Geography FACULTY OF Environment Living with Difference in Europe: making communities out of strangers in an era of super mobility and super diversity Professor Gill Valentine:

Geography FACULTY OF Environment Outline of Presentation ERC Advanced Investigator competition The characteristics of my own award Some tips based on my experience My career profile as PI: why my bid was successful

Geography FACULTY OF Environment The ERC Advanced Investigator Competition Parts: B1 & B2 B1: The PI must have a track record of significant research achievement (especially in last 10 years) international recognition (pubs, translation, invites, prizes) ability to inspire younger researchers/teams establish new interdisciplinary approaches/change fields

Geography FACULTY OF Environment The ERC Advanced Investigator Competition B2: quality of the proposed research promote advances in the frontiers of knowledge new methods and techniques (including ‘unconventional’) at the interface of disciplines; high risk; potential impact Assessment: 2 stages – i) quality threshold (B1 -graded by panel); ii) B2 -external evaluation (8 reports), no interview

Geography FACULTY OF Environment Programme Design RQ: How do we develop the capacity to live with difference in an age of supermobility and superdiversity? (€2.2.M over 4 years) Project A Mapping Social Diversity Opportunities for encounters Analysis of census data to identify areas of ‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘low’ diversity. International survey to explore opportunities & types of encounter, & experiences of ‘difference’. Project B Lived Experience of Difference Transmission of attitudes Informants sampled from A. Multi-method case studies with individuals to explore when, where and how attitudes develop over time. Project C Spaces of Conflict Competing values and rights claims Identify examples of existing or emerging tensions and conflicts in research sites. Analyse media reports of tensions & interview key informants. Focus groups & video diaries with members of the conflicting groups. Project C: Spaces of Conflict (start date: 01/02/10, 36mths) Project D Meaningful Contact Generating social change Identify key e.gs of micro-publics. Multi-method case studies (innovative audio-video). Recommendations tested through focus groups. Project E Spatial Experimentation Creating meaningful contact To be developed in response to projects A-D.

Geography FACULTY OF Environment Characteristics of my Research Design All projects are inter-linked to answer one over-arching RQ Leeds colleagues: early career research; interdisciplinary input New staff: 6 PDRAs; 2 Ph.D. students; administrator Methodological innovation (quantitative & qualitative) Comparative research: West v East Europe Advance theorisation Provide an integrated evidence base to inform European policy Budget/resources

Geography FACULTY OF Environment Tips: Section B1: Don’t count yourself out: science v social science model (h-index) Do your homework to chose the right panel Recruit an assistant to help with your career archaeology Impact of work: draw on colleagues’ advice It’s not too late to develop professional standing Be aware the assessors have a PC to check h-indices Update your web page EPSS: On-line submission

Geography FACULTY OF Environment Tips: Section B2: Focus on a European challenge Include relevant interdisciplinary literatures You don’t need an international co-applicant Trust the ERC guidelines and take risks with research design Include methodological detail; show it is thought through Involve ECRs & PhDs to demonstrate capacity building Research environment: your institution needs to prepare material Budget issues & start-date

Geography FACULTY OF Environment A tale of two professors… So why was my ERC bid successful? Gill ValentineProfessor X £2.2 million research income Unsuccessful ESRC Centre and LT programme bid 14 grants 3 unsuccessful applications 08/09 22 PhD students Has time-consuming international & mature Ph.D. students 152 publications Openly talks about rejected paper 24 international visits Spends time being a ‘good citizen’ in Leeds. Record 36 hour ‘day’ Takes multiple holidays

Geography FACULTY OF Environment Build on or learn from ‘failures’ Being a successful researcher doesn’t mean you can’t also be a good citizen of your institution & discipline If you don’t play, you don’t win! So Just Do It! (and good luck!!)