JISC

July 1995

To: Heads of HE Institutions in the United Kingdom
Copies: Computer Centre Directors of those institutions

JISC Circular 8/95

An Invitation to Bid for Grants from the JISC

Summary

1. The JISC invites project proposals for a new three-
year, #6.5M programme commencing in August 1996.  This
programme, which is subject to approval by the funding
bodies, will identify and promote key information
technologies, and make them open to students and
researchers who might not otherwise have access to them. 

2. The new programme is in many respects a successor to
the JISC New Technology Initiative (NTI), which was
launched in 1993, but will take into account developments
in the strategy of the JISC itself.  As with the NTI, and
in line with the funding basis of the funding bodies
themselves, awards will be given on an annual basis only.

3. The JISC intends to identify the proposals it would
wish to fund before submitting the final case for support
to the funding bodies in Spring 1996.  Such a timetable
will not only provide a stronger basis for the request, but
will allow ample time for the selection and establishment
of projects, including the recruitment of staff.

4. Funded projects will be organised on the basis of
topic areas, and a suggested topic list is contained in
this Circular.  However, the JISC is currently engaged in a
consultation exercise following the release of its Issues
Paper1, and intends to make use of the information it
receives in shaping this programme.  The topic list in this
document will therefore be supplemented by additional
information which will be supplied on 1 November 1995.

5. Depending on the responses received, the JISC may wish
to organise and co-ordinate projects in some topic areas
through a single national centrally funded centre; or by
developing co-ordination between projects for which
proposals have been submitted separately.  Proposals may
therefore be structured in a variety of ways, and more
information is given herein.

6. All bids must arrive by 30 November 1995 at the
latest.

Background and General Aims

7. It is important that students and researchers should
have access to the most recent technical developments in
order to ensure a well informed, trained and educated
community, able to provide support for the continuous
development and full functionality of Information Systems
in the future.  However, the range and diversity of
potential developments is such that it is not possible for
all institutions to provide access to these without very
great cost and unnecessary duplication.

8. This programme aims to encourage lead group and
prototype developments, so as to spearhead advances which
can offer significant benefits and lead ultimately to
managed transfer and wide use by HE institutions.  The
projects are to be balanced across current and future
needs, and will contribute to a long term objective of
ensuring that teaching and research in information systems
within Higher Education are focused on the current state of
the art.

9. The programme will build upon the earlier New
Technology Initiative2 and identify and encourage work
within key technologies which are the most critical to
information systems development within HE.  A list of
proposed key topics under this programme are listed at
para. 14.  However, in order that these topic areas can
more closely relate to current consultations, such as  the
JISC Issues Paper3; the Office of Science & Technology
Foresight programme4; and relevant CEC programmes,
supplementary information will be issued later in the year
(see para 16).


Scope of the Initiative and Funding Arrangements

10. Categories of support to be considered include:

a Application Projects which identify the prospect
of substantial benefit to the HE community and which extend
over a period of up to three years.  Awards for such
projects can be up to a maximum level of #120,000 per annum
but should generally aim to be less than #100,000 per
annum.

b Small scale higher risk projects by individuals
seen to show significant promise and relevance in their
existing work programmes, and running for one or two years. 
Such projects would be funded at up to #25,000 per annum.

11. Initial approval by the JISC and by the Funding
Councils will only extend to the first Academic Year
(1996/7), and final approval for that year will not be
given until Spring 1996; bids are invited now on that
basis.  Funding in subsequent years will be dependent on
the availability of resources allocated to the Funding
Councils and subsequently to JISC.  However, subject to
this, it is planned that projects under this initiative
will continue to be funded for up to a further 2 years.

12. Funds will be provided for staff costs (including
training), hardware and software, against invoices, where
appropriate, and not in advance of need; and may not be
used towards institutional overheads.

13. Where hardware purchase is proposed, it will be
necessary to show that investment by the JISC will accrue
to the benefit of the whole community rather than to the
hosting institution.

Suggested Topics

14. Examples of topics which institutions may wish to
propose for support include:

o Technologies to support management and infrastructure
of HE
o Heterogeneous and Cluster Computing
o Technologies to support network-accessible information
o Tools for Multi-Media
o Tools for Collaborative and Distance working,
including server/client delivery of on-line teaching
material
o High Performance Computing Training & Education.
o Visualisation and virtual environments
o IKBS/AI in the HE environment
o Integrated Audio-Visual and Computing Systems
o Application studies in support of any of these topics

15. Proposals which do not fit into one or more of these
headings will nonetheless be considered provided they
support the general aims of the Programme (paras. 7-9
above).

16. This topic list and criteria will be updated in the
light of consultations currently taking place. 


Criteria to be used in Evaluating Proposals

17. The project proposals will be evaluated against the
following criteria. 

a Relevance to the issues raised by the JISC issues
paper and subsequent consultations: proposals should be
placed in the context of such issues or present their own
justification for support.  Examples of issues listed in
the JISC paper are:

o The need to expand the "reach" of the network to the
home and workplace and to strengthen links with industry
and other education sectors

o The need to engender the necessary culture change and
training to support the preparation of multi-media teaching
material and electronic text book and research material

o The need to promote and improve the exploitation of IT
in the creation of virtual laboratories for teaching and
research use

o The need to make greater use of information systems to
achieve the effective management of higher education
institutions.  This includes security, environmental and
access control, management and executive information
systems, data security and authentication and specialist
applications for timetabling and the management of
accommodation and catering etc

o The need to provide the necessary training and
awareness throughout the community and to receive feedback
on requirements to help ensure technology led initiatives
are in tune with the necessary cultural change.

b The JISC must be satisfied that the projects show
vision; are demonstrably effective; and will involve key
technologies for the future which would probably not be
available to students, researchers and institutions without
the support of this Programme.

c Proposals must demonstrate mechanisms for
transferring results and benefits to other HE institutions.

d The projects should enable universities and
colleges to produce graduates who have knowledge of, and
access to, advanced architecture systems and other new
technology. The aim should not be however the creation of
undergraduate courses per se, but to enable new
technologies to be incorporated into undergraduate courses,
or into the institutional infrastructure, so as to generate
maximum long term impact within HE within the resources
provided.

e Proposals must indicate awareness of any other
related developments within Higher Education, and indicate
relevance to them.

f Proposals must identify benefits quantified
either in terms of, for example, charges which can be
avoided, or in terms of other potential (including
technical) benefits.   A basis for assessing these
benefits, and details of arrangements for implementing them
as deliverables, must also be included.

g Competence in management to fulfil aims,
particularly in the evolution of partnerships and the
creation of the wider influences necessary to derive
benefits as widely as possible within HE, will need to be
shown.

h Proposals must satisfy the JISC that any award
can in fact be productively spent.

Partnership Arrangements

18. Many projects will require partnership arrangements in
order to result in on-line, usable and developed systems,
but the extent will depend upon the nature and scale of the
proposals.  These arrangements might involve consortia of
HE institutions,  and/or joint developments with Research
Councils, the DTI or EC initiatives.  Proposals may also be
based upon co-operation with industry.

19. Shared funding and other agreements with external
partners which can be seen to offer overall economies in
the deployment of JISC funds are to be encouraged, but will
need to be shown formally with the total project cost
content, and with the JISC contribution not exceeding the
funding limits in para.10.  Such arrangements must not be
at the expense of the main objectives of HE.

20. A single, specified HEFC or DENI funded institution
must be responsible for management and delivery of any
joint project, and for ensuring that the project
responsibilities reflecting the interests of the JISC are
met.

21. In order to concentrate resources, individual projects
within given key areas may be grouped and managed as
nationally co-ordinated activities or "focused clubs", and
following the receipt and initial selection of successful
bids, a series of workshops will be held to find the best
way forward in each case.

22. Equally, a proposed partnership may aim from the
outset to provide a complete, nationally co-ordinated set
of projects within a given topic area.  In appropriate
cases, such a proposal might exceed the upper limit for
three year projects (para. 10 above).

23. In the wider context of partnerships with external
bodies, representatives from the Research Councils, learned
Institutions and Industry will be invited to a one-day
meeting to describe the achievements of the NTI and to
outline the shape of the forthcoming JTAP activity (see
para. 32).

Project Reporting

24. The JISC will determine project reporting and review
procedures, which will be notified to successful projects.


Format and Submission of Proposals and Selection Method

25. Proposals must be limited to six A4 sides plus a
proforma front cover (see Annex to this Circular), and
contain the following information:

(on the cover sheet)
a Title
b Name, postal address, email address and telephone and
fax numbers of the contact individual
c Brief Description of activity
d Topic area(s) to which the activity relates.
e Approximate duration of the activity.
f Total budgetary costs in the first year and for the
whole project

(in the body of the proposal)
g Statement of how the activity will meet the objectives
of the JTAP; this statement should relate to the evaluation
criteria above, and provide an overall justification of the
importance of the technology proposed.
h Management model proposed; i.e., whether the proposers
intend to participate in a "focused club" which will
include other proposals submitted in the same topic area,
or whether it is intended to provide a self-standing
centrally managed collaboration (see paragraphs 5 and
21/2).
i Summary of intended outputs/deliverables from the
activity.
j Budgetary cost to the JISC of the activity, including
a rough estimate of the composition of this cost (detailed
figures would be required at a later stage).
k Statement, signed by a competent representative of the
institution,  that the bidding institution  supports the
activity.

26. A paper template for the cover sheet is attached to
this Circular.

27. Two copies of each bid, one of which must be single
sided and not bound or stapled, must be submitted by postal
mail to the following address, so as to arrive by 1700 hrs
on 30 November 1995.    Faxed and emailed bids are not
acceptable.
Mr Tom Franklin
JTAP National Co-ordinator
Computer Building
University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester M13 9PL

28. Each proposal will be reviewed by a number of
independent experts.  The outcome will provide a basis for:
a Nominating successful bids.
b Grouping the successful proposals into "focused
clubs" and "independent" projects.
c Holding  a workshop for each nominated club.
d Finalising bids and negotiating the funding
arrangements.

29. The results from initial bids will be announced by 
31st January 1996 together with dates for Workshops.  
Independent Projects not included within a specific 
"focused club" will  not be confirmed until the final
selections are made.

30. The results of the final selection process will be
made by 15th March 1996.  Funding of the selected projects
will be subject to confirmation by JISC and the Funding
Bodies by the end of March 1996.

31. Funding under this programme will, if approved,
commence as from 1 August 1996, and successful projects
will be expected to start work at that date or at the first
convenient date thereafter.

32. An introductory workshop will be held towards the end
of September to provide a background to this Programme;
details will be provided via the jisc-news mailing list at
Mailbase.

33. Further information may be obtained from to Co-
ordinator at the above address (telephone 0161 275 6106,
email T.Franklin@manchester.ac.uk )


Ron Rogerson



Annex A
Joint Information Systems Committee
JISC Technology Applications Programme

Cover sheet for bid

Project Title

Principal Institution

Contact name and dept.
               address
               email
               telephone
               fax

Brief Description of Activity

Topic Area(s)

Approximate Duration

Budgetary cost to the JISC:
     in the year commencing 1.8.96

     for the entire project