University of Cumbria Advancing research through smarter funding intelligence

Background
As part of the University of Cumbria’s Towards 2030 Strategy to become a more research-active institution, a key priority for the university was to increase awareness of research funding opportunities and support academics in securing more external funding. Prior to implementing ResearchConnect, the Research Development Managers (RDMs) faced significant challenges in providing comprehensive and up-to-date funding intelligence. Without a centralised funding database, they had to rely on individual knowledge of funders, manual searches, and newsletters, which made the process fragmented and time-consuming.

According to Anish Kurien, Head of Research and Knowledge Exchange at the University of Cumbria, the aim in implementing ResearchConnect was to streamline how funding opportunities were identified and communicated, improve the efficiency of research support services, and ultimately enhance institutional research performance.

Challenge
A fragmented and time-consuming process for identifying funding opportunities.

Without a single, trusted source of funding information, the research support team struggled to provide timely and consistent intelligence to academics. Manual processes limited their ability to work proactively, and academic colleagues were not always aware of the full range of opportunities available to them. These challenges made it difficult for the university to progress its goal of increasing research activity and external funding.

A central, intuitive platform that enables proactive research support.

ResearchConnect addressed these challenges by providing a central, user-friendly platform that consolidates all relevant and current funding opportunities in one place. This allowed RDMs to deliver a much more protection and licensing across the borough. Embracing digital has transformed them into an efficient, secure and streamlined operation. The opportunity now is for them to continue learning, using the system to its full extent and allowing it to evolve. This could mean, for example, greater automation of processes and the expansion of their digital service provision to citizens and business owners.

Solution
A central, intuitive platform that enables proactive research support

ResearchConnect addressed these challenges by providing a central, user-friendly platform that consolidates all relevant and current funding opportunities in one place. This allowed RDMs to deliver a much more efficient and proactive service to academic colleagues, regularly sharing tailored funding bulletins and supporting targeted bids.

“ResearchConnect has enhanced the way we identify, disseminate, and act on funding intelligence. It has empowered our research support team and created efficiencies across the University.”
Anish Kurien, Head of Research and Knowledge Exchange, University of Cumbria

Anish notes that the intuitive interface, updated content, and time-saving AI-driven features have been particularly valuable. When a new funding call is identified, the system automatically suggests which academics it may be suitable for based on their publication records, allowing RDMs to make timely and informed recommendations. He also highlights the high-quality training and ongoing support provided by the ResearchConnect team, with Sarah offering well-received sessions for both the central research support team and academic colleagues. This has resulted in increased engagement with the system and greater awareness of external funding opportunities across the university.

Outcome
Greater efficiency, stronger engagement, and growing research activity

Since adopting ResearchConnect, the University of Cumbria has seen a steady year-on-year increase in the number of bids submitted and in the number of colleagues engaging with the system. While this growth is influenced by multiple factors, Anish confirms that ResearchConnect has played a significant role in supporting this success.