We are pleased to announce the successful closure of our recent SALIENT devolved funding call. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, with a diverse array of high-quality applications received. Thank you to all who participated and contributed to this success. Stay tuned for further updates! 

A Human-Centred Systems Approach is essentially a people-first way to understand and improve complex systems through shared mapping, decision-making, and change. 

A system is a group of interconnected parts working together for a purpose and embedded in an environment. Systems thinking helps us understand complex issues by looking at how these parts interact from the perspective of different observers.  Systems thinking considers the systems boundaries and how they are defined by different stakeholders and informed by value judgements. Systemic elements can be both human and non-human, and we map them based on their roles, functions and interactions and also based on the importance stakeholders place on them. 

A human-centred systems approach focuses on people’s needs, goals, capabilities and wellbeing. This type of approach aims for improvement by involving multiple perspectives, empowering marginalised groups and clarifying values and assumptions behind boundary decisions. This approach encourages collaboration to find ways to improve the system, recognising everyone’s mental models, roles and responsibilities as well as systemic and environmental constraints. SALIENT aims to use this approach to put people at the heart of the system, not as problems to be solved. 

Advantages of a Human-Centred Systems Approach in Decision Making: 

• Ethical: It’s morally right to include people in decisions that affect them. 
• Instrumental: Involving people with local knowledge leads to better decisions. 
• Political: People are more likely to support decisions they took part in. 

In this approach, humans are central agents actively included from beginning to end. The system is mapped collaboratively – boundaries, elements and relationships are defined by stakeholders participating in the system and by those affected by it. This means that a wide range of people with different knowledge and roles should be involved in systems mapping and evaluation. People set priorities, take responsibility for the system’s design, and manage the changes it brings. This method moves away from pre-determined solutions, starting with people’s needs and recognising the diversity of stakeholders while understanding the larger systemic dynamics. Importantly, people are empowered as agents of initiating and sustaining positive change. 

Examples of what this might look like in a competitive application for the SALIENT devolved funding call: 

• Ethnographic Research: Conducting in-depth interviews and observations to understand the experiences, needs, and challenges of the people who will use the system. This helps ensure the design is grounded in real-world contexts 
• Co-Design Workshops: Engaging users, stakeholders, and multidisciplinary teams in collaborative design sessions. These workshops foster creativity and ensure diverse perspectives are considered in the design process 
• Iterative Prototyping: Developing and testing prototypes with users in multiple iterations. This allows for continuous feedback and refinement, ensuring the final design meets user needs effectively 
• Systems Mapping: Creating visual representations of the system, including its components, interactions, and dependencies. This helps identify potential areas for improvement and ensures a holistic understanding of the system 
• User-Centred Evaluation: Conducting usability testing and gathering feedback from users to assess the effectiveness and usability of the system. This ensures the design is driven by user experiences and insights 
• Scenario Planning: Developing and analysing different scenarios to anticipate future challenges and opportunities. This helps design resilient systems that can adapt to changing conditions 

What we think doesn’t go far enough for a competitive SALIENT devolved funding call application: 

• Pre-defined tech-led fixes: pre-defining what the solution is and not sufficiently engaging users. 
• Lack of Contextual Understanding: Designing a system without understanding the context in which it will be used, such as the environment, cultural factors, or specific workflows. This can lead to a system that is not practical or effective in real-world settings. 
• Top-Down Decision Making: Implementing decisions made solely by executives or designers without consulting the actual users, or only consulting users at the end of the project. This often leads to solutions that do not address the real needs or challenges faced by users. 

Only UK academic higher education institutions can apply to lead a project, but can have multiple UK academic partners. Please see the Project Team information below on who can lead the team.

There is no limit on the number of applications from each institution.

Project teams can also include funded, or in-kind support from companies/ charities/ research groups etc. both international and UK based.  Relationships with external partners will be managed by the project lead institution and due diligence needs to be undertaken.  

Project teams can only apply once per call. 

Project teams cannot apply for follow on funding for their project if it is already funded through the SALIENT Hub.  However, project teams will be asked to consider next steps for their project as part of the application process.

An individual cannot be named on more than one grant.   

If a project is unsuccessful for one call, the team can reapply for future calls.  

Project leads and Co-Leads can be: 

• Academics working in a UK Higher Education Institute (HEI), or
• A researcher holding an academic position (e.g. lecturer, or equivalent) or a research fellow with an employment contract that ends beyond the end of the project end date.

Early Career Researchers and Post Docs
The inclusion of early career researchers and postdoctoral researchers including research assistants and research associates as members of the project team is encouraged. For the purpose of this call early career researchers are defined as being employed in a non-permanent research position or holding a research fellowship or an academic post and who has less than eight years (full time equivalent and excluding periods of maternity, paternity and sick leave) of post-doctoral research experience.

Other Team members
Project teams can also include project managers, project officers, administrators and technical staff.

There is no limit on the number of applications per organisation. 

We will fund two modes of projects:

Theoretically motivated projects (e.g. research that draws upon theory as the basis for enquiry, or as a means of researching a question, position, or relationship).

Empirically derived projects (e.g. research that is based on measurement and observation of real-world phenomena).

We are keen to support and encourage Early Career Researcher (ECR) led projects as a means of promoting development and community building for new scholars.

Project proposals must clearly demonstrate how their research activities will strengthen UK security and resilience, aligning with one or more of the five SALIENT work packages, and demonstrate a commitment to a human-centred systems approach, wherever possible.

Project teams can apply for a maximum of £100,000.

Projects will be funded at 80% fEC for UK research organisation costs (with the UK Research Organisations involved in projects contributing 20% fEC).   The maximum amount SALIENT will fund is 80% fEC of the maximum budget advertised for each specific call. For example, if the maximum budget permitted is £100,000, SALIENT will fund up to 80% fEC of £100,000 (which in this case is: £80,000). The remaining 20% (in this case: £20,000) will need to be provided by the research organisation(s) involved in the project.

DI/ DA costs are permitted i.e. overheads, staff costs, consumables, travel etc.
Projects must be led by a UK Higher Education Institute (HEI) that is eligible for UKRI funding, but project teams can include international companies or charities who are eligible for UKRI funding. 

Project teams can also include in-kind support from companies/ charities/ research groups etc. both international and UK based. 

Any international or exceptional costs such as non-academic or community partner organisations will be funded in accordance to the SALIENT funding recovery rates.

Any international or exceptional costs such as non-academic or community partner organisations will be funded at 100% fEC. via the awarded institution.

Note: Inflation is not included for the costing model due to the short duration of the projects.

Projects can run between 6-9mths.  There will be a fixed start date for all projects within each call, end dates will depend on agreed project duration. The start date will be released as part of each call. Projects will need to have an award letter in place before the agreed start date of the project. The terms and conditions will form part of the application process.  

All projects that meet the eligibility criteria and correctly complete the application form will be considered.

Key eligibility criteria: projects must clearly align with one or more of the SALIENT Work packages WPs (2-6). We want to support a broad and diverse portfolio of awards and activities, while ensuring a balanced spread across the work packages. 

Visit the eligibility pages for more information: Eligibility Criteria including due diligence and governance and control