Strategic Insight Programme (SIP)
The Strategic Insight Programme (SIP), a Higher Education Funding Council Wales innovation and engagement project, is open to applications from University staff interested in building links with external partners through funded placement into organisations within the UK.
These placements provide an opportunity for staff to spend time outside the Higher Education (HE) environment to develop new links, to share knowledge and identify future collaborative activity with external organisations.
Staff wishing to participate in a placement can work with any UK organisation in the private, public or voluntary sector.
Why?
The aim of the Programme is to enable more staff to be involved in projects that contribute to economic, social and cultural development. In doing so, these projects will develop the skills and knowledge of University staff; foster new links with external organisations for knowledge exchange on a mutually beneficial basis, and help to bridge the gap between theory and practice. By developing new strategic links it is intended that future collaborative projects may follow, for example knowledge transfer partnerships, student placements, consultancy and training.
How does it work?
Interested staff will be encouraged to develop their placement proposal through close liaison with their potential partner organisation to ensure that SIP criteria are met and that both organisations gain the maximum benefit from the arrangement.
The scheme allows staff from participating Higher Education Institutions to undertake a fully-funded short-term placement of a maximum duration of 50 working hours in an organisation in the public, private or not-for-profit sector.
Applicants will be asked to complete and sign an application form and obtain the signature of their line manager, the Host organisation contact and forward this to the AU Contact - Adrian Harvey, avh@aber.ac.uk. Once AU approval is obtained the application will be passed onto the Project Office to be considered with relation to the criteria by the SIP Administrator and Manager. The SIP Manager will then make a decision regarding final approval. Download Aberystwyth University's SIP application process
Following this, the partner organisation will be contacted to discuss the project, explain how SIP works, and to confirm their support for the placement. Without this confirmation the Placement will not be able to take place.
Closing date for applications March 2013. Placements to be completed before June 2013.
Download
SIP Case Study
Dr Marco Odello, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Law and Criminology secured SIP funding to work with the Legal Directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London. The placement shows a great example of a rewarding, strategic partnership likely to yield important collaborative cooperation between Government and HE. Click here for more...