Find out how to bid for funding to start a project that explores new ideas.

About the fund

The first Education and Innovation Fund was launched on 21 October 2022. A total of £50,000 is available for the awards this academic year, with a maximum award of up to £5,000 per individual project.

This new university initiative is designed to support the aims of our Learn to Transform strategy, by providing resources to help us continue to advance the Pedagogic Revolution at Sussex.

The Education and Innovation Fund is designed to provide funds for projects that explore new ideas in teaching and learning at Sussex. These funds are not for existing programmes unless there is a significant new element to the work. Funded projects will be evaluated with the possibility of shaping future investment at Sussex.

Read about previous winning projects.

Fund focus areas

This year’s fund will favour projects that prioritise student feedback, a key Sussex NSS results improvement area, as well as projects which aim to improve the student voice and assessments.

Your bid could be used to help you and your colleagues:

  • buy a service or equipment
  • pay a doctoral tutor or student to support initiatives
  • develop course initiatives
  • try out a new funded project that could lead to wider institutional adoption.

An award can be a collaboration of up to four people. Successful initiatives could become longer term projects, or even scaled up to have a wider impact across the university.

How to apply

Colleagues can apply through this online form.

The deadline for the next round of applications is Monday 15 April. The winners will be announced shortly afterwards.

Your project will be assessed by a panel of Academic and Professional Services staff, firstly looking at suitability for this funding ie a discreet piece of work that presents an innovation for learning and teaching and secondly looking at how the project supports the aims in our Learn to Transform strategy.

Speak to your Director of Teaching and Learning or Associate Dean for Education before submitting to make sure this is the most appropriate route to fund your project and that your school has capacity to support the initiative.

We also strongly encourage colleagues to work with their Academic Developer. They are ready to provide advice and guidance on the awards and how best to complete your application.

Apply now

Winners so far

Education and Innovation Fund winners: August 2023.

Education and Innovation Fund winners: May 2023.

Education and Innovation Fund winners: January 2023.