International ECR Networking Sprint (India – tackling plastic waste)
We are delighted to launch a new sprint focused on plastic waste – a critical issue for India’s 2070 net-zero target. With over 3.4 million tonnes of plastic waste generated annually, nearly 40% of it unmanaged, the need for sustainable, circular solutions is urgent.
The India Sprint will bring together postdoctoral researchers from the UK and India to form diverse, interdisciplinary teams to develop scalable, system-level networks for sustainable plastic waste management.
UK participants will have their travel and accommodation fully covered.
India-based participants will receive financial contributions toward their travel and accommodation costs.
What is a C-DICE ECR Networking Sprint?
A C-DICE Networking Sprint is a fast-paced, interactive workshop where early career researchers (ECRs) team up to co-create innovative network proposals – with the chance to win up to £5,000 in seed funding.
Unlike traditional workshops, sprints are all about collaboration, creativity, and action. Over two days, participants work in interdisciplinary teams to tackle real-world challenges, build professional networks, and develop ideas with global impact. The event wraps with team pitches, where standout idea will receive seed funding to help support future collaborations and open doors to new opportunities.
Why join?
- Collaborate internationally with researchers from the UK and India
- Tackle plastic waste using circular economy principles
- Pitch your ideas to win funding and kickstart future collaborations
- Build lasting networks that support impactful, cross-disciplinary research
- Gain valuable skills in teamwork, budgeting, and proposal pitching
This is more than a workshop – it’s a launchpad for your research journey.
Eligibility criteria
UK participants
- Postdoctoral researchers affiliated with a C-DICE partner institution.
- Must confirm that they meet the entry requirement for the location of the sprint (India).
- Entry requirements for applicants travelling on a full ‘British citizen’ passport from the UK to India can be seen here.
- Entry requirement for UK-based applicants with non-British passports can be seen here.
Host country / region participants
- Early career researchers (including postdoctoral researchers, research fellows, and research associates) at a university or working in industry.
- Doctoral researchers currently working in an academic position (e.g., studying for a PhD, EngD, DBA, or EdD).
- Academics without prior principal investigator roles on a grant exceeding £100k, (including teaching fellows and lecturers).
How to apply
- Application is via an online MS form. The free text questions used to assess your application are:
- Briefly describe your primary research area (no more than 50 words)
- Describe why you are interested in participating in the C-DICE Sprint (no more than 100 words)
- Applications will be reviewed, scored and ranked by C-DICE team.
- Successful applicants (both host country/region and UK based) will be required to register on Inkpath, C-DICE’s researcher development platform, to confirm their place.
Host country / region applicants will be notified before the event if they have secured a place on the C-DICE Sprint.
Assessment criteria
The assessment criteria for participant selection are:
- An interest in climate change, net zero, decarbonisation.
- The ability to communicate research to a wide audience.
- Demonstrate how attending the sprint will enable you develop collaborative networks.
- Commitment to taking an active role in all of the sessions.
Timeline
| Activity | Timeline |
| Application process opens | 1 July 2025 |
| Information webinar | 15 July 2025 (10:30-11:30am BST) |
| Application deadline (UK applicants) | 7 August 2025 (12 noon BST) |
| Application deadline (Indian applicants) | 18 August 2025 (12 noon BST) |
| Online kickoff chat (all participants) | 4 September 2025 (10:00-11:00am BST) |
| Research sprint (in person) | 23 and 24 September 2025 |
In the event of this opportunity being substantially oversubscribed, C-DICE reserves the right to modify the assessment process.
Please note that we will not be able to give individual feedback to unsuccessful applicants, however we will provide some general points of feedback.
Support available
- C-DICE will arrange and cover the cost of travel and accommodation for UK participants.
- C-DICE has established a fund to help host country/region participants attend the sprint where they may otherwise not have the funds to do so. C-DICE will contribute towards the cost of travel and/or an overnight stay. Details available on request.
- If you are accepted to join the sprint but your caring responsibilities could present a barrier to participation, you can apply for the Caring Support Fund to meet additional costs. Details available on request. Kindly send an email to cdice-enquiries@mailbox.lboro.ac.uk