Statement 2 (see the call document).
Given that this area is a government priority, further calls for funding are expected. Consequently, as well as conducting these rapid pilot projects – successful applicants will join a community of interest, which will meet in person on the 2nd and 3rd of June 2026 at an Innovation Forum in Manchester which will be designed to build the agenda and potential teams for future funding rounds.
Funding
Project teams can apply for a maximum of £50,000.
Projects will be funded at 80% FEC for UK research organisation costs (with the UK Research Organisations involved in projects contributing 20% FEC). The maximum amount SPRITE+ will fund is 80% FEC of the maximum budget advertised for each specific call. For example, the maximum budget permitted is £50,000, so SPRITE+ will fund up to 80% FEC of £50,000 (which in this case is: £40,000). The remaining 20% (in this case: £10,500) will need to be provided by the research organisation(s) involved in the project.
Project teams can also include in-kind support from companies/ charities/ research groups etc. both international and UK based.
Note: Inflation is not included in the costing model due to the short duration of the projects.
Eligibility
Who can Apply
Only UK academics and researchers from organisations eligible for UKRI funding can lead a project. Projects can have multiple UK based partners. However, please note we will have no flexibility about the timescale so all subcontracting processes must be compatible with projects completing by the end of August.
There is no limit on the number of applications from each institution, but an individual cannot be named on more than one grant.
Project teams can also include funded, or in-kind support from companies/ charities/ research groups etc. both international and UK based. Relationships with external partners will be managed by the project lead institution and appropriate due diligence needs to be undertaken.
Project Team – Leadership and Members
Project leads and Co-Leads can be:
Academics or researcher working at an organisation eligible for UKRI funding.
A researcher holding an employment contract that ends beyond the end of the project end date.
Early Career Researchers and Post Docs
The inclusion of Early Career Researchers (ECRs) and Postdoctoral Researchers including Research Assistants and Research Associates as members of the project team is encouraged. For this call, Early Career Researchers are defined as being employed in a non-permanent research position or holding a research fellowship or an academic post and having less than five years (full time equivalent and excluding periods of maternity, paternity and sick leave) of post-doctoral research experience.
Other Team members
Project teams can also include Project Managers, Project Officers, Administrators and technical staff.
Project teams can also include funded, or in-kind support from companies, charities, research groups etc. both international and UK based. Relationships with external partners will be managed by the project lead institution and due diligence needs to be undertaken.
Timeline
The application process opened on 17th February - apply here.
Applications will close on Monday 16th March at 16:00 GMT.
Outcomes and award letters will be provided on Friday 27th March.
The expected earliest start date for projects will be 13th April 2026.
Attendance at an in-person Innovation Forum 2nd and 3rd June in Manchester. (It is expected that one member of each project team will attend this.)
The latest end date will be 1st September 2026. There will be no extensions available to projects that are unable to complete by the 1st September 2026.
Final project report submitted to SPRITE+ by 16:00 UTC on the 30th September 2026.
Award holders (or their delegates) will be expected to present their findings at an online showcase event on Monday 14th September 2026.
Our standard terms and conditions will form part of the application process. Terms and Conditions are defined on the SPRITE+ RISE Award Letter. You can access the full document by heading here. Projects will need to have an award letter in place and a contract signed by the lead institution and the University of Manchester before the agreed start date of the project.
Because of the timescale involved, contracts will be non-negotiable.
Due to the nature of the funding, projects can run for a maximum of 4.5 months.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be assessed against the following criteria:
Alignment to the Safer Streets Problem Statement 2
The feasibility of project completion within the timeframe
The clarity and viability of the proposed approach
The likely quality of realistic expected outputs
Track record of the applicant / team
Demonstration of appropriate management of ethical and RRI considerations
Value for money indicated in the justification of resources
Application Process
Applicants are required to submit a proposal using Flexigrant - you will need to set up a free University of Manchester Flexigant account before you can submit an application.
Further Information
View our Webinar here:
Download the call document here:
View the presentation from our RISE Devolved Funding Call webinar held on Friday 13th February:
If you have any further queries, please contact spriteplus@manchester.ac.uk.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Is this a country-specific call, and only limited to work in the UK?
