Nowlan Digitisation Grants

Supporting Material

• Nowlan Guidelines for applicants 2024

Applying for a Nowlan Grant

The scheme aims to expand the range of digitised historical and archaeological sources available through open and free access to researchers, for private study or education purposes. Proposals can take two forms:

1. The digitisation of a historical or archaeological source or sources (including making it searchable and freely available online)
   or
2. The updating of existing digital historical or archaeological resources to enable continued online public access

Key Points

• The intention of these grants is to fund research focusing on professional digitisation with a distinct and identifiable standalone output of making a body of information accessible to anyone upon completion of the project
• Proposals are welcomed for a clearly defined standalone project accessible on an institutional website, to be completed within the Grant programme timeline (completion by end April 2025)
• In line with the Academy’s focus on ensuring long term preservation and access to digital collections, all projects must also make their digital outputs and metadata available to the Royal Irish Academy for inclusion in the Digital Repository of Ireland (please see further details in guidelines document)..
• The purpose of this grant is to provide support for the direct costs of digitising material, up to a maximum of €10,000
• All applicants must be the copyright holders of the original data, be acting on their behalf, or the work must be out of copyright
• All queries can be sent to grants@ria.ie

Nowlan Grants Application Form

Information required to apply for 2024

In order to make an application for funding you will need to familiarise yourself with the ‘Guidelines for applicants’ document (PDF).

Funding available

The scheme will be competitive, and there is no lower limit on the amount requested but it is anticipated that Grants will be made in the region of €8,000-€10,000

Costs and activities which are eligible

• Invoices for services rendered as part of project
• Salary payments specific to project (as the Academy can only reimburse costs which are supported by evidence of payment, any request to reimburse salary costs must be supported by evidence that the salary has been paid (in the form of payslips, paid invoices etc.) from the employing body)
• Research costs
• Limited consumables (to a maximum of €1000)

The only expenses payable are the costs directly related to the research being carried out, up to a maximum of €10,000.

All expenses must be supported with vouched expenditure. Please note that these costs are subject to the maximum subsistence rates (link is external)as set out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The Academy does not pay per diem rates and will only cover expenses that are vouched by receipt.

Costs and activities which are ineligible

• Grants will not be made retrospectively i.e. the work for which the support is requested must not have commenced before the grant decision is communicated
• An application will not be accepted if there is a report outstanding or any outstanding funds to be returned on any previous research grant awarded by the Academy to the principal investigator or co-investigator(s) named in the current application
• Costs which are already funded by another grant or alternative source

Who can apply

• Researchers (PhD students and onwards) in the field of Irish History based in a third level institution who are on a permanent contract or temporary contract that will not end during the course of the grant
• Applicants can submit one application per grant round
• Applicants should be ordinarily resident and working on the island of Ireland (including Northern Ireland)
• Applicants may hold a maximum of two Nowlan Academy awards in any five-year period

Criteria and assessment priorities

Each application will be assessed on the following criteria:

• Academic merit, taking into account originality and the scholarly importance of potential research based on the digitised source
• Demonstrable ability and experience of applicant to carry out the proposed project
• Suitability of methodology
• Feasibility of project within time scale (All projects must be completed, and all associated reports and invoices/financial details submitted by end April 2024).
• Added value of digitising the proposed source or restoration to public use of an existing digital source
• Intended outcomes

Submission deadline

The Nowlan Grants Scheme opens from 22 February 2024 until Thursday 11 April 2024. All queries can be sent to grants@ria.ie

Information for Nowlan Digitisation grantees

Those successful for this grant will be notified of the outcome via written letter.

Acceptance Procedure (please read carefully)

• Please email ‘grants@ria.ie’ indicating your willingness to accept the award, and note the below requirements, by Monday 19th June 2023. In all email correspondence please use the subject line: Nowlan Digitisation Grant scheme and your name.
• After your acceptance of the grant and any related conditions, our Finance department will contact you under separate cover to request the financial information required. If your institution is administering the award on your behalf, then we require the bank details of the institution. We may also request tax clearance verification details, where necessary.  Failure to submit your details to accounts will delay the grant drawdown.
• Please note that as per the guidelines for the scheme the uppermost limit for each collection is 50GB. All successful grantees must contact the DRI (k.long@ria.ie) for advice regarding file formats and best practice in digital preservation. Confirmation of this contact is required before grant drawdowns are processed.
• You may proceed with making your own arrangements for the initiation of the project following the submission of the required financial information and contact with DRI (as noted above). We will begin the payment process for 50% of the grant once the acceptance procedure has been completed and a payment account has been set up. It is advisable to allow up to a month between completion of the above acceptance process and the start date of the project, to allow for the processing of the draw down.

Final payment and Reporting guidelines – by Friday 31st May 2024

• The remaining 50% will be paid on receipt of your detailed report, which will include a fully vouched and detailed statement of expenditure using the template available here. Deadline for submission of your report is Friday 31st May 2024. The report form, which will be available online or on request from grants@ria.ie, will require details of the central objectives, primary methodology used, research findings/outcomes and/or milestones achieved. This report will also require you to outline your plans for disseminating your findings. You must also give due acknowledgement to the RIA Nowlan Digitisation Scheme in any resulting publication (see the enclosed guidelines for acknowledging funding).

Additional notes (please read as these are important):

• It should be noted that the sum allocated is the maximum to be awarded and the final amount which you will be reimbursed will be based on vouched expenditure (based on invoices submitted for services rendered and other invoiced costs). Part of the reporting procedure will require you to submit any and all receipts for costs incurred in relation to the project, as any unspent funds or costs for which there is no receipt included must be returned to the Academy.
• This grant is subject to the maximum travel and subsistence allowances as set out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. As stated above only vouched expenditure is permitted and must be within the maximums laid out above.  Please note that these are subject to change.
• Please note that expenses listed as ineligible in the notes to applicants during the application process cannot be claimed.
• You must also ensure that the ‘Guidelines for acknowledging funding’ are followed including use of the RIA logo as outlined.