From its inception, the Technician Commitment has been a collaborative endeavour. This ethos has been echoed and reflected in the biannual signatory events and the number of collaborative partnerships that have arisen because of the Technician Commitment in the past seven years.
To further support this culture, the Technician Commitment team are pleased to launch a fifth round of the Technician Commitment Collaboration Fund. The Collaboration Fund is a small grants scheme which provides funding to Technician Commitment signatory institutions to pump prime and enable collaborative projects with external partners to advance the aims of the Technician Commitment.
The scheme is open to all Technician Commitment signatory institutions and funding is awarded on a competitive basis. Submissions are invited in the range of £100 - £1000 to support the creation of collaborative opportunities. Examples may include, but are not limited to: joint workshops, shared training, development of shared materials, facilitation of work placements/exchanges and seminars/conference styled activity.
Criteria
- Projects must be undertaken between 1 April 2024 and 31 December 2025.
- Projects must demonstrate how they are advancing one or more of the key pillars of the Technician Commitment: Visibility, Recognition, Career Development and Sustainability.
- If the project is to continue, the panel will be looking for applications that evidence how the proposed activity will be sustainable beyond the initial funding.
- The collaboration must be with a UK based partner external to your organisation.
- The organisation that applies for funding must be a Technician Commitment signatory. The collaborating external organisation(s) do not need to be a signatory of the Technician Commitment.
- Any member of staff from a signatory organisation can apply to the Collaboration Fund but they must include a letter from the Technician Commitment Lead(s) in the application.
- Applications will not be accepted if you have applied in the last round.
- Successful applicants will be asked to produce a short project report, outlining the activity undertaken and the outputs, outcomes and impact. You may be invited to present at a signatory event or technician focussed conference.
Duration
The application window runs from 1st December 2024 – 7 February 2025. Successful projects should be delivered between 1 April 2025 and 31 December 2025.
Scope of Fund
Collaborations can take many forms, and the Technician Commitment team welcomes new and innovative approaches. The panel will consider any reasonable costs, if justified.
Application Process
Please download and complete the application form.
If the Technician Commitment institutional lead is not making the application, please provide a letter of support from them alongside the application form.
Applications should be submitted to tc@itss.org.uk by Friday 7 February 2025.
Applications will be reviewed by a panel and outcomes will be communicated in March 2025.
Additional Requirements
On completion of the project successful applicants will be asked to produce a short report, outlining the activity undertaken and the outcomes and impact.
Support
The Technician Commitment team are very happy to discuss ideas for the collaboration fund to help you shape your application. If you would like some support in developing your ideas or would like more information, please contact Clare Stevenson at tc@itss.org.uk.