To apply, you would need to be eligible for UKRI funding, which means your institution would need to be in the UK.
We wouldn't rule out anything that's outside of the UK, such as a lesson learned out of another country to apply in a UK context, however the project needs to have some benefits to the UK's strategy.
Would you rather have more targeted projects, or would you prefer a project that fulfils as many priorities as possible amongst those listed?
We would suggest focusing on an area where you feel you can make the most difference.
What type of impact are you expecting from us that we can achieve within the few months of the project?
It could be that you show a difference has been made to somebody or a process, or that your project takes something forward in terms of technology or an opportunity.
We're looking for a clear indication that your project will make a real difference. Equally, if you're filling a well-known gap in the evidence base that you don't think someone else is currently about to report on, or investing a large amount of money in answering, this could be really valuable.
Can I apply as a PhD student, or do I need to apply with my supervisor?
You would need a post that extends for at least the duration of the project, and to have an academic post within an academic institution, or an institution that can apply for UKRI funding.
Is there any additional weight placed on interdisciplinary teams?
Interdisciplinary work is very important to us at SPRITE+, as we are spread over a huge range of disciplines and sectors. However, we want to give applicants the freedom to do something they think would add the greatest value and make the most sense in terms of the project.
If you can come up with something that includes pre-existing contacts and relationships, that would be great, but we won't penalise applicants who propose something from a particular perspective. The project also needs to be feasible within the given timeframe.
Would project partners be co-applicants or partners if we're part-funding them?
Co-applicants would be another institution eligible for UKRI funding that you would put in a joint bid with. So the correct category would probably be project partners.
However, if you're funding them, that's a cost to the project - rather than them being partners to the project.
Can I apply with a project where the research has already been done?
One of the things that we envisaged was applicants with an existing project - this could be a step to build on that may lead to more immediate impacts (e.g. designing a training module).
What types of projects would you not be looking to fund?
Something that's too niche and outside the RISE areas of focus, something that's already been done multiple times very well, or a project that provides a theory or an idea but not something we can act upon/generate something from which will make a difference.
We're very much outcome-focused, and trying to drive a change, gain new knowledge, and put new tools into the hands of people who are directly working with people who've either perpetrated, experienced or are vulnerable to violence and abuse.
With there being a lot of Safer Streets activity happening outside of the UKRI context, to what extent might it permissible for a project to join up with other projects in that space?
We would strongly encourage this if you have the capacity within the given timescale of the project.
Can we discuss the topic of technology facilitated gender-based violence in our research?
Yes. We're really interested in trying to help developers and policymakers to create safer online spaces, and address the issues people are experiencing.
I'm currently working for a research institute. Can we apply for the UKRI funding in our own right as a research institute?
Some research institutes are eligible for UKRI funding, but not all of them. So we would recommend that you discuss this with somebody higher up in your institution. You can also check the UKRI website here.
What are eligible costs under this grant?
Find out what costs are eligible for UKRI funding here.
Can I apply independent of an institution or university?
You will not be able to apply independently. To be eligible for funding, you will have to apply through a UKRI-recognised institution. We are only able to fund institutions that meet UKRI eligibility requirements for funding. Any further transfer(s) of funding must be formalised through a contractual agreement between yourself, as an organisation, and the leading institution.
The allocation of time, resources, and responsibilities across both institutions should be clearly outlined within the project budget when completing the application form. Please note that this must be a single, collaborative project in which both entities work together toward shared objectives. It cannot consist of separate or independent activities with distinct outputs. The project should demonstrate genuine collaboration throughout.
Can I include costs for additional researchers, organisations, or charities?
As long as their time or service is costed into your budget in your application for this Call, this should be fine. However, please note that this will still be reviewed by our Assessment Panel.
Can I include co-applicants alongside myself for this call?
Yes, you will be able to add co-applicants for this call via the Flexigrant portal. Please note that if you do add co-applicants, they must also approve the application form from their side so you can finally submit it yourself.
Do I need an institutional account or approval for Flexigrant? Will my application go through the institution approval pool before submitting it to SPRITE+?
Institutional login is not required for this. For all applications submitted, it is assumed that it has been discussed with your institution. The application will come straight to us.
